I love boats! Messing around online the other night, I came across two short videos of old moving picture film that show women working on narrowboats in England during WWII in the 1940s. Women operated the narrowboats/barges to move coal and wood and food and steel and copper and porcelain dishes and other resources (wool for clothing and fuel for houses and for boats and for industry), while the men who usually did that work were off fighting the war. Women had already been running narrowboats, perfectly well, but more of them stepped up to do the job.
The first video has no sound. The second video does have sound.
In the video below, there are three women. One of the narrowboats leaves the moorage with one woman at the helm … the other boat leaves with one woman at the helm also, but that second boat has a “butty” boat being towed behind, and that towed boat needs a person (the third woman) at its helm to steer it around tight turns in the canals since that butty boat did not have its own engine, it was simply being towed. Some turns are so tight that the butty boat too needs steering … rather like some really large/long fire engines here in the USA where someone steers the rear end of that rig around tight corners. We’ll have to pardon the narrator who calls these very professional women “girls” … sigh.
Here’s one more tidbit for you history buffs (or boat buffs) … here (below) is a movie (yes a real, commercially produced movie) that was made in 1944 (before the end of WWII), and then it was released in 1945 (one month after the end of WWII). It’s called “Painted Boats”. It’s about two narrowboat barge operations run by two different families during the 1940s. There’s some romance involved (hey, it’s a movie after all), and yet there is lots of history and narrowboat stuff. The women and men do the same work on the boats in this movie, as they did back then, and as they still do. This movie is only an hour long. HERE is a wikipedia article about the movie.
There’s a link to the movie below, but read this first. You might notice at about 21:10 that the boat is about to enter a long tunnel, and the narrator keeps saying “boat-men” or “man-power”, as that’s who “legged” the boat through the tunnel … but then the video shows one man on the starboard side and one woman on the port side (likely the husband and wife who owned the boat), both moving into position in order to leg/walk the boat through. And yet the video then shows one man talking (not the husband) but he was looking UP in this video/movie, and he would have HAD to have been lying sideways to “walk” or “leg” through the tunnel, so he was not the person “legging” the boat, don’t know why they didn’t simply show the woman. I’ve seen a photograph of two women legging their own personal boat through a tunnel back in the early 1900s. Men and women, both, did this work, don’t you kid yourself. 🙂
Later in the movie, there’s an official fellow who comes to chat with our boat owner, and tells the owner to “wind” your boat, which means to turn the boat around by going to the nearest wide area in the canal and then turn the boat around there. It isn’t “wind” as in wind your watch … it is “wind” as in the points of the “wind”, north, east, south, west … and then head in the opposite direction. And so our boat owner did that, in order to go to a shipyard and get an engine installed so he no longer needed to use a horse walking along the tow path to pull the boat. Lots of details here, and lots of things to watch out for when you’re “on the cut” or “on the canal”. This movie is an extraordinarily excellent view/description of boating on the canals in England (and Scotland). A few things have changed, but not much.
And, finally, at last!, here is the link where you can watch the movie for free (don’t use your phone, use a real computer or laptop/tablet) … and turn your sound on! https://ok.ru/video/4212773161499?fromTime=0. WARNING!! BEFORE YOU CLICK ON THAT LINK! I can’t get this movie to start with the sound ON. So as soon as you open that link, STOP the movie by clicking on the two small vertical lines on the left side of the screen. Then, to the right of those vertical lines, about in the center of the screen, there is a solid thing that looks something like a megaphone that has a white X next to it. Click on the X. That will turn the sound on. Then go back to the left and click on the solid white triangle. And be sure to turn your computer’s sound on too.
Three of my most favorite boating vlogs (video blogs) that I follow are produced by people in England today who live on their narrowboats full-time and travel the canals and rivers of England. All three of these vlogs are listed on the right side of every page here in my blog, under the heading “Other Blogs and Vlogs That I Follow”. The three are … (the name of each one here is a link to that vlog).
The world is so full of interesting things, isn’t it? For those of you who live in (or visit) western Washington State, an interesting place to visit in Seattle is the Hiram Chittenden Locks (sometimes called the Ballard Locks). The best days/times to visit the Locks are late Friday afternoon or any time on Sunday afternoon. That’s when a lot of pleasure boats are heading out, or returning home. There’s a fish “ladder” next to the locks that allows salmon and other fish to by-pass the locks when the fish are heading upstream or downstream. You can walk down a set of stairs to view the fish through thick glass, if the fish happen to be running when you’re there. Pick a nice sunny day and check out the Locks!
Fair winds and calm seas, everyone! Watch the bow and stern of your boat, don’t hit that bridge! 🙂
Boats! 🙂
Yes! 🙂
We watched those first three old films. We didn’t know that there’s so much we don’t know about! They were really cool. We’re now having dinner, and then I’m going to check out the three narrowboat vlogs. Hurry up honey, get dinner on the table!! 🙂
LOL! Hope the dinner was delicious. 🙂
Boats! 🙂
Yes! 🙂
Used to own a small sailboat many years ago. This sure took me back. Excellent info, thank you!
Ah, another boater. 🙂 thanks Eileen.
Just finished watching some of the vlogs from The Mindful Narrowboat, they are wonderful! Her knowledge of plants and birds and bugs are extraordinary. I’m so impressed. I liked the history lessons too from those old films. But mostly I really like that vlog. She shows history too whenever/wherever she travels on the boat. It’s really great. Thank you!
I thought you might like Vanessa’s vlogs, Ruby, given how much you enjoy and how much you know about plants, and probably insects too. I love the vlog.
I love boats too. I was lucky to grow up since the age of 10 on a lake. We went out on it almost every day growing up. It’s hard, now, to not live on water. These are really cool clips of life for the ‘girls’ back then on the narrow boats.
Wow, what a great childhood. On a boat, swimming. Oh my gosh I’m jealous. 🙂
Brilliant! So enjoyable. A mate of mine and his wife when they were young would hire a narrowboat at weekends. I have shared your blog with his wife. So wonderful of you to share good things about people around the world.
I had never heard of narrowboats until I checked out one of those vlogs a couple of years ago. Really appreciate this “back story”. I identified with Alfie and his map. I love maps and, despite having GPS, I still like to travel with a map on my lap on road trips (when I’m not driving).
Thank you for another fascinating blog.👍
GPS and digital maps are great tools, but maps are the best! I always have maps with me too, like you do Fritzi. And, like you, I don’t look at them when I’m driving. Yikes! 🙂
Henry, thank you for sharing the blog with your mate’s wife, and thank you for the lovely comment at the end. I like to respect everyone and enjoy everyone. And I learn so much. I’m glad you feel the same. 🙂
I don’t know much about boats, but this was way cool. I’m really impressed by the boat handling, especially when anyone, man or woman, is running the boat alone. Looks like hard work to me! And I bet in all kinds of weather including freezing winter. Yep, fun to learn stuff. 🙂
You are right to be impressed, Joe. Running a boat alone is a skill and an art that must be learned over time. Those narrowboats are 30-40-50-60 feet long and have only one propeller and rudder at the rear end, so they take wide turns, or sometimes back in reverse the opposite way to help turn the boat. Some modern narrowboats have a bow thruster (a sort of sideways prop) at the bow that will push the bow left or right, but still most do not. The last boat I had, it had TWO engines and two props and two rudders at the back. Even without a bow thruster, I could turn that boat on a dime, though it was “only” 40 feet long. 🙂 That took me a bit of practice to learn how to do. And yes, those women (and men) were out doing that work all year round, brrrrr!
How do you do this? You always find really interesting stuff that I know nothing about. This was great. All the boating info, and the knowledge that women do things in the world, same as men do, and vice versa. My ancestors were from Ireland and Scotland (maybe England too) but I didn’t know anything about narrowboating. I’ve now spent two evenings finding all sorts of videos and info on the internet about narrowboating (in Wales too). I’ve started watching those three narrowboat chanels you shared. Heidi is a kick! Caroline and Pete are so nice. And Vanessa is amazing, truly. I’m retired and usually watch a movie online in the evening, sometimes PBS, now I have some excellent real LIFE to watch. Toot your horn before going around a tight turn in case another boat is coming your way!! 🙂
🙂 Thanks Pat. I do this because something from my life experience calls me when I read something or see something online. I bet the same happens for you. And yes, Wales has canals too, and rivers too! I’m still behind in watching those narrowboating vlogs, so my comments are behind, but I usually comment so one day I’ll catch up. They love comments, all three, so please even just say “well done!” It makes a vlogger (and a blogger) really happy. 🙂 And YES, toot your horn!! 🙂
Are there narrowboats in the US? Or Canada? I can’t find any online.
I didn’t know the answer to your question, Jamie, and I assumed there are no narrowboats in the USA. But I researched, and kept on researching, and finally found some narrowboats on the Erie Canal in the USA. Can’t find any in Canada. Narrowboats are so LONG, and so shallow-drafted, that they are extremely easily blown sideways by wind, and when that happens they are really hard to control … so they need waterways that are protected and calm. Not many of those here in the USA or Canada. But I guess the Erie Canal or parts thereof fit the bill for narrowboats. I didn’t know that! Thanks for asking, great question. 🙂