Next week is Crick Boat Show, I’ll be there, will you?

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Crick Boat Show 2026 opens at Crick Marina in Northamptonshire next Friday 22nd May. Britain’s biggest inland waterways boat show opens its doors to trade visitors before the public arrive on Saturday.  It is Britain’s largest inland waterways boat show and draws hundreds of exhibitors, thousands of visitors and has seems to have more dogs walking around than Crufts!

I”ll be there on Trade Friday and Saturday. If you’re going as well, keep an eye out for me or drop me line at [email protected]

A bizarre news story last week saw the leader of the Green Party Zac Polanski called to rights for not paying council tax whilst living on his houseboat in East London. Having let slip on social media that he and his partner were sad to be moving home and leaving the wonderful community behind, it transpired that up to 3 years of unpaid tax was due.

Read more here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy02wdzrg6jo#:~:text=A%20Labour%20party%20spokesperson%20said%3A,Polanski%20has%20been%20caught%20red%2Dhanded.%22

Buying your first boat is a BIG THING. There are a whole raft of things you need to think about and for the inexperienced first time buyer that can be pretty daunting. Being able to take a knowledgeable boaty friend along with you on the journey makes sense, but not everyone has one. That’s where 'How To Buy Your First Boat' comes in.

This free 50 page booklet will take you through the key steps you will probably encounter in a typical boat purchase. It will do this in a logical order and with suggestions, tips and advice along the way. It will equip you with enough knowledge to help you go from the first tentative steps of working out what you want, to looking at adverts, to how to view and then buy your first boat, taking the keys for the first time and preparing to head off into the sunset. You will gain the knowledge and confidence you need to make sensible decisions, choose the right boat for you and navigate the buying process from start to finish.

Britain’s Biggest Inland Waterways Festival

Crick Boat Show probably ranks as one of the most chilled out boat shows in the world. Plenty of new and historic boats to visit, trade stands selling everything from the ancient to ultra-modern, great presentations, a real ale festival and plenty of live music. There is always a great vibe to the event and it’s a great opportunity for anyone with a passion for the UK’s inland waterways and canal boats.

Most of Britain’s best narrow and wide beam boat builders will be there showing off their skills and handiwork. Visitors are encouraged to vote for what they consider the best boat in show. The lead sponsor for the festival is marine insurer Haven Knox-Johnston.

For me, it’ll be time to catch up with friends old and new, get the latest product development ideas from the marine industry, admire the new and old boats and immerse myself in the wonderful culture that is canal life, if only for a couple of days.

Investing for your future makes sense and there are a multitude of ways you can do that ranging from the mainstream to the alternative. Exotic cars, fine wines and fancy watches all have their place, as does fine art. But with the typical Dutch Master costing more than a Dutch barge in a prime London spot, here is a great fund that lets you invest in fine art:

Late last year, a Klimt sold for the highest price ever paid for modern art at auction.

An outlier sure, but it wasn't a fluke. U.S. auction sales grew 23.1% in 2025. The $1-5mm segment even grew 40.8% YoY.

Meanwhile, Apollo’s chief economist Torsten Slok said to expect ‘zero in return in the S&P 500 over the coming decade.’

So, that's where it gets interesting.

Each environment is unique, but after dot-com, post war and contemporary art grew about 24% annually for a decade. After 2008, about 11% for 12 years.

It’s also had near-zero correlation with the S&P 500 since ‘95.*

Now, Masterworks lets you invest in shares of artworks featuring legends like Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso.

Shares can sell quickly, but my subscribers can skip the waitlist:

Skip the waitlist

^{*Investing involves risk. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. See important Reg A disclosures at masterworks.com/cd.}

Boat Chat continues to grow well and now has OVER 1000 subscribers across all platforms. It’s all about:

‘Helping People Understand Boats Better’

I can guarantee the topic of anodes will pop up several times at Crick this year, it always does. But what is the damage when you don’t fit them on your narrowboat? In this video I surveyed an ex-charter boat that had never had anodes fitted.

Anode Throw – Not a new olympic sport, but the distance a typical anode will protect metal items from galvanic corrosion.

How do you make a narrowboat look like a wide-beam ?

Boat-tox

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