We've been incredibly privileged during the past nine years to navigate the vast majority of the UK Inland Waterways. Initially for two periods of six months in our first narrowboat (NB) Northern Pride. For the past six years living aboard NBAreandare.

Over the 2015 August Bank Holiday weekend, the Inland Waterways Association held the Northampton Festival of Water, primarily to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Northampton Arm. This waterway connected the now Grand Union Canal to the River Nene, providing a route to the East Anglian waterways, culminating at The Wash.

We decided to pay to be one of only two boats booked to trade at this festival, having not previously experienced these waters.

sails versus outboard for Dawntreader

The last few weeks have been a bit of a trial to the point where I quite missed my old sailing boat and started to wonder if Dawntreader would be better converted to a Sailing Wherry than ever trying to retro fit an outboard to a boat that wasn’t built for it. I still think arriving at Semington under 1500 foot of billowing canvas on bank holiday claiming right of way is just what the canal needs.

the princess and the pea...

I said that I wasn’t going to do anything to the interior over the winter. In fact, I stated that I could achieve more in a decent day in March or April than I ever could in January or February.

However, spurred on by pictures of fellow boaters on the internet completely refitting interiors and remembering that mine is shabby – the chic bit having been missing for years,  I bit the bullet - but this time with a little bit of wisdom and experience.