Hope you didn’t hit a 6D when solving. Here is the solution to Boatie. Clue explainers are in the following video, and a bit about the theme follows that.

My friend GARY “BIGHAIR” lived on a narrow boat for many years. The title refers to that, and this puzzle is a tribute to him. He liked climbing, so I thought it appropriate to make all the “vertical” entries relevant to one of his favourite hobbies. (Not entirely sure about “TRAILS” as a specific climbing term, but in the sense of routes followed, I guess it’s close enough.) He also liked juggling and crosswords. Sadly, Gary left the planet in 2016, so I never got to share my crossword-setting journey with him. No doubt he would have politely told me where I was going wrong in my early puzzles. 🙂 Please join me in raising a mug of coffee to his memory, and/or to the memory of your absent friends. Cheers, Gary.

Application to succeed Benedict rejected