European Canal Cruising

[Dave Carnell]

There was a Brit who wrote a couple of books describing cruising in canals in France and Germany in the 1920s in an outboard-powered boat. Can anyone supply his name and titles?

[Will Wheeler]

I believe I've read a book by the same guy about a canal cruise across Sweden in the 50s / 60s. It was a Brit who had bought a surplus Navy boat with a blown engine, and re-powered with smaller. He may have been influential in starting the cabin cruiser craze of the period. The name will come to me ...

[ahp]

If we are talking about the same fellow, whose name I have forgotten, the titles were "Small Boat Through...." He wrote quite a few. The boat was a surplused admiral's barge, with one of its two engines removed. They realy didn't need it and it gave them more room. It was named the "Admiral".

[Dave Carnell]

This was a small flat-bottomed skiff with outboard power.

[uncas]

I think it was something along the line of " Cruising through.... ( insert country). I think we had the Swedish version on board when we sailed through the Gota Canal.

[Dave Wright]

Dave , maybe a call to D.N. Goodchild would get you some info?

I say this because in that nice review you did of C.S. Forester's "The Voyage of the Annie Marble" a 15'X 5'X4" punt with 4 HP outboard in Europe, back in August 1, 2005, you mentioned how rare that book was. However, D.N. Goodchild has reprinted it and others (for 20 to 30 bucks a copy). See:

http://www.dngoodchild.com/divide_for_cruising_and_seamanship.htm

Dave Wright

[Dave Carnell]

How could I have forgotten it was C. S. Forester? Was the review in Messing About in BOATS?

[Dave Wright]

Dave, you reviewed the book in MAIB, Aug 1, 2005. I enjoyed your review and put the book on my list.

When I saw your post I suspected you might have meant Forester's book. Since I'm intimately familiar with my own memory failures, I thought it might be possible that you had forgotten the author and title. I didn't quite know how to jog your memory in a polite way, and there was always the possibility of a different book.

I tell my wife that my forgetfulness doesn't signify failure, it's just a normal occurrence due to a vast accumulation of knowledge over the years.

Dave Wright

[Michael s/v Sannyasin]

Didn't Irving Johnson and his wife write several books on cruising? I seem to remember that one of them delt with cruising the European Canals

[Dave Carnell]

I've ordered Goodchild's reprints to give to my local library.

At 85, I like the explanation that the attic is overflowing. Thanks.

The Johnsons cruised the canals in a large vessel, I believe.

[uncas]

The Johnson's Yankee was large but not huge.

pss. I have travelled a few canals in Holland, Germany, and Sweden in a North East 38 without too much trouble.