Cruising the Cut
Season 2020
A documentary series following former UK television news reporter David Johns who quit his job, sold his house, bought a live-aboard narrowboat, and films his travels on the historic British canals.
Where to Watch Cruising the Cut • Season 2020
32 Episodes
- Broken, BadE1
Broken, BadAfter I had the narrowboat blacked at Stone I set off along the Trent and Mersey canal to head to my winter mooring. Unfortunately, disaster struck on the outskirts of the town when one lovely sunny Sunday morning, the engine made a peculiar noise which resulted in a horrible discovery... - The Call of the WideE2
The Call of the WideIf a traditional narrowboat that's 6'10" wide is just too limited in width for you then you might want to consider a widebeam for the canals of Britain. However, there are limitations on such craft so in this video I talk to widebeam owners Julie and Mark Weir about their experiences on a boat with an 11' beam. - Walking the CutE5
Walking the CutFilmed entirely on a DJI Osmo Action camera - which has the most amazing stabilisation - with a Rode Videomicro microphone, this is a recording of the first brief walk I took after completing 14 days of self isolation having come back from overseas. The weather was beautiful, the birds were chirping like crazy but the waters were almost totally still. Hopefully this is a nice little background video to bring a window of peace and calm into your day. - SerenityE6
SerenityA little thing like a global pandemic and lockdown is not going to prevent further boat videos on this channel so I present the first in what may become a regular "virtual tour" series, as we meet Dimitrios and Carine Theologitis from Brussels and have a look around their amazing narrowboat Galene, which is filled with ingenious design touches. - A Cruise to AmuseE8
A Cruise to AmuseOn Wednesday 13th May, the lockdown restrictions on the English waterways were relaxed slightly to permit day trips (no overnight stays away from a home mooring) for leisure boaters. As I'm currently moored in a marina where I'd stopped for winter, I am following those guidelines rather than the Continuous Cruising rules. Anyway I took the opportunity to fire up the narrowboat and do a five-hour cruise down towards Fazeley Junction and back. - Up on the RoofE9
Up on the RoofOver recent months I have noticed a number of unsightly rusty spots erupting on the boat's roof. Some, I assume, are from bits of grit rubbing through the paint as I've walked over it; for others I have no idea as to their origins. All needed tidying up and the rust stopped in its tracks though so in this video I show you my initial attempts, which fall short of a full repaint. - Slow TV: rainy and sunny canal cruising on my narrowboat from Lichfield to Fradley
E11Slow TV: rainy and sunny canal cruising on my narrowboat from Lichfield to FradleyA "slow TV" (real-time) bow-camera recording of the trip from Kings Orchard Marina at Lichfield to Fradley Junction on June 21st 2020. - Shady BusinessE13
Shady BusinessAfter almost drowning in the sea of rain falling onto Fradley, a new menace threatened my journey as the furious weather switched tack, turning instead to attack me with blazing rays of sun at a million degrees. Parched, weak and craving to escape the furnace I hauled myself to the back of the boat and just about had enough energy to propel the boat in search of shade, even as my last drops of water were exhausted. This is that traumatic tale. - Wide EyedE14
Wide EyedAt the end of a very warm day in June, I set off from Shugborough to Great Haywood, turning there onto the Staffs & Worcester canal because from there down to Autherley is a section of canal I've never done before. I moored at Tixall Wide - beautiful - and then headed on around Stafford before being perplexed at what people have at the end of their gardens in Acton Trussell. - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the LightE17
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the LightIt's not really a vlog because in this episode I'm just re-tracing my steps from the prior five cruising videos and didn't really film as usual but I compiled this selection of clips to illustrate Stuff Of Interest - mostly to do with how amazingly busy the canals got after July 4th when lockdown restrictions were eased and people could use their boats again. - Beating the devil out of itE18
Beating the devil out of itA few weeks ago, I sanded down and touched up a load of rusty spots on my narrowboat's roof but I didn't then have the chance to finish the job and overcoat the whole thing in its entirety. I was also unsure what paint to use. Now, at last, I have had a few days of decent weather and got the whole thing done.