{"id":9610,"date":"2019-02-16T10:01:08","date_gmt":"2019-02-16T15:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/?p=9610"},"modified":"2019-02-16T10:06:35","modified_gmt":"2019-02-16T15:06:35","slug":"the-narrow-boats-of-england-and-the-power-of-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailpandora.com\/?p=9610","title":{"rendered":"The Narrow Boats of England and the power of hope."},"content":{"rendered":"

The Narrow Boats of England’s inland canal waterways have always captured my imagination.\u00a0 To me these distinctive boats are a pinnacle of “form follows function” as they all look very similar being designed within a strict standard that will fit with the locks on the canal system throughout the UK.<\/p>\n

A Narrow Boat must be under 7′ wide and most are kept to a maximum of 6′ 10″ and to a maximum length of 72′ and sometimes a bit smaller as there are some locks on the system that can not accommodate anything longer than 57′.\u00a0\"\"Originally these boats were more like simple barges with horses pulling them along with a rope on a tow path.\u00a0 \u00a0With the development of compact steam engines,\u00a0 many became self powered and ultimately converted to diesel engines.\u00a0\"\"The canal system of the UK and the iconic narrow boats played a key role in the industrial revolution in England making it possible to cheaply move material throughout\u00a0 the country before the development of the railway system.\u00a0 \"\"As canal traffic became the standard way to transport heavy cargo, shipping prices dropped precipitously with the cost to move coal dropping by 75%.\u00a0 \u00a0\"\"However, by the mid 20th century the canal system was all but abandoned in favor of train transport.<\/p>\n

While the decline was years in the making, the winter of 1962\/63 sounded the final death knell of commercial canal traffic when the canals completely froze the system, locking traffic in place for three months.\u00a0 Shippers made the final shift to the railroads and never turned back.\u00a0\u00a0\"\"Even the trains struggled with the unusually cold and snowy winter but they got through.\u00a0\"\"As you can imagine, it wasn’t long until much of the canal system fell into total disrepair.
\n\"\"As is so often a basic truth, if you don’t use it, you loose it.
\n\"\"Today the system is thriving, thanks to a small group of enthusiasts that campaigned to repair the waterway.\u00a0 A particularly seminal moment in this reversal of fortune was the publication of the book Narrow Boat by L.T.C. Rolt, originally published in 1944.\u00a0 The author, Tom Rolt, brought attention to the decaying system.\u00a0\u00a0\"\"Many give credit to this book as being the catalyst that lead to the renewal of the canal system as it exists today.\u00a0 \u00a0This book is still in print,<\/a> after all these years, providing evidence of the enduring importance of his words.<\/p>\n

Here’s Tom on his beloved narrow boat, Cressy.\u00a0 He toured what remained of the the then decrepit canal system and founded the Inland Waterway Association<\/a> in 1946 with a friend, Robert Aickman.\u00a0 \u00a0This group remains a major force to this day in restoring and maintaining the canal system.\u00a0 \u00a0\"\"Robert Aickman<\/a> aboard a narrow boat.\u00a0 He was a successful author of what is described as “supernatural fiction” whatever that is.\u00a0 \"\"Remarkably, today there is in the neighborhood of 4,700 miles of navigable waterways in the UK with some 2,500 miles of those waterways primarily accessible by narrow boat.\u00a0 \u00a0If you ever wonder about what can be accomplished by a single individual, consider the impact that both Rolt and Aickman had on what is now a thriving canal system with over 30,000 registered vessels in the UK alone.<\/p>\n

I am focused on all of this, beyond the obvious is this is all about boats, because, as I announced in a recent post, Brenda and I are planning a holiday to the UK in April, beginning with the annual meeting of the Ocean Cruising Club in Wales (I wrote about our plans and a few other random thoughts in this post<\/a>).\u00a0 After that we plan to tour other areas and are considering renting a canal boat or should I say Narrow Boat.<\/p>\n

The particular segment of the canal system that we are interested in is often described as the most popular one, crossing from England to Wales, the Llangollen Canal<\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0This area of the canal system, under 50 miles, offers spectacular scenery along with a number of remarkable aqueducts and tunnels and is quite manageable for a week long holiday.\u00a0 \u00a0When you think of the fact that this canal was built in the early 1800s, it’s an all the more impressive feat.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most amazing part of the journey on the Llangollen is the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, a specatular bit of Victorian engineering.\u00a0 \u00a0Named a world heritage site, it is lovingly maintained to this day.\u00a0 Check out this short tour.\u00a0