HANDS-FREE cruising through the countryside! Towing our narrowboat cafe
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- čas přidán 29. 04. 2021
- After being taught the ropes last week, we're giving towing a go! Pulling one narrowboat along with another, and putting Vic's steering skills to the test :-)
For those of you just joining us, welcome! We're Vic and Jo and we've been narrowboating around the UK for the last few years on our 54ft narrowboat Zero. Last year we decided to give up our jobs in the city and add another boat to our fleet in hope of turning it into a travelling cafe and becoming full time boating baristas.
Follow us as we learn the ins and outs of business on the water whilst cruising around the UK!
If you're embarking on a boaty DIY project yourself, this is the book (the bible) that Vic recommends: amzn.to/3f2C7nJ
Click here to SUBSCRIBE and follow along with our narrowboat renovation (it’s free): czcams.com/users/HollyTheCafe...
Find us on Instagram at /Hollythecafeboat for more up-to-date whereabouts and senseless stories.
For ad-free viewing check out our Patreon page which can be found here: / hollythecafeboat
‘Pay-forward’ a coffee here: www.buymeacoffee.com/hollycaf...
To watch more narrowboat adventures:
The Glamourous Side Of Narrowboating: • EP38 The Glamorous Sid...
Narrowboat Transformation (Paint job completed!) - • Ep18 TRANSFORMATION CO...
Your FAQ’s answered (Narrowboat Q&A) - • LIFE ABOARD: Your Ques...
What we do on rainy weekends - • Ep9 NARROWBOAT life: R...
Or catch up with one of our playlists:
Every video, in order, from the beginning - • All our videos IN ORDER
Painting our narrowboat - • Painting our Narrowboa...
Camera equipment we use:
Main Camera: amzn.to/3i3aI5G
Main lens: amzn.to/3jNVIZI
SD Card: amzn.to/31YvZI6
Microphone: amzn.to/3bspKj6
GoPro: amzn.to/3gSI0mE
(These are affiliate links btw)
We use Epidemic sound for music, check them out here for a 30 day free trail: www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
I love your positivity and 'can do' attitude - and the way Vic (AKA James Dean 😊) saucily raises one eyebrow!! Hands free boating . . . what a way to go. Great, calm vlog; well done you two.
Jo, Vic, another great Vlog. Love the way Zero pulled Holly with ease. Great rope skills as well. You two are so calming and a delight to watch. Always very entertaining. Thank you. Take care.
You two are the cutest couple! You respect one another, you smile and laugh, and sincerely love one another! I LOVE watching you every week! You make me smile! Hugs from Florida!
I have no idea why I watch this, never been on a narrow boat probably never will. But yet here I am and enjoying it too.
Any chance of a baking episode, or at least post a cake recipe or two? I've started baking but beyond a cupcake mine are useless.
A chilled start to the weekend Foxes Afloat then even more chilling with yourselves. Perfect.
I loved your rope cutting technique with the axe. Reminded me of the Titanic movie of Ruth trying to cut the handcuffs off Jack and trying to hit the same spot twice. Nice towing also even though you were overtaken by a lady pushing a pram🤣
A bowl of padron peppers, a beer, and a Holly the Cafe Boat video - Friday evening contentment.
padron peppers sounds like a tribute band
You two are love personified.
Another fascinating journey introducing the older methods of moving the boat's in pairs along the Canal, good on you for pulling it off successfully. I remember seeing similar methods used many, many, many moons ago when I was a kid, back in those day's they would have been full of coal. Happy day's bringing back some great memories. Hope you have a bust time with Holly, sadly a bit too far for me to come for coffee and cake. Stay safe and thank you.
My favorite boat vloggers are here !😊
yes also one of mine
Your lives are so opposite mine that I always look forward to narrow boat vlogs such as yours to relax. Of course each channel has there own unique charm and I’ve been following yours for awhile now. I think I’m following 5 at the moment, such a pleasant way to live by the look of it. Cheers.
Fantastic, thank you :). PS love the irony of a cafe becomming a butty! (For those not in the UK: a butty is both slang for a sandwich and is also a canal boat towed by another canal boat, as here).
15:39 "just had a little pit stop in a marina...a few of the good tanks filled and a few of the bad tanks emptied" lol
You two are such charming goofballz! 💗
Holly towed grandly 🤩
You both inspire me to write;Ive had a few comissions and to bake,your lovely wife is the doyen of cake making xxxxx
Lovely gentle vlog. What a beautiful day of weather you enjoyed!
A relaxing video from a lovely, laid back couple.
Interesting way of pulling a butty. I would have left a lot of room between the two (requires steering of both, of course) and driven offset to get Holly out of the wash - just like the working boats would do. But your way gives more control when you start maneuvering (if you don't want to/can't tie them together side-by-side). And it may be a lot safer for beginners of towing, too.
Great Vlog, I spent two seasons hanging on the back of a butty working as crew on a hotel pair.
Great to see you both on the TV last night 😊
Another great video guys - some great countryside shots and some nifty boat handling! Stay safe...
Excellent skills, you had it perfected before you started. Vic, your abilities impress every time ( whats wrong with Holly's engine?) , and you really chopped that rope with total precision, the camera don't lie. Jo can get away with just looking lovely, but hauls the boat up the canal and through the locks, but it's nearly cake time. You are the perfect team, and reading the comments, everyone wants to be part of it some how. Thanks, and take care.
I've been watching since the start and figured it's tome to subscribe I'm Tim and live in Northeastern Wisconsin 100 miles North of Green Bay. No canals here but lots of lakes and rivers. The only locks are 4 hours away at Sault St Marie. Love watching you.
Really loving these videos! Can’t wait to pass Holly out on the cut and moor up for coffee and cake!
Echo other comments, incredibly chilled out, great video. Vic was clearly getting to many compliments for his skills though, let's balance this out "who does he think he is James Dean". So funny, even the bridges were not safe. Keeping it real Joanna.
Hi guys was lovely to meet up with you last Saturday... Lovely coffee down from bridge 46 I’d say best in the area 😉 lol, pure luck ,just put my finger on the map and said that’ll do lol and abracadabra there you where for the birthday boy lol 😂 made my day, I thank you so much for taking the time to have a chat... next time I’ll bring fresh eggs and milk... int...milk great lol wish all the best and hope to catch up with you soon, on your journey together for the wildest of Coffee and cake lol 😂 and Vic you’re a natural in front of camera 🎥 ya so funny 😂.. keep it natural to you are and you to Jo ,don’t change a thing .. so much talent that comes through the lens to your audience,real life , awesome👏🏽 . ⭐️ x
I drove a truck and it was equipped to tow the old fashioned steerable trailers, complete with a huge brake handle on the passenger side for the brake boy to apply before the trucks brakes were applied. There were a set of cross chains that one fitted from the near side of the truck to the offside of the trailer steering platform the second went the opposite way. If the draw bar failed the chains would hold the trailer straight. I only used the method once and towed a Rolls Royce powered generator, luckily nothing happened.
I wonder if a long rope would be helpful when pulling Holly through a lock, then you could use the other boat to tow her in and then through. Of course a boat coming the other way would scupper the idea. There must be loads of tricks the bargees used when working the canals.
Hey Vic. You should weld a 4 inch receiver hitch on both boats. you can insert a long piece of four inch with a ball on it and have a receiver pin and hold it in. On the other boat you can insert a 4 inch square tube and have a hitch go over the ball and lock it in. you have a solid connection you can have safety chains on and have a hinge or pivot point for easier towing and boats would never hit. just like a ball and hitch on car and trailer just longer.
Thoroughly enjoyed watching this... Well done again guys.. 🍷🍷
I’d recommend Whittington or Hopwas or both for your next locations nice villages and always a few walkers. More cake needed for next week 🍰
Next, narrowboat water-skiing
Well vic I hope you are as impressed with your self as I am . Master full boat skills. Cheers
James Dean yes 🤗
Brilliant the two of you💞
"Jo cam".... Just fell off me chair🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Just loved watching this video. Nothing outfoxes you guys! You have so many skills!! I'm always amazed at how the narrow boats get through such narrow bridge arches with about a centimetre to spare!! I'd be biting my lip! Lol! I was wondering if towing puts a lot of strain on the engine, but you guys know your stuff!😊
Your videos are a pleasure to watch. I wish you both success and happiness!
Oooh the tension!
But no worries, you managed brilliantly.
Well done you two.very entertaining 😃
CAKES , CAKES , CAKES !!!!
Always a sure fire smile maker, my favorite couple !
Brilliant. Didn’t know you could tow a narrow boat. Did wonder how once uncoupled you’d manoeuvre Holly around moored boats though? Loved the James Dean quip 😄 Take care. Nick
@13:22....🤣🤣🤣🤣You stop talking????....ya having a giraffe 😉
Don't forget the chippy at Alrewas and the national arboretum👍
Well done you made it look easy love your vlogs 💓👍
The locks are really amazing. Very interesting video. Best regards.
This is definitely the highlight of my week - thank you both :)
Messing about with boats, its always fun 'ey. Nicely done and a wonderful vlog too.😄👍 Cheers
fabulous as always thanks guys xx Alex and Maria
Ahh, I’ve just started following you guys, you’re fab :) in this vlog you go straight past my dad on his boat ‘Vincent’ at Wychnor and Dot & Dave on ‘LaceLady’… I grew up on Vincent with my dad and we travelled up and down between Fradley Junction and Branston, so I recognise lots of places! I live in Wales now, but miss the canals so much… I always felt safe ‘in the bosom of Alrewas too’ 😁 x
Memories! In the 70’s myself and a few other Scout Leaders, their wives, my brother and his mate hired a hire boat with a butty, we filled the motored boat and we had a dozen scouts in the butty. The boats were 2 70 ft boats called Ant & Axe. It was like being in a hospital ship! Two tier bunk beds down the sides, a sink and cooker to the front and an Elsan to the rear. The boats man's cabin on one boat one of the leaders, his wife and young son slept there. In the other boat the hire company’s boatman and his lady (Andy & Sandy) occupied that one. We toured the Grand Union from Braunston up to the junction with the Stratford Canal and back. The locks here were double width and before each lock the boatman would unhitch the butty, engage reverse and the butty would catch up the towing boat. The boat had blue glass fibre covers and each one had been lifted up and placed on the next. The boatman’s lady, Sandy, would sprint to the front leaping from cover to cover to reach the front and re-hitch the boats. It took us leaders a little while to cotton on why the boys took to their bunks at tocks. We realised after a while that Sandy wasn’t a believer of much underwear! The whole week was a great experience. Every night we stopped within walking distance of a pub, of course one of us leaders stayed with the boys brewing cocoa and supper.
I thoroughly enjoy your vlog. The quality of your video and your comments are spot on.
You made towing look so easy. Love the gentle pace of your lives. Somewhat envious
great towing effort guys. won't be so nice in bad weather but well bl***y done xx
Maybe at a later date getting a modified fender to fit between front and back as it were. Probably not a right and wrong way, just the way that works best for you.👍love your wording of emptying bad tanks and filling good tanks👍 with aplomb or was that with a plum?👍
I think it's official you are rock stars. You made towing look easy🥰. Have a great week
Well done great job
Becoming quite warm in Florida so far. Not summertime. I love watching folks with all their woolen clothes
Very cool!
Love you guys.
Love watching you guys. Ya'll are such an adorable couple living out your dreams. I know there are many locks as I've seen numerous on yours and other videos. If you were like me, wanting to come over (I live in the states) and volunteer at a lock, do you have one in mind that you think you would enjoy working at?
Just watched at 6am Sunday morn. I am off out for a walk and working today, so I can gave BH Monday off to kick back.
Just watching that manoeuvre of river towing has relaxed me. 🙏🌾🌴🐠
You are both so lovely and have a safe week.
Fun , do it again. somewhere else/same not busy with no other boats though. Slow Brit's nice
Jo mentioned something like "driving from behind". In the USA, we call that "back seat driving" (@ automobiles); especially when there are never ending "helpful suggestions" coming from the back seat. ;-)
It’s a universal saying I thinks; used here across Australia, and NZ, and HK, Greece, Turkey, Switzerland....
A REEF KNOT, is used because it is a flat knot, at least that's what I was told when I was a Boy Scout. stay safe.
Very nice.
I watched on the Telly about the time you got it uploaded.... I wonder if you'd use less fuel towing Holy. Wouldn't surprise me if it does.
Will still need another week of warm to get rid of the snow in the woods. I'm ready.......... Thanks for the lovelt video!
The Cake n Coffee Caravanserai ..... do you deliver..... to Oz 🙃.....via the Tardis🛸🛸.....oh I wish..... lol
Impressive steering there Vic; and nice filming\editing.... James Dean? Ya got it in one!
Very relaxing, thank you 👍
This is wonderful. You did it
Well done guys. Thank you for sharing.
Interesting and exciting film today, had forgotten that special bridge on the river i Alrewas in spite I "followed" the other Jo together with her Michael and their Perseverance and George there just some weeks ago. I guess one thing you have to keep an eye on in another way than normally is the engine temperature of the towing boat..
Well done y’all!
My buddy would use a fiberglass tow bar to tow his ski boat off the back of his houseboat. Before that the outboard motors were always at risk of getting smacked by the ski boat. You did a great job Victor, it takes planning and nerves of steel to tow a boat of that length around those canals.
Lovely video
Great vlog guys 😄👍
You two are just so relaxing to watch ;0)
Hi. Did I miss a vlog where u showed wedding pix? U guys r wonderful
I try to copy some of ur baking at home
Doesn’t always work. N I’m to embarrassed to show my failures
Hav u changed the recipe for bread or just the baking pan?
A delightful lack of Jeopardy. Thank you.
On this side of the great pond we always push rather than pull I think its a control thing and as I'm typing Vice mentioned stopping hummmm. Seems one would want to avoid the back wash from the tolling boat. I enjoy the videos y'all keep em coming.
Tim at Sea explains the different methods of tug boat towing, pushing and alongside work in his Vlogs. He works New York harbour on bunkering work, he's an excellent presenter do check him out.
have you thought about a Twitter feed where you would post Holly's current location and future ones, like many food trucks do these days?
Another episode thoroughly enjoyed, thank you! 😂 Now off to sleep (we're 6h ahead of you), it was worth it though. 👍
Well done you two (and Buddy on the phone).
Obstacle number one. Nice Interpol reference
Now you can serve walkers and runners from Holly while moving along the canal. Or catch up on your baking.
Wow Vic Did look like James dean ,Good call!! Love you videos love from Ohio!😘Have I missed the wedding pics
Another calm video. How far did you travel?
May you sell all your bake goodies and coffee. Looking forward to see your new signs
The cake train is coming!
For me now.. Its the weekend once I've caught up with you guys. Love the towing technique 👌
You could probably set up a bunch of ropes that could shackle together and leave them set up.. Maybe include a fender between. Be a great project.
Now I'm feeling really chilled out.
See you soon.
Jamie
Skillz!!
Very impressive you two. That went really well. I wondered how you were going to get Holly through the locks, but you had it all worked out. Maybe you consider getting a horse. Lovely video from my favourite couple.
Lovely catching up with you yesterday , decided to stay on 14 day mooring.......lovely area as you said.....blink and you would miss it . What’s up with holly’s engine ? Catch you soon
Great vlog you two.. you both look so happy together 🙂 bizarre q but have a q about snoods!! What snood was Adam wearing??? Was red and patterned! Want to get Jamie one.. just the make would be good?! Keep those vlogs coming and let us know if you’re ever coming down south! X
Hi Jo Vic,well you done that towing perfect cross ropes is the only way ,as a tugboat skipper I give you 10/10 well done,so what is wrong with Hollys engine that you can’t fix Vic ,well guys this was a very enjoyable video loved it ,till next time take care keep safe keep warm,John 👀❤️🌹🥂🐕🔧🔧🌈
Thanks for the vlog guys, really entertaining as usual. Are you open for coffee on Monday and were abouts will you be? It's time I sampled a Latte 😁
Our boat jessie is on this clip
Lovely vlog well done on the towing. Were your ears burning this week? Our fit out started and Andy Dent is doing it who said that he had met you and how lovely you both were x
Nice
Great video. Very professional towing young Vic. You should do it more often as it should reduce your overall fuel consumption as long as Zero's engine is up to it and does overheat. What's the engine size and how big are her swim tanks. For towing and fast running on rivers you should have one square foot of tank for every 4hp of engine size. Hope you do well with coffee and cake sales in Alrewas.
A great video as usual and very impressive towing especially for your first time Vic. Have you checked that you are insured to tow? I think most policies don't cover it and you may need extra cover. It was great to see you both on Monday on your 'sussing out' walk to Fradley.
So much in love.
Vic and Joanna! I loved this one! I thought the towing method was great! Perhaps a new front fender for Holly is in order? Is there a way to secure the Flue so that it doesn't come out? I love watching your Vlogs the two of you are so much fun! Lookin forward to the next one! Mark from Colorado!