A rare sight.

Back blipped because of the sad events of the 29th.

As we were coming up the Fazely locks a "gongoozler" reported that ahead there was a boat broken down and having to be towed so there may be a queue.  However, the helmsman of a boat going down the locks said he had followed them down the Coventry canal and it was an "Hotel boat".

Soon we caught them up and sure enough, it was a pair being used for a floating hotel.  The front boat is a powered 70 footer (no metric conversion as they were built as 70 ft) behind being towed on "cross straps" was a butty.  I think this might need some explanation,  Cross straps are exactly as the name suggests ropes that run from the starboard (right) bow of the butty to the port (left) stern of the towing boat.  Another set runs port to starboard so literally crossing.  This holds the boat's bow fender to the stern fender.  Despite this, the butty does need to be steered.  You can see the helmsman on the butty holding a large wooden helm, originally and correctly on old working boats (this does appear to be a converted working boat) known as the elum.

So what is a butty?  In the days of working boats, they often ran as pairs.  The second boat had no propulsion, neither towing horse nor later no engine.  This meant they could be a different shape, you can see the back of the butty is shaped more like bows.

Now one boat carries the paying guests and provides accommodation the other is accommodation for the crew.