Peter's Waterways Blog Afloat Without Buying A Cruising Licence This was first published in IWA West Riding's Milepost in December 2015 as the third of a series of descriptions of cruising options where the navigator does not have to buy themselves a cruising licence.

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With passengers

It's an attention-seeking headline and those who own boats on the waterways network do, normally, need a cruising licence. It is possible to be afloat without one: a good plan is to lockwheel for someone else who has paid their licence, in exchange for an occasional cup of tea; or to hire a boat for an hour, or a day or a week or a month or for all summer.

There are lots of trips available to paying passengers, with an additional interest of watching-the-world-go-by on waterways that are inaccessible or difficult-to-reach on your own boat. Connected to the system only by the tidal river Ouse and the Derwent (for the intrepid boater), is the delightful Pocklington Canal, on which the Canal Society runs New Horizons based at Melbourne basin. Longer Saturday trips of up to six hours can be booked in advance. They will tell you how much other people have donated, and they will probably let you steer for a while, too! Phone 07514 978645 or see here. Peter Scott @peterjohnscott

Saloon in good weather

Swing Bridge

At the steering position