followtheboat | Liz | Activity

Liz wrote a new post

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 19:41:38 +0000

We're Back at Sea! This crossing presented different challenges to SY Esper, on which we regularly sailed in 3m+ waves with 30+ kts of wind. But that was life at an […]

Liz wrote a new post

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 19:11:30 +0000

How To Cross the Open Sea on a Canal Boat Boston to Denver Sluice Passage Most canal boats have flat hulls and aren’t built for the open sea, but with good planning, you can still make a s […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Can We Reach Boston in Four Days? We have to get to Boston in four days to make our window to cross The Wash, so we need to push on down the River Witham through the … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 19:00:00 +0000

How Can We Make It Past This Thick Weed? Is this year’s weed crisis worse than ever? It looked, at first, that a cruise along the River Witham would be a gentle journey … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 10:47:26 +0000

Will The Weed Crisis On The Witham Scupper our Plans? We met boaters who tried and failed to get through the weed. It was so bad this year that the crisis even appeared on the tv. Other cruisers gave up, […]

Liz wrote a new post

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 18:36:33 +0000

FTB Mates: We're cruising on a Roman canal?! Arriving at the historic village of Saxilby along the Fossdyke Canal, we discovered the influence of Roman, Viking and medieval history, as well as an intimate connection to the lives of Jamie’s grandparents in WWII.

Liz wrote a new post

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 18:28:46 +0000

Is the Foss Dyke the oldest canal in England? After an adrenaline-ridden cruise along the River Trent, it was a welcome change to enter the sedate and secluded Fossdyke Navigation. Or is it “Foss D […]

Liz wrote a new post

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 16:42:59 +0000

Summer has arrived, but boat maintenance never stops! Summer is here; we feel it everywhere, in the light, in the trees, in the birdsong, and in the wildlife. From misty mornings to … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 15:47:09 +0000

Working through the seasons It’s the longest day of the year this week, and we’ve been living aboard our wide beam canal boat for five months now. While Jam … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Thu, 29 May 2025 19:11:55 +0000

Is foraging along England's canals safe? (Plus recipe for nettle soup) In the last episode’s comments, someone asked if it was time to make dandelion wine. I’m not keen on making wine (it seems like a l … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Thu, 29 May 2025 17:18:08 +0000

The joy of walking in Thorne Community Wood One of our favourite places in Thorne is the Community Wood situated right across from us in the marina. We began to get to know its paths back in […]

Liz wrote a new post

Thu, 29 May 2025 16:50:50 +0000

Bygone shipbuilding in the village of Thorne We ended up in the small town of Thorne by sheer serendipity. It’s where Happidaze was taken for her buyer’s survey at Staniland … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Thu, 29 May 2025 15:38:10 +0000

Thorne's forgotten shipbuilding and ancient history Ever sped past a quiet town like Thorne on the motorway, oblivious to the incredible secrets it holds? We uncover layers of forgotten history, from a […]

Liz wrote a new post

Thu, 15 May 2025 17:48:57 +0000

Is off-grid mooring the last freedom? One of the last places you’ll find genuine freedom in the UK is off-grid mooring on the canals and rivers. And if you choose a … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Thu, 15 May 2025 14:30:07 +0000

Off-grid wild mooring (life on the riverbank) For the price of a Canal and River Trust licence, you can moor pretty much anywhere you like on the network. That’s over 2000 miles of navigable c […]

Liz wrote a new post

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 16:19:12 +0000

We Lost Control of our Boat We lost control of our widebeam canal boat in a gale in England. Who said strong winds were the preserve of sailors? It turns out that the “wrong” wind […]

Liz wrote a new post

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 15:42:40 +0000

Would you like to be in our book? This is your opportunity to be involved; would you like to be in our book? It has been commissioned by Adlard Coles (Bloomsbury) with the working title […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 09:00:00 +0000

Say hello to our new crew: Marley the Dog Meet our new crew, a very special dog named Marley. He arrived this week and has turned our world upside down. Our all time … Read More »

Liz posted a new activity comment

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 18:16:39 +0000

Thanks for the lovely message! The Faroes, now that’s a challenge, I’d LOVE to go there, but maybe not on a wide beam narrowboat. Haha!
The nursing home can wait a little longer. 😂

In reply to - Liz wrote a new post Our First Mini New Boat Tour Earlier this week, we filmed a mini boat tour during our first brief visit to the new boat. It was just a day and a night, but we came away filled with […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 20:04:06 +0000

Preliminary Boat Tour of Our New Widebeam We filmed this preliminary boat tour during our first brief visit to our new boat. Watch the video to catch our excitement, this is a real new […]

Liz wrote a new post

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 17:04:21 +0000

Our First Mini New Boat Tour Earlier this week, we filmed a mini boat tour during our first brief visit to the new boat. It was just a day and a night, but we came away filled with […]

Liz posted a new activity comment

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 19:24:24 +0000

Yes! What is it about wearing woollies that’s so nice? ☺️ I love my jumpers and snuggly thermals!
And the cold feet…yes!
Lovely to still have you here with us, Erika. Stay toasty! Liz x

In reply to - Liz wrote a new post How Did We Sell Esper So Fast? Happy New Year from cold, foggy England! We’re kicking off the year with episode one of our new season of video podcasts. First off, to address […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sat, 11 Jan 2025 23:00:00 +0000

Why Did We Sell Our Sailboat (& Do We Regret It?) The time was right to sell our sailboat for several reasons, but we had no warning it would be completed so fast! In this video podcast we answer […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sat, 11 Jan 2025 16:02:40 +0000

How Did We Sell Esper So Fast? Happy New Year from cold, foggy England! We’re kicking off the year with episode one of our new season of video podcasts. First off, to address […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sat, 23 Nov 2024 23:00:00 +0000

The Embarrassment Of Running Aground On A Narrowboat Running aground is one of those in-the-pit-of-your-stomach-fears all sailors have. On any boat. On any stretch of water. The … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Sat, 23 Nov 2024 11:26:33 +0000

Does Jamie Like Narrowboating Enough to Buy One? After our announcement a couple of months ago that we are selling our boat, many of you said, “Buy a canal boat!” So since he was in England earlier […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

If This Is Our Last Ever Sail, It Better Be A GOOD One! We completed our 1,300 nautical mile trip from Indonesia to Malaysia in August this year. But the big question for us is will it be … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 11:58:27 +0000

Could our last sail be the best? As you will all realise, we’ve been a little bit busy these last few weeks. Things are moving so fast at followtheboat that we haven’t had a minute to […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 07:18:24 +0000

Near Misses and Knock-downs (Surviving 20 Years at Sea) We’ve been living this cruising life for 20 years and have had some near misses and knock-downs along the way. In this video podcast, recorded in […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 06:47:03 +0000

Lessons Learned After Surviving 20 Years At Sea We have survived the last 20 years at sea, making plenty of many mistakes along the way. These are five moments where we learned a lesson, which we […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

How Do We Avoid Pirates in the Malacca Strait? Sailing north-west past the pirates in the Malacca Strait used to be dangerous. Some ships are still boarded, so there’s always a … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 12:54:17 +0000

Are There Pirates in the Singapore Strait? The next leg required some consideration; our last stop in Indonesia, Kapala Jernih Island would be the launch point to cross the Singapore strait. […]

Liz posted a new activity comment

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 07:04:19 +0000

Do them all!
My only advice is not to think about the things you can’t do or won’t have time to do, but to concentrate on the here and now and enjoy what you’re doing.
There are a million places I know I’ll never see, and it fills me with sadness when I dwell on it. Then I’m reminded of all the things I’ve seen and experienced already and I’m…Read more

In reply to - Liz wrote a new post It's No Longer a Secret! We announced it privately to you last week, but the rest of the world will know on Sunday… If you’re interested, click the image to see the […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Esper, Our Stunning Sailboat Is For Sale! Yes, it’s true, our stunning sailboat is for sale. We can’t quite believe it either, but after nearly 20 years living aboard her, it’s time for a […]

Liz posted a new activity comment

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 06:27:35 +0000

Thanks, David, it’s certainly an exciting time. It feels like we’re hurtling towards a big cliff drop-off with no plan at the moment. Haha!

Liz wrote a new post

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 03:20:17 +0000

It's No Longer a Secret! We announced it privately to you last week, but the rest of the world will know on Sunday… If you’re interested, click the image to see the […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

You See a Waterspout, What Do You Do? If four waterspouts appeared in front of you, where would you go, what do you do? Heading North to Malaysia We sailed well … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 07:34:16 +0000

When Waterspouts Fall Out of the Cloud You’re sailing into the night, no land in sight and 200 miles to go, then four waterspouts drop out of the cloud, what would you do?

Liz posted a new activity comment

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 03:01:07 +0000

I get hotter than Jamie, but that’s because I’m a woman and the menopause has a lot to answer for! The temperature here in the tropics varies between 30 – 38 degrees, but is usually around 32. I think the problem we have here is the humidity, which is often over 100%. TBH, it was hotter in the Med in the summer (it reached 50 degrees on one…Read more

In reply to - Jamie wrote a new post malacca-sunsetWe have just posted a new full-resolution image to our High-Res Image folder! As a supporter, you are free to download this image and use it for non-commercial purposes. You can […]

Liz posted a new activity comment

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 02:57:33 +0000

Hmmm… I’ve used it here in Malaysia and Indo…

In reply to - Liz wrote a new post Should All Boats Have Bum Guns? This week we include any sailor’s favourite subject, toilets and bum guns, in Part 2 of our question free-for-all. In Part 1 we tackled the […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 00:30:00 +0000

Goodbye Indonesia, What a Ride It's Been! After two and a half years, we finally said, “Goodbye Indonesia, we’re gonna miss ya”! What an unforgettable ride it’s … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Sat, 14 Sep 2024 08:16:37 +0000

Checking out of Indonesia at Belitung Post-COVID, beautiful Belitung has been suffering from a lack of international tourism, a situation compounded by problems with local air carriers. […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 23:30:00 +0000

Sailing Under Rare Positive Lightning Positive lightning is rare and accounts for less than 5% of strikes worldwide. It’s 10 times stronger, reaches far further and is … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 07:36:07 +0000

Nothing Like It In 20 Years! With the weather and wind changing in our favour, it was time to leave beautiful Karimunjawa, an island in an archipelago in the … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Sat, 24 Aug 2024 22:00:00 +0000

Do You Use a Bum Gun? We answer more of your questions in Part 2 of our question free-for-all. And this week we include that favourite of subjects, … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 11:05:27 +0000

Should All Boats Have Bum Guns? This week we include any sailor’s favourite subject, toilets and bum guns, in Part 2 of our question free-for-all. In Part 1 we tackled the […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sat, 17 Aug 2024 23:00:00 +0000

Sailing to Remote Islands You've Never Heard Of… We found some of the most beautiful remote islands you’ve never heard of in the Java Sea. Halfway between Java and Borneo are two unspoilt, […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sat, 17 Aug 2024 13:32:06 +0000

Unspoilt Tropical Islands in the Java Sea The 36 hour passage from Bawean to Karimunjawa threw one long squall at us in the middle of the night to liven things up. But solid and dependable SY […]

Liz wrote a new post

Sat, 10 Aug 2024 23:00:00 +0000

Which YouTubers Do You Despise? Q&A Part 1 We do our best to answer your questions on sailing and living on a boat, but weren’t too sure how to answer the one about “which … Read More »

Liz wrote a new post

Sat, 10 Aug 2024 14:25:21 +0000

Your Questions Answered (Part 1) This is Part 1 of our answers to your questions. We had so many (and they’re still coming in!) that we couldn’t answer them all in one go. This looks […]