JamesFrance

I was too young to drink but I once took Joyce Grenfell for a morning of sea fishing when staying in a pub in Ireland. In the 70s before marinas were everywhere in the Med, we were often moored stern to on a public quay so had some interesting neighbours, one I remember who stopped for a chat was Juan Carlos in Andraitx before he became King of Spain, his father was also living on board his boat on the same pontoon as us when we had a one year mooring in the Club de Mar in Palma which cost £300 back then in 1979. All very different now sadly.

Our first liveaboard in1969 was a Dunkirk little ship called Fairbright built in 1920 as a fishing boat, she had a plaque from one of the rallies and was converted after the war by David Hillyard. We bought her in Malta, spent the first year around the islands and Sicily, then ended the next year in Falmouth after many ports on the way and going via the Canal du Midi.

CRT said lock 4 on the Middlewich. In the late 60s I had a hireboat sunk by trapping the rudder in one of the Llangollen locks, it was aircooled so flooded through the air outlet. Luckily the pound below was short so I drained it and brought a pump to remove the water to refloat it. BW never knew it had happened as it was October so the canal was quiet.

A fine shell but 20 years older so unlikely to be of similar quality within.

I know it does not fit what you are looking at apart from the price, but this is what I would be looking at if I could still use it, very like the one I had 20 years ago and must be one of the last boats built by Steve Hudson before he sadly died. https://aqueductmarina.co.uk/second-hand-boats/brigand-67ft-steve-hudson-trad-stern/

A pity it is cut short, I took a trip boat on it in 1967 but had to stop that the following year because the Board of Trade insisted on a lifering for every passenger, but not if we stayed on the canal.

At the end of the video it says it was endorsed by the Association of Pleasure Craft Operators which I was a member of in the past. That became British Marine but I do not know when it was changed and you need to be a member to access their history on their website.

Please

No but I had the cassette in the late 90s.

I came across a pre internet video I used to have years ago on a cassette. I always liked the music and was pleased to see it again on Youtube.

I am now 85 and sold the last narrowboat last year and the last sailboat in Spain 2 years ago. It is some years since we went very far but more because of failing sight rather than age.

Having been used to a 70ft boat years ago I found handling a 25ft one recently far more difficult. The small one was hard to steer straight whereas the 70 often seemed to steer itself, as that was what the canal was designed for and deeper draft tended to follow the channel. In locks the 25ft needed constant gear changing and speed adjustment or tying up to avoid being thrown into the lock gates, whereas the 70 with tug deck could just be nosed against the gates with engine staying in tickover and be left alone, the tug deck meant that leaking gates were no problem.

Here is a photo of Steve Hudson arriving at the Braunston boat show in 1999

I would think he would have used a chart plotter which were available by then, with charts for backup. It is so much easier since those were introduced as there is not the same need to study tidal charts and try to take unreliable radio bearings to know where you are.

Good idea, when I passed through the Midi in 1970, I went alongside a British ship in Bordeaux and they obligingly craned my mast up for a carton of 200 Cigarettes I bought duty free in Malta for 10 shillings and six pence.

I talked to Chris Coburn about 20 years ago, I had a 70ft Hudson tug and was thinking about taking her across by water as I had been across a few times in sail boats. His advice I remember was that insurance would be difficult but a tug deck would be ideal for when the bow dipped under the waves. The boat had a day tank so easy to keep sediment from being stirred up and just to block off all hull outlets while keeping the windows and portholes shut. Steve was keen to do the crossing with us but I decided not to do it as a 70 ft with old engine would be difficult on fast flowing rivers, so went back to sail.

The first one was moored in Portofino, Italy in 1970 when we were en route from Malta to Falmouth via the Canal du Midi. Next was Port Cros island, France in 1973. Then our mooring in Port Grimaud, France 1974 to 1976. One of the Thames locks in 1998. The final Braunston boat show, 1999. Hyeres, France 2003. Finally, Hurleston, 2021.

Oxalic acid is the best thing for restoring wood colour, I used it on a wooden mast years ago.

I finally had to give up boats after over 50 years as old age and failing eyesight mad it all too difficult. Here are most of them in date order.

I think it will be nearly 8 tons, it is 10/6/5/4.

That is a coincidence, I only went to watch one Gtand Prix live, aged 19 I borrowed my father's 2.4 Jaguar and drove to Aintree to see the first post war win for a British GP car, when Stirling's Vanwall broke down and he took over from an ailing Tony Brooks to win the race.

I had a look and very much liked your paintings, hopefully you will add some of narrowboats later.