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Thank you! We are quite minimalist seeing as we live on our boat, this is our only home, and we keep it tidy at all times. We love the compact coziness of the narrowboat. Thank you! xx

Hi Laura, glad you liked it and thank you for your lovely comments! xx

Hi Carol, it was an amazing place and we were so lucky that Martyn came along and showed us round! They had lots in the gift shop, although we don’t remember seeing any crystal, might be worth giving them a call to ask, as they may do. Sorry I couldn’t help more. Thanks Carol! xx

Hi Swanny, we tend to use the Pearsons guide maps, along with the OpenCanalMap app on the phone too. Glad you managed to find them and it’s lovely to have you onboard! Thanks Graham xx

Hi Stuart, thank you, we’re always open to constructive criticism. I do try to strike a balance of explaining what’s going on, pointing things out and sharing my thoughts on the views, against letting the pictures speak for themselves, often setting some to music. I didn’t want to put too much without commentary in case it became boring to watch, but I’ll try to take out a bit more. Thank you so much Stuart, lovely to have you onboard xx

Oh thank you for your lovely words Susan! We absolutely love cruising, and the Staffs & Worcester really is a stunning canal, it’s one of our favourites! Thank you so much Susan! xx

Yes there’s a lot of flooding around, luckily for us we are safe on this canal, although the water has risen considerably! It’s awful seeing all those homes and businesses ruined with all that water, just hope everyone stays safe! Thanks Mike! xx

Hi you three! It was a fab experience and really helped to show how the locks worked, glad you enjoyed it too! Hope you’re all well xx

Aww thank you so much Nigel, so glad you enjoyed it! xx

Yes we remember! Thank you! And yes, the Staffs & Worcester canal is one of our favourites! Thank you! xx

Hi Graeme, they are called tunnel bands, it’s how they used to tell which way a boat was travelling in a tunnel, or so you could tell if a boat was approaching or going in the same direction as you from a long distance... This has been carried on especially on trad stern boats like ours, keeping things looking traditional. Hope this helps! Thanks Graeme xx

@JulieandMartinonRIB ok thats great thanks for the answer thats put that to bed keep up the great vlogs love your channel

Thanks Graeme! xx

Hi Nancy, that’s a lovely idea, I may look into that! Thank you! xx

@@JulieandMartinonRIBI used to work in book and magazine publishing. You should see if there’s anything are any books already available like that first. Then do an outline of ideas. If you need any help let me know! I would love to buy a copy! 😊

Aww thank you Nancy! xx

Hi Jan, we’re all good, very wet and windy, but a lot warmer than it has been and we’re moored up with a good bunch of boaters all looking out for each other! Thank you so much for thinking of us. Hope you’re well too! xx

Yes, I couldn’t believe all that yuk on the walls, but what a fab experience, and a good opportunity to see the water coming in up close! Glad you liked it, thank you! xx

It was so lovely of the volunteer lockies to let me stay at the front of the boat instead of helping with the locks. It gave me a chance to see it up close, glad you liked it! Thanks Donna! xx

This canal is definitely one of our favourites Donna, and it was so lovely of the volunteer lockies to let me do that. It was a great way to see the water entering the lock and the difference in the ground paddles and gate paddles. Always good to hear you are still enjoying our videos! Thanks Donna! xx

Hi Jane, we don’t have a cafe, is this comment meant for another video? Hope you enjoyed our video too! xx

Hi Randy, it was brilliant being able to see the water coming into the locks up close! Glad you enjoyed it! Have a lovely week! xx

Thank you Sally, it was great being able to film from inside the locks, so pleased you enjoyed it! Have a lovely week! xx

Thanks Roger, have a lovely week! xx

You’re welcome Helly, certainly a different view from inside the lock, glad you enjoyed it! Thank you! xx

@@JulieandMartinonRIB I am amazed at how quickly you answer your comments.

I usually try to answer comments within 24 hours if we can, we feel we have so many friends now online, we love reading your comments! Thanks Helly! xx

Yes, as long as possible! Perhaps even forever if our health allows! We absolutely love living on the water and cannot imagine living on land again now. Thank you for your lovely comment! xx

Oh so sorry to hear this about little Poppy, surely there must be something else they can do for her 🥰 Have a lovely week Nicholas xx

It was a fun experience being that close to the water coming into the lock, but a great opportunity to see how it all works. So pleased you enjoyed it! Thanks Claire! xx

Aww that’s lovely off you to say Quentin, thank you! xx

Hiya matey! It was a little scary being that close to the water coming in the lock, but a great experience! Thanks Debbie! xx

Aww thank you for the translation and lovely to have you onboard, thanks Tim! xx

Hi Cindy, yes we are a little behind with the footage due to the filming with Ch4, we ended up cruising further and quicker than we usually do, as they needed us to keep to a schedule, I will try and catch up over the next couple of weeks perhaps with a couple of extra videos. The water bubbling up in the lock was fascinating wasn’t it! Looking forward to seeing your next painting! Have a lovely week Cindy! xx

Haha that’s the one, Camberwick Green! 😂 xx

Aww that would be lovely, we are getting close to that 10k milestone, like you say it would be a lovely present! Thank you so much! xx

You’re very welcome Karen, it was so nice of the volunteer lockies to let me film from the well-deck, a great experience for me and an ideal way to show you how the water enters the lock, so glad you enjoyed the ride too! Thank you so much Karen! xx

Hi Jan, we are continuous cruisers so will continue all throughout the winter, moving every week or two, unless we get frozen in and then would need to stay longer lol. We quite enjoy the winter, a new set of challenges, ice, snow, freezing conditions, rain, wind etc, keeping stocked up on food and water, diesel for the engine and fire, and being able to empty our toilet lol, they’re all part of the adventure! You have some great ideas, thank you and have a lovely weekend! xx

Hi Francois, the Bratch locks are 3 locks and a rise of 30 feet and 2 inches, so yes quite deep locks! Every cruise is different, working locks can be fun, but cruising without locks is very relaxing and peaceful, never boring lol 😜 Have a lovely weekend! xx

Hi Judy, yes, the next time we go down in a lock we will show that. I think we will need to show it from Martin’s perspective, as going down in a lock is the opposite from going up, in that you need to be close to the front gate, so as the keep the boat forward of the cill. I may do a talk over in an upcoming video, as I’m sure we have some coming up that are going down. Thank you Judy, have a lovely weekend! xx

You’re the second person to ask if the locks smell and surprisingly they didn’t! Trust me, if it had I would’ve said so lol 😜 It was a great experience and glad we could show how the water enters the lock when going up! Thank you! xx

Hi Ian, it was so nice of the volunteer lockies to let me do that instead of helping work the locks, I did feel lazy! But it was a great opportunity to show how the wate4 enters the locks and to highlight safety when working the locks. So pleased you enjoyed it, thanks Ian! xx

Hi Geoff, or should I say ‘Rocky’ 😜 really glad you enjoyed the ride inside the locks, it was a great experience and a good opportunity to show how the water enters the locks and where to place your boat to stay safe, something a little different eh! I just looked that breed of cat up, they look beautiful! Have a lovely weekend Geoff! xx

Hi Barbara, that’s exactly right! Often people think that I have the difficult job working the locks, but I think Martin has the most difficult job, making sure our boat/home is safe, such a huge responsibility. When I’m working the locks I’m always keeping an eye on the boat to make sure it is rising or lowering at a level pace and so is Martin, like you say, always adjusting the throttle and keeping the boat where it needs to be. So pleased you enjoyed being onboard with us inside the locks, have a lovely weekend Barbara! xx

Thank you so much Kath, have a lovely weekend! xx

Hi Celia, glad you enjoyed being onboard in the locks. We wanted to show how the water enters the lock and the safest way we know to work them. Have a lovely weekend Celia! xx

Hi Brent, usually boats would have drainage holes somewhere at the front in the well-deck, so rain water would run out. But at the back, especially in the engine bay, if water leaks in it will just collect and yes eventually sink a boat. Usually most boats will have automatic bilge pumps to expel the water, especially if they are leaving their boat for any length of time. Otherwise, boaters will always keep a check on the engine bay and also check the base plate using an inspection hatch near the bulkhead at the back and pump out any water that has collected over time using a pump. In winter you have to be especially careful, as there is always condensation that builds up inside the hull, due to changes in temperature, being warm in the cabin, but the hull being in icy water, you can see the droplets when we look through the inspection hatch and see the condensation on the inside of the hull. This water runs down and collects near the bulkhead. Our first winter onboard, we weren’t aware of the need to check it regularly and when we did we had over 13 litres of water down there! 🫣 but this is completely normal and in the summer months it’s dry as a bone! Hope this all makes sense Brent! Thank you xx

@@JulieandMartinonRIB Yes it absolutely does and I appreciate the explanation. Wow, y'all got lucky that first winter. Good lesson for everyone to learn. Thank you so much!

You’re very welcome Brent, and thank you! xx

Hi Sheila, yes I remembered to put the date in lol. Sorry we are so behind, but we ended up travelling further and quicker than we normally would due to keeping to Ch4’s schedule for filming, so I ended up with more footage, I will try and catch up over the next few weeks! We don’t want to be putting winter scenes out in Spring lol 😜 Have a lovely weekend Sheila xx

Yes, it was a fantastic experience being at the front of the boat, I really hope it helps people understand how the locks work. Glad you enjoyed being onboard with us inside the locks, have a lovely weekend Chris! xx

It really is, the Staffs & Worcester is definitely one of our favourite canals, glad you enjoyed being onboard with us too Sandra, have a lovely weekend! xx

Hi David, the Staffs & Worcester canal is a beautiful canal, it’s always lovely not knowing what’s around the next corner! Have a lovely weekend David! xx

Thanks Marty! xx

Hi Nicholas, we did miss you last week, hope your Poppy is doing well now! Glad you enjoyed the ride inside the locks, thank you! xx

Aww thank you Gail, have a lovely weekend! xx