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Hello and welcome to February's edition of the Cruising the Cut newsletter.
It's been a quieter month for news than the last - given the impact of the canal breach at Whitchurch, that's hardly a surprise - but there have been a few things of note, as detailed below.
Boating for me at this time of year seems mainly to be about DIY or other project work, in part because of the canals freezing when it gets decently sub-zero, which has happened a couple of times of late, and partly because I am an unashamedly fair weather boater.
But, like the first buds poking their heads above the dirt as Spring approaches, so a few prospects for 2026 have gently started to make their presence known and it looks as though this could be a promising year for interesting floating endeavours... more information will be given as the year unfolds!
Regards
David |
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*** News from the canal world. Send press releases (about canal topics!) to newsletter@cruisingthecut.co.uk *** |
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Moving On Up
A huge boat-moving operation has been undertaken after the Llangollen canal at Whitchurch suffered a collossal breach over Christmas.
Two boats fell into the breach hole whilst another dangled perilously on the edge; other boats moored further along managed to escape major damage but were sitting on the canal bottom at an alarming tilt until water levels were restored.
Repairs are likely to take several months and cost millions of pounds.
The collapse left many boaters stranded to the west of the breach (due to the Llangollen canal having only one connection point to the rest of the network) but some have had their boats craned out of the water, driven past the breach on huge lorries, and craned back in again to continue their travels. Others have decided to stay put.
Have a look at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cje1zpppwjgo for details about the huge move operation.
Call for Action
The CRT has launched an appeal for new volunteers to join the 5,500 people who've already donated their time to make the canals a better place in the last year alone.
Being a charitable trust, the CRT relies on goodwill for much of its operations, and it's urging anyone with an interest in canals, wildlife and the outdoors to try some new "welcome sessions".
These will provide opportunities to meet existing staff and volunteers and ask any questions about what roles are on offer.
If you're curious, have a look at https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/support-us/our-campaigns/volunteer-by-water
Reverse charge
About a year ago, it was reported that Peel Ports - the company that operates as Harbour Authority for 450 square miles of the River Clyde and its estuary - was planning to charge leisure boaters an annual fee for use of the waterway, describing it as a "conservation fee".
The proposal provoked fury from many parties including the Inland Waterways Association, who argued strongly that use of the river was a public resource and that any charge was a "cash grab" by Peel Ports.
Relief then for all against, as Peel have reportedly backtracked on the idea following pressure not just from the IWA but Scottish politicians and many others.
See https://waterways.org.uk/about-us/news/fees-on-river-clyde-abandoned
Avon Calling!
The former Chief Executive of the Canal & River Trust, Richard Parry, has become a Patron of the Avon Navigation Trust.
The organisation operates the Warwickshire and Worcestershire Avon which flows from Tewkesbury to Stratford.
Mr Parry joins names such as businessman Lord Digby Jones and the singer Toyah Wilcox.
More at https://www.crucialpr.co.uk/crucial-archive/8-releases |
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My recent videos
January here in the UK was largely cold and damp. We've even had several nights of sub-zero temperatures (Celsius) leading to the canals freezing.
No surprise then that I have not been cruising on the boat. Instead, I have sorted the 4-yearly Boat Safety Scheme certificate, and that process has been documented in a video due to be released the same day that this newsletter gets published.
Before that was a long rambling chat of a video about the plans I have for DIY projects aboard the narrowboat.
Plus I released a long-awaited documentary film about the restoration of two steam narrowboats' boilers, which was filmed on three separate occasions over the past year. I think it's a fascinating tale!
And the year was kicked off with another chatty video, albeit a shorter one, in which I looked ahead to 2026 and explained why my filming and video release schedule is a bit limited at present.
Click the links below to watch the vlogs (and for the 'slow TV' videos, go direct to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@CruisingTheCut/videos |
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Book your perfect canal boat holiday! |
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What am I up to?
Hmmm ... dare I refer to February 14th, Valentine's Day? As many loathe it as love it, me included. So maybe I'll give it a mention only in terms of how much we love our boats and canals.
And along with love comes hate (OK, that's arguable) hence why I have put together a short video for the mid-month, about Things I Love and Hate about my 'new' narrowboat, after a year of ownership.
Speaking of which, can you believe it's been a year since I bought Gentian? How can that possibly be? If I didn't know better, I'd swear it was only a month or two ago that I was freezing my bits off up in Lincoln looking around the brokerage.
Meanwhile, if you're curious about my project boat (Twiggy), it remains out of water and partially under canvas until such time as a) the weather improves and b) I have any time to devote to it.
That said, I did make a brief trip to check on Twigs earlier this week during an unexpectedly sunny day, and have enough footage to make a "Did Twiggy Survive Over Christmas?" type of video, which is coming soon.
The other videos for February will be ... err, I don't know yet. I was hoping we might get a decent weekend's weather so that I could film a cruise down the South Oxford canal, maybe to Cropredy, but I have a sneaking suspicion that's not on the cards until at least early Spring. |
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My YouTube top pick of the month
Of all the channels I thought I'd be recommending to you, a series of videos about Chinese culture and ways of life was not on my bingo card until a few days ago, truth be told.
Then, out of nowhere, YouTube suggested I might like to find out how Chinese people type, given the thousands of complex symbols that make up the Mandarin language. And you know what? YouTube was right.
Before long, I was learning not only about typing but the intricacies of Chinese toilets and many other topics, all presented in a very engaging and easy to watch manner.
Should this kind of thing pique your interest too, then have a look at "Offbeat Mandarin" on YouTube (and if you like it, tell her I sent you)
Watch at https://www.youtube.com/@OffbeatMandarin |
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Final Thoughts
I am always delighted to receive correspondence relating to this newsletter (though, with apologies, I may not be able to respond to every message) and this month I had an email from Jo Defyn, who sent this picture of what is described as "an ancient canal, the canal that connected the medieval city of Brugge (Bruges) to the sea".
I have never been to Bruges (the closest I have come is seeing the film "In Bruges" at the cinema, which is an excellent movie as it happens) but this put me in mind to do a brief Google on the topic and it seems I must, one day, make a trip to the city to explore the waterways. Should you also be so interested, here's a link to get you started.
https://www.visitbruges.be/en/things-to-do/sights/canals-of-bruges
Thanks for reading!
Cheerio |
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