I'm really enjoying these videos. The river and canal looked great. The weather obviously helped. Thanks for keeping me entertained after a hard day at the office!
It's quite #funny to hear you talking about "should've put a life-jacket on" ;-) When we were kids in the 50's/60's at #Wargrave, we used to make rafts out of old bits of wood and oil drums lashed together with whatever string we could find and head off down (and back up) the Thames to Henley. Never even gave life-jackets a thought (not that we could've afforded them mind :-) Got attacked by a Broody Swan once but otherwise plain sailing. (Except for the time we found out quite quickly (about 10 yards out) that someone had pierced holes into the drums where we'd left the raft overnight :-( Loving your jaunts ... Keep 'em coming ..........
I know I have said this a hundred times... but I truly look forward to your videos/films every week... I am constantly bragging about your channel to friends and family... My daughter is perplexed with my fascination with all things canal-wise; she rolls her eyes and says... "not the canal-boat guy again...!" every time I put you on the TV... Keep up the good work...! Joshua in Alabama
Wonderful video again David. I really look forward to your updates. pleased to see you are navigating the T&M... its my favourite canal. One point of interest... my partner and I recently did the Stourport Ring hiring from ABC at Worcester. We went clockwise going up The Severn. Although the automated locks were interesting... neither of us were struck by the Severn as our first river experience on a narrowboat. We both became excited with the familiarity of the canals rather than the river when arriving at Stourport. I think the canals with the option to moor up anywhere (within reason) is much more appealing than almost nowhere to stop on The Severn. Kind regards, Nick.
Living in the US we do not have canals. But your vlogs have inspired me to try something I have always thought about. So last weekend I went on an overnight backpacking trip. Had the most enjoyable time. Thank you.
deep down you must be proud David, navigating a river all that way. When you look back at your early vlogs, even the thought of venturing this way on the Soar must have seemed very daughting. Well done sir!
Made my day.. We nearly booked Shardlow Marina Caravan site, but couldn't due to work commitments... So it was nice to see the place 'in the flesh', rather than just in photos...
As a viewer from Germany, I always look in Google Earth for the routes, rivers, canals,... . It is very interesting to see England out of your perspective.
Hi David, Great to see you passing through on to the Trent. Childhood home all that area great stuff. Keep up the great work and maybe our plans to join you afloat will come sooner than we thought :-)
Another lovely vlog David...and yes, the Severn is much like that section of the Trent...if not always quite as wide. The Severn from Stourport down to Upton-on-Severn (the extent of our travels last year) is lovely!
What memories you have given me as I travelled this part of the river /canal with my son who has a Narrow boat on the river Soar it is a 57ft Narrow boat and looks like a rather large leopard with its painted spots you may have seen it as it is very hard to miss at the moment .best of luck to you and Thanks Vera .
Another journey with you. It was delightful. I like to see the boats you pass and the boat yards. The pubs are quaint. And some structures are interesting. Keep 'em coming.
Great vlog as always, bringing back memories of the t&m I use to live near stenson bubble, spent a lot of time helping with the lock gates when I was a kid..hope you film there keep up the good work you really are the best vlogger out there 😀
Thanks for your daily blog. It is a refreshingly calm retreat from the ongoing frightening politics out of the country to the south of us. Here in British Columbia we have just suffered a campaign and election for the premier of our province. Not too surprising, the election ended in a near dead heat. There will be a fortnight of suspense whilst the counters count the early vote and the absentee military vote. The pundits predict a minority government. Maybe out elected persons will have to learn to get along for the good of the province. Keep up the good thing that you do. I may be your greatest fan because of the therapeutic value. I like your fitted suit, looking good. I finally someone got it right. I despise those too small suits that the Holly/wood wonder-boys seem to prefer. I am looking forward to the next bit of feel-good.
What an adventure, some very interesting boats. I'm a gongoozler looking to get a boat this year as a live aboard. Thanks to your fantastic vlogs I already feel ready for the challenge and at home on the canal bank, thanks again!
In my humble opinion, the Clock Warehouse @ 8:04 is worth a mention. Great bars and restaurants on a number of floors and an intriguing barge permanently moored under and archway and used as a kids' play area (they can't fall in).
A wonderful trip from raging river to peaceful canal even though you had difficulty working out where one ended and the other began, and that sneaky weir waiting to draw you over the edge, but you can now mark it in your book for future reference.
I live in the U.S.A. so it would be nice to have an occasional glimpse of a map of where you are starting from and going to end up. Other wise I am enjoying your Travels. Bruce Perry
Great fun to watch. I saw something on your trip you might be interested in if you have a hot water tank. It's a solar vacuum tube heater. It'd only be use full during the day. It's a very efficient water heater almost like a solar thermos. Even if it wasn't warm outside a little sun would be all that's needed. I call them preheaters. If it didn't get it all the way to the desired temp at least it would lessen the load thus saving fuel. There is a downside though, freezing temps. In that situation you'd need a drain valve To protect your investment. Happy trails.
Wow David, more memories have surfaced, I remember looking at narrow boats for sale at Sawley Marina 4 years ago. Sometimes I wish I had taken the plunge and gone ahead with a purchase!
Currently to this point, 944 LIKES (mine included there) and ZERO dislikes!! David, you are clearly doing it right...keep up the good work! Looking forward to the next in a few days time. Cheers!
The dislikers genuinely puzzle me. These videos are both beautiful to watch and very well made - there's objectively nothing to dislike. I suspect the dislikes may be expressions of envy that THEY can't be on a narrowboat bechugging the cut. So in fact, nothing to do with the video as such, more with the interior mental workings of the disliker.
So nice to see you going through my birth place, Shardlow. Me and my girlfriend walk down that stretch all the time and quite often stop off at one of the 2 pubs near the end of your video. Good times. Thanks for your vlogs, I enjoy them all.
Hi David, Just love your vlogs, especially the wildlife. Though I guess cows are farm animals. Very interesting to see the different assortment of vessels out there. I'm quite partial to the 'little chunky ones' lol Just so cute, though I guess that's not conducive to floating ability! Awaiting the next installment. Take care xx Ps. Wow never seen those newfangled automatic locks, very cool
Very well done. This one had a great variety of interesting things about it. Like you, I am really drawn to those large wide beam boats. They look amazing. Thanks for taking us along.
The problem with wide beams IMHO is bigger the boat , more fuel to move her and heat her admitting you have a LOT more room to move around in and move in. I admit I like em too except for the narrow canals that are restricted to where you can go via the simple fact there isn't enough room to go all over the canal system with one. That being said they are more like a conventional home than a narrowboat. Cheers!
Scary foreshadowing or coincidence? I just took an English Writing exam and I wrote a descriptive piece about cows in a field and a convenient slipway for cows to drink.. and then at the start of the video it's just as I wrote.. Never the less great video again - interesting to watch, much different to when going out in our own 60ft :)
Thanks for those interesting perspectives David. The neatly painted grey narrowboat with a rather unusual sloping deck looks like it's designed to have a small radar image, just like the latest navy ships 😨
The local gossip is that this boat owner watched the "Canal News Network" (April 1st broadcast), and as a result, became quite worried about the proposed radar speed detectors to be located on well-hidden positions near speeding hot spots. He hurriedly modified his narrowboat and painted it anti-radar grey. Hopefully he won't join the ranks of those about to have their boats impounded.
No unlucky as it is destroyed,I stupidly tried to put it out,it was at the front but smokey so I went in from the back as could see the small fire starting but within 10 seconds I couldn't see my hand in front of my face,I got out just in time and had paramedics.lesson learned,stay safe mate.
Just catching up on all the vlogs I missed while on The Avon Ring.Yes, that wasn't us, but always a strange feeling when you see another boat with the same name
Yes, I think some of those big "boats" could be called ships! Henry is adorable. I absolutely loved the alligator head! Someone, somewhere, has a gleeful sense of humor. Maybe put some hippos in the weirs.....
Hello and Thank you for sharing your life onboard. I’m rather envious of your curage to completely change your way of living. To cast off into something totally new. Hats off to you! Unlike many other youtubers, you actually possess and share knowledge in order to educate us all about the historic and current facts surrounding you on the canals. It’s also very inspiring to see and hear you enthusiastically dive into all the different sorts of projects and tasks owning a narrowboat means. This my first ever comment online includes a question about the resolution in your videos: Are they transmitted in HD? Maybe I’ve got my settings wrong.. With all the beautiful scenery I would hate to miss out on a crystal clear picture. Best wishes for now with greetings from the south of Sweden.
Interesting watching this one, -watch them all, all great but for us particularly this one - as you mentioned the mighty Severn! We are going to tackle it for the first time later in June😓😓 but if you get there before we do post some tips ! Look forward to your next vlog.
I will get there before you, I suspect - but the vlog won't be published til after June as the videos run several weeks behind "real time" due to the time taken for editing. Let me know how you get on!
All planned for 26th June...... Sharpness to Glos then out on the Severn to Tewkesbury will decide then 'left to carry on! or right to lock out on to the Avon River....and back again to our mooring on the Glos & Sharp for 10th July...... will report!
Oh wow, you're doing the "proper" Severn; I'd be approaching from above (Stourport) and locking onto the Avon at Tewkesbury as well but going down the Severn no further. I look forward to hearing from you :-)
I'd be interested to see a video on operating the locks as you transit the canals. You always seem stressed by them and the work to get through them, but you've not shown any details of what is involved. Perhaps you could do a video as you help operate the locks for another boater?
Stressed by them? I don't think so, other than them being a lot of hard work when solo, and concerned for the usual safety worries (boat hang ups on the cill etc). I have indeed done just such a video with all the details of what locking involves, last year.
Have enjoyed your Vlog from Australia from the start. I'm in England for four week and have walked the Regent canal and have a better understanding what it is to live on on a narrow boat and navigate the locks.
The rivers were fun, but it's nice to be back on a proper canal. T&M to Middlewich in Cheshire. Thanks for another great video. I'm off to give another online English lesson via Skype. See you soon
CruisingTheCut Thanks for always taking the time to answer our questions. It really does go a long way. By far one of my favorite subscriptions. I look forward to the long videos seeing the old English country side. Beautiful country.
Thank you for your vlog, i hope you do go on to the river seven at some point, as you will then be on my home turf as they say living close to Tewkesbury/Cheltenham.
Not Bad! I like that stretch.... remember mooring opposite that final overspill at Shardlow above the lock in the video some years ago when the weather was pretty bad, several days non stop downpours and water was surging over it, the river Trent is just behind you there, and we wondered if it was going to burst its banks, it did later. We were the last boat allowed to navigate through it back onto the Trent & Mersey as the river had whipped up into a fierce spate and we hurtled along it... the weir buoys come up you rather fast in those conditions.... I imagine you have reached or are going to reach Stenson Bubble soon?
When you mentioned getting stuck on a shallow spot I remembered how the US Navy in WW II created the LST's. They used EMD diesel electric engines and more than a few traction motors to power the propellers. The other problem they over came was once you landed on a shore to load or unload at high tide how do you get off the mud when your empty and the tides gone out? The system they came up with was ballast tanks that filled with sea water, they filled the ballast tanks before they beached the boats so when it was time to depart they simply used compressed air or small pumps to empty the ballast tanks depending on how fast they needed to empty them. Now I know from watching hundreds of RUclips videos about narrowboat's that you commonly use old bricks for ballast. Granted it would be a wee bit more funds to do but what would it be like to install a LST type ballast system? Run aground on something and gravity to fill the ballast tanks or a small electric pump. The quick and easy way is use a small air compressor which maintains say 120 pounds of pressure in an air tank big enough so long as the air tank is big enough to do it once and with a 12 volt air compressor motor it should refill in 10-15 minutes to blow the water out of the ballast tanks, up she pops like a cork though not as fast and away you go. As soon as you bye the underwater obstacle refill your ballast tanks which admittedly would take a bit more time that you ejected the water. Presuming you could design and install a system without breaking the bank I think it would be rather handy. Oh by the way the ballast system on a LST is a modified submarine system that the submarine uses to dive level the boat and rise to whatever depth the boat required. There is a valve on the bottom and on the topic of the ballast tanks to expel air to lower the boat or close the top valve and open the bottom one the use compressed air to blow the tanks dry to raise the boat. Then you open the top and bottom valves to lower the boat no pumps required unless you want to use them. I think the system could be easily modified to work well with a narrowboat's hull quite readily. Just thinking about how to get over the low spots you run into on the cut. Cheers!!
CruisingTheCut Instead of using a 12 volt electric air compressor simply install a water-cooled air compressor of the exact type used on diesel heavy trucks with truck air tanks to store compressed air at 120 pounds a square inch which is the standard on thinking about it some more you could retain 50-70 percent of the ballast brick in the center with the ballast tanks at for and aft. Air tanks can be stored in the engine room you only need 2 and with a tight leak free air system it would kick on and pump air very infrequently. Use 1-1/2 inch pipe to the top and bottom of the ballast tanks using compressed air through a reducing valve putting out no more than say 30-50 pounds of air used to blow the water out of the ballast tanks. By making this a hybrid system using a reduced amount of brick ballast system when the boat is built and ballast tanks are full you get a level keel by using brick ballast to level her out around the ballast tanks fore and aft. If the ballast tanks hold let's say 100 gallons of water you could by emptying them lighten the vessel by approximately 1500 pounds dead weight which should lighten the boat enough to move off easily and would simplify retrofitting the system to an existing boat. Fore ballast tank would mount next to the fresh water tank in the bow area and the stern tank would mount in the engine room if space is available or under the stairs which the user uses to get from the floor deck to the rear navigation area at the stern. The top opening of the ballast tanks should eject through the hull which would mean a welded pipe to insure water tight connections, the bottom of the ballast tank valve should also be steel 1 1/2 inch pipe should be at least 1 foot above the bottom of the hull to insure job debris gets into the ballast tanks. Also ballast tanks should have an opening which when unbolted drops inside the turns 90 degrees so you can remove it for tank cleaning. That would make the ballast tanks more expensive but worth it. Just thinking out side the box for narrowboat's trying to eliminate an all too common problem nowadays on the cut. Cheers!n
Well I had a lucky escape today,you know when you hear about boat fires,you think that will not happen to me but it did today while out of the water so it is a right mess,I was welding the side of the well deck from outside and something caught light and spread to inside,sorry for the depressing comment.keep on cruising safely
Soar Winner? Soar you the Soar Winner? This vlog has been a beautiful journey. What with bouncing between stunning scenery and terrifying weirs, I half wish I were there -- the half without weirs.
It may be more of a Latin origin, like the Spanish word 'Truhan' "one who wanders from an appointed place", which fits much better for the description of the Trent
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Special thanks for the ducklings - too cute ! Lovely and very relaxing video!!
I'm really enjoying these videos. The river and canal looked great. The weather obviously helped. Thanks for keeping me entertained after a hard day at the office!
Cheers Sylvia :-)
It's quite #funny to hear you talking about "should've put a life-jacket on" ;-)
When we were kids in the 50's/60's at #Wargrave, we used to make rafts out of old bits of wood and oil drums lashed together with whatever string we could find and head off down (and back up) the Thames to Henley. Never even gave life-jackets a thought (not that we could've afforded them mind :-)
Got attacked by a Broody Swan once but otherwise plain sailing.
(Except for the time we found out quite quickly (about 10 yards out) that someone had pierced holes into the drums where we'd left the raft overnight :-(
Loving your jaunts ... Keep 'em coming ..........
It's elf an safety gorn maaaaaad, I tell ya
CruisingTheCut . Quite right...... #HealthAndSafety is my pet hate on #Twitter ;-)
I know I have said this a hundred times... but I truly look forward to your videos/films every week...
I am constantly bragging about your channel to friends and family...
My daughter is perplexed with my fascination with all things canal-wise; she rolls her eyes and says... "not the canal-boat guy again...!" every time I put you on the TV...
Keep up the good work...!
Joshua in Alabama
Hilarious. Apologies to your daughter.
Delightful videos, thank you. Perfect for passing the quarantine lock in times.
andy bush is correct
I love bringing up Google Maps on satellite view to follow your travels. So fun and relaxing to watch. Thanks from the States!
Great stuff David! I really look forward to your videos! I could watch them all night. Thanks for posting. ✌🏻👏🏻👍🏻🇦🇺😃
Do! Just watch them all night. On repeat.
The alligator head was funny, someone is homesick for Florida 🙂
always refreshing to watch after a shift at work. safe sailing
Thanks Tony
Wonderful. Your videos are so relaxing, yet informative. Loved the "Comfortably Numb" boat.
Cheers
Wonderful video again David. I really look forward to your updates. pleased to see you are navigating the T&M... its my favourite canal. One point of interest... my partner and I recently did the Stourport Ring hiring from ABC at Worcester. We went clockwise going up The Severn. Although the automated locks were interesting... neither of us were struck by the Severn as our first river experience on a narrowboat. We both became excited with the familiarity of the canals rather than the river when arriving at Stourport. I think the canals with the option to moor up anywhere (within reason) is much more appealing than almost nowhere to stop on The Severn. Kind regards, Nick.
I'll only be using the Severn as a transit from Stourport to Droitwich/Worcester and on to Tewkesbury so it should be OK. Cheers!
Living in the US we do not have canals. But your vlogs have inspired me to try something I have always thought about. So last weekend I went on an overnight backpacking trip. Had the most enjoyable time. Thank you.
Fantastic! That's good to hear. Cheers
Some really interesting scenery and boats! Another great vlog David. Thanks for taking us with you!
Ta
Lovely to see all those cows and ducklings and the scenery was just lovely. Thank you for sharing your trip with us all.
Thank you for watching, as always :-)
deep down you must be proud David, navigating a river all that way. When you look back at your early vlogs, even the thought of venturing this way on the Soar must have seemed very daughting.
Well done sir!
I have definitely learned much (though judging by the way I was cocking up some locks today, maybe not enough!!)
Once again another lovely piece.
Cheers
Another great video, the more I watch the more I want to buy one.
Temptation is a dangerous thing...
LOVE your vids, keep posting and sharing. Always great to see the beautiful country side of the UK.
Cheers Greg
Lovely to see some vlogs in some familiar waters for us and to hear your take on things!
Cheers Dulcie!
Thank you . It made my day
Haha, you're clearly easily pleased! :-)
Well you have obviously never been stuck in Winnipeg :P
Another great episode in your life, very much enjoys these..
Cheers
Very entertaining! I can't say it made my day, but it did make me smile.
I will try harder to make your day in the next one!
Made my day.. We nearly booked Shardlow Marina Caravan site, but couldn't due to work commitments... So it was nice to see the place 'in the flesh', rather than just in photos...
Maybe one day?
Hope so..
So love the sound of the water slapping the hull 0:43... like music to me. Great as always, thanks!!
Cheers Meg :-)
As a viewer from Germany, I always look in Google Earth for the routes, rivers, canals,... . It is very interesting to see England out of your perspective.
:-)
The grey clandestine boat remains me of an American Zumwalt class Destroyer.
Looks to me like the USS San Diego, the first “stealth” ship in the Us Navy. It is one spooky looking boat.
Or CSS Virginia.
Many thanks for another great and relaxing video.
Cheers
When the water opened up even I thought 'i better slap a life jacket on' XD brilliant video again +like
:-)
That was lovely.
Very nice video and very cool to see the ducks.Jut clips like that makes your video easy to watch.big tumbs up
Everyone loves ducklings :-)
Hi David, Great to see you passing through on to the Trent. Childhood home all that area great stuff. Keep up the great work and maybe our plans to join you afloat will come sooner than we thought :-)
Cheers. Fingers crossed for you.
Another lovely vlog David...and yes, the Severn is much like that section of the Trent...if not always quite as wide. The Severn from Stourport down to Upton-on-Severn (the extent of our travels last year) is lovely!
Good to hear. I'll be looking at Stouport-Droitwich/Diglis then Tewkesbury.
I love all your blogs/vlogs everyone ive found interesting and loved
Thanks
always enjoy your videos .... thank you for the post
Ta
What memories you have given me as I travelled this part of the river /canal with my son who has a Narrow boat on the river Soar it is a 57ft Narrow boat and looks like a rather large leopard with its painted spots you may have seen it as it is very hard to miss at the moment .best of luck to you and Thanks Vera .
I must confess I did not see it but glad I brought back good memories. Cheers.
Yet another interesting account. I do find your filming very relaxing. Cheers.
Thank you
Another top job David .. Well done..
Cheers
I am enjoying your trip great to watch.
Thank you
Another journey with you. It was delightful. I like to see the boats you pass and the boat yards. The pubs are quaint. And some structures are interesting. Keep 'em coming.
More on the way
one day maybe glad you're enjoying the narrowboat life keep them videos coming
Loads more on the way!
That was a different experience..Enjoyed it. Thank you.
Wait 'til we go through the Harecastle tunnel... :-)
I'll most likely faint. Lol.
:-)
Thanks David for this very interesting, informative and as always so professional vlog, they are most entertaining to watch.
Cheers Peter, very kind.
Very relaxing to watch =)
Good
Another impressive stretch. Well done.
love that video loved the scenery nice job thank you
:-)
Great vlog as always, bringing back memories of the t&m I use to live near stenson bubble, spent a lot of time helping with the lock gates when I was a kid..hope you film there keep up the good work you really are the best vlogger out there 😀
That's very kind, thank you.
Thumbs up! Loved the little narrowboat.
Cheers Dave
Hoist your colors and raise your glasses! Love the warship designs of some of the "ships" out on your canals.
Thanks for your daily blog. It is a refreshingly calm retreat from the ongoing frightening politics out of the country to the south of us.
Here in British Columbia we have just suffered a campaign and election for the premier of our province. Not too surprising, the election ended in a near dead heat. There will be a fortnight of suspense whilst the counters count the early vote and the absentee military vote. The pundits predict a minority government. Maybe out elected persons will have to learn to get along for the good of the province.
Keep up the good thing that you do. I may be your greatest fan because of the therapeutic value.
I like your fitted suit, looking good. I finally someone got it right. I despise those too small suits that the Holly/wood wonder-boys seem to prefer.
I am looking forward to the next bit of feel-good.
Cheers Bob. More soon.
What an adventure, some very interesting boats.
I'm a gongoozler looking to get a boat this year as a live aboard. Thanks to your fantastic vlogs I already feel ready for the challenge and at home on the canal bank, thanks again!
Thank you. Good luck in your search for a boat. Take your time and have fun :-)
Thank you, I will :-)
Congrats! 30,000 subscribers!
Just got back from my first venture with Anglo Welsh - Trevor to Chirk then Llangollen - your Vlogs were invaluable !
A classic holiday cruise! I hope it was splendid? How was The Aqueduct?! :-)
Awsome ! The height did not bother us. The view was to die for
Excellent!
I think it's a foot too high for your nerves David ;)
Peter Cartwright I once saw a narrow boat going over the Aquaduct with teenagers on the roof. How stupid was that!!!
In my humble opinion, the Clock Warehouse @ 8:04 is worth a mention. Great bars and restaurants on a number of floors and an intriguing barge permanently moored under and archway and used as a kids' play area (they can't fall in).
Congratulations on 15K subscribers! Love your videos, keep up the good work! Cheers from Canada
Thank you very much!
Thanks David very interesting.
Great; cheers
A wonderful trip from raging river to peaceful canal even though you had difficulty working out where one ended and the other began, and that sneaky weir waiting to draw you over the edge, but you can now mark it in your book for future reference.
Indeed; all great experiences.
I bet the Trent feels like the open sea :o) It's turning into a proper cross country voyage now....
It did a bit!
I live in the U.S.A. so it would be nice to have an occasional glimpse of a map of where you are starting from and going to end up. Other wise I am enjoying your Travels. Bruce Perry
Hi, cheers. Please see my website FAQ page regarding maps.
Another great vlog, albeit a short one. You clearly subscribe (rightfully so) to the theory of always leaving your audience wanting more.
I hope so!
I do love the Dutch barges as well
:-)
Great fun to watch. I saw something on your trip you might be interested in if you have a hot water tank. It's a solar vacuum tube heater. It'd only be use full during the day. It's a very efficient water heater almost like a solar thermos. Even if it wasn't warm outside a little sun would be all that's needed. I call them preheaters. If it didn't get it all the way to the desired temp at least it would lessen the load thus saving fuel. There is a downside though, freezing temps. In that situation you'd need a drain valve To protect your investment. Happy trails.
Interesting idea, cheers
Wow, what a great video.
Cheers, much appreciated.
Wow David, more memories have surfaced, I remember looking at narrow boats for sale at Sawley Marina 4 years ago. Sometimes I wish I had taken the plunge and gone ahead with a purchase!
Never too late!
another great informative vlog
I'm green with envy 😂
Get a boat ;-)
Thank you for the frequent location updates. It makes it easier for us Yanks to follow your trips on Google Maps while enjoying your travels.
Glad you're enjoying it. Cheers
Currently to this point, 944 LIKES (mine included there) and ZERO dislikes!! David, you are clearly doing it right...keep up the good work! Looking forward to the next in a few days time. Cheers!
I imagine the dislikers are on holiday or not paying attention. Normal service will surely be resumed soon ;-) glad you enjoy it though.
The dislikers genuinely puzzle me. These videos are both beautiful to watch and very well made - there's objectively nothing to dislike. I suspect the dislikes may be expressions of envy that THEY can't be on a narrowboat bechugging the cut. So in fact, nothing to do with the video as such, more with the interior mental workings of the disliker.
Plus on occasion I've offended some commenters, who may hold a grudge!!
So nice to see you going through my birth place, Shardlow. Me and my girlfriend walk down that stretch all the time and quite often stop off at one of the 2 pubs near the end of your video. Good times. Thanks for your vlogs, I enjoy them all.
too cool to see all the different boats.... all you need now is a submarine to surface..... Anchors away !!
There's an old Russian submarine dumped on the River Medway ;-)
Hi David,
Just love your vlogs, especially the wildlife. Though I guess cows are farm animals.
Very interesting to see the different assortment of vessels out there.
I'm quite partial to the 'little chunky ones' lol Just so cute, though I guess that's not conducive to floating ability!
Awaiting the next installment.
Take care xx
Ps. Wow never seen those newfangled automatic locks, very cool
Cheers Dee
Great stuff! Watching your vlogs with interest as we'll be doing a trip down the T & M later in the year.
Ah, thanks. Lots more to come.
Very well done. This one had a great variety of interesting things about it.
Like you, I am really drawn to those large wide beam boats. They look amazing.
Thanks for taking us along.
Thanks for watching :-)
The problem with wide beams IMHO is bigger the boat , more fuel to move her and heat her admitting you have a LOT more room to move around in and move in. I admit I like em too except for the narrow canals that are restricted to where you can go via the simple fact there isn't enough room to go all over the canal system with one. That being said they are more like a conventional home than a narrowboat.
Cheers!
excellent cow-slurping impression, I found it quite mooooving haha. looks like you're enjoying decent weather :)
We've had some superb weather in recent days!
CruisingTheCut yeah it has been amazing today in Cambridge and should be sunny + warm again tomorrow in most places in the country 🌞
This is where I got my first boat. Happy times.
:-)
Scary foreshadowing or coincidence? I just took an English Writing exam and I wrote a descriptive piece about cows in a field and a convenient slipway for cows to drink.. and then at the start of the video it's just as I wrote.. Never the less great video again - interesting to watch, much different to when going out in our own 60ft :)
Welcome to Nottinghamshire.. Ahoy there 😊
Hello!
Thanks for those interesting perspectives David. The neatly painted grey narrowboat with a rather unusual sloping deck looks like it's designed to have a small radar image, just like the latest navy ships 😨
It does, I agree, albeit not much call for radar stealth on a canal!
The local gossip is that this boat owner watched the "Canal News Network" (April 1st broadcast), and as a result, became quite worried about the proposed radar speed detectors to be located on well-hidden positions near speeding hot spots. He hurriedly modified his narrowboat and painted it anti-radar grey. Hopefully he won't join the ranks of those about to have their boats impounded.
Hahaha, love it
Buenos días from Alicante, Spain again, David. It seems is still cold over there. You're wearing a cap! I enjoy very much your videos.
Some days are gloriously warm, like yesterday and today. Others have been very chilly!
No unlucky as it is destroyed,I stupidly tried to put it out,it was at the front but smokey so I went in from the back as could see the small fire starting but within 10 seconds I couldn't see my hand in front of my face,I got out just in time and had paramedics.lesson learned,stay safe mate.
OMG, horrific but good thing you're safe.
As someone who lives in Swansea, I reckon that boat was named after lovely Mumbles. Ever been there? Another enjoyable vlog!
Many times as a child. As mentioned, my grandmother lived there so we often went to visit.
Just catching up on all the vlogs I missed while on The Avon Ring.Yes, that wasn't us, but always a strange feeling when you see another boat with the same name
I look forward to your videos of the Ring
Totally addicted to your vids, great work!!
I like the Severn. We did a holiday 35 years ago, from Upton Marina joining the canal as Stourport. We turned round half way at Tixall Wide.
Yes, I think some of those big "boats" could be called ships! Henry is adorable. I absolutely loved the alligator head! Someone, somewhere, has a gleeful sense of humor. Maybe put some hippos in the weirs.....
I really like that idea!!
Hello and Thank you for sharing your life onboard. I’m rather envious of your curage to completely change your way of living. To cast off into something totally new. Hats off to you! Unlike many other youtubers, you actually possess and share knowledge in order to educate us all about the historic and current facts surrounding you on the canals. It’s also very inspiring to see and hear you enthusiastically dive into all the different sorts of projects and tasks owning a narrowboat means.
This my first ever comment online includes a question about the resolution in your videos: Are they transmitted in HD? Maybe I’ve got my settings wrong.. With all the beautiful scenery I would hate to miss out on a crystal clear picture.
Best wishes for now with greetings from the south of Sweden.
Great video! Willington soon! Might see if I can spot you 😊
I'm well past there - almost at Middlewich, sorry :-)
Not a problem, hope you enjoyed your time in Derby :)
Nice One David :-)
Ta
Finally gone through Shardlow then! Nice to know you was only a couple of mins away from me haha!
Seemed like a rather nice place from what I saw!
james ask mr cc if you can visit when he travels there again.
Interesting watching this one, -watch them all, all great but for us particularly this one - as you mentioned the mighty Severn! We are going to tackle it for the first time later in June😓😓 but if you get there before we do post some tips ! Look forward to your next vlog.
I will get there before you, I suspect - but the vlog won't be published til after June as the videos run several weeks behind "real time" due to the time taken for editing. Let me know how you get on!
All planned for 26th June...... Sharpness to Glos then out on the Severn to Tewkesbury will decide then 'left to carry on! or right to lock out on to the Avon River....and back again to our mooring on the Glos & Sharp for 10th July...... will report!
Oh wow, you're doing the "proper" Severn; I'd be approaching from above (Stourport) and locking onto the Avon at Tewkesbury as well but going down the Severn no further. I look forward to hearing from you :-)
Way cool video sir!
I'd be interested to see a video on operating the locks as you transit the canals. You always seem stressed by them and the work to get through them, but you've not shown any details of what is involved. Perhaps you could do a video as you help operate the locks for another boater?
Stressed by them? I don't think so, other than them being a lot of hard work when solo, and concerned for the usual safety worries (boat hang ups on the cill etc).
I have indeed done just such a video with all the details of what locking involves, last year.
Have enjoyed your Vlog from Australia from the start. I'm in England for four week and have walked the Regent canal and have a better understanding what it is to live on on a narrow boat and navigate the locks.
Excellent!
The rivers were fun, but it's nice to be back on a proper canal. T&M to Middlewich in Cheshire. Thanks for another great video. I'm off to give another online English lesson via Skype. See you soon
Another amazing video as usual also lol
Thanks
CruisingTheCut Thanks for always taking the time to answer our questions. It really does go a long way. By far one of my favorite subscriptions. I look forward to the long videos seeing the old English country side. Beautiful country.
Plenty more to come, and thank you too :-)
Thank you for your vlog, i hope you do go on to the river seven at some point, as you will then be on my home turf as they say living close to Tewkesbury/Cheltenham.
It'll depend what state of flood it's in but the plan would be to go up the Avon at Tewkesbury!
Looking forward to that vlog as well.
Not Bad! I like that stretch.... remember mooring opposite that final overspill at Shardlow above the lock in the video some years ago when the weather was pretty bad, several days non stop downpours and water was surging over it, the river Trent is just behind you there, and we wondered if it was going to burst its banks, it did later. We were the last boat allowed to navigate through it back onto the Trent & Mersey as the river had whipped up into a fierce spate and we hurtled along it... the weir buoys come up you rather fast in those conditions.... I imagine you have reached or are going to reach Stenson Bubble soon?
I'm almost at Middlewich!!
Great video as always it is pronounced ear - wash ( you had it right the very first time)
Thanks. I heard other people pronounce it differently so was confused. I'm easily confused though.
When you mentioned getting stuck on a shallow spot I remembered how the US Navy in WW II created the LST's. They used EMD diesel electric engines and more than a few traction motors to power the propellers.
The other problem they over came was once you landed on a shore to load or unload at high tide how do you get off the mud when your empty and the tides gone out?
The system they came up with was ballast tanks that filled with sea water, they filled the ballast tanks before they beached the boats so when it was time to depart they simply used compressed air or small pumps to empty the ballast tanks depending on how fast they needed to empty them.
Now I know from watching hundreds of RUclips videos about narrowboat's that you commonly use old bricks for ballast. Granted it would be a wee bit more funds to do but what would it be like to install a LST type ballast system? Run aground on something and gravity to fill the ballast tanks or a small electric pump. The quick and easy way is use a small air compressor which maintains say 120 pounds of pressure in an air tank big enough so long as the air tank is big enough to do it once and with a 12 volt air compressor motor it should refill in 10-15 minutes to blow the water out of the ballast tanks, up she pops like a cork though not as fast and away you go. As soon as you bye the underwater obstacle refill your ballast tanks which admittedly would take a bit more time that you ejected the water. Presuming you could design and install a system without breaking the bank I think it would be rather handy. Oh by the way the ballast system on a LST is a modified submarine system that the submarine uses to dive level the boat and rise to whatever depth the boat required. There is a valve on the bottom and on the topic of the ballast tanks to expel air to lower the boat or close the top valve and open the bottom one the use compressed air to blow the tanks dry to raise the boat. Then you open the top and bottom valves to lower the boat no pumps required unless you want to use them.
I think the system could be easily modified to work well with a narrowboat's hull quite readily.
Just thinking about how to get over the low spots you run into on the cut.
Cheers!!
A difficult retro-fit but an intriguing idea for a new-build maybe!
CruisingTheCut
Instead of using a 12 volt electric air compressor simply install a water-cooled air compressor of the exact type used on diesel heavy trucks with truck air tanks to store compressed air at 120 pounds a square inch which is the standard on thinking about it some more you could retain 50-70 percent of the ballast brick in the center with the ballast tanks at for and aft. Air tanks can be stored in the engine room you only need 2 and with a tight leak free air system it would kick on and pump air very infrequently. Use 1-1/2 inch pipe to the top and bottom of the ballast tanks using compressed air through a reducing valve putting out no more than say 30-50 pounds of air used to blow the water out of the ballast tanks. By making this a hybrid system using a reduced amount of brick ballast system when the boat is built and ballast tanks are full you get a level keel by using brick ballast to level her out around the ballast tanks fore and aft. If the ballast tanks hold let's say 100 gallons of water you could by emptying them lighten the vessel by approximately 1500 pounds dead weight which should lighten the boat enough to move off easily and would simplify retrofitting the system to an existing boat.
Fore ballast tank would mount next to the fresh water tank in the bow area and the stern tank would mount in the engine room if space is available or under the stairs which the user uses to get from the floor deck to the rear navigation area at the stern. The top opening of the ballast tanks should eject through the hull which would mean a welded pipe to insure water tight connections, the bottom of the ballast tank valve should also be steel 1 1/2 inch pipe should be at least 1 foot above the bottom of the hull to insure job debris gets into the ballast tanks. Also ballast tanks should have an opening which when unbolted drops inside the turns 90 degrees so you can remove it for tank cleaning. That would make the ballast tanks more expensive but worth it.
Just thinking out side the box for narrowboat's trying to eliminate an all too common problem nowadays on the cut.
Cheers!n
:-)
Well I had a lucky escape today,you know when you hear about boat fires,you think that will not happen to me but it did today while out of the water so it is a right mess,I was welding the side of the well deck from outside and something caught light and spread to inside,sorry for the depressing comment.keep on cruising safely
Oh my goodness, that's awful; did you catch it in time before it got too bad??
Paul, whenever I do hot work. I have a fire watch, on the other side of the work. A friend or my wife, armed with a fire extinguisher. Stay safe Sir.
05:15 in those pipes in the elegant bridge is gas. Easiest way to route a gas main is to go over.
Pretty sure its the CLH Pipeline System, Aviation Fuel to UK airports
Soar Winner? Soar you the Soar Winner? This vlog has been a beautiful journey. What with bouncing between stunning scenery and terrifying weirs, I half wish I were there -- the half without weirs.
For even more terror, the Harecastle tunnel will make an appearance roughly 7 vlogs from now ;-)
I saw NB Helen's video of that passage last year and it surely is creepy. Enjoy your voyage to the bowels of the earth.
I'm making popcorn to watch the Harecastle blockbuster! =D Awwww, you'll do great, what's the worst that could happen? Love your videos, David.
Thanks all!
Brilliant!! Glad you went on the Trent alright, it's got a terrible reputation for flooding, hence the name "truant' meaning it over steps its bounds
That's not where the name comes from, is it really??
That's one of the explanations for the name that I read years and years ago
The River Trent derives it's name from the Celtic word for ‘trespasser’, due to the fact that it flooded regularly.
Fascinating (really)
It may be more of a Latin origin, like the Spanish word 'Truhan' "one who wanders from an appointed place", which fits much better for the description of the Trent