Crashing on our Maiden Voyage on Narrowboat Way Aye Man. It doesn't go smoothly. Ep 44

[@katienorthenmore1892]

Amazing & well done.! oh i was with you all the way there!! because i know that's what i would be like behind the tiller! thank you for sharing this, i heard boat dog traveller talk about you guys and thought i must watch as its something we still are thinking of doing before we get too old! look forward to next episode.

[@Narrowboat-photography]

@@katienorthenmore1892 Thank you for watching and staying with us, I have to get better don’t I? There my not be much boat left 🤣

[@nbWolfMoon]

Doing great there Jo . I had so many bangs along that bit also .. when Duncan gets the paint out , make sure you moor behind me ..😂 ..Happy new year to you both & family ...

[@Narrowboat-photography]

I have passed on your message to Duncan and he says "no worries"!! All the best for 2025 and hopefully we shall see you further along the canal 😀

[@tanyabishop5647]

We picked up our one and only narrowboat from Whitchurch a few years ago, and yes, we were cringing. We hit every bridge for the first few miles, marked it off in our book like trophies!😅 We did get better. Sadly we found the whole experience stressful, I think because we were on a schedule to get out and back by a certain day/time.

[@Narrowboat-photography]

@@tanyabishop5647 Luckily we aren’t on a schedule being constant cruisers. We see the hire boaters just stopping for 1 night and they are off again but I have to say some of them are very good at manoeuvring 😀

[@philipthoreau3590]

Main thing when helming is “don’t stir the pot”. Try to anticipate where the boat will go and GENTLY counter it before it takes it own course. Best to avoid big helm angles almost always. Youle get it in no time. P 9:30 🇳🇿

[@Narrowboat-photography]

Oh I do hope so! I do tend to be very heavy handed. Thanks for watching

[@scotthanson4449]

This is a skill that just takes time and some mighty ugly maneuvers in your past. Took us a good three days in a hire boat to quit over steering. I have zero criticism of Jo just in case some embarrassing videos of my tiller skills surface on the internet.

[@rkitson9436]

Congratulations! I could feel every moment of your first cruise. That was us 12 months ago! It’s incredible how quickly you relax and become natural with the cruising - well my better half does. I’m still a bit of a worrier but I leave it to her and I do the licks! Good luck. See you on the cut somewhere

[@Narrowboat-photography]

@@rkitson9436 Thank you very much. I really do hope I get more confident soon 🤞(I think Duncan will always worry when I’m driving 🤣)

[@AtaleofTattonTug]

congratulations on your first cruise - its a constant learning journey and you did really well - wayne is a natural whilst I zigzag my way down the canals and totally bottle it if another boat or bridge comes into view - wayne tells me that once Tatton is on the water i need to just get on with it as i will only improve by having ago well done and have a merry christmas

[@Narrowboat-photography]

@AtaleofTattonTug there is nothing wrong with zig zagging I am becoming an expert 🤣

[@thepilgrim4473]

Well done for soldiering on! 👍 Did you not think about beating the tar out of a rental boat for a few weeks first 😆? Here’s a wee tip for you : when going thru a gap that you know the boat will fit thru (bridges, locks etc) you only need to look at one side and run her as close as possible to that side only. Trying to check both sides will inevitably throw you off your nice straight line. See you out on the cut! You’re gonna be great!

[@Narrowboat-photography]

@@thepilgrim4473 We did think about hiring one just decided to jump in at the deep end 😂 I do try to do what you say going through bridges, it the back end of the boat. I am always trying to turn it before I have cleared it 🥴

[@suejolly2770]

Jo, l actually felt nervous for you! Looking forward to following you on this amazing adventure:)

[@Narrowboat-photography]

@@suejolly2770 Hi Sue, it gets worse 🤣 but thank you so much for watching

[@edwardhoughton2565]

Well done Xx

[@Narrowboat-photography]

@@edwardhoughton2565 Thank you, it was a lot harder than it looked

[@SteveMaggs]

Just managed to uncurl my toes. Practice makes perfect. You looked terrified. Merry Christmas 🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻

[@Narrowboat-photography]

@@SteveMaggs oh I was! And it doesn’t get any better 😭 thanks for watching and all the best to you and yours over the Christmas period 🎄

[@andrewclarke1077]

You are doing fine 👍🏻 Getting the hang of the delay of tiller input to boat movement just takes practice. I took a 61’ x 8’6” on the Mon and Brecon in the summer. Amazing how 4mph can feel like 30mph when you are in tight quarters 😂 Happy boating!

[@Narrowboat-photography]

The thing is as well at the moment we are going against the flow! god knows how fast that will feel liken the way back 😬

[@Lau-s6p]

Absolutely perfect helming looking forward to the next video good luck

[@Narrowboat-photography]

Ah bless you, you're my favourite 😀thanks for watching

[@Lau-s6p]

​@@Narrowboat-photographyyour welcome

[@ArtfulDrifter...and_away]

Oh I felt this! I hired my first boat from there, the biggest boat they had! Bounced through the bridges & got a proper sweat on when someone coming the other direction said they'd left the lift bridge open for me! You did so well there Jo. The fear/ shaking/ wobbly legs & sickness is real! When I get on a boat I feel like I'm going really fast but people are walking faster! Am looking forward to the day when I can go full circle & move off from there in my own dinky boat! Hope you're having the best time out there! Merry Christmas & all the best for 2025! Claire & Bryher dog x

[@Narrowboat-photography]

@@ArtfulDrifter...and_away It was blooming horrible! The boat bounced all the way along ☹️ I am still convinced I am doing 30mph though. hopefully it won’t be too long before you are on the water.

[@clenaghan1]

Welcome to the canals....don't feel bad about that 1st bridge, it's a right pain. Lost 2 fenders going through there. Enjoy the new boat. 😊

[@Narrowboat-photography]

I could have cried 😭 unfortunately its not the only bridge I kiss ☹ thanks for your good wishes

[@mandajane8037]

hi you to just found your chanel looking toward to watching your travels

[@Narrowboat-photography]

@@mandajane8037 thank you for watching, I’m sure I will get better ☺️

[@stephenglave5407]

Chips away required. 😂

[@Narrowboat-photography]

Not you as well! Duncan has already said he has gone through a pot of paint 🙄 thanks for watching though

[@Misterwhistle]

You seem to be lacking in the height department. May I suggest building a box platform to give you a better all around view of what is coming ahead. You will be absolutely exhausted if you are half on your tippy toes and craning your neck while driving.

[@Narrowboat-photography]

Yes I do need a box but it is quite difficult to source one. I suppose with all the dancing I do on the back I won’t need a gym membership though. Thanks for watching

[@TheByard]

Well your out on the water and going, the start of the learning curve, Jo you mentioned the boat was on tick over well that looked quick to me. Plus the engine control and bow thruster being behind you does not look good to me and I wonder why the mount is so large. When you are in clear water do work out where the pivot point is, it should be about mid point of her length. not at the front like a car. Also going too fast and offset at a gap will put more pressure of water to one side of the bow than the other. So approach slower but that's a feel factor you have to practice, but remember don't drive at anything faster than you want to hit it. If you could stand further back your left hand could use the bow thruster and reach the engine control better. Just keep the filler and paint pot handy. I did see one narrow with Life boat fendering all along both side and a huge blob stern and bow, yet it still had scrape marks.

[@Narrowboat-photography]

Yes it was in tick over. The design and placement is quite awkward to use but I think once I get used to it I won't get myself in such a knot! Duncan has already said he has gone through a pot of paint but I'm sure he is exaggerating. We'll get there 😀

[@TheByard]

@@Narrowboat-photography Tick over looks quick to me what revs is it set at??? Trying to remember what mine were set at but that's 14 years back. One of the problems of getting old. The old bargies used to use the bow wash water cushion to shove the bow round bends, after lots of practice

[@Narrowboat-photography]

I’m really not sure but on that first journey believe me it never went above tick over and we were against the flow as well.

[@markrant1460]

Dear Jo and Duncan OMG you are actually out on the canals. CONGRATULATIONS!!!! By now Jo you should be much more at ease at the tiller. At least you don't have the summer holiday traffic to contend with lol. Way Aye Man will have many bruises before his time is up but at least he knows he is loved. Jo, Duncan and Way Aye Man have yourselves a very safe and warm Christmas, if you do Christmas. I hope that you will have some quality time with family and will be looking forward to seeing you three in 2025. Take care Mark Alberta, Canada

[@Narrowboat-photography]

Hi Mark. Thank you so much for your kind wishes I really look forward to your comments as they are so nice 😊In a way it was a blessing that we got the boat in the winter and not at the height of summer as I would have been the proud owner of a piece of twisted steel. At least this way I can hopefully start getting to grips with the boat on quieter canals although the Llangollen is very narrow, maybe too narrow. Grand Union is looking good about now....... Anyway, we both hope you have a lovely Christmas and all the best for the new year. Jo and Duncan

[@scotthanson4449]

My wife and I just did a 7 day hire boat on the Shroppie out of Nantwich. Your inaugural cruise brought back some nerve-wracking memories. By the end of day three we thought we had it all under control. Go light on the accelerator, gentle with the tiller and generous with the horn. We so enjoyed the other boaters, the CRT employees and loved the locks. We may have also enjoyed a few of the canal side pubs.

[@Narrowboat-photography]

@@scotthanson4449 I am getting the hang of it, the bridges are just so tight on the Llangollen. We have the shroppie next and then who knows!

[@nbWolfMoon]

Your doing fine there Jo .. I think your Swan neck needs to be a least a foot taller .. we are roughly the same height and I know i would struggle that low to steer and look what I'm doing . Any way the worst is over now you are where you are . X Duncan.. pennants. NU where best be seen 😊

[@Narrowboat-photography]

To be fair I think the tiller height is ok, Duncan had a little go through the narrows and he had it between his legs 😂 Aintree have brought down an adapter that will make it higher for Duncan but its still too short for him. Duncan says we don't know what our draft is still

[@sidewaysid]

Maybe a training course in Helmsmanship first

[@Narrowboat-photography]

@@sidewaysid Haha I did one in August! It was on a smaller boat and on the Leeds Liverpool canal which is SOOO much bigger!