I’m about halfway through the back vlogs of Kris Atomic’s narrowboat series, and I’m feeling like narrowboats are awesome. I mean they look awesome. Maybe I’d even say they look radical…not in the contemporary Molotov cocktail half-baked utopian ideology or neo-fascist gibberish sense of that word, but radical like it’s like radical dude! I’m a product of the late-20th century so bear with me and apologies for using the word ‘dude’. I hate that word too, but I’m contractually obligated by my generation to use that word in a way that may or may not be ironic.
Moving on, (or forward if you spend all your time in an office staring at people you hate from behind a big toothy smile). Narrowboats hold a special intrigue for me that I’ll deconstruct a little bit before eventually getting to the point. You can use the sub-headings to skip to said point. I’ve added them for those with zero attention spans and also to heed the advice of internet bros who tell us this is how you become a millionaire. Wish me luck!
My Prescient Past
First, I grew up on a major river cutting across the middle of North America. I’ll give you two guesses and your first one is probably wrong. So riverboats, which are much larger than narrowboats, played a prominent role in the mythology of the area where I came of age. Think barges drifting down the river, deliveries to river markets, riverboat gamblers with their shady goings-on and tiny pistols hidden away in their shoes and garter belts. As you can see, I was primed for a fascination with narrow waterways.
Second, canals. Canals are the actual highways and byways of the narrowboating world. North American canals are, of course, different from the British waterways I’m talking about here. While I certainly visited a few canals in my early days, I’ve become more acquainted with their weird and wonderful qualities living in Upstate New York. Here’s a map of our extensive canal system in New York.
But, I’ll talk about the New York State canal system some other time. This is—I promise—about British narrowboating.
Wait! What’s a Narrowboat?
Narrowboats have been used on British canals since the Industrial Revolution. As the name suggests, they’re narrow—about 6-7 feet wide and they can be as long as 70 feet. They were originally used—much like American barges—to transport goods and coal. Nowadays, a vibrant culture and community of people living on these boats part- or full-time has sprung up. And that’s where Kris Atomic comes into it.
Another YouTuber? Yes!
Kris Atomic is producing a YouTube channel that’s visually engaging, interesting, and calming. Yeah, it’s not only good storytelling done naturally but also really chill. The two things (storytelling and calm) kind of go hand-in-hand. Kris Atomic avoids some of the traps of a lot of self-produced media (videos, photo accounts, and podcasts) that serve up some indie version of the same tired tropes and structures of reality shows or the pseudo-enlightenment mixed with an excessive dose of ‘look-at-me’ typical of so many PBS/NPR and PBS/NPR-inspired media.
You walk away from this channel with a feeling that the vlogs are actually about—well—narrowboating, which turns out to be incredibly refreshing. No gimmicks or sales pitches, just the beauty of the British countryside, the challenges of navigating a life on the canal, and the interesting encounters she and her partner have with people, animals, and towns along the way. That’s not to say I would be bothered by the introduction of some way for her to get paid—the vlogs are actually more interesting and enjoyable than some media that I’m paying for (maybe I should reevaluate those subscriptions).
Something I really like about the vlogs aside from the visuals (did I mention how beautifully filmed it all is?) is that we see a balanced version of good and bad out there on the waters. Yes, there’s trash in the canal. Yes, there are some rough days. But just as these elements aren’t hidden behind a stylized fantasy of perfection, they’re also not overblown. There’s a sense of balance and trust in the viewer’s attention span and intelligence. I look forward to more vlogs from Kris Atomic. And if you’re not already watching, you’re absolutely missing out.
Here’s the first video in the series. The whole series is available, in order, on a playlist here. It looks like new postings happen about every two weeks.