A 1960s amphibious car and numerous canoes and kayaks and other small craft took to the water to mark the opening of the slipway
Looking rather like something from a James Bond film, an Amphicar rises up out of the water as part of the opening celebrations for the Wey & Arun Canal’s new slipway.
Mike and Jane Stallwood’s 1960s amphibious car was accompanied by numerous canoes and kayaks and other small craft which took to the water to mark the opening of the Thriscutt Slipway. Built by volunteers and funded by a generous donation from the Thriscutt family (one of whom travelled from Canada to be at the opening), the slipway was named in memory of their parents Nancy and Sydney Thriscutt. It enables boats to be launched on the Wey & Arun Canal Trust’s newly restored length of the canal’s summit level at Dunsfold, where the new Compasses Bridge, a wharf and a landing stage have already been built – and where the Trust’s next major project will see Tickner’s Bridge rebuilt.
Unveiling a dedication plaque, Andrew Thriscutt said “I would love to think that the canal will one day be open from the bottom to the top,” referring to WACT’s goal of reopening the through route from the River Wey at Shalford to the River Arun and South Coast.
