Breakdown and emergency assistance firm, River Canal Rescue (RCR), is calling for boaters to check their terms & conditions if they have a third-party insurance policy, as many will leave them unable to recover costs for a vessel refloat, removal and pollution management if their boat sinks.

RCR says it’s aware of a number of insurance companies that are capitalising on the demand for cheap policies by modifying their terms & conditions, including removing some common third-party risks or adding them as optional extras.

This, says managing director, Stephanie Horton, is causing major problems for owners, who due to unclear Policy Information Documents, are unaware they’ll be left to foot the bill for vessel refloat, pollution management and environmental damage claims, should their vessel sink:

“While most third-party policies will support ‘salvage’ – vessel sinking – claims, as there’s a risk you may cause damage to the environment and other vessels, do not take this for granted. Boat age is another issue; although a standard policy covers specific age-ranges, insurers can exclude certain vessels, or will only insure with a survey, not a BSS certificate, so it’s important to check.”

RCR is also concerned about claims handling, saying a number of insurers fail to appreciate boaters’ circumstances or support them during what is usually a very traumatic event.

Stephanie continues: “The emphasis is generally on claimants to limit further damage, organise estimates, report on what’s happening and pay for the work. Most insurers don’t take into account if you’re on holiday, you cannot progress the claim as you would if at home, and if you’re a liveaboard, and have just lost everything including your bank cards, phone and personal possessions, you’re not in a position to take any of the above actions.

“Before buying insurance, check the policy exclusions and optional extras, and ask how your claim will be processed if your vessel sinks or is at risk of sinking - is there a 24 hour helpline and online support?”

To help boaters navigate third-party policies and claims handling procedures, RCR has compiled two insurer comparison tables. Where possible its team checked all available policy documents, but this may not cover everything, so use only as a framework. Similarly, the claims handling data is based on general claims, and each case may be different.

RCR and its subsidiary, Canal Contracting, respond to hundreds of incidents resulting in insurance claims every year and regularly witness insurance policies failing to meet customer expectations and variations in insurer claims handling. Its Incident Care team helps boaters manage insurance claims and reduce risks following an emergency – call 01785 785680 to find out more.

It's as hot as hell in here
I'm looking for a draught
Got everything wide open
At my bow end and my aft

My fans are on full bore
To try and get a breeze
I'm sucking ice cubes frantically
whilst sitting on frozen peas

I think I'm gonna ignite,
If I don't get a gust
I really need to chill out
Or I'll spontaneously combust

My feet resemble trotters
My face is rather red
My sun hat's made of leather
Think I'm going to boil my head

I'm glowing like a beacon
and dripping beads of sweat
I'm feeling rather moist but
my wipes are no longer wet

I've drank my weight in water
I've googled what that means
I'll die from hyponatremia
If I can't cool my beans

I've had an ice cold shower
Though I really don't know why
Got hotter with towel rubbing
When I should've just dripped dry

I need to stand in water
but there's a big hole in my bucket
I think I'll just jump into the cut
'Cos there's nothing else for it

I wash my dishes in a thimble full
And reuse most of my crockery
I wipe plates clean with kitchen roll
But I sanitize my cutlery

I invert my clothes to get more wear
Until they start to stink
I consider the use of the washing machine
Or a hand wash in the sink

I know of boaters who multitask
Do their laundry whilst they shower
Swish their smalls round with their feet
Saving water and pump power

I can wet wipe wash for many days
But I won't tell you how many
I dry shampoo instead of wet
Don't flush when spending a penny

My teeth are cleaned in record time
I don't rinse off all the paste
Leave in conditioner's revolutionary
Saving also on water waste

I cook veg in the smallest amount
I braise and don't sous vide
I scramble eggs, don't boil or poach
And I've never bain-marie'd

I don't recycle the hot bottle water
when making myself a brew
That's just taking it a step too far
And will probably make me...
poorly

A comprehensive research study by Glandŵr Cymru, the Canal & River Trust in Wales, and the Rare British Plants Nursery, examining two species of rare plants in the Montgomery Canal, is underway.

The research is focused on two types of pondweed, the long-stalked potamogeton praelongus and flat-stalked potamogeton friesii, which are a part of the Potamogetonaceae family – a group of aquatic plants comprised of over a hundred species worldwide. These plants improve water quality, provide shelter for aquatic organisms, and act as a primary food source for waterfowl and fish. The research will look at developing different ways to naturally cultivate the plants, benefiting species recovery initiatives that will have an impact nationally.

These plants are still rare and understudied. The research will help to understand the plants’ life cycles, reproductive mechanisms, and the ecological requirements to enable scientists to develop effective conservation strategies for them.

The Montgomery Canal offers an ideal human-built habitat for the species. The canal’s slow-moving waters are rich in nutrients and receive a lot of sunlight, creating conditions that closely mimic their natural habitats such as the slow backwater areas of rivers.

Glandŵr Cymru is currently restoring a 4.4-mile section of the canal between Llanymynech and Arddleen thanks to a successful Levelling Up Fund bid in partnership with Powys County Council, supported by the Montgomery Canal Partnership. One of the aims of the project is to protect the ecosystem and create conditions that will allow the plants to flourish once again.

Kathryn Woodroffe, project manager at Glandŵr Cymru, said: “The Montgomery Canal is one of the most important canals in the country for nature. The pondweeds in the canal stand out as remarkable specimens for their rarity and their elusive reputation that has allowed them to persist and maintain ecological significance despite the size of their small populations. Their rarity highlights the need for this dedicated research. By studying these plants, we can discover valuable insights into the delicate balance of aquatic ecosystems and pave the way for effective conservation measures.

“The canals are a precious resource and this is just one example of the vital role they play in the natural world – in this case with research outcomes that could stretch across the UK. We are committed to protecting these special places and welcome the support of all those who value their local canal.”

Andrew Shaw, Director of The Rare British Plants Nursery, said: “We are delighted to be working on this important project. These rare pondweeds are now growing well at our plant nursery and we are already learning a lot about their ecological requirements. Our studies will enable the canal restoration works to secure the long-term future of these rare aquatic plants.”

what's in a name?

My name is Lisa, and my husband is Dave. We have two daughters - Kim and Caitlin Jayne. Coming up with a business name was easy - we chose the first initials of each of our names. Thus L (Lisa) D (Dave) and K (Kim). That was in 1995. When we had our boat built in 2004, we were trying to come up with a name which incorporated both our children's names. But Kim said we should name the boat Caitlin Jayne after her younger sister as her own name was already in our established  business name.  So that is what happened.

After many years of having a land-based shop, we began to contemplate trading from our 69ft narrowboat, Caitlin Jayne, and at the end of 2017 we put the plans in to action, changed the boat license to a business license, got the appropriate insurance and joined the RCTA.

Our first floating market was Great Haywood, which we thoroughly enjoyed, but it was definitely an eye opener, to say the least. We soon realised we needed some sort of canopy to protect us and our products against the rain. So, when we got back home, we got our heads together to see what the best way would be to have something secure, yet easy to take down and not permanent or anything that might deface the boat.

Being ex market traders, we still had the market stall bars and the canopy which we could use and we had a few more bars made up that fitted on the rail of the boat. So, with what we already had in storage and few additional bars, we had our canopy.

For the first couple of floating markets, we printed mugs, mouse mats, keyrings, clocks, coasters, placemats, cushions, T shirts and hoodies, but by the end of the 2018 season, we had expanded our products to include embroidered T shirts, hoodies, and polo shirts.

We have been doing embroidery since 2003 and were looking for a 2^nd 15 needle embroidery machine that would match what I already had. The problem was, getting one that would fit on our boat,  as the one I already had was too big to fit through the doors of our boat.

I had approached Barudan but they only had a 9 needle machine that would fit through our doors, but we really needed a match to what we already owned.

Luck was on our side for once, because Barudan came back a few days later to say they would build us a 15-needle embroidery machine on their 9-needle frame and we would be the first people in the UK to have this machine.

When we do floating markets now we still print the above, but with the additional embroidery to T shirts, hoodies and teddies or, if customers bring their own items, we can print or embroider their clothing.

Other products include engraved products, 3D models, door plaques, bags, and a whole new range of things.

We have the best of both worlds because when we are not trading from our boat, we are back at base and producing other products that we cannot produce on our boat, like our full colour banners, and 3D printed products.

Basically, our services include:

• Embroidery or printing to workwear, casual clothing, hospitality, catering, sportwear, hats, towels etc.
• Digital and vinyl printed signs, banners, decals, vinyl graphics for vehicles, boats, etc.
• Personalised gifts include, embroidered teddies, printed mugs, mouse mats, keyrings, cushions, place mats and coasters, clocks etc.
• 3D printed models for children to role play, ornaments, or home decoration.
• Laser engraving to acrylic led plaques, slate coasters and place mats, wood etc.
• Road legal number plates – we are a registered number plate supplier.

LDK Print & Embroidery Ltd is a family run business. Established in 1995, we have, over the past few years expanded and flourished, now with a satisfied customer base from all over the country, that keeps returning year after year. We know our new customers will be more than satisfied with our services. 

07482 832082
info@ldkprint-embroidery.com
https://www.ldkprint-embroidery.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ldkprint

It's come around again
The time to change the bedding
We put it off for as long as we can
It's a job that we've been dreading

We all like a crisp clean bed
But now we've a crispier kind
With linen beyond its best before
In our dirt we are entwined

Our bed butts up to the window
It's fixed against the wall
It makes it difficult to change
And this is why we stall

We're avoiding the acrobatics
of replacing the fitted sheet
They must shrink with every wash
because the corners barely reach

It's a military operation
As we go in for the kill
One lays on the bed like a starfish
The other tucking with a will

The activity is quite exhausting
due to the little amount of space
what with oxygen levels falling
and a mattress in your face

Next comes the duvet and cover
It's a dangerous undertaking
Like squashing a jack in a box
When it keeps on self inflating

We use the outside in method
Hands in and invert it over
Popping the press studs frantically
Looking for bedding closure

And when the deed is done
And we are all done in
We've forgot the pillow cases
Sod that we can't be bothered!

We get asked a lot, “Is it really all electric?”

YES! We have a fully electric driven (by 2x 8kw Lynch motors) narrowboat built by Braidbar Boats in 2018.

On the technical side we have: 6x 5kw @ 48v lithium batteries. 1.5kw of solar panels with an 8kw inverter. All the electronics are Victron brand.

This gives us more than enough power for propulsion and to run all the domestics such as the 240v fridge freezer, washer/dryer etc.

Obviously we rely on the British weather so for winter months, say Nov till March, if we get little or no solar, we have a 7kw diesel generator which we use to charge the batteries. 2.5 hours of generator use recharges the batteries to full and this will give us approximately 2 weeks of domestic use and a couple of short cruises. We still cruise in the winter but, like most CCers, at a slower pace.

Since early April this year we have cruised from the River Weaver to Kinver and not used the generator at all, so all our power has been FREE! Our plan is to get to Stourport then head back up north to the Leeds Liverpool canal for winter cruising.

As far as the motors are concerned, in 4.5 years we have not needed to do any maintenance on them. If either becomes faulty or breaks down it is simply a case of removing by a couple of bolts and an electronic plug and sending by parcel courier. Each motor measures approximately 12”x8”. We can still cruise with one motor.

Another question or statement really is “Isn’t it quiet!” Listening to the birds and our surroundings while cruising is great, a real bonus, but sometimes the anglers get a shock when they don’t hear us approaching!

We love our life on the waterways and we feel we are doing a little bit to help the environment by living off grid, and more so by having an electric boat.

The internationally famous Three Rivers Race, organised by Horning Sailing Club, takes place on the Norfolk Broads, usually during the first week-end of June.

Background
The Three Rivers Race is one of the oldest remaining on the Broads sailing calendar. Running every year since 1961, it is also one of the largest inland yachting races in Europe, encompassing three rivers and two lakes or broads in rural Norfolk. Originally, the plan was to have boats crossing the estuary at Breydon Water with the three rivers being the Bure, Yare and Waveney. However, from a safety and tide aspect this proved impractical, so the northern Broadland Rivers of the Bure, Thurne and Ant were used instead, and remain the Three Rivers of the Race to this day.

The current challenge sees helms negotiate a course in the order of 45-50 miles, depending on conditions, rounding four buoys located at Ludham Bridge on the Ant, on South Walsham Broad or Fleet Dyke, on Hickling Broad at the top end of the River Thurne and downstream on the River Bure somewhere between Stokesby and Six Mile House heading towards Great Yarmouth, starting and finishing at Horning Sailing Club on the upper Bure.

The time limit for this is 24 hours from each boat's start time. There are also 4 mast lowerings required on the course to negotiate the pair of bridges at Potter Heigham and also the bridge at Acle both ways.

Despite all of these obstacles and sometimes complex rigs, the fastest boats such as Norfolk Punts and visiting Thames A Raters can complete the race in as little as 7 hours given favourable conditions. For those boats which cannot get back in time for a swift pint in the Swan, a cooked breakfast is provided at the finish in the clubhouse to revive weary sailors.

All the boats are tracked at Horning Sailing Club for safety purposes. A team of 10 fixed motor cruiser guardships plus a range of other safety vessels keep an eye out for any problems and report back to base via radio. The efficiency of this system was underlined in 2001 when, for the only time so far in the race's history, strong winds caused abandonment of the race. Having issued the command from base at 6pm, all crews and the vast majority of boats were either at their home moorings or back at Horning Sailing Club by 11pm, despite being up to 15 miles away by river, thanks to the safety network.

Progress around the course is tracked using computer software which allows the Race Controller to see in an instant on which stretch of water each competitor was last reported by a guardship.

The start of the race is the time for spectators to view the fleet in one concentrated mass, waiting to be started in groups of around 10 boats upstream of the start line at Horning Sailing Club. The first start is usually at 11am and it takes over an hour to get the whole fleet started.

Once the fleet has reached Thurne Mouth, yachts can usually be seen heading off in both directions, and this decision is probably the most critical one of the whole race, dependent as it is on wind, tide and boat performance. The Three Rivers Race really is a test of seamanship over a long period and covering a wide variety of areas from close-quarters boat handling at the start to light airs sailing overnight and control at the bridge zones. Crews have travelled to Horning from all over the World to take part in a variety of craft, including the impressive Thames A Raters, Norfolk Punts, Half-Deckers, Yeomans, Yare and Bure ODs (White Boats), Reedlings, Rebels, Wayfarers, Enterprises and other dinghies, traditional Broads River Cruisers and Production Cruisers. No single-handed craft are allowed.

Leaving from Horning, competitors make their way through the street at Horning, before sailing on the more open waters of the Bure once out of the trees. Then it becomes a matter of tactics - ensuring that the tides and winds work in their favour, choosing which order to sail the remainder of the route, which includes Fleet Dyke to South Walsham Broad, the River Ant to Ludham Bridge, under Acle Bridge to Stokesby (or further, dependent on wind conditions on the day) and under Potter Heigham Bridge to Hickling Broad.

As part of this course, it requires the raising and lowering of masts to get under the bridges - always a great spectator sport, with popular viewing points including Potter Heigham and Acle, where the crowds can enjoy the excitement.

Today safety is at the forefront of the race organisers' minds, and the Three Rivers Committee, headed up by Kevin Saunders, has been planning the 2023 race since last year.

2023 Race

Hosted by Horning Sailing Club, in the heart of the Norfolk Broads, the race is a true spectacle not to be missed, as the myriad of boats set sail - where small dinghies such as the Norfolk Dinghy and Wayfarer can be seen sailing against the visiting Thames A Raters, with their tall masts standing at over 40 foot high!

This year a total of 103 boats took part, starting from Horning Sailing Club from 11.00 am on Saturday 3rd June. They set sail in groups of around 10 boats at a time, starting with the Yeoman fleet. These were followed by the Wayfarer dinghies, then traditional Broads boats including Yares & Bures, Waveney One Designs and mixed dinghies. More traditional Broads boats including Reedlings, Rebels and Broads One Designs followed, then halfdeckers and production cruisers. The faster dinghies, including Norfolk Punts and the Thames A Raters, started after a short gap.

With a fair wind behind them they all made their way down the River Bure before making their individual decision as to which route to take in order to visit all the ten marks, each of which is watched over by a “guardship” with a rescue boat alongside able to respond to any emergency or search for any missing or long-overdue competitor.

Other marks which had to be rounded were those at Ludham Bridge on the River Ant, near Stokesby on the River Bure, the Stracey Arms Windpump and in Hickling Broad above Potter Heigham bridges.

Some 50 river cruisers and hire cruisers make up the remainder of the fleet, from the highly competitive to those who just want the achievement of finishing the race. This is one of the things that makes the Three Rivers Race so special - it means something different to each entrant. It's fantastic that after over 60 years the race is still going strong and attracting competitors from all over the country (and even some from abroad) to take part.
This year, the race included both previous winners and a number of sailors participating for the first time.

The MNA Boat Club Guardship “ELSA II” and her accompanying rescue dory were crewed by Club members Clive & Lois Edwards, RNLI Lifeboat crew members Malcolm & Jill Wright and Steven (Rocky) Woolford. They were stationed in South Walsham Broad at the end of the Fleet Dyke alongside the Marine Tech fuelling jetty who’s owners were very supportive and allowed us to use their facilities throughout the whole 24 hours. Thank you Rod and Nina!

The overall winner was a Yare & Bure One Design “Dinghy Skipper” which completed the course in 8 hours 24 minutes followed by a Yeoman “Firefly” and a Wayfarer “Compleat Fiasco”.

As regards our contribution of “ELSA ll” as a Guardship we had a fairly frantic 18 hour period even before the race started because, on our way south down the River Ant from our mooring at Barton Turf, we suddenly started to experience a weird “surging” of our engine which we thought might be a fuel filter. However, when checked, it was in fact perfectly clear. We were then led to believe it might be weed round our prop and/or rudder resulting in us spending £200 on a diver, only to find that there was no significant amount of weed affecting us!

So at 22.00 hours on 2nd June, less than 12 hours before we were due to lay our mark at South Walsham we had an engineer, Rob Fearson, from Sutton Staithe Boatyard who very kindly turned out and finally diagnosed the problem which was a wholly unexpected lack of oil in the gearbox – the cause being a leak in the gearbox cooler allowing all the oil to mix with the cooling water and them pumped out through the exhaust!

Re-filling the gearbox enabled us at least to get to our mark at South Walsham, on time the following morning, and to get most of the way home on the morning after the race had finished without further trouble – needless to say a new gearbox cooler is now being installed!

Very fortunately we had some much appreciated support from Richard and Rachel Card in their handsome motor cruise “Ness Nomad” who escorted us down the Bure and Fleet Dyke to lay our mark on the Saturday morning and then remained anchored in South Walsham Broad throughout the day in order to ferry Jill and Nikki back to Horning before we commenced our “night watch” Having “Ness Nomad” and Richard and Rachel’s sailing dinghy available on
stand-by to relieve us if we had any further trouble during the race was a huge relief in addition to which they were great company and help with recording the bunches of competitors rounding the mark so a huge “thank you” to them is due.

(Editor's note: The header photo is from the 2022 Three Rivers Race)

River Canal Rescue is calling upon boaters to be aware of the fire risks on their vessels after finding more and more cases of poor electrical wiring, including under-sized wiring, overloaded circuits, and sub-standard connections and cable routing, which can rapidly turn into a loom meltdown or a fire.

Managing director, Stephanie Horton, says with BSS certification failing many boaters, RCR is having to report regularly on boats that are dangerous or at risk.

She comments: “By undertaking the following checks and actions, you can hopefully, reduce the likelihood of a fire occurring:

“If you are leaving your vessel for a period of time, it’s important to isolate the batteries and disconnect your shore power if you have it. If leaving your shore power connected, in order to charge your batteries, check the connections to the battery are secure, isolate them and set the charger to ‘trickle’ charge.

“Inspect your shore power cable for any loose connections or wires and ensure the cable is routed properly so if water levels change or the wind picks up, it’s not too tight, or equally loose so that it dangles in the water.

“Never leave fires on or stoves unattended when you leave the boat. If you have no choice, then remove items near the fire, clear the area of anything that could get ‘hot’ and keep your time away from the boat to a minimum. Last year one boater nipped to the shops and a hot coal escaped from his stove; the boat was gone before he returned.  It’s worth noting insurers can refuse to cover these incidents.

“One of the biggest issues is circuit overload and the failure of undersized cables, causing a short circuit which can quickly develop and cause a fire. Always investigate spurious ‘trips’ or loss of power to the boat as this could be an indication a fault is developing. It’s easy to ignore these and simply reset circuit breakers or replace fuses, but these protection devices rarely ‘trip’ without cause.

“Where possible, ensure 12V cables are routed separately to 240V systems. If cables are hot this is a clear indication of an overload or undersized cable – do not ignore it.”

Stephanie concludes: “If you are concerned over the certification you have received, you can report it directly to the BSS.”

John Evans has always been fascinated by industrial archaeology and messed up his GCEs by spending too much time watching the disappearance of steam locomotives at his native Northampton. Right from an early age he was equally fascinated by canals and took his very first colour photo at Stoke Bruerne on the Grand Union in 1965.

He spent much of his career working in the motor industry, latterly as General Manager of Corporate Communications for Mercedes-Benz UK. Throughout his career he has always written for magazines about aviation, railways and classic cars.

Since retiring, he has made most of his 2,000 colour slides taken in the 1960s and 1970s available on photo sharing sites, and from seeing these, Amberley Publishing asked him to write a book about steam railways.

He has now written ten books for Amberley on railways, buses - and latterly the Rochdale Canal. This is located only a mile from his home in West Yorkshire and he has walked and sailed it regularly.

A real bonus when writing the Rochdale Canal book was meeting Nigel Lord, who lives just a few hundred yards away, but was able to help with much of the story of the canal in its revival days. Nigel was a key part of the reconstruction team.

John has an MA in English, is a regular canal and river sailor (renting, admittedly) and is married with two equally boating-minded adult children.

The Rochdale Canal - a review

"Twenty years have passed since the Rochdale Canal reopened following a restoration scheme that faced almost impossible hurdles. One of three commercial waterways across the Pennines, the canal links the industrial North West and North East, flowing through mill towns, beneath dramatic bridges and traverses spectacular hilly scenery. Its 91 locks present a strenuous challenge for boaters, while it has become popular with walkers, cyclists, houseboat residents and casual sailors. The revival of the canal has helped to bring new life to the towns and villages along its route. This book takes a journey on boats and on foot along its 32-mile length, telling its story in colour through historians, canal users, lock keepers and all those who today utilise the canal in ways its originators never conceived."

I had heard of the Rochdale Canal, of course, but I didn't know much about it other than it rose out of Manchester. The Manchester section, I believed, was a place to get through as quickly as possible, as it was subject to vandalism and unsociable behaviour. Beyond this, all I knew was that the canal passed over the Pennines, so would have some beautiful sections; that there were an awful lot of locks; and that there was a great shortage of water. Not then a canal which would appear on my list of places to explore.

This little book by John Evans, however, has completely changed my mind. OK, there are still a tremendous number of locks, and the canal does occasionally run low on water, especially near the summit. But I have been caught up in John's enthusiasm and fondness for the canal, and I now firmly believe it is a canal well worth tackling - and before I get much older!

The book is fascinating. When I first picked it up, I was grateful that there were only 34 pages of text, while the next 60 pages or so were photographs. But the text engrossed me straight away, and by the time I had read it, I immediately went on to read the captions for every stunning photograph.

Of necessity, the book goes into a great deal of history relating to the Rochdale Canal: it has opened, had its heyday, been closed and re-opened after an almost inconceivable amount of foresight, determination and effort. The book also includes a complete guide to the canal from end to end, enlivened by comments and stories from boaters, bar tenders, walkers and cyclists. And all the time the author's love for and interest in the canal surroundings - whether industrial or picturesque - has us wanting to see everything for ourselves.

There are several moments through the book when I have been surprised, sometimes shocked, once horrified, and a couple of times when I have had to laugh out loud. What more can you ask from a book on a canal?

John Evans lives a mile away from the Rochdale Canal. He loves Britain's industrial heritage, and enjoys the urban sections of the canal as much as the more picturesque parts. His book is a must read for any boaters who are tempted to face the challenges of the Rochdale Canal - or for boaters who can be tempted.  John has published many books, prior to this one. They are mainly about the history of our railways, but would always be worth a read by those boaters who are fond of steam.

John's books are available to buy through Amberley Books or through Amazon