Quaysider

Thebiscuits - thanks for the tag. I'm finsihed for the winter (barring a few short trips out here and there) so I've sent the chap a message. I'm NOT a trainer but I am licensed and insured to take paying customers (obviously) on my 'live-aboard experience" - which has of late been exactly that due to charging issues plaguing me for the last 5 weeks! FINALLY resolved!

We've just spent 7 weeks travelling back and forth between Nantwich and Llangollen Basin. Water IS available at the top of Hurleston locks but no eslan /loo as they have been broken for a few years now. Next water is Swanley Marina (but you have to spend a fiver to get free water) pump out and diesel at the side of the main line easy to use. Top of Grindley Brook for water, elsan bins and showers - NOTE ... Dont start the bottom 3 locks until you have sent someone up to tell the lock keeper at the bottom of the staircase there are boats waiting to come up or it gets bottle-necked ... cause they only manage the staircase and keep sending boats down into already full pounds. Next tap is at Bettisfield just before bridge 48 - bins down the hillside. Ellesemere has water (3 taps I think) , a loo, elsan and bins. - shop wise, down the arm tesco. Next tap is New Marton (bridge 12) but get there EARLY on morning as queues coming DOWN stream (clog up the taps) from lunchtime onwards. If you stop near the poachers pub there is a Sainsbury's IN dobbies garden centre or a few hundred yards further down the road, an M & S at a garage... Longer walks in Chirk (after the tunnel) will reveal a Sainsbury's and spar. Next tap is before the Ponty (needed molegrips) and then the final set for elsan is on the approach to Llangollen after Trevor. Dont expect to turn up at a pub for a meal without booking a couple of days ahead... Lions Quay (dodgy pontoons) is nice but dear... The poachers is ok but often cancels due to technical issues. The Bridge Inn ok In Llangollen you are pretty much either in the Cornmill (nice, but booked up and expensive) - Deeside cafe (cash only) but often walk in or the Italian place (Fauzois?) 'hope that helps.

No choice really but to leave 2 weeks earlier so as to be able to get to Bugsworth to fulfill bookings 2-3 and keep on track for the rest.... the downside is, the first couple are unable to switch dates as they have prior commitments - ergo, we have to potentially lose the greater amount of money in order to disrupt the least amount of people.. it sucks. We are hoping to be able to create something of interest to them in an (as yet) un booked week in August but as they've already been moved from last year to this year, they may well (quite understandably) want their money back ?

The thing that I'm brassed off about is the fact that "the update" hasn't just suddenly come about due to new information... SOMEONE knew there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell they'd have been able to meet their original plans but didn't have the balls to own up as soon as they suspected it.... had they have done so, we'd have been able to contact the booked guests to try and work around it... for the 2nd time. THE first 3 cruises of THIS year - are ALREADY carried over from last year because of this problem!!! - which we exacerbated by the drought as it meant we couldn't get to where we had paid passengers booked even if we'd abandoned Marple then. This is only the 2nd year of doing this as a business - and yes ... refunding folk IS the difference between breaking even and a loss... now ok - I've got savings and have taken the philosophical view as much as possible about this... after all we're doing it this way to experience semi-retirement early on ... for the most part it's working out quite well and in fact this year, we've got lots booked.... BUT even they will still be vulnerable to another drought/floods etc. "Heritage" is all well and good but what is the point in having something that doesn't work for 2 years but is made from the original stone ffs. Engineering HAS moved on - the only thing that doesn't seem to be able to move these days are boats! I'm not blaming crt per-say, but the contractors and english heritage need to pull their fingers out and use some "on the ground" common sense. Oh - and btw ... being a ginger middle aged backwards dancer means it's practically impossible to offend me. *inferred twinkle*....

The contractors need a swift kick up the Harris - This has just messed up 3 trips (with much needed income) and thats just "us"... never mind all the other boats - I watched 3 men come to "paint a mooring ring" the other week in Foulridge ffs... We're fuming and really disgruntled at having to try and make an 8-10 day detour to get back to where we need to be by the 12th April AND having to move things 2 weeks earlier travelling long days in March.... grrrrr.

The whole battery thing... I have to agree that to start with don't spend a fortune on "good" batteries... We're heading into our 3rd winter and despite me thinking I'd looked after our first set well/had a good charging regime - the reality is that we knackered them within 12 months.. mainly during the fit out over the winter months - (btw timing wise IF you are not feckless, you CAN work a 70hour + week (at work) and STILL fit out a boat in just over 6 months like we did... it takes energy, commitment and down-right stubbornness/borderline obsession but it can be done... after that, it's "tinkering" and enjoying it.... Since then, despite thinking I'm better at it, I bought cheapos (4 x 130ah for £320 all in) and 12 months down the line they are doing ok. When these are due for replacement - IF I'm a little more confident I won't screw up, I'll buy the GTP ones that were recommended to me by someone who's opinion I respect and trust. As far as "just doing it's" concerned - personally I would and did... I rent out the house which covers the mortgage barring the last 35 quid a month... there is a slight tax liability from that however it IS offset from our personal tax allowances now we don't earn anywhere NEAR enough money anyway - ADD to that being able to offset most of the boat's expenses from tax liability, things are much simpler and we can finance our "new way of life - having stopped the world and got off". If you can USE the boat for some kind of business space to offset tax liability that would be a good option. Re blogs/you tubers... I did the former and when I read back from the beginning sometimes I'd like to slap myself - AS would many others I'm sure lol As nike would say "Just do it"....

It had better not be... the "official stance" is/was to open it by 15th March.... which really does need to happen as we had to cancel 2 trips this month due to it - which we've carried forward to April... I'll put on my wellies and go give them a hand!

It's nothing - my canaline 42 is just 2 years old and we've already got 1850 hours on the clock... it's HOW it's been maintained that's important... regular oil/filter changes and they plod on forever.

ah right - thanks Martin ..... note to self, ensure they take the tiller off when in the lock diagonally... Expedition now back on ... whoooohoooo!

We're about to head up to Ripon while the rivers are low and HAD intended travelling with some friends... wer'e 57' and they 60' - usually, in the guides it says the lock length etc and maximum boat length - for example on the calder and hebble we know we can get them in diagonally (carefully)... Has anyone been successful travelling up to Ripon on the same basis?

The Beetles are a smashing boat - I designed our dinette using photos I took at Crick of theirs. SUCH a lot of boat fitted into a small but useable space - the bathroom is brilliant too. You'll have a wonderful time... if we had the money spare, we'd have one to do shorter trips on and play around. Congratulations!

since posting this, we've booked in for this coming saturday morning... moored outside cherry tree just now so have a couple of LONG days ahead!

oh that's ok then... I STILL class myself as ONE of the yobbish local yoofs for the most part lol

clarify "safe" would you please? ...

good luck with "upping the insurance"... I tried that when I'd finished the fit out and the repy I got was "we'll need an independent valuation (chargeable of course) and THEN found out, because I'd decided not do go down the RCD route (planning on keeping it for 5 years plus) that would prove nigh on impossible... ergo, the best I could do was increase the "contents element"... from the original figure I insured it at... hmmf

Having spent a while painting vintage fairground rides (mainly over winter) - get it into primer and undercoat ASAP... don't worry too much about top coat until it warms up a bit... I'm no expert but sand it down early mooring (one side at a time, and keep a wet edge as you work your way down/up the boat (as in left to right or right to left) and do one side at a time -leave a day, turn it round and do the other side... and repeat... rubbing down between DRY coats as necessary...

ah - that'll be the "white wide beam" I presume? we ALL got emails a few weeks ago from the new (teenage) manager at crt for here... "asking people not to run generators/engines or create SMOKE from fires?" ... etc... further back, we comply more easily lol

It's good to see you escaped today... I was grinding the front doors to stop the (newly fitted) lock from snagging. Probably TOO late to mention, the pub does 2 for 1 burgers on Fridays.... we've had them for tea and then rescued a boat (on our drunken walk back) that suffered a man overboard situation. It appears, I'm better at skippering a wide beam boat AFTER a bottle of wine! *No boaters died during the excitement although a dislocated shoulder is looking likely *

Cheers for the wishes and make sure you say hello - better still, stop for a beer!

You should be fine now - it's back in the yellow and still falling... good to be "home" now... well, until Tuesday ;-) what ARE you going to do with all that kindling though?

It was only a 2 night (3 day) taster and it went Really well - floods a side... very quickly all became comfortable around each other and mucking in - just received a lovely testimonial via face book from them ... shame they weren't staying a while longer . Still, on Tuesday, we set off on our voyage to Liverpool with our next guests. VERY sure now that sharing our adventures IS a good thing to be doing.... can't wait to set off properly now. :-)

we're back down at stanley ferry now and safely off the river - it JUST got back into the yellow before we left - still interesting tying up at broad reach though. Time for tea in the pub I thinks

light out of order - has been for a short while now.... btw - we've just had a walk over the bridge and seen in the flesh that "tree" that's come down passed /under you - OUCH!!!

This morning we came up from Stanley ferry to Falll ing... it was JUST in the yellow when we left broadreach but on arrival at fall ing, it was still in red - a crt chap had a moan about "you do know your insurance isnt valid don't you" - "you shouldnt be on when its red"... I explained it WAS on yellow and falling when we got on... he grumbled but he's only trying to be helpful. We're' gonna have lunch near the ruddy duck and then head back down - hopefully fall ing will TOO be on yellow by the time we get there. It was quite fast flowing coming up so we're going to crawl out and hug the wall with a rope being held to get back to the lock landing - itll be easier back at stanley as the flow is slower there.

we're a bit p'd off with the Calder... here we are - on our MAIDEN voyage with first paying customers onboard - having planned to go to Cooper bridge and back over 2 nights, STUCK between Stanley Ferry and Altofts... hmmf... ruddy river. We'll give it 1 more hour to get back into the yellow, before we abandon it and take them to the ferry boat for tea.... hmmf, hmmf and more hmmmf