OnTheCut

Watching. 21st December

NB Oleanna

*Scarboreugh!* **What’s my Dad doing watching us in the pub?** The other evening I came across a post on social media regarding **[CRT’s Reservoir Watch][1]**. This year, as all boaters know, has been a bad one for water levels around

Hartshill

NB Harnser

When I looked out this morning the sun was shining but when we set off at half 10 it was quite dull with no wind and not too cold, up passed Charity Dock[[DSCF1291]][1] and on to Marston Junction, straight ahead

Solar powered boat

NB Percy

We like Barton Turns Marina. Maybe not the best marina to live in as it carries the A38 noise but the Red Carpet Cinema is a treat location for us - the film and a meal deal is our treat.

On our way at last.

NB Free Spirit (Jameisons Afloat)

Dec 17th A sunset and sunrise 12 hours apart! ─────────────── Sunset 16th Dec ─────────────── ──────────────── Sunrise 17th Dec ──────────────── Pretty spectacular and not something seen together. I took this from the web A red sunset followed by a very red

Bedworth

NB Harnser

After we moored up yesterday we cleared up 3 heaps of dog poo by the boat, went to set off this morning and there was a fresh pile right by the stern mooring line. Today was not as bright as

Wishing you a very Happy Christmas from all of us aboard nb Preaux

Pickingupducks

All Oaks Wood

NB Harnser

Well it happened again, 10 o’clock, putting the tiller on a a boat chugs up behind and had a row of locks in their favour. Thankfully bot sets of Hillmorton locks are now open, last time we were this way

Volts and their inter relationship - A question

NB Percy

Ok, a small variation to the learning theme here.... I have learnt something but I need you clever people's input to cement the learning further .... here goes. On our boat we have a 12v system. Not counting or talking

Hillmorton top of locks

NB Harnser

What a day and what a journey. We set off from home at 10am. I always use Tom-tom if I am doing a journey of any distance as it alerts me to any holdups. Today it worked overtime. We hadn’t

Stealing my solar panel

NB Percy

As I get ever older I try to keep mind and body as fit as I can... as anyone north of 60 will attest it's easier to loose capability than gain it and when lost it's even harder to recover.

What is a chine? Hull types and differences

Insure4Boats

A boat’s chine is an integral part of its structure as it affects the way a vessel moves through the water. In this guide, we explore what a chine is, the difference between hard and soft chines, and their advantages

How many times can FS get stuck and who Is that at the end of the tunnel?

NB Free Spirit (Jameisons Afloat)

Dec 14th This morning we decided to do the rest of the Stoke Bruerne flight. The water levels in the long pound had stayed very low, which caused FS to tilt slightly during our stay. FS just needed a good

Coming, going and an invitation for you

Pickingupducks

It’s been looking a lot like Christmas this week. The on/off flood situation continues and water remains an issue both around and in the boat. And Christmas is edging nearer. Last weekend saw our annual four generational family meal, which

A Magic Roundabout find.

NB Free Spirit (Jameisons Afloat)

Dec 12th I'm losing track of time, could it be put down to the brain not functioning properly due to old age? Or just because one lazy day runs into another with only the TV to keep one occupied. I'm

At 10:32. 9th December

NB Oleanna

Back in April or was it May, we were looking for somewhere we might be able to moor up for several weeks whilst Mick headed back to Scarborough to oversee the building work going on at the house, waiting for

5 Years of Old Nick

The Sumpners Afloat

Where did that time go? Five glorious years on board Old Nick. We thought it was worth summarising our time aboard for posterity. I’ll start with just a quick run through of where we have been in our 5 years

Boat rudders: Types and how they work

Insure4Boats

Boat rudders are an essential part of a vessel’s steering system and help you move left and right while out on the water. In this guide, we’ll look at how you use a rudder, the difference between a tiller and

Don’t know what happened there! 7th December 2025

NB Oleanna

Those of you who subscribe to our blog by email will have received an email this morning, supposedly from us, regarding betting in Argentina. The IT department (Mick) are looking into this. A blog post had been posted by an

Making very slow progress.

NB Free Spirit (Jameisons Afloat)

December 6th On the 26th November, we left the Peartree marina. Wind was still an issue and trying to get away from the pontoon definitely a bit of a B. Ian was at the bow with the pole to help

Panto not pants living and working afloat in winter (Oh yes it is!)

Pickingupducks

*Oh yes it has, oh no it hasn’t,* been one of those weeks! Seems appropriate as Christmas and panto season is arriving with alarming alacrity. Having cancelled our floating trading licence after the weather conspired against me continuously in 2023-4,

5th Time Lucky. 27th November 2025

NB Oleanna

Regular readers will know that I (Mick) have made a few visits to the marina recently to get Oleanna properly winterised. In recent winters we have done fairly basic procedures before leaving the boat for a few months, moored in

Accessible Moorings/Access Map

NB Floydtilla

While in Birmingham this year we noticed a couple of Accessible Moorings Signs, so started the project to find as many as possible and to produce a map specifically to make them easy to find and also add them to

Some final stats

NB Briar Rose

After a long cruise I normally do a post with some stats for the trip, so I thought it would be nice to do some stats for the whole of our ownership of Briar Rose. We took ownership on 30

Soar-ing deep, high and demanding

Pickingupducks

In one of his 43 poems – yes, 43 – about the life of a river, Ted Hughes observes: > The winter floods have ruined her. > > She squats between draggled banks, fingering her rags > > and rubbish.”

Passing on Briar Rose to her new owners

NB Briar Rose

We were up early this morning and drove down to Kings Orchard for a final visit to Briar Rose. We arrived at about 9.30, and immediately set to loading our remaining possessions into the car. Then we spent an hour

Five Years on a Narrowboat – Gnosall to Market Drayton

Narrowboat Life Unlocked

Having lived on a narrowboat for 5 years, do we still enjoy it? Watch this week’s video and see why we do love this lifestyle so much. We cruise from Gnosall and stop at the Anchor Inn, we are treated

Long catchup

NB Free Spirit (Jameisons Afloat)

It's been quite a while since my last post, realised I have been very lax on doing this blog, and because it's been so long, have had trouble trying to remember what happened since the end of October. All I

Panto Postcard 4, 2025

NB Oleanna

*57.25 hours* **Improved roses on the barrow** Monday morning we needed to attempt to catch up on ourselves and finish the technical rehearsal. The actors warmed up away from the stage giving the tech team some time to do more

In praise of tillers

NB Herbie

The lovely Adam and Adrian, whom many of you will know, pick up their beautiful brand new boat from Braidbar today, and watching a video tour of it I was amused to see that in spite of the boat being

Kiwis On and Off-Board Adventures – Part One

NB Areandare

Prop damage: Repair and prevention tips

Insure4Boats

A damaged boat propeller can cause all sorts of issues while out on the water. Knowing how to prevent prop damage and repair minor dings can reduce the likelihood of these problems occurring. Here, we share how to tell when

Kingley Vale handover day

NB Briar Rose

Today was the day we took over our new boat, Kingley Vale. There is a full report on the [KV blog][1], so add that to your reading list! [1]: https://nbkv.co.uk/the-long-awaited-handover-day/

A car full

NB Briar Rose

Lots more heavy rain overnight, but fortunately it had stopped by this morning and was quite nice. After breakfast we started packing proper — and began to realise that we had perhaps underestimated how much stuff was stashed away in

Panto Postcard 3, 2025

NB Oleanna

*68 hours* **Finn, the old silver back cat of Hackney** A bit of a lie in compared to recent times. A cuppa in bed and then it was time to firstly say goodbye to Mick who was on a booked

Packing

NB Briar Rose

Heavy rain overnight and more this morning, but it’s quite a bit warmer. I think I’d rather have it cold and clear (except that we still need rain…) This morning we started pack and cleaning, so now the saloon shelves

Unexpected celebrity status plus unscheduled drama

Pickingupducks

For the first time the passage of our 50ft floating home (plus office,studio, and workshop) along inland waterways in sub zero temperatures made a man dash out onto his balcony in just his dressing gown to see us. Despite his

We’re Building a New Narrowboat – Visiting the Czech Factory

Narrowboat Life Unlocked

Our Brand New Narrowboat build with Elton Moss and Ortomarine has started and we fly over to the Czech Republic to see the progress of the build and speak to Rob & Caroline from Ortomarine and Artie from Elton Moss.

Frosty

NB Briar Rose

As forecast, we had another cold night and it was very frosty this morning. But it was also sunny, and as I wanted to do some research for a magazine article, we walked down the canal to Whittington. Everything was

Sutton Park and The Royal

NB Briar Rose

We’re at the stage where we’re ready to pack — but don’t need to yet! We haven’t got room for boxes of stuff, and if we can live normally rather than in chaos for a couple more days, then so

Insurance and mile stones

NB Briar Rose

It was cold this morning, although the forecast sleet didn’t materialise. We took a car-load of stuff to the recycling centre in Lichfield, and then carried on into town for a Tesco shop. Back at the boat, Adrian followed up

Boat ramping etiquette and launch guide

Insure4Boats

Boat ramping comes with many rules, some of which are unspoken. This can make the process daunting if you don’t have extensive experience launching your boat using a ramp. In this guide, we share 10 boat ramping etiquette tips, along

Canal open!! plus the report of the commission looking into boat licencing and mooring

NB Herbie

I was quite surprised to receive the notice that the long term water shortage closures on the South Oxford have now been lifted. Some recent photos still showed the reservoir levels on the summit to be very low, although another

New Main Line, heading out of Birmingham

Captain Ahab's Watery Tales

New Main Line from Birmingham to Smethwick 1963 November 2025 Its a bit tricky to define the area heading out of Birmingham towards Smethwick and Tipton, but its a stretch of canal which is rich on history. H E Evans

New Main Line, heading out of Birmingham

Captain Ahab's Watery Tales

New Main Line from Birmingham to Smethwick 1963 November 2025 Its a bit tricky to define the area heading out of Birmingham towards Smethwick and Tipton, but its a stretch of canal which is rich on history. H E Evans

Moving prep — and dinner out

NB Briar Rose

We’ve started preparing for the move from this boat to the new one, and the first jobs included having a turn out of stuff we don’t need. Some stuff could go in the bins here, but we’ve also got some

A week away

NB Briar Rose

We’re back on board after a week down south. We left last Tuesday and headed for Kent; I caught a train to London to go to a leaving do, while Adrian went to his aunt and uncle’s. We then stayed

Characters of the BCN

Captain Ahab's Watery Tales

Characters of the BCN In my enthusiasm to track down the locations of the BCN I realise I often overlook the faces which used to be seen around the regions canals I have a terrible memory for names so this

Characters of the BCN

Captain Ahab's Watery Tales

Characters of the BCN In my enthusiasm to track down the locations of the BCN I realise I often overlook the faces which used to be seen around the regions canals I have a terrible memory for names so this

Tame Valley Canal

Captain Ahab's Watery Tales

Tame Valley Canal November 2015 The 8.5 mile Tame Valley Canal was a late addition to the region's canal scape, built in 1844 partly to offer a bypass round the congested city centre route to the Black Country, and partly

Tame Valley Canal

Captain Ahab's Watery Tales

Tame Valley Canal November 2015 The 8.5 mile Tame Valley Canal was a late addition to the region's canal scape, built in 1844 partly to offer a bypass round the congested city centre route to the Black Country, and partly