Stories about boats and waterways
I was invited to spend a day aboard the narrowboat of my friend Hannah Bodsworth, who moors on the River Lee in east London. Then in return, I invited her to spend the day with me cruising the countryside canals.
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Every four years, inland waterways craft are required to undergo a Boat Safety Scheme examination and my narrowboat was due for its test. Join me as I prepare for this, watch as the test is done, and see what the outcome was.
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In 2025, over a period of some months, two steam narrowboats, called Tixall and Emily Anne, had their boilers removed and their pipes taken out for replacement. This is the story of that epic job!
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In this final part of our Canal du Midi press trip, organised for us by Le Boat, we move from Roubia up to Trebes where we handed the boat back and went for a day trip to Carcassonne, to look around the historic medieval city.
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This is Part 2 of my trip along the Canal du Midi courtesy of Le Boat, travelling from Port Cassafieres to Trebes, near Carcassonne. I was joined by my friend Sally – and in this episode, another, familiar, face too.
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I attended the Inland Waterways Association’s annual restoration conference the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port, and heard what delegates and speakers had to say about the state of the canal network in Britain.
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Although lots of technical data about narrowboat propellers exists already, it largely relates to the traditional diesel engine. With electrically-propelled canal boats now becoming more commonplace, boat-builder Ortomarine held a practical trials day to see if changing prop made for a better or worse experience when your narrowboat has an electric motor.
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This is a long talky video in which I discuss the various costs associated with owning and running a canal boat whether traditional narrowboat or fibreglass canal cruiser.
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Happy New Year and all the best for 2025; here’s a chatty little video with me discussing what I’m going to be doing in the coming year on this channel.
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I asked a well-known narrowboat broker what used boats fetch these days, who’s buying and what the trends in the market are. Hopefully useful info if you’re thinking of buying or selling a canal boat in 2025!
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