With the UK’s weather patterns becoming increasingly unpredictable, River Canal Rescue is advising owners how to manage their boats during extreme weather scenarios.

The emergency assistance and breakdown firm says the key to dealing with any situation is timing and balancing health and safety.

Managing director, Stephanie Horton, says: “In order to stop a vessel drifting onto land when water levels rise, position a scaffold pole or poles, or a boarding plank, between the boat and the river/canal side edge and fix it into position.  This acts as a mooring post, preventing flood waters from floating the boat onto land.

“Alternatively use the engine to keep the vessel in position, so when the water rises, the power of the boat keeps it in deeper water. However be mindful that as the propeller is at its lowest point, it can easily be damaged if the boat does drift. These options are not advisable other than in emergencies and if you have the opportunity, moor in a lock as it provides some protection from flood waters.

“If the boat has drifted, it’s all about timing; when the water levels start to go down, try to push the boat back into the water or off the land before they drop too far. But be cautious as this can be dangerous, particularly if you’re unable to see under the water.

“River Canal Rescue usually dispatches two engineers in dry suits to undertake this manoeuvre because although it sounds and looks easy, knowing the best way to re-launch a boat and where to push depends on the severity of the grounding, depth of the water, its flow and accessibility.

“To reduce winter damage to boats, get into a routine of visiting your vessel regularly and check the batteries are fully charged. With a bilge pump in continuous operation even a fully charged battery will only last a few days.

“Check the bilge pumps are fully operational and left on ‘automatic’ setting.  If there’s no bilge pump or only a manual one, install an automatic bilge pump. It needs reviewing because it relies on battery power, so unless the boat’s shore powered, there isn’t an unlimited supply.

“Ensure drain holes are clear of debris - keeping these clear will stop water running into the engine room, and secure canopies to prevent rips developing and water getting into the boat.

“Also check ropes and anchoring points, if the mooring’s at risk of flooding, run a rope to locations that can still be accessed even in a flood situation and ensure other ropes are loose enough to deal with the potential scenario of the pontoon going under.

“In windy conditions, check ropes for chafing and ensure they’re well positioned and adjusted to the conditions, and before moving a boat in ice, consider the importance of your journey. It’s easy to believe you’re impregnable when surrounded by steel but even a couple of inches of ice can pierce a hull.

“Check river/canal conditions, and again consider whether the journey is really necessary; they can change quickly and easily catch you unaware. Get updates from the Environment Agency. Never head out when a river is in red flag.

“And be aware of the wind direction before manoeuvring. When coupled with difficult river conditions, the windage of a boat can be easily underestimated and your vessel will become uncontrollable.

“If a vessel is caught in a situation, do not attempt a recovery without assistance. Severe weather conditions increase the risk to boat owners and simple tasks can easily result in accidents and injury.

“Finally, check your insurance policy. As insurance companies try to minimise their exposure, an increasing number of third-party only policies exclude salvage and wreck removal - one of the biggest risks to boats.”

In October last year, the UK faced severe downpours and over the last weekend of the month there were 90 flood warnings and 120 flood alerts in place, putting huge pressure on boaters who were faced with suddenly rising and falling water levels.

You can find RCR on Facebook, visit their website, call 01785 785680 or email

There is one major problem with Dawn Treader (DT) that has annoyed me since I bought it. It has crazing on the glass fibre. This is when the surface of the gel coat loos like smashed glass – and I suppose in a way it is. Confined mainly to the cabin roof and the decks, the internet has more causes and cures for this than the common cold. The most laborious cure being to ream out each crack with a Dremel and fill with gel coat and smooth, an option that would take me years on a 25-foot boat. Worse than that I know I simply don’t have the patience for that kind of thing.

What causes it seems less certain, it’s obviously down to aging by sunlight and / or the the gel coat mix. Originally DT was the sort of green best left on a 1970s colour chart and not revived as the darker colours absorb heat more. What ever the cause, the problem is six months after you paint it, it starts to resemble the cracking usually associated with an old master’s oil painting. Water gets under the paint and within six months to a year it's all peeling off.

The next issue is the cabin roof, this has had a hard life with me, kids, dinghies, canoes you name it, shoved on – Indeed about the only thing it hasn’t had is a Harrier jump jet land on it. Mainly because its flat. And there in lies my problem. I don’t think it has slumped it seems to have the same shallow curve as when it was built, but it doesn’t shed the water the same way some other craft do. The original design had only one support beam - Known to Dawncraft owners as 'the nutcracker' as you invariably whack your head on it. I’ve noticed this for a long time so actually installed some stiffeners, basically hard wood strips laminated and bolted in under the handrails from the inside. It stops some of the flexing but did little to improve the profile.

Ok - what I think is missing from modern life is the ability to utilise one process already proven to cure another problem. Also the ability to experiment , we rely too much on the internet for our salvation.

Basically, I have vinyl wrapped the roof in the same way they do custom cars. It’s a very 70s thing and an optional extra!!

First obviously sand back any rough bits and loose paint – remove all fittings and fixtures. None of which I could do because I resin them in to stop the leaks, you just have to work around it.

The trick is to work in small sheets, so I came across the deck and not along it if that makes sense. Tape down one end – the stuff wants to curl back on itself the moment you un roll it - leave your self some excess ( it trims easily) then dry the deck with a hair dryer – you need every last bit of moisture out those cracks and you want the deck slightly warm to help stick and off you go.

Once it's down, it's the same trick I used inside. Use a hair dryer and heat it up - you are trying to cause air bubbles which you can either smooth out or pop with a sharp knife. Once it cools and shrinks it looks smooth. Going around the air vents wasn’t as dramatic as I thought as it's so flexible. The effect is instant and fresh, and you soon get the hang of it. I did the whole lot in one afternoon.

Will it work on the outside? Of course, it will - as long as the vinyl has a reasonably good UV protection, after all they use it on cars, lorries etc and the vinyl graphics – a sort of Viking carving that some owner applied to my hull sides in 1990 are still very much evident (In the same lurid green). It works on DT because it is flat, working on anything with a full curve may be trickier but then they drain so don’t get the problem to start with.

As an engineer I was going to write a stunning article about E10 fuel and what it could do to your engine. But what with Covid, followed by climate crisis, fuel shortages and Xmas stuck in the China sea, who needs another doomsday scenario. Basically, E10 is more hydroscopic than E5 which means it attracts and absorbs water. It can corrode fuel pipes and carburettor rubbers. But then I sat down and realised something from years ago when common sense was in fashion: we changed these each year or so anyway, as part of what was known as a 'routine service'.

the initiative

1. The WaterWatch Safety and Surveillance Initiative is committed to promoting the aims of the RNLI’s Respect the Water campaign to reduce the number of fatalities resulting from drowning on the coastal and inland waterways of the UK by utilising the experience of members of the Merchant Navy Association (MNA) Boat Club and other organisations with whom we have a partnership, such as the Norfolk & Suffolk Boating Association (NSBA) who promote WaterWatch on The Broads.
2. Members of the MNA Boat Club and partner associations who volunteer to participate in WaterWatch, known as WaterWatch Crew Members, have an interest in, and a concern for, the safety of the increasing number of recreational boaters and other waterways users on and around our rivers, canals, lakes, Broads, coastal waters, harbours and marinas.
3. WaterWatch Crew Members are experienced boaters and skilled observers who can be relied upon to spot potential incidents and hazards and respond  with detailed information about the nature of  the incident when reporting  to HM Coastguard, to the appropriate inland waterways authority or other emergency services.
4. WaterWatch Crew Members will inevitably come across incidents where immediate assistance is required before reporting the incident. In such circumstances members should always ensure that any action they take does not put themselves or any member of their crew in jeopardy.
5. In most circumstances, having reported an incident to the appropriate authority, WaterWatch Crew Members will need to stand-by ready to assist the co-ordinating authority according to need. For example by maintaining a visual watch over the site of the incident, providing on-going  situation reports, liaising between the co-ordinating authority and the rescue services, relaying messages and, where appropriate, by taking photographs..
6. By participating in WaterWatch members will not only help to promote the RNLI’s Respect the Water campaign but also have the opportunity to develop and maintain good relationships with local stakeholders such as boatyards, marinas, the local navigational authority and local emergency services.
7. WaterWatch volunteers will be part of a motivated and enthusiastic team having the opportunity and satisfaction of putting their boating experience and expertise to good use by helping to enhance  safety on and around their local waters (perhaps even to the extent of helping to save a life), whilst protecting the boating environment and promoting responsible boating behaviour.

The MNA Boat Club is a member of the National Water Safety Forum.

members' checklist

Spot significant sightings of:

• People or craft in difficulty likely to require urgent assistance
• Unexpected hazards
• Dangerous or suspicious behaviour
• Behaviour threatening the boating environment (e.g. speeding & making a large wash)

Respond

If the incident appears to be life threatening requiring immediate action (such as pulling someone out of the water)  WaterWatch Crew Members should of course render such assistance as they can manage without putting their own safety or that of their crew in jeopardy at any stage.

Report

• If the incident appears to be life threatening, requiring the assistance of the emergency services, WaterWatch Crew Members should contact the appropriate  emergency service, such as HM Coastguard, by calling 999
• If the incident appears to be a criminal act in progress call 999 for the police
• For other significant Incidents contact the appropriate authority such as HM Coastguard or Local Navigational Authority direct
• In all cases Indicate:
  • type of incident
  • time of Incident
  • precise location (GPS co-ordinate if possible)
  • number of persons involved, including children and animals
  • other pertinent information (e.g. persons wearing lifejackets)
  • type of assistance required

Stand-By to further Respond if required

WaterWatch team members should:

• provide their name and contact details and advise the authorities of their activity as a member of the WaterWatch scheme before offering to assist by standing by at the scene (or elsewhere as directed)
• be prepared to provide a visual and/or listening watch and to monitor the situation and assist with liaison, relaying messages, providing up-dated situation reports (SITREPS) or other assistance as required.
• At no time should WaterWatch members put at risk their own lives or the lives of their crew

Record

WaterWatch team members should use the digital Incident Report form to submit a brief summary of the incident as quickly as possible after the incident has been terminated by the relevant authority, with a view to possibly being asked for a more detailed report at a later stage.

typical types of incidents responded to by members of the waterwatch crew

People (none wearing lifejackets) pulled from the water after falling off vessels on the Broads; in one case the vessel concerned had steamed away oblivious to the fact that they had a crew member missing!

Use of ladder fixed to the transom of our WaterWatch crew member's boat to recover another vulnerable person from the water before calling an ambulance

Standing by to assist broken-down craft,  and escorting hire craft holed in a collision to the appropriate boat hire operator's base.

Alerting police and coastguards to incident involving theft of an expensive electric launch, subsequently recovered undamaged and miscreant arrested.

Use of boarding ladder to recover an elderly yachtsman who fell of the deck of his yacht into the river whilst hoisting sail.

Reporting to waterway authority several incidents of hire vessels speeding and/or helming without due care and attention, causing a danger to other craft.

Towing grounded craft into deeper water to re-float.

Standing by to assist Broads Authority Ranger’s launch to recover grounded hire cruiser .

Roving Traders — canal boat owners licensed to sell goods and services on UK canals — have to be mad.  Consider the challenge of living sideways in an improbably elongate tube.  Now consider shoehorning a business in there with you.  And if you somehow defeat the odds, and are hard working and fortunate enough that your product finds an audience ... your continuous cruising license requires that every two weeks you leave your customers behind.  

For a business reliant on good weather (in a country famous for not having it) there are yet more obstacles: like the law, and a licensing organisation who should, but rarely does, protect you.  

Consider Sam Keay, owner of Gangplank Spirits, whose loyal customers chase her around the countryside, bringing wild-gathered fruits in season to swap and flavour her gins and cordials. For years Sam says she was welcome wherever she went. With the pandemic and challenging times, however, she finds herself increasingly confronting licensing officials — five times this year — demanding she have a local street traders license, obliging her to cease doing business and move on down the Cut.

It’s unpleasantly reminiscent of how authorities have traditionally responded to people on the edge of town whose lifestyle threatens their own.  It also appears to be in contravention of law.  The Pedlars Act of 1881 decreed that one authority’s permission to trade be respected nationwide.  Reciprocity — it was understood — is necessary to  preserve the peddling tradition, a profession as old as almost any, and iconic in British history.  

Which explained Sam’s anger when both the Canal and River Trust, who issued her the license, and the Roving Canal Traders Association of which she is a member, declined to rise to her defence.

A CRT official obliquely threatened they could simply do away with the Roving Traders license should her demands persist. The Roving Canal Traders Association, which purports to represent her, declined to enter the fray, afraid that complaining would only make the situation worse.  

Nevil Ingram, a Small Business Advisor at City of Bristol College, however, was spoiling for a fight.  A Roving Trader himself (his business is “The Big Cheese”), Neil helped launch a successful “Justice for Roving Traders” Crowdfunder campaign.  With £2000 they paid an attorney to craft a legal opinion for roving traders to present next time they are challenged by local licensing officials.

But legal arguments don’t help roving traders crack the London market where the sheer popularity of canal boats is precisely what excludes them.  With upwards of 3,000 boats in London — and seemingly all of them wanting to moor on the 10-mile stretch between Little Venice and Hackney — a roving trader doesn’t stand a chance.  Few even try.  

Lindsey and Jeremy Morel, owners of the Floating Boulangerie, are the exception that proves the rule.  Based in Kings Cross during lockdown, customers queued for two hours to buy their bread.  Their calendar was crammed with £20 breakfast reservations.  They were the picture of a successful enterprise, with  thousands of followers on Instagram and testimonials from people who’d cycle 30 km to buy a croissant.  Film students made videos about them.  But lockdown ended and CRT demanded they relocate far from Central London. 

A month later I found them on Acton Road, dejected, miles from the adoring customers who only months before had them investigating rental of a kitchen to meet excess demand.  

Jeremy was throwing away stale croissants.  “It’s just too much” Lindsay explained.  “Between Brexit increasing the cost of our supplies, and CRT putting us on a restricted license, we’re going back to France.”

Indeed, their boat and business are now for sale.  But who is mad enough to buy it?  If a trained chef and baker with savvy businesswoman wife, a sensational product and thousands of customers can’t succeed on London’s most popular canals, who can?

A whole bunch of them perhaps, organized as a perpetual floating market, planned sufficiently in advance for the Canal and River Trust to reserve them moorings across London.

That’s the essence of Brigadoon!, which launches this week. Inspired by the mythical Scottish Highland village which magically appears every 100 years, this Brigadoon — with music, theatre, workshops and roving traders — will appear every two weeks along the canal.  

From October 22 until November 4, a small flotilla of roving traders will pitch up under the Westway overpass in Ladbroke Grove.  A boat with stage for performance, a Dutch barge whose captain leads historical walking tours, a seafood boat and a pizza boat, along with vendors from Portobello Road selling merchandise in time for Christmas, are the core around which this market is organized.  

Organizers’ ambitions are more than commercial, however. By creating a locus of activity in a historically problematic location they focus attention on its unexploited potential.  The Westway overpass — whose construction famously obliterated much of the North Kensington neighbourhood it transects — protects almost 100m of canal from the rain.   It is the one weather-proof canalside location in London that can host outdoor events, something post-Covid London needs now more than ever, and which a neighbourhood with the storied musical history of North Kensington can exploit more than most.

Before the market relocates closer to Paddington Station for its next two-week manifestation, interested parties will convene to create a Friends group to take ownership of the site, plan its future, and start organizing future events — with and without boats — that reflect the needs and resources of the community who will own events there going forward.

Sounds mad, but perhaps the only thing mad about it is that no one’s ever done it before.

***

Your Canal Boat CIC, the official organizers of Brigadoon, are working with the Canal and River Trust to plan a year’s worth of stops across London.  Discussions allow for the growth of the market to include as many as 20 boats.  Roving traders who want to be involved are invited to contact Your Canal Boat CIC Director ericellman@gmail.com.

A cruiser stern is bigger, so offers a more sociable environment. It’s usually surrounded by a safety rail which can have a canvas ‘skirt’ or hood attached for protection from the elements. The engine’s accessed through deck boards, making maintenance easier, but it also means more exposure to the elements so rain water and debris can build up (seeping through the deck boards). The additional external space reduces what’s available internally.

A semi-traditional stern offers the best of both worlds; more space than a traditional and better protection from the elements than a cruiser. Engine access is still via deck boards and the extended cockpit, which can accommodate a hood, provides more shelter, storage and space.

Hood

Also known as a pram cover, and attached to cruiser and semi-traditional sterns, it’s great for protecting passengers and the engine from the elements, but not so great when it comes to getting on or off the vessel or cruising under low bridges. A build-up of condensation can also hinder navigation.

Pram covers can also be great for creating extra 'indoor' space, and the vast majority can be lowered for cruising.

Size

While the width of a steel narrowboat (6ft 10”) and the cabin headroom (6ft 4”) remains the same, its length can vary. The majority are built with lock lengths in mind, and those around 57ft will enable you to cruise most of the connected inland waterway system (apart from some of the canals and rivers in Yorkshire which have a 56ft lock limit, and a short section of the Little Ouse in Norfolk where there’s a 40ft restriction).

Lengths can go up to 72ft, giving a lot more space for liveaboards, but you’ll need to research where you can cruise.

If you’re not sure what length of boat you want, look at how many berths (sleeping areas) you need, your intended use and preferred layout. Mooring and licence fees can be based on length and smaller mooring spaces are found more easily. Size doesn’t impact how a boat cruises, but additional length can slow the turning speed.

Widebeams provide more spacious accommodation, but they can be more difficult to manoeuvre, you cannot navigate some narrow canals and mooring spaces will be limited. They also have higher licence and mooring fees.

History

The Lancaster Canal was once a busy waterway, transporting limestone and coal via its seaports of Milnthrope and Lancaster, commodities which gave rise to its nickname of The Black and White Canal. Opened in 1799, it was extended into Kendal in 1819 and down to the sea via the Glasson locks in 1826. Sadly the northern reaches were cut off with the arrival of the M6 motorway in 1968 but these remain beautiful stretches none the less. The navigational section of the canal is 41 glorious miles whose beauty is hard to beat. As a waterway it has so much to offer and delight: an exciting passage to reach it via The Ribble link, stunning countryside, panoramic views of The Lake District and Morecambe Bay, a branch that connects it with the sea and two lively and historic cities to discover.

Southern Canal

There are two ways of exploring The Lancaster canal, either by hiring a boat or taking your own along the Rivers Douglas and Ribble. Latter visitors will arrive at the junction from the Savick Brook close to Preston. I recommend turning right and staying at the lovely Cadley services which has secure car parking and an area for BBQs. The canal’s southern terminus is only a mile away and it is a treat to walk along the tow path to admire the steep gardens that run right down to the water. The canal was shortened by a mile many years ago and now starts just south of Ashton Basin. Preston seems to be a city of churches but also of parks and green spaces. The excellent Haslam Park has much to offer as does the restored Victorian pleasure gardens of Avenham. The 20mile bike trail  'The Guild Wheel' winds it way through its paths and along the River Ribble.

The first section north is beautiful and green with the fields’ edges caressing the waters often trampled by generations of cows and sheep. The boater is aware that the main coast railway, M6 and A6 are never far away but the peace of the canal is still prominent. The village of Bilsborrow is dominated by Guy’s Thatched Hamlet and Owd Nell’s, an eclectic collection of buildings, accommodation, pubs, and restaurants, a fun fair and bowling green. As a people watching location it is excellent! There are also some other canal side inns, a handy PO and shop.

The pretty market town of Garstang is only five miles further north; there are some good independent shops as well as a couple of supermarkets. The walk along the river is lovely and Garstang basin has several attractive buildings, a pub and moorings. A little further on the boater arrives at the services and further moorings where it is very pleasant to spend a week or so. More rural countryside emerges as you glide along the waterway towards Potters Brook, passing under John Rennie’s stone bridges. Just past bridge 85 is the left hand turn down to The Glasson Branch. It is well worth a trip down the 6 locks to see the sea and the remains of the once busy port. The Conder Valley is quiet and unspoilt and ends in salt marshes and the estuary of the powerful River Lune, the tide comes in at such a rate you can hear it before you see it.

Mid-Section

Back on the main canal the cut begins to change its appearance as one nears the historic port town of Lancaster, another grand place to spend a bit of time. There is much to explore: a castle, several museums, (including the maritime one), beautiful squares and interesting streets and buildings. There are still some fine examples of old mills along the tow path. It is not long before the amazing Lune aqueduct is reached which carries the canal over the river some 600ft below. It was built by Alexander Stevens who died before it was completed in 1797.

As the canal continues north it turns towards the west and the astonishing Morecambe Bay comes into view at Hest Bank. It is possible to moor up and have a sea view with the Lakeland fells in the background: possibly one of my all-time favourite places to stop. Carnforth is the next town to be reached; there is a sanitary station in the basin along with a pub and petrol station that sells gas and fuel. The roar of the M6 becomes the dominant noise and the peace is disrupted for a while as you pass under the motorway towards the Keer aqueduct. The last pretty place to stop on The Lancaster is Borwick, a lovely village situated around the green. As you journey along the final mile of the canal the motorway gets louder and louder until you come to a rather abrupt halt at the canal’s terminus next to a service hut. The M6 is only 10 meters away the other side of a mesh fence.

The Northern Reaches

Beyond the terminus it is possible to continue on foot to the Tewitfield locks, these were last used in the early 1940’s but the chambers look as good as ever even though there are no longer any gates. A footpath takes you over the M6 and deposits you on a beautiful towpath, which in the spring was lined with wild flowers. The navigation has water in it for 8 miles and one expects a boat to come chugging by at any moment. The M6 intercepts the waterway in two other locations but it is possible to proceed to the end of the watered section. The Lancaster Canal Trust have dug out, lined and re-watered a ¼ mile stretch, and they have ambitious plans to reinstate the canal all the way to The Canal Head in Kendal if the finance can be found. The Hindcaster Tunnel and the amazing horse tow path over the top is another reminder of the quality of the construction and engineering of this once important canal. The final miles into Kendal have no water in them and in some sections, due to dense vegetation, it is impossible to see where the canal used to run, only the bridges, still standing proud and strong, hint at the now ghostly course of the navigation.

In conclusion, having spent four months on The Lancaster Canal, I can thoroughly recommend boating there and hope that one day the navigation is restored all the way to Kendal.

Amanda’s birthday present was still in its first flush of newness as she steadied her elbows on the bridge parapet and carefully focussed the lens on the buildings to the left of the old canal bank.

“Odd place for a posh tourist on a day like today,” the voice of an old man broke her concentration as she pressed the shutter button.

“How did you know all that?” she asked, replacing the lens cap carefully.

“Your accent nails it,” the man laughed.   “And only the rich can afford a Leica.”

“Russian copy.   Good but cheap,” Amanda replied with a hint sharpness to her voice.

“No offence,” the man smiled back.   “But of all the places in the lakes, you take holiday snaps of the gas works?”

“My parents are watching the cup final at the hotel,” Amanda frowned a little.  “I can’t stand football and I felt sorry for the old canal all filled in and forgotten like this.”

“Crying shame if you ask me, but nobody did,” the man replied.   “I were on one of the last boats up here, cold winters day it was too.   The town won’t see any more craft now with the motorway coming.”

“OK,” Amanda smiled.   “If I confess to being a tourist, could you tell me about the canal?”

“What’s a lass of what, about thirteen, want to know about that old stuff for? I thought you were all pop stars and noise,” the man frowned.

“Fourteen.   About a month ago.   Present from Mum and Dad,” Amanda replied whilst taking another photograph.   “And stuff like this, you know, neglected  places that people don’t see just get my interest sometimes.   There’s no tour guides or postcards of this are there.”

“True enough… But...” the man said after a few moments.

“Look, you’re  hardly going to push me in the canal and drown me for a camera are you,” Amanda laughed.

“You put it like that, well, I can’t refuse,” the man, who was over six decades her senior, smiled.   “You’ll have come up from the south of town so we’ll walk the last bit to the basin, not that there’s enough water to wash your face there now.   Filled in when you was a tot.   All manner of rubbish went in.”

“Seems a real slap in the face to the people that built it,” Amanda frowned as she set off with the man onto what was left of the old towpath.

“Was and is,” he replied.   “Wasn’t in a good state when I brought a light load of timber up to the wharf.   They used the canal during the war because it was a bit safer from air raids.   The Germans never bombed much here though.   If you was a kid then, you could have landed up as an evacuee.   We took a lass during the war.   Looked a bit like you and all.”

Amanda obligingly waited until the man produced a faded and rather creased photo from his tattered wallet.

“Grace was her name,” he smiled.   “Canny lass and all.   Went back to a ruined house and got put in a children’s home.”

“Do you know what happened to her?” Amanda stifled a tear as she looked at the face that was so indistinct that it could have been anyone.

“Aye, she came back about ten year ago, married a local lad and has a couple of kids now,” the man replied with a smile.

“I can see why she’d feel more at home here than there,” Amanda said as she photographed the painted iron plates of the widened arch on the next bridge.   “You said this is the scruffy end of town, but it’s still beautiful.   I wouldn’t go near the rough bit where I live.”

“It’s bonny alright.   I was born here and I’m stopping as long as nature allows,” the man smiled.

“I’d do the same,” Amanda replied.   “It’s as though you’re a part of the area, like the stones in that wall,” she added pointing at a magnificent building that was once a canal warehouse.

“And this is where it all finished up.  We tied the boat up near that lamp post and unloaded, then it got frozen in and sank.   So that’s where it stayed.”

“You mean the canal’s just a dead end here?” Amanda asked, pointing her camera at the area of paving that had been the wharf edge.

“That’s how things often are.  Life goes on, and young Grace got her happiness back.   You can see on her face that she’ll never forget what happened though,” the man replied, looking a little wistful.   “There’ll be people trying to get water back here in the future.   Mark my words.   Then we’d have to stand somewhere else or our hats would float.”

“Is there a café or bakery around?” Amanda asked.   “I could do with a snack and I should get you something for telling me all this stuff.”

“No need,” the man smiled.   “But you’re going to insist, so we’ll go Dutch if you don’t mind.”

A short walk took them to a small shop front which was well off the tourist track.

“Who’s this then Bill.  Too bonny to be your granddaughter,” the woman behind the small counter said.

“Just a tourist with a pretty funny taste in holiday snaps,” Amanda replied with a smile.

“A pot of tea and some of Madge’s best scones.   That’ll fit the bill lass,” Bill suggested, getting a nod from Amanda.

“It’s not often anyone shows an interest in some proper history,” Madge said.   “Once the bug’s bitten I’ve heard it really gets into your blood.”

“Sounds like some kind of infection,” Amanda laughed as she poured the tea.   “It’s true too. People at school are always telling me I must follow fashion more, but I hate being told what I should like.”

“No harm walking your own path.   That way nobody owns you,” Bill replied as they heard raised voices from outside.

“Seems like we won,” Amanda smiled.

©2021 Michael Nye

Thanks to my father-in-law, Jeffrey Armstrong for info about Canal Head Kendal.

I often hear people saying that you cannot run this or that piece of equipment on their boat. It might be the lady’s hairdryer or the coffee maker. Well there was a time when on our leisure boats all we had was DC power from a battery and not very much of that, unless we had a generator. Generators were and still are expensive a 3kW generator still costs today order of £8000 installed on a boat. The electronics world came to our rescue with the Inverter.

A tiny bit of history – The Inverter was first described back in 1925 and has developed over the years to the stage where good quality inverters can replicate what come out of the sockets in our house. It is important to be able to do that because all the equipment we use on boats were designed to run on the power that come out of the sockets at home.

It is very difficult to produce a pure sine wave from a flat DC voltage; as a result there are not only pure sine wave inverters on the market, but also what are called modified-sine-wave inverters, which I will call Pseudo Wave Inverters.

Figure 1: Sine Wave

Lets start with a Pure Sine Wave Figure 1, like the power that comes out of the sockets at home. The Start of the Sine Wave is zero volts, the top of the Sine Wave is in England nominally +230V and the bottom of the Sine Wave is -230V. So the AC mains sine wave starts at 0V and smoothly rises to 230V and without any pause falls to 0V and then down to – 230V and rises to 0V, one complete cycle, all very smoothly and without any pauses, the voltage continually rises and falls.

Figure 2: Square Wave

Now the Pseudo Sine wave inverter is basically a variation on a square wave as in Figure 2. It starts at 0V and rises virtually instantly to +230V, pauses for half the time of the cycle at full voltage and then falls virtually instantly to –230V, then pauses for the time of half a cycle before rising rapidly to +230V,

When compared with the Sine wave this is banging from +230V to –230V rapidly holding the voltage at either +230V or –230V. It is being very aggressive in the way it is pushing the volts into whatever is being powered and the item will overheat and fail after a period. In simple terms of the power it delivers it is considerably greater than the power a sine wave delivers and the item is expecting.

Figure 3: Modified Square Wave

To solve and reduce the problem of over powering items the modified Square Wave can be used, Figure 3, but it only reduces the overall power. The item being powered is still held at maximum voltage for considerably longer than it is with a sine wave which is what they are designed to be powered by. This is particularly a problem with Motors and anything that has electronics in it. Things overheat and deteriorate over a short period of time.

The only thing in my opinion about this that is similar to a sine wave that comes out of home sockets is that the wave starts at the same point in time and the next one does as well.

Finally Pulse width modulation and computers came to our rescue, this allowed a sine wave to be built up from a square wave and then treated with filters and transformers to give a pure sine wave.

Figure 4: Pulse width modulation to produce a crude sine wave

In Figure 4 is an example of pulse width modulation producing a crude sine wave. When finer and more pulses, controlled in both width and amplitude, then you have the starting point of today’s good quality Pure Sine Wave inverters. Then with good filtering and transformers you can produce AC sine wave inverters as good as the sine wave that come out of the sockets at home. Which is what the good Inverters do.

Which Inverter should I choose for the boat

I am only going to deal with Pure Sine Wave Inverters as every boat I have been on has equipment that ought to be only run on a Pure Sine Wave Inverter.

Inverters are made in a wide variety of power size typically ranging from 175W to and almost unlimited amount as good quality inverters can be parallel and it is now not uncommon for boats to have a pure sine wave inverter system exceeding 15,000W (15kW). I personally commonly fit inverters that are capable of supplying 3kWh &b 5kW (3000W & 5000W). People are getting to the stage of using Induction Hobs, which need a pure sine wave Inverter.

So how do you decide?

1. You need to find out what the maximum power (Watts) of the AC equipment you want on your boat is.
2. Does that equipment include any that has a motor in it; if so you will need to allow for the extra power that motor needs to start. Motors typically need 5 times to 6 times their running power to start. I will come back to this with an example.
3. How many items do you want to be able to run at the same time?

So let us take a few examples:

a)  A washing Machine typically a full-blown modern washing machine will use order of 2.5kW that would need a full 3000VA to run it successfully. The main power usage is the heater heating the water and this is a heater order of 2kW. The rest is the electronics and the motors.

Figure 5: Typical Power Block

b)  A mains computer charger – Typically these use from about 60W to over 100W. If the charging block does not have Wattage on it, look to see what the output Voltage and current (amps) in the picture of part of a power block showing the figures need. The output voltage is 19.5V and the current is 3.33A. So Volts x Amps = Watts – 19.5V X 3.33A = 64.935W.

c)  A Vacuum Cleaner – Since the 1^st September 2017 vacuum cleaner have been limited to a maximum power of 900W so that is the I will use for our Vacuum cleaner example.

All inverters have their stand continuous output say 2000W but they also have a Peak power output it is normally order of twice the continuous output.  The reason for this Peak Power rating is to be able to start the likes of an electric motor. They will supply the extra power the motor needs to get turning, the need only lasts a critical few milliseconds.

You may have heard that electric motors need more than their normal running power and it is very true. Electric motors need between five times and six time their normal running power to start the motor turning. This applies to all motors, AC and DC and includes the motors in the compressors of fridges & Freezer.

So for our example vacuum cleaner with a running power of 900W we need to multiply that power by between five and six to get the peak power to start the motor. Times five is 4,5000W so we need an inverter that needs a peak power of order of 4500W and a continuous power of more than 900W. This is likely to be something like a 2000W or 3000VA inverter to get the safe starting power needed.

Fridges & Freezers –

There has been a move towards mains fridges & freezers because they cost so little compared with the 12V versions. The fridge compressor is run by an electric motor and so we have the same problem as with the Vacuum cleaner, the peak current needed to start that motor.

Most fridges/Freezers have about a 1/3^rd of a Horsepower compressor, which means the motor’s normal running current is about 250W. That mean we need an inverter with a peak power of 1250W to 1500W. That means we need an inverter order of 800W to 1000W to run our mains fridges.

I hope the above gives enough insight and knowledge to help those trying to workout which inverter they need for their boat. Do remember if you want to run the Fridge & the Vacuum cleaner at the same time you need to add together their power ratings to arrive at the size of inverter needed.

Postscript:

I have been busy both on board and with Blood bikes during the pandemic. Someone thought it would be a good idea to offer 24/7 cover in Somerset (which is a big county!). Anyway I have spent many a weekend confined to the boat with maps etc., organising everything from COVID samples to emergency medication. We did win the Queen's Medal for Voluntary Service though and DT has become a command vessel - which suits her "Action Stations - this is not a drill" kind of thing, especially at 3 in the morning!