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Hello and welcome to the March edition of the newsletter. As I sit and type this, there is sunshine streaming through my office window, which is a joy to behold.
To my many readers in the parts of America that have recently had huge snowfalls, I hope you are OK and keeping warm and well.
The Canal & River Trust's winter maintenance shutdowns are nearly at their end (usually the end of March) at which point, boating will be in full swing again, unexpected shutdowns permitting...
Here's looking forward to a season less plagued by catastrophic canal failures than last year. Surely things can only get better?
Cheers
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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Phasers to stun
The Canal & River Trust has announced how it plans to deal with recommendations from a report on boat licensing that was delivered at the end of last year.
36 recommendations were made in the report, aimed at making licensing requirements clearer and improving the management of the waterways.
The CRT intends to publish a full response to each point in the Spring, along with a timetable for those elements that will require further consultations.
Meanwhile, a three-phase plan is underway, the first part being better communications with boaters and quicker removal of sunken or abandoned boats. Plus a "canal app" is being developed.
Phase 2 runs until the end of next year and will cover clarification of movement requirements for boats without a home mooring, a review of boat safety and insurance requirements to ensure boats are fit for navigation, and a review of licence fee discounts.
Then Phase 3 will look at changes that would require new legislation, possibly the area that will alarm boaters most as this involves the Trust "seeking additional powers to manage the waterways".
Meanwhile, the CRT has also said it intends to spend an additional £2 million in the year ahead to fix leaking locks, tackle overgrowing trees and encroaching weeds and start a phased increase in dredging.
Funds for Britain's Waterways
Somewhat out of the blue, the UK Government has handed an extra £6.5m to the Canal & River Trust to help with looking after our canals. It's in addition to the £53m annual grant which Parliament gives to the charity.
A press release from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural affairs says the cash is to "help build long-term resilience across the network and ensure it continues to operate safely".
Whilst extra funding is obviously welcome, the decision was made before the recent catastrophic breach at Llangollen which will require substantially more funding to sort out over the coming months so the money will likely be just a drop in the ocean of the CRT's maintenance needs.
Not the Midlands anymore
The long-established and very well-known Midland Chandlers has taken the decision to close all of their retail outlets and go online-only, in a decision likely to frustrate their customers - boaters - who don't always have convenient access to postal addresses for deliveries.
The closures are at Willington, Preston Brook and Braunston.
The company says it will enable them to offer a wider range of products and better stock availability.
They do say they hope in the future to be able to deliver orders to 250 "LKQ" branches nationwide, that being the auto parts supplier who have owned the chandlery since 2016, probably best known in the UK as "Euro Car Parts".
Whether any of those are handily located next to canals, I have no idea...
Tickety Boo
Tickets are now on sale for the 2026 Crick Boat Show, saving 10 per cent on the entry price.
The event, which takes place at Crick Marina, near Daventry in Northamptonshire, will be held across the late May Bank Holiday Weekend, 23 -25 May 2026, with a exclusive Trade & Preview Day on Friday 22 May.
Britain’s biggest inland waterways event, the show attracts over 26,000 visitors.
You can get tickets from https://www.crickboatshow.com/tickets/ |
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My recent videos
Here's a quick recap of what I've uploaded to YouTube recently, in case it has failed to notify you (which is a common problem).
Most recently there was a winter update on Twiggy, my fibreglass project boat. I went over to the boatyard where it's stored out of water, just to see how it was faring after all the recent rain (and there was a lot of it in the bilges, which I had to scoop out). The state of things got to me a bit, I must confess, but I am determined to plod on with the restoration as the weather gets nicer.
Prior to that, in time for Valentine's Day, was a video outlining a handful of things I either Like or Dislike about the narrowboat, Gentian. One of them was the bed, to which hoards of people replied I should try lying diagonally, even though I mentioned (too briefly, it seems!) that I had already tried that.
And the video right at the start of last month was the testing time of whether Gentian would pass its four-yearly Boat Safety Scheme examination (spoiler: it did and it didn't!).
Click the links below to watch the vlogs (or 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?
To be blunt, March is looking very empty for filming at the time of writing; this is due to the family matter I have mentioned before.
As a result, I won't know what I am going to be able to film until such time as I actually do it! It is likely that there may be a bit of a hiatus this month to some degree.
However, I do still have one video filmed a couple of weeks ago waiting in the wings, so I'll pop that up next. With luck, I might get to spend a day over at Twiggy again soon too. |
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Into the dusty archive...
This month's pick is of the three videos I made documenting my trip up the River Avon from Tewkesbury to Stratford back in a glorious summer in 2017. The river was calm, the weather was beautiful and it was a most enjoyable trip.
Start the trip at Tewkesbury on vlog 111 and then watch the two subsequent episodes to complete the journey.
Watch at https://cruisingthecut.co.uk/2017/10/04/vlog-111-memory-lane/ |
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My YouTube top pick of the month
I was lucky enough to have a day up at the NEC in Birmingham last week, wandering around the Campervan, Camping and Motorhome show.
It's an event I've been to many times before and to be honest it's much the same each time but it's still good fun to browse the huge variety of campervans and motorhomes that are available (if you have deep pockets!)
I mention this because speaking on stage at the show when I was there were friends of mine, Steve and Lyndsey Radford who are avid motorhomers, spending at least three months a year touring in their collossal motorhome.
They have a YouTube channel documenting their travels and are currently awaiting delivery of a new motorhome. While they wait, they've been testing a variety of used vans of all different styles and sizes and it's been interesting to hear the pros and cons of each.
So if you're into motorhomes (RVs for my US viewers), have a look at https://www.youtube.com/@RoamingRadfords |
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Final Thoughts
Before I finish for the month, here's a mention for the Birmingham Canal Navigations Society who have jointly organised a cruise to Walsall's Town Arm over the weekend of 20/21 March, along with the "Fund Britain's Waterways" campaign group.
21 boats including two historic craft have signed up to take part so it should be quite the spectacle and event.
They'll be descending Ryders Green Locks on Friday, mooring overnight at Moorcroft Junction and then cruising to Walsall on the Saturday.
The idea is to celebrate the re-opening of the Walsall canal after the cyanide spill in August 2024, and sample some new arrangements that CRT have put in place at Walsall Basin.
Finally a quick 'hello' to reader Pat Biggs from north Queensland, Australia, who emailed me to say hi after the last newsletter. Pat emigrated to Aus by ship when he was just 17 (61 years ago!), sailing through the Panama Canal as part of the journey. What an amazing trip that must have been!
Emails are always welcome, just click 'reply' to this newsletter.
Cheerio
David |
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