Stories about boats and waterways
This is a long video indeed. It covers the complete installation and configuration of an additional 540W solar panel along with two new Epever Tracer MPPT solar charge controllers and all the wiring etc.
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Built in the late 1700s but abandoned in the mid-20th century, the Stroudwater Navigation and the Thames & Severn Canal are currently undergoing a mammoth, volunteer-led programme of restoration. This is their story.
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Prices of used narrowboats have shot up in the last couple of years; what do you now get for your money compared to just a few years ago? I went to broker ABNB to find out.
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This is not a video about canals or narrowboats but it’s a project which I found very interesting and the couple taking it on are absolutely lovely and worthy of your attention.
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Being man-made flat ditches that lose water every time someone uses a lock (and there are many locks), how do the British canals stay full of water? This video attempts to shed some light.
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Having meant to do a video with Robbie Cumming for many years, we finally got around to it a few weeks ago. I’m always getting requests from overseas viewers to go into the canal pubs but don’t tend to do that alone. Who better to team up with to do so then than Robbie Cumming, whose youTube channel features a regular “Pub of the Week” slot!
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Lots of folk ask me about hiring a narrowboat for a holiday so I thought I’d make a video about it. By coincidence, friends and fellow YouTubers Greg & Lou Virgoe, and John & Mandy, had decided to book a week’s hire – their first time on a narrowboat – so I tagged along to document the hiring handover.
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At the end of May 2021, I attended a narrowboat trials day arranged by boat builder Ortomarine. Starting on the River Severn and going up the Droitwich canals, eight boats using a variety of power plants would have their fuel, efficiency and any solar input measured and compared. This video summarises what happened and the results.
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The canals are an oasis of calm, peace and tranquility – and now of culture too, as The Piano Boat brings concert-hall level classical concerts to the inland waterways, courtesy Masa Tayama and Rhiana Henderson. Join me as I talk to them about the project, the hurdles they’ve had to overcome and their plans.
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On May 29th this year, I was lucky enough to be invited to join Alan, Tina and Richard of NB Wobbly, to travel in convoy across The Wash with Jo, Michael and Lorna on NB Perseverance. This is quite an adventurous crossing for a narrowboat as they’re designed only for the flat calm waters of the canals or small rivers – and The Wash is pretty much open sea.
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