Cruising Classroom

Liveaboard Emma welcomes a lighter lockdown

Maintenance After Lockdown

Vital checks and tweaks before turning the key

SAFE PASSAGE

When we’re all back at Crick, there’s a better way to arrive!

SLEEPING IT OFF

Hawkmoths rest after a night of feeding

RESTORATION MAN

John Sully lived for adventure on the waterways

SOUTH LONDON'S LOST CANALS

In North London, the Regent’s Canal is well known and well used, but it’s a different story south of the river. Martin Ludgate recounts the story of South London’s forgotten waterways

THE BOAT WHISPERER

Eddie and Chris Barford have enjoyed decades on the waterways

PUSH THE BOAT OUT

Volunteers at Overwater Marina are celebrating The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services for their custom-built wheely boat for disabled passengers

GIRL POWER

Heather Wastie’s fascinating journey with the Alarum project’s history celebration

DINNER'S IN THE BAG

Helen Tidy creates cruising memories with a DIY thermal cooker

GOSH, DARN IT...

Helen Tidy reaches for her needles to salvage holey clothes

TECHNICAL: Pollution control

River Canal Rescue (RCR) has extended its range of Bilgeaway filters with the addition of a new smaller midi filter, suitable for boat owners who have little or no bilge pollution, but want peace of mind they will not pollute the waterways if anything does happen.

HIRERS TO BUYERS

Martin and Julie took the plunge and have never looked back

GETTING AWAY WITH IT

Part two of Tom Kitching’s affectionate look at Spey’s history

ALL HANDS TO THE PUMPS

Sometimes, the local geography dictated that canals needed to be equipped with pumping stations to keep them from running dry. Now, 200 years on, we look at how today’s engineers are keeping the successors to those pumps working

CANAL KILLERS

Dragonflies hunt with their eyes for insect prey

BRIGHT SPARKS

Chris Fower, from Fischer Panda UK, looks at the benefits of converting to electric propulsion

BEST OF THE TESTS

With the canals locked down along with the rest of the country since the last week of March, it’s been impossible to do more boat tests. So we’re taking a look back at some of the boats we’ve seen over the years, and are focusing on the wide variety of exterior shapes.

ARGY–BARGY

Emma encounters the perils of liveaboard life during lockdown

A DREAM COME TRUE

How Ian Randle fulfilled his childhood ambition

STOPPED IN OUR TRACKS

When Adam Porter embarked on a seven-week trip, flood damage and late works were the least of his problems

ON BOARD WITH OUTBOARD

TROUBLE-SHOOTING HINTS FROM JOHN REEVES (INCLUDING TRUNKS...)

LIFE IN LOCKDOWN

Liveaboard Emma celebrates her birthday in the strangest of times

WE'RE HOME ALONE...

but there are creative ways to beat cabin fever, says Helen Tidy

UPLIFTING SCENES

River Canal Rescue raised a capsized narrowboat at Barrow, on the River Soar, after torrential rain and surging water caused the boat to break its moorings, sending it down river to Bridge 30 where it became wedged.

FULLY CONNECTED

Combining a floating office and the perfect escape takes the best technology

GETTING TO GAUGE!

Tom Kitching follows the rebuilding Clayton’s tarboat Spey

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Cooking is easy. There’s no great skill involved in following the dot-to-dot instructions that have been laid out for you by someone who really knows how to do it; as long as you choose Nadiya Hussain over Yotam Ottolenghi, anybody can be a Jamie Oliver... and even The Lockdown Kitchen King himself would say cheers to that sentiment.

CRICK LIFE'S CRACKING

New owners Jackie and Bruce Hair left Oz to pursue their dream

COMMUNITY SPIRIT

Mortimer Bones reflects on the state of the network