- My son and I have lived in a 53-foot boat on the Grand Union Canal since he was 3 days old.
- As he grows, there are new challenges — from keeping him safe on the boat to finding space for toys.
"Aren't you going to move into a flat?" the health visitor said, anxiously.
"No way!" I replied, hand on my pregnant belly. Away from nature, my community, my life on the Grand Union Canal in a beautiful narrowboat? Never.
Though it hadn't worked out with my son's father, I had a feeling everything was going to be OK.
My son has been living in the narrowboat since he was 3 days old.
I tried being near other people
I moved into a marina for a week. It was like being a tinned sardine.
My boat had a decent engine and sound hull, so I didn't need to be wired up to shore power, with swearing neighbors only feet away. I revved up and out of there.
When my boat got frozen in while I was eight months pregnant, miles from a place an ambulance could park, urgent action was needed. "This is like Mary looking for room at the inn," my mother grumbled as she perched on the bow of my boat, smashing the ice with a pole. I gave the engine full throttle. When we finally made it to the boatyard, friends were ready with cups of cocoa.
Once my son was born, I cruised with another family who had four kids. It was nice to have backup, but after several months I needed my own space. I got a mooring.
The great thing about
The boating community is brilliant. People stop to chat, and the pace of life slows down. The boater grapevine ensured a steady stream of baby clothes for me.
There are many families on the canals — most of whom homeschool — but not many single parents like me, as it can be hard to keep up with the practical needs of boating life.
The challenges change as my son grows
I breastfed my son, as he refused to take a bottle. This proved the easiest option on a boat — and the most environmentally friendly.
He was born in January, so we slept in the saloon until it got warmer, to make sure the stove stayed lit. We get electricity from solar panels or the engine.
I prepared his soft food with a potato masher. His first solid food was a cattail flower head. I teach foraging, so he has grown up knowing the wild edibles that grow at the edge of the waterways.
As he started toddling, I constructed a fireguard around the stove, hanging riskier objects high on the ceiling. He did try to throw himself into the water until I screwed mesh fencing around the bow.
As the towpath is a public place near water, I have to be out there supervising, but it's no more dangerous than a road and much more pleasant.
Marty has grown into a confident child and has a natural playground full of red kites, waterbirds, otters, and fish. The canal is a place of tranquil beauty, the night skies flecked with stars. We sleep well.
I always know where my son is on my boat; it is a 53-foot straight line from the engine room to the saloon. I'm more anxious when we stay at someone's house.
Space is at a premium — we put bigger toys on the roof. My son's friends enjoy boat trips.
I wouldn't recommend boat life for every family. You will be happy if you like camping, but avoid it if you need gaming marathons and hair straighteners to survive.