98 February 2018 Canal Boat canalboat.co.uk

20

Questions

Stuart James is the new chairman of

the Electric Boat Association

‘We are an island nation surrounded by water

but we also have a network of waterways’

STUART JAMES

1

What first attracted you to the

waterways?

From the moment my parents took

me on a boat for a holiday on the

Norfolk Broads when I was 12.

2

Where is your favourite view of

the water?

First thing in the morning with the

mist rising or sunset, with an orange

sky, still and warm.

3

What do the waterways have to

offer the country?

We are an island nation surrounded

by water but also have a network of

waterways which allows the whole

population the chance to get afloat.

4

Tell us about your boating

experience...

In my teens and early 20s, it was

mainly on the River Ouse, the

Norfolk Broads and over the Channel

to Belgium and Holland. Late 20s

and early 30s, it was on the Solent

and South Coast and took my

parent’s boat from Ostend to

northern Spain through the French

canals. Late 30s until early 50s, on

boats based in Mallorca and cruised

the Balearics, Spain, Sardinia and

Corsica. From early 50s, on the

Grand Union Canal.

5

Have you ever fallen in?

I’m tempting fate but no.

6

What do the waterways need

most?

Charging points for electric boats

7

Where have you boated in

England?

Yorkshire Ouse, River Trent, Fens, the

Wash, Norfolk Broads, Thames,

whole of the South Coast, the Grand

Union Canal

8

What’s the future of electric

boats?

Huge, take the example of

Amsterdam and Venice, by 2020 all

boats must be electric. The

technology is there with electric

motors (with plenty of power), smart

generators, batteries (gel tubular,

lead carbon or lithium, and solar

panels. It’s simply a matter of finance

• the need for cheaper licences, boat
  builders to endorse it and new boat
  owners to request it.

9

What will your new role entail?

To assist the EBA and for that

matter the marine industry to start

making the switch from current diesel

propulsion to electric.

10

How can we improve the

waterways?

See answer 6

11

Who would be your ideal

cruising companion?

My two Cocker Spaniels and of

course the better half

12

What has been your biggest

task?

Building a successful business

13

What are your fondest

memories afloat?

So many – it’s hard to list .......

14

What do you think of people

on the water?

Great – common interest, like a family

15

What is your proudest

achievement?

Helping raise three great kids, and

then building a successful

business

16

What would you like to see

happen to the waterways in

your lifetime?

Electric boating for all the waterways

17

Do you own a boat?

Not for the last two years , but

planning on a wide beam cruiser, to

eventually take on the Dutch/

German/ French waterways –

electric hybrid

18

What did you want to be aged

12?

A ship’s pilot – when I was eight years

old, I lived in Sunderland and watched

the pilot boats go out and bring the

ships in

19

Where in Britain would you

most like to sail?

At sea, the Solent, inland the Grand

Union

20

What would your superpower

be?

The power to propel boats through the

water silently