Hello and welcome to - incredibly - the sixth edition of my canal newsletter, and welcome to any new subscribers. I hope you find the information useful and/or interesting. As usual, any correspondence is welcome, by reply to this email.

Regards
David

News from the canal world.

CONGESTION CHARGE
The Canal & River Trust has announced it's going to instigate per-night charging for a substantially greater amount of mooring in central London. There was already about 700 metres of such chargeable space at Little Venice, Paddington, Kings Cross and Islington but the scheme is being expanded to a further 800 metres. That means 1.5km (0.9 mile) of premium space will now cost you to stop at.

The idea is to ensure that visiting boaters to the capital have a way to guarantee a space as they pass through, rather than face the uncertainty of hunting for a spot amongst the hugely overcrowded waterways there which can see boats tied up three abreast due to the sheer number of liveaboards.

An admirable idea in principle, the cost - from £25 to £35 per night! - is arguably a bit much, since visitors will surely want at least a couple of nights to explore.

The unfortunate knock-on effect will also be even greater congestion outside the new payment zones as local boaters stay elsewhere to avoid the charge.

See https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/boating-news-and-views/the-boaters-update/boaters-update-22-march-2024 for the full update.

MOOR OR LESS
The CRT is also charging more money for boat licences from April 1st, as well as changes to the procedure for renewing a licence.

As the Trust is now making a surcharge on the fee for continuous cruisers (those boats that do not have a permanent home mooring), anyone renewing their licence will have to supply evidence to prove their status such as a receipt for a mooring.

The details can be found in the previous months's Boaters Update at https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/boating-news-and-views/the-boaters-update/boaters-update-23-february-2024

MISSING MILE
The Cotswold Canals Trust had some great news just after I despatched my last newsletter. The charity is restoring both the Stroudwater Navigation and the Thames & Severn Canal, which will ultimately make a single link from the Oxford canal at Lechlade all the way west to the Gloucester & Sharpness canal at Saul Junction.

A key part of the current work is to reinstate part of the route that was filled in when the M5 motorway was built in the 1960s.

That work, the so-called "missing mile", can now proceed as the District Council has granted planning permission.

The project will include not only the canal but a 44-berth mooring basin, a pedestrian bridge and a two-storey building including a cafe.

See https://cotswoldcanals.org/planning-permission-granted-for-missing-mile-of-historic-canal-restoration/

What am I up to?

I get the impression, from my own slovenliness, that restoration and refurbishment of Twiggy is going to take several months if not years. Nonetheless, videos will be produced about the work as and when I do it. The next one includes me taking out the carpet in the main cabin which results in it looking like an absolute catastrophe!

One of my plans for Twiggy was to put in on a trailer not only so as to be able to take it around the country but also while working on the fibreglass. I have been offered a suitable model for a fee of £3k and "some promotion on your videos" against the retail price of £4,600 which is decent discount but still a hefty chunk of cash so I'm currently pondering whether that's going to happen.

Meanwhile, hot on the heels of the Pontcysyllte aqueduct filming, I (and a load of other boat YouTubers) were invited to film the celebrations marking the Bingley Five Rise lock flight's 250th anniversary. My video will be published possibly coinciding with this newsletter or maybe a day after - keep an eye out on YouTube!

Other projects in the pipeline include a tour of a gorgeous Dutch Barge, filming a project to totally strip back and then renovate a narrowboat, and intriguingly, maybe film a Fire & Rescue service training day with a simulated 'incident' in a canal tunnel...

In case you missed them, here are the latest three videos on my YouTube channel.

They include the incredible Pontcysyllte aqueduct being emptied of water for an inspection prior to repairs in a couple of years' time; and two videos documenting the extraordinary spaghetti wiring I found behind the control panel on my boat!

If you enjoy the videos, I have a tip jar at https://www.ko-fi.com/davidjohns. Or if you're very keen, join the crew at https://www.patreon.com/CruisingTheCut for early access to the videos (when I remember to do it) as well as very few other dubious 'perks'.

Into the dusty archive...

Each month, I pick out a video from my own archive, and suggest why it might be worth a (re)watch. This month, as I've just been to film the lock flight at Bingley, how about watching a huge lock gate being replaced not that far away, by floating crane?

Click here to watch: https://cruisingthecut.co.uk/2022/06/15/vlog-268-gate-expectations/

My YouTube top pick of the month

I also offer a monthly recommendation for another YouTube channel or video. This month it's the gloriously-titled "TheLastIdiotIsNotBornYet".

This is the tale of a man who took his 17-foot cabin cruiser - rather like Twiggy - from one end of Europe to the other via the canals and rivers. He's even written a book about his exploits.

Tune in at https://www.youtube.com/@thelastidiotisnotbornyet

Correspondence

In amongst the emails this month, John Higgins writes "I’m curious to know why you sold your lovely old boat and bought twiggy. Perhaps you can make an episode about it?"

'Tis already done, John, but this is a useful reminder that videos can be missed and YouTube is a fickle beast for showing everything to people.

To see my explanatory video, click here: https://cruisingthecut.co.uk/2022/03/18/land-ho-boat-for-sale/

A social recommendation

I am certainly no fan of Instagram, indeed I find it infuriating most days, but there are some very talented photographers on there both amateur and professional.

One I follow who has the most amazing wildlife pictures is Kate Bailey. Have a look at her feed, it's lovely! See https://www.instagram.com/bailey_883/

You can connect with me on social media by clicking on the buttons below:-

Final Thoughts
One final thing before I sign off. I had an email from reader Andy who said about this newsletter: "as I read it I  feel myself trying to narrate it to myself in your  calm demeanour".

This gave me an idea so now this newsletter is now available in audio form! I'm reading it out (with a few alterations as needed) and uploading it as a podcast of sorts as that seemed the easiest way to distribute it. Tune in and add to your Followed / Subscribed podcasts for free at https://shows.acast.com/the-cruising-the-cut-audio-newsletter

Cheerio!
David