In the Chair Beasts and Breaches Well winter seems like it is really cross, it keeps storming out and then storming back in shouting “and another thing”. We have six inches of snow again, although we are not iced in this time. Last week was fun going for water, with frozen snow on top of […]

Stella Ridgway gets ready for winter As another year ends and Christmas approaches, the summer boaters are busy winterising their boats, liveaboards are eyeing places to get free wood and ensuring that they have organised a coal delivery from their local coal-boat. We are lucky to have fortnightly coal-boat runs; please support your coal-boats – […]

Getting to know you Stella Ridgway is concerned about the disconnect between boaters and local communities. In the July issue, I expressed a desire that the sun we had in June would be extended, but we have had one of the worst Augusts on record for cloud, rain and cold weather. We have had our […]

In the Chair Stella Ridgway is enjoying the summer   I hope you have all been enjoying the lovely weather; we got some painting done, although the disadvantage was that the paint was drying as we put it on. I do hope that wasn’t all of our summer ‒ we so deserve a decent summer […]

In the Chair Don’t rush – explore the places where you moor NABO Chair, Stella Ridgway says make the most of your overnight stays This is a shortened column this month and I have not been able to attend many meetings, so others have stepped into my place. We are still well-represented within CRT and […]

‘Bring Out Another Thousand’ NABO Chair Stella Ridgway gets ready for some springtime maintenance Spring has finally sprung here in the Peak District: the birds are busy building nests; the wild garlic is sprouting; lambs are being born and the ducks and geese are mating loudly. My daffodils opened this week, the sun shone, and […]

Home comforts NABO Chair Stella Ridgway offers some tips for liveaboards I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. We certainly did, as my eldest daughter surprised me by arriving from New Zealand for an extended visit on Christmas Eve. As you can imagine when you are surprised like that, there were many tears, hugs and […]

We are all ‘customers’ now Stella Ridgway looks forward to a better service As this is my first column as Chair of NABO, I’ll begin with a short background: I live on a narrowboat on the Upper Peak Forest Canal with my husband Chris and two Labradors. My disability prevents us moving at present and […]

The (mostly) ups and (a few) downs of chairing NABO Mike Rodd looks back over the last three years. With our AGM looming, this will – sadly – be my last column as your chairman. When David (gently?) twisted my arm as he held me out over the K&A from the balcony of the pub […]

Focus on the Thames and K&A Chairman Mike Rodd has some good, and less good, news of these adjoining waterways. I hope that you have all enjoyed some wonderful summer cruising days and probably now starting your pre-wintering work, getting your boat ready for the colder days ahead. We spent last week replacing the coach-lines […]