Skiing is now done for the season, and what a yawner it was. Days and weeks of sub-par conditions, it never truly took off. The ..read more

I have been asked several times lately about how my UK canal adventure started. After 6 years of telling the story I thought I could ..read more

I took so many pictures last summer that not all of them fit into the blog posts. Here are some of the ones that didn’t ..read more

A trip to the model village of Port Sunlight ..read more

Hey, did you know that there was a really famous band from Liverpool? If you ever go there, you can’t miss them. It’s impossible to go far without a reminder of Echo and the Bunnymen. Oh, wait. I mean that other band. Here’s my adventure getting to (and from) Beatleland. My first choice to get to Liverpool from Swanley Bridge Marina was to go north on the Shroppie through Chester and Ellesmere Port (where I went last year) and then across the Mersey River. I knew it would be a bit daunting, not just because it’s a large, tidal waterway with ocean-going ships plying it. I had no idea, however ..read more

It has been a bit of a whirlwind June. Once I got back to the marina from the River Weaver, I headed to Ottawa for Robbie’s convocation. Needless to say, that was one of the happiest and proudest days of my life. It all went well, no problems with flights or schedules. We had a nice few days to visit. Rianne and I then headed to the boat. It was her first time on the canals so I had planned a special trip. A couple of you will remember the route (if you’re still reading this blog!), up the Llangollen, over the Pontcysyltte aqueduct and into the basin at the head of the canal. It’s an iconic ..read more

My time down on the River Weaver was quite a good experience. I’d forgotten about river travel, the Thames in 2018 and the Trent in 2019 were the last big rivers I had been on. The width (being able to turn around almost anywhere), the huge locks (and lock keepers), and the flow were all good reminders of the difference between a river and a controlled canal. I can’t see the Weaver Navigation staying the way it is though, it’s costing a fortune to maintain and run such a short section. They should probably automate the locks so the boaters can run them (like on the Thames), which would allow m ..read more

Here we go again, once more on the boat and cruising the inland waterways of England and Wales. I have no specific plans, I’m thinking it might be good to go into Liverpool and then up the Lancaster Canal. But first I’m biding my time around the Llangollen area as I am flying back to Ottawa in June for my son Robbie’s university convocation! So proud of him, he’s graduating with a Biology degree (with Health Sciences). Just had to one-up me! While waiting for that, I dropped down off the Llangollen into Nantwich to visit my good friends Phil and Angela. It was great to have a catch-up. I also ..read more

It’s been a quick passage from summer boating to winter skiing. The ski season is rapidly waning although my favourite time is approaching, spring! Spring skiing normally (and hopefully) consists of sunny days and soft (“corn”) snow followed by cold and freezing nights. Fast in the morning, forgiving hero snow in the afternoons… weeee! We’ve had a great season overall, although some strange weather patterns have been through. Very wet through Christmas, foggy in January, dry most of February, then real winter for the first part of March. Finally got some very good powder days, some sunshine, a ..read more

It’s been a while since I wrote much as not much of note seems to have happened on the boat. Off the boat I did make a trip home to Canada for a couple of weeks, which was amazing. With all the chaos in the world of airlines and airports, my trip was a dream. Just a couple of short delays, and with no checked bags, I actually arrived home earlier than planned! Being away has taken on a new dimension so the visit was important, lovely, and too short. I still absolutely love my time on the canal, the gentle cruising and placid pace, but it’s much harder to be away. But this blog is about narrow ..read more