Boat Virgin

How was he getting to the Medway from the west? Its only navigable between Tonbridge and Chatham??

I'm gonna be looking at the Kennet & Avon canal. Any yachts there? There seems to be quite a few bridges? BV

Thats good cheers guys. I had forgotten about the bridges. There are only 2 on the broads so they are easily avoided. BV

This may be a silly question but generally do you get many yachts on the canals. Only reason why I ask is that on the Norfolk Broads there are quite a few and you can be cruising along quite happily to suddenly come across yachts tacking across in front of you so you have to go into reverse to stop and let them do their thing before you can continue. Cheers BV

Hi all and thanks for the replies. Sorry I think my original posting was a little misleading. My idea at the moment is not to buy a boat to live on but to buy one which I could keep in a permanent mooring somewhere not too far away and visit for weekends/holiday breaks to take out for short distance cruising. It would need to be somewhere where I could get to from Kent with not too much driving eg a couple of hours max? Am interested in a narrowboat so long as I could handle it and do all things necessary and I note there are single handlers on this site so that is encouraging. My experience up to now is limited because the Norfolk Broads have no locks being a flat part of the country and it is going through the locks that give me the greatest concerns. Will have to do some more research I think. Thanks guys BV

Cheers Chris I have had a very brief look on the web plus bought a Canal Boat mag. Was also thinking of buying the Nicholson guides for the waterways covering the South of England. Basically though my concern is whether I could handle the boat on my own because if not then don't want to look into it too far at the moment. I realise there is a lot of thought to be given to lots of things. Re moorings I would like somewhere in the South so I could get there for a weekend without too much driving. Quite fancy the waterway that goes out Oxford way sorry don't know its name, see i told you I was a novice lol!

Hi all I'm new here and as you can probably tell from my User Name a complete novice and I also wonder if I am barking up the wrong tree and would appreciate some honest advice. Promise i won't be offended if you tell me to go away lol!! Basically my circumstances are as follows: I am a 53 year old lady separated from my husband and due to financial circumstances am renting a house in Tonbridge and work in London. I can't afford to buy a house but the idea of owning a narrowboat appeals and I could afford that. Was thinking about a 40ft boat, nothing too big but something I could live on if required. Although I have friends and a new man in my life I can't guarantee that they will always be around and in any case don't have any boating experience to call upon. So basically I am asking is there any chance I would be able to handle a boat of this length on my own. I am a bit concerned about the locks and mooring as a single handler. I would of course expect to have to go on some training courses and/or offer myself as a crew member if anyone could use an inexperienced extra pair of hands! Basically the only experience I have is a couple of boating holidays on the Norfolk Broads with my ex husband when he took the wheel and I pulled in and roped up when we moored. Very grateful for any advice as not sure if this is a viable project or not. Thanks all. Boat Virgin