Crick Boat Show or bust

There’s something about boat shows. People go to them to dream, to plan, to wander around and just feel the vibe. I go to buy stuff. And party.

The Crick Boat Show is the largest show for canal craft on the UK system. It’s held each year at the Crick Marina, a small village near to Rugby in the heart of England. There are narrowboats of all varieties…old, new, vintage,  and even a couple of the few remaining ‘working’ boats. Many of the businesses associated with narrowboats have displays and marquees so it’s a great place to pick up those essentials that just aren’t available in a ‘normal’ store. Since I don’t have a car over here, I’m reliant on shops that are close to whatever canal I happen to be on. So this was my big chance to spend too much money.

I was, of course most excited to reconnect with friends I met at the show last year. And since there’s a fun music festival included it gave lots of opportunity to reconnect (it’s also a beer and cider fest). Last time the headliner was an ABBA tribute band, this year it was Dolly Parton. Not quite my first choice but lots of fun nevertheless. Some of the other bands and singers were fantastic, and the music went on all day and into the night. Not all of us were into Dolly however…

I had some furnace trouble on the boat the previous week, and was told about the Hurricane, made in Canada, supposed to be great. So I checked them out and sure enough, I met Marchello from Langley. He was happy to meet another Canadian too, we had some good laughs and I told him I’d make him famous!

Ultimately the show was fun but I was also very glad when it ended and I was able to start travelling again. I made my first day out a long one, all the way back to Foxton where I had started the season. So, the new adventures begin now! Well, in the next blog post that is…