98 January 2018 Canal Boat canalboat.co.uk

20

Questions

American attorney Craig Wellnitz, a huge fan of

British waterways who is based in Indiana

‘Canal people on boats or land are great.

They made us Yanks feel welcome’

CRAIG WELLNITZ

1

What first attracted you to the

waterways?

I am a true Anglophile - I can name

in order all the kings and queens of

England from Edward the Confessor

to Elizabeth II – and love being on

the water in England.

2

Which is your favourite canal?

The Trent & Mersey and my

favourite place is Alrewas.

3

What do the waterways have

to offer the country?

Simply put relaxation and history.

4

Tell us about your boating

experience...

In the past 15 years, my late wife

and I spent seven holidays on

canals in England and Wales.

Because of our canal boat

experience, my wife was actually

allowed to pilot a boat out of a

marina.

5

Have you ever fallen in?

Embarrassingly, yes. I was

tending to the centre line when the

boat, with the help of a gust of

wind, pulled away from our

mooring. Instead of letting go of the

line, I hung on. My last words were,

‘I am going in’. My wife thought it

was funny.

6

What do the waterways need

most?

To help save the water with locks

that do not leak.

7

Where have you boated in

England?

Mostly in the Midlands -

Birmingham & Frazeley, Coventry,

Grand Union, Oxford, Shropshire

Union, Trent & Mersey, Worcester &

Birmingham, and also the

Llangollen and the Kennet & Avon.

8

How was the Leicester Ring?

The Leicester Ring was exciting

and challenging. Boating on the

River Soar was new to us and not

much fun. We were on the river

when it was windy. But going

through Leicester was filled with

history with King Richard III’s new

burial site.

9

What did you want to be aged

12?

A newspaperman like my father.

10

How can we improve the

canals?

Open more of them.

11

Who would be your ideal

cruising companion?

My late wife Carol. We had baseball

caps, ‘Captain and First Mate’. She

wore the Captain’s cap because she

took the tiller when we moored and

in and out of locks. She may have

loved being on the canals more

than I did.

12

What has been your

biggest task?

On the canals...working the double

locks by myself.

13

What are your fondest

memories of the

waterways?

Having the time with my wife on the

boat by ourselves, working and

playing together.

14

What do you think of people

on the canals?

Canal people, on boats or on land,

are great. They made us Yanks feel

welcome and not a harsh word

about our early inexperience. I still

correspond with Ron V. whom we

met on the Kennet & Avon.

15

What is your proudest

achievement?

Outside of family life, becoming a

barrister.

16

What would you like to see

happen to the waterways

in your lifetime?

Not to repeat myself, but I would

like to see more canals open or

reopen.

17

Do you own a boat?

I do not own a boat, but my

wife and I bought into a timeshare

for a canal boat. I refer to it as my

boat even though I have to share it.

18

What do you think of the

IWA?

I have been an IWA member for a

good number of years. From

America, they seem to be doing a

good job.

19

Where in Britain would you

most like to cruise?

I would like to cruise Scotland. My

wife’s maiden name was Kincaid.

20

What would your

superpower be?

Invisibility. Sometimes I would like

to be the fly on the wall to see how

things work even though I may be

better off not knowing.