Macclesfield canal regulars discuss perks of boat life as a young family
By Holly Mei-Yu Stafford
Meet the high-flying couple who ditched their jobs to live on a narrowboat with their one-year-old - who are regulars on the waters of Macclesfield and Bollington.
Joanna and Victor Gould, both 34, left their corporate jobs in favour of ''living life on their own terms'' and travelling the country in their humble narrowboat.
The couple - who met in April 2015 - were working as freelance TV editors in London racking up 80-hour weeks, but swapped their corporate jobs to for a slower pace of life on the water.
The high-flying pair were raking in a combined salary of just over £150k compared to the £25k their new role brings in - but despite the drop in finances they say they've "never been happier".
After purchasing a canal boat in 2015 - with renovations costing £30k - they decided to give up their old lives to start afresh.
They waited just over a year for the barge to be fully renovated, before moving in to start their new life in April 2017.
They spend their days roaming up and down the canals between Croydon and Nottinghamshire with their main base being across Cheshire.
The couple - who previously rented in Hackney, East London - bought a second boat and now run a cafe from it, which opens seasonally from 10am until 3pm.
Joanna and Victor take it in turns to take care of their tot, William, while the other serves up teas, coffees and cakes.
Joanna said: "Our life now, compared to the city, is so much better.
"Back then we were getting up at 6am for a gruelling two hour commute into the city.
"Now we are open to a more wholesome pace of life.
"Don't get us wrong, we have long days, not only with the cafe boat but with our little one.
"But it just means we are able live life for ourselves, not on the company clock.
"Maintaining the boat takes a lot of time but it's so worth it."
After six months of dating, in October 2015 the pair moved in together in a flat they rented in Hackney, East London, whilst the narrowboat was being renovated.
A year and a half and £30k later, in April 2017 - and after two years of dating- the pair finally moved onto the narrowboat, called Zero.
Joanna said: "I had to shrink my wardrobe down a lot as there's very limited space on a boat.
"I'd been travelling, so was used to living out of a suitcase, but this was a whole new level.
"But it was really freeing to get rid of things that I didn't need like old clothes I'd forgotten about and household clutter."
At first, they stuck at their TV jobs, taking a two-hour commute from Otford, Kent, to Old Street, East London, every day.
Victor said: "We'd be getting up at 6am for the two-hour commute which consisted of paddling to the river bank from the boat, walking to the train station and then from the station to work.
"It was always a great conversation point - being able to say you paddle to work - but it wasn't sustainable."
The pair left their freelance gigs in December 2019 ''just before covid hit'' and haven't looked back.
They were able to put their editing skills to use when starting their YouTube channel in April 2020 - which details the practicalities of life on a boat and the cities they visit.
In April 2021, the pair renovated a second boat which they opened as a cafe, called Holly The Cafe Boat.
Victor said: "It means we're able to give back to the communities that we travel to through barista coffee and conversations with locals.
"It's lovely when people recognise us from our social media because it's like we know them already."
Joanna said: "When I met Victor, he'd already had a boat which he'd sold and was having another one built.
"He was so passionate about narrowboat life and I was so intrigued, but I never thought I'd be living on a boat too.
"I'd been travelling, so was used to living out of a suitcase, but this was a whole new level.
"I remember the organisation guru, Marie Kondo was very popular, so her mantra helped.
"It was really freeing to get rid of things that I didn't need like old clothes I'd forgotten about and household clutter.
"But, it was hard not being able to use my hairdryer.
"On a boat we have to make sure the water is topped up, making sure we have the diesel for the Aga.
"When living on the River Thames, the tide would go up and down and some mornings we'd wake up in the centre of the canal."
The couple have now visited over 50 locations - stopping at them for two weeks at a time, with Hampton, South West London and Oxford being firm favourites.
Macclesfield is also one of their favourites, with the couple spending most of their time on the boat in Cheshire.
A video of them travelling through Macclesfield canal has over 52,000 views.
The pair are keen supporters of Macclesfield businesses, having even just uploaded a video shoutout out Pott Shrigley's Kickback Coffee.
The duo now boast over 44k YouTube subscribers and nearly 10k Instagram with followers all across the country. Their little boy, William, is a firm favourite with their online fans.
"We're so thankful that he's having this childhood, not two parents working all hours in the city,'' Victor said.
"He loves nature and his first work was 'duck'. We're able to spend lots of family time and people who come to the cafe always get a smile off him."
Joanna and Victor can be found @hollythecafeboat on both Instagram and YouTube.
By Holly Mei-Yu Stafford
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