Britain Afloat - Season 1

In the first episode Mary-Ann discovers the boat that helped build Victorian London and played an important part at Dunkirk. There are still about 30 of these boats on the water (once there were more than 2,000) though nowadays the emphasis is very much on pleasure, something Mary-Ann experiences for herself when she joins the annual Thames Barge match.

Mary-Ann Ochota finds out about the coracle, an ancient boat that can be made from twigs and a bed sheet, yet which has saved lives in desperate times.

Mary-Ann Ochota explores the story of the working Narrow Boat, discovering how it helped to power the Industrial Revolution and shaped the lives of those who earned their living from the canals.

Mary-Ann Ochota explores the story of the punt, a boat that helped Bronze Age people survive in tough environments and went on to become an Edwardian leisure craze.

Mary-Ann Ochota discovers how sailing on the Mersey, which began with fishermen racing each other for fun, developed into a way of life for many people in the region.

Mary-Ann Ochota discovers how the rowing eight - the fastest rowing boat in the world - developed from working boats on the Thames, when river-taxi men would race their boats for a bit of fun and a spot of gambling.

Through the centuries racing has become more formal, from the Doggett's Coat And Badge race - still going strong on the Thames after nearly 300 years and open only to apprentices working on the river - to the Oxford Cambridge Boat Race and the Henley Royal Regatta, where elite crews compete from all over the world.