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SUNDAY 2nd MAY
 As always the public programme started with a
concert and service by the Salvation Army band, although there had been an
earlier communion service for the boaters on the barge Crook.
Then came the first round of the boat-handling competition.
This year there were 21 entries, which nicely filled the three time-slots
allocated without Allan having to twist any arms.
The entertainments during the day were much as on Saturday,
with the addition of a public performance by the Daystar Theatre Group,
a different Morris side, this time the Chingford Morris and the highlight for
the younger boaters and visitors (and some older ones), the Teddy Bears' Picnic
(which, as always, I didn't see as I was busy commentating on the boat-handling
at the time).
 Sunday evening is reserved for the procession of illuminated
boats, preceded by the boaters' barbecue (the latter organised by St
Pancras Cruising Club). This year we had decided to take a slower and more
gentle approach to clearing the public from the towpath for the illuminated
boats (which we have to do for safety reasons), which avoided much of the
hassle we have had in some past years.
The illuminated procession looked very good, with over a dozen
entries (more than the last couple of years). Elizabeth Rose
repeated her success of Saturday by winning the Cruise Electric Trophy for this
event. There was a new award this year, in memory of the late Graham Capelin, a
Cavalcade "regular". This was for the best performance by a first-time entrant
in the decorated boats or the illuminated boats without winning either, and we
were delighted with the judges' decision that it should go to the Tideway
Adventurers' nb Michael for its illuminations (including some fairy
lights borrowed from Felis Catus II). Before, during and after the
procession we enjoyed the music of Colin Kingwell's Jazz Bandits, after
which a string group played on one of the boats and there was some informal
folk music on the towpath while a lot of private partying took place on the
boats.
MONDAY 3rd MAY
 Monday morning saw
the third and final session of the boat-handling competition. As always the
standard was quite varied, with a lot of excellent entries. and some who were
distinctly slow and uncertain. The winner was Andrew Reid, one of the
youngsters from the Tideway Adventurers, with no fewer than four steerers
coming equal second.
The competition this year had its youngest-ever contestant,
Natasha Gorbet-Hopkins, aged 9, who looks like becoming a potential winner in a
few years' time. We also welcomed our first European contestant in the person
of Francesca Giordino, from Rome.
  The presentation of
awards at 1pm gave the results of the competitions I've already mentioned,
plus that of the Vic Trott Memorial Trophy for "Boaters' Sunday Best" costumes,
won this year by Americans Linda & Dennis Anfuso (pictured right) artists
who spend each summer on Britain's canals in their tug-style narrowboat
Ann. Linda is well-known to subscribers to the waterways newsgroup and
mailing list and helps us at Cavalcade each year by providing the drawings for
children to colour at the Teddy Bears' Picnic.
In the afternoon, the Fulham Brass Band entertained us
while the boaters began to head for home and the event gradually wound down to
its close at 6pm. One of the last events was the drawing of the programme
prize, a luxury weekend for two at the Colonnade Town House, a new hotel just
round the corner from Little Venice. This was donated by the Eton Town House
Group and was won by Graham Lacey, a visitor from Felixstowe.
Then we all spent a busy evening clearing up, followed by
the now-traditional staff barbecue. Next morning saw the last bits of clearing
up and the removal of all the equipment from the site.
THE EVENT IN GENERAL
The good weather certainly brought in
the crowds. We estimate that something like 30,000 visited during the weekend.
The turn-out of historic working and ex-working boats gets
better every year, and was especially appropriate to this year's theme of
Our Waterways Heritage. I counted up to 18 of them, 12 in original
working trim - and that was without walking the full length of the moorings. In
addition we were pleased to welcome the two hotel boats already mentioned and
the modern working boat Stokie No.1 off the Kennet & Avon Canal.
Freight was very much a focus of the weekend. In recent
years we have used water transport to bring much of the equipment we use to the
site, and that job was done for us this year by Paul and Lyn Ayres with their
Big Woolwich pair Aldgate & Angel. In addition, Ivor
Batchelor's pair Mountbatten & Cedar were on display with a
cargo of oak planks on their way from Gernon Bushes in Essex to Tardebigge for
use in the restoration of the historic narrowboat Raymond, and the pair
Archimedes & Australia were carrying a cargo of packaging for
recycling, as was Drew Burge on Greyhound. Malcolm Burge also came on
Jaguar, but I don't know if he had a cargo.
  But the highest
profile, quite deliberately, was given to a group of companies who had
teamed together to provide our rubbish clearance service. Waterway consultants
Wood, Hall & Heward had masterminded this operation, and provided a Bantam
Tug to power it. British Waterways had provided a lighter modified to carry a
number of skips, which had been provided by Powerday, a building and skip-hire
contractor. The operation was sponsored by English, Welsh and Scottish
Railways. The purpose of giving them so high a profile was to support their
campaign for more use of water transport in London and, in particular, for the
creation of a canal/rail/road interchange facility in West London. If all the
goods in and spoil out from the major developments due to begin soon around
Paddington Basin were to be transported by water, then the roads of West London
would be saved from the hundreds of lorry-loads per week that would otherwise
be needed.
 Another new activity was a small fairground, using restored
vintage fairground equipment and organised by IWA South London Branch's
Dave Young. This was located on a patch of land that we were using for the
first time and was a great success. Many of us hope it will become a regular
feature of the event.
So this year's Cavalcade was not only a
fun event for a heck of a lot of people, but also had a solid campaigning
purpose to it. We are grateful to everyone who helped make the event a success,
to all our volunteers (including a large contingent from KESCRG) and to those,
notably BW, the City of Westminster and Playlight Hire, who gave us sponsorship
in cash or in kind.
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