Micky

Thank you My old dad (who died in 1970) and who once worked for FELLOWS MORTON & CLAYTON as a delivery driver back in the 1930s told me over 40 years ago that he once saw a narrow boat (in London i believe?) 'turn over' while being loaded so it just goes to show how unstable they can be so what they must be like on the open sea is easy to imagine?

This is a question that i would be interested in knowing Narrow boats being basically flat bottom vessels i would presume are very unsuitable for use on very wide and fast moving rivers and estuaries although i believe i have a 'vague recollection' from many years ago of a narrow boat making it across the English channel on it's own to France! My question is was this a "one off" crossing or do narrow boats go backwards and forwards across the English channel to France fairly regularly on there own?? I would presume that if a narrow boat does cross the English channel on there own it must be a bit of a 'hairy journey' in the open sea even on a relatively calm day??

Isis I shan't quote you incase i mess it up I must say it is a "complete revelation" to me to findout through this site just how many people are in to waterways & narrow boats these days because back in the late 1960s & 70s is was still one of this country's "best kept secrets" and the interest of only a few.

Yeah your probably correct i don't understand your way on here of altering/editing a post once it has been posted. On other forums once you have re-edited your original post you just click-on and send and thats it re-posted but on here you just end up repeating your original posting for some reason so then you have 2 or 3 ORIGINAL POSTINGS THE SAME?? Also if you try and "quote" someones post on here and then try and "quote" another post from someone else for some strange reason both quotes go on 'one page' the same page rather then 2-separate pages like it does on any other forum?? Still i guess you folks are use to it this way

Thanks everyone for your comments Micky Back in 1985 we travelled in a 70ft converted narrow boat from the top lock of the FOXTON flight across the pound to the top lock of the WATFORD flight one hot and dry Saturday afternoon and the pound was quite low on water but we just about made it as the sun was sinking in the west and dusk was nearly upon us as we arrived at the top lock at WATFORD which was pad-locked for the night but it was touch and go for a fair bit of the way especially towards the last few miles, it was almost like skating along on the mud, and we nearly went a ground on a few of the bends but we finally reached the top lock at WATFORD After tying the boat up and a wash up it was time for a couple of jars of bitter

It was around NORTON JUNCTION on the G.U. back in 1985 Na Mark i'm still the same BUT THE WORLDS CHANGED Na Mark i'm still the same BUT THE WORLDS CHANGED SORRY FOLKS FOR THE ABOVE EDITING I'VE BEEN ON A NUMBER OF OTHER FORUMS AND THIS ONE IS "PROBABLY THE WORSE FORUM" TO TRY AND DELETE OR EDIT A POSTING ONCE YOU HAVE POSTED SOMETHING THAT I HAVE COME ACROSS

Yes a new member but interested in canals on & off since 1967. It's just an observation folks and i'm not trying to create mischief but somehow it's lost it's magic, the days of being a member of the I.W.A. and buying WATERWAYS WORLD once a month and the "deep digs" on the old Basingstoke canal on Saturdays seem a very long time ago indeed

Good luck to you and i won't have to come a cross you either Thank you for the kind thought

I guess the ghost of TOM ROLT is turning in his grave with what he started with his book NARROW BOAT and the early days of the INLAND WATERWAY ASSOCIATION

It's not "a wind up" (i'd guess someone had to suggest that one ) it's just an observation from someone with a bit of an interest in canals & waterways although not as much interest as i use to have unfortunately Back around 1984 i was seriously thinking about buying a narrow boat with a view to living on it until i saw the 'peformance' of trying to obtain a license to live on it then about 5 or 6 years ago i saw that British Waterways allow "squatters" to live on boats a long certain lengths of the canals whats going on?? Na sorry folks the canals of merry England have become to popular i'll leave them to you guy's

When i first became interested in the canals of England and narrow boats around 1967 (it coincided with The Flower of Gloster television program in 1967) canals were of interest to only a very few but since discovering this site i realize that every so and so under the sun seems to have discovered the waterways & canals of England and all of them seem to be 'expert' on the subject nowadays just read these message boards on this site?? I had a 2 weeks boating holiday in a 70ft converted narrow boat back in 1985 and even then i noticed that the canals had attracted a "different kind of person" with some boater's on passing them in there boats were "playing loud music and even dancing on top of there boats" so what they must be like 26 years on i can only wonder??

Hi back in 1985 i hired a boat from a boat yard in FENNY COMPTON a 60ft steel narrow boat called SUNBLEST with a traditional boatman's cabin but the rest of the boat was converted to ordinary living quarters, i was just wondering if anyone knows of this boat and if so is it still around somewhere?

Hi back in 1984 & 85 the wife and myself hired 2-boats from the same boat yard in FENNY COMPTON (about 9 months apart) the 2nd boat that we hired in 1985 was a 60ft steel narrow boat called SUNBLEST with a traditional boatman's cabin but the rest of the boat was converted to ordinary living quarters, i was just wondering if anyone knows of this boat and if so is it still around somewhere? I think we had SUNBLEST for 2-weeks if i can recall correctly?

Hello to everyone, i was interested in this post as i remember watching this programme when it was first shown on ITV television back in late 1967. A converted narrow boat and a houseboat race down to London from north Wales to be the first under Tower bridge to be the 'race winner' and to be the boat purchased by a perspective buyer which was right at the end of this 13-episode series. I was 10 years old in 1967 and was just getting interested in canals & narrow boats and really loved this programme, in fact i believe i saw every episode that was shown (i've read that there are only 2-complete episodes left out of the original 13 episodes that were made for this programme?). Finally, i must make a comment about the programmes theme music which i can still hum to myself some 44 years later, what a BEAUTIFUL piece of music it was, i've NEVER heard it since 1967 but i can still remember it in full!. And very finally, some member's may be interested to know that my old dad (who died in 1970) actually worked at onetime for FELLOWS, MORTON & CLAYTON way back maybe in the 1920s or 30s NOT as a boatman but as a deliver driver i believe, he to was very keen on narrow boats & canals as well.