Batty - Narrowboat Life: Discover Life Afloat on the Inland Waterways

Adlard Coles Nautical

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This electronic edition published 2016 by Bloomsbury

First published 2016

Jim Batty, 2016

Photographs Jim Batty, 2016

Jim Batty has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.

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ISBN: PB: 978-1-4729-2708-8

ePDF: 978-1-4729-2710-1

ePub: 978-1-4729-2709-5

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For Karen

Love of my life, who throughout the writing and photographing of this book has acted as a sounding board, critical ear to sporadically read passages, honest eye to a myriad of pictures, and enthusiastic supporter at every bend. What a happy adventure this life together has been! Long may it continue.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my mom, Brenda, whose own independent spirit encouraged me as a child to become a free-ranging explorer of neighbourhoods and forests, and set me up for life. And I am grateful to my dad, Chuck whose ash remains passed to a river many years ago for his reflective and playful nature, which has always inspired and helped me to enjoy my own restless spirit.

I am indebted to Paul and Eileen Garner, Dave Godwin, and Dave and Gillie Rhodes, who so warmly invited me aboard their narrowboats to talk about their lives afloat, plied me with tea, and then graciously stepped aside while I photographed the intimate interiors of their floating homes. This book is so much richer for their contributions.

Narrowboat Life was inspired by questions. I would like to thank all those gongoozlers that took the time to stop beside our boat and ask about life afloat, offer an interesting external view of the boating world, or simply say hello. It has been a joy.

A special thanks goes to Tim Coghlan and Paul Bennett at Braunston Marina, who unwittingly rekindled our hope of finding a narrowboat of our own, with their welcoming and helpful encouragement well beyond the call of duty.

A tip of the cap goes to Louise Stockwin at The Canal Museum Stoke Bruerne, who graciously granted permission to publish my photograph of their marvellous Bolinder engine.

I would like to thank everyone at Adlard Coles Nautical who have helped polish the brass work on this project and navigate it through the publishing process. I am especially grateful to commissioning editor Jenny Clark and senior editor Clara Jump for their ever-cheerful guidance and advice, and thorough responses to my many dozens of questions.

Life would not be the same without our fellow boaters, who through lively and illuminating conversations over the years have shared their knowledge and, in this way, contributed to many of the ideas that have found substance and flourished between these covers.