CruisingRobin

Interesting discussion, if a bit sad. We're headed into the UK for a fortnight around the 4CR starting next week. Looks likely that we will experience actual weather this time. (We're from California. We don't have that. Not like you'd know, anyway.) I guess we don't mind low traffic, but I hope it's not a desolate experience. We've planned 4 weeks a year for the next several. We've bought a share for our cruises starting 2025. Hope not to see the canal boating economy go south. We'll do our tiny part. Hope to see someone!

I'm plenty used to shaking my head at the balderdash of legal wording in American contracts, but there's just something particularly amusing in that paragraph. A whiff of powdered wigs and just a scant of Monty Python, perhaps? I can always read through more for entertainment while we're waiting for a year to finally see our boat.

I'm quite trusting that the boat is well managed and fine. To tell the truth, I'm just curious at what a survey report looks like. Plus we get to wait a year to see the boat, and any and all information is something to toy with while waiting. I'm not making it a contingency on the deal. We signed the papers. Always happy to sign a contract sporting verbiage like this: "The parties agree as follows: 1. THE singular shall include the plural and the masculine shall include the feminine and the neuter and obligations entered into and burdens assumed by a party consisting of more than one person shall be deemed to be entered into and assumed jointly and severally so as to apply to and be enforceable against all both or any of such persons and their and each of their personal representatives." How excitingly inclusive! I'll have to get some new pronouns for the occasion.

Thank you! We've been delivered documents to sign. I asked about surveys a while ago, and I was told that the boat was surveyed every four years. It seems reasonable to me that I should be allowed to see the most recent survey report before signing, especially as we are buying a share sight-unseen. Does this seem reasonable to others?

Getting back, we've put a deposit down on a share of our boat of interest, NB Eos managed by BCBM, soon to be based in Cropredy Marina. Since we already are booked up with hires for 2024, we made a deal with the seller that they would continue to use the cruising time on the books for 2024, and keep paying upkeep until we take over in Jan 2025. We also managed a swap with one of the other members for a spring fortnight that works better for us than what the share already had on the books for 2025. We probably won't even see the boat until May 2025, but we like the pictures and the layout, she had a recent repaint and new engine, and we trust we will like the boat. Would never buy as a full owner sight-unseen, but this is what we can do and seems OK. Looking forward to our future cruises, with just a little more feeling of agency.

Thanks for the perspectives. I hear great things about BCBM from folks on this forum. I have little doubt that they are a great company and would be happy to do business with them. I'll ask them a few questions about the boat and the way the syndicate runs their schedule. Indeed we would probably not be able to take advantage of windfall openings in the schedule, nor be taking our winter week(s). Still, ~£2K a year upkeep for 3 weeks cruising seems like a decent deal for a boat equipped as we like.

We're considering buying a share in a boat from BCBM. I've had my eye on a particular boat with a layout that fits our tastes and needs, and have been watching it since November of 23 wondering if the offered share would sell. It didn't, and two more shares came for sale on the same boat. I'm wondering if there's a particular reason for that. Anyway, We won't be ready to cruise on a share until 2025, as we are booked up with hires for 2024. Does anybody have perspective on the best timing for buying into a shared boat under these circumstances? I'd rather not pay for most of a year of upkeep when we can't use the boat this year. Thoughts? Experiences? PS, we're foreigners, living in the western US. We fly in for our narrowboat holidays. Thanks and Cheers, Robin

We would only be able to attend AGMs virtually, unless by some stroke of luck one coincided with our holiday. Do people Zoom into AGMs?

😂🤣You know, I go through the picture galleries of the shared boats, and the boats may be basically the same thing, but on some I go "Gawd, those curtains..."

Does anyone on this forum own boat shares with Carefree Cruising? How has your experience been with the company, their syndicates, and their boats? I am attracted to this company's business model because of my perception that they provide (or can facilitate) a "full service" experience comparable to hire companies. Their shares may cost more to maintain than other share schemes, but as we are foreigners traveling in to the UK for canal holidays, having a one-stop-shop to help deal with details is worth it to us. Penciling out the costs, they still look economically attractive compared to hires of comparably fitted boats. But I may not understand everything and words of direct experience would be welcome. If it is in any way inappropriate to solicit such reviews on this forum, please let me know and I will abide.

The wife is very much looking forward to Market Drayton. Sorry to hear if it's taken some wear but when Jenny is determined to love a place she generally does, and I'm looking forward to it too. Helps to have not been there in "the good old days", perhaps.

Indeed, the L&L between Silsden and Bank Newton was work, but good work. The environs around the locks are achingly beautiful and inspiring. The confluence of human and natural history to be found there filled our hearts and minds. We were fortunate as we paired up with another couple heading up the same way (met when they came to our aid with a small mishap), and we partnered with them running up the next 11 locks, making for twice the hands. On the way back down there was enough traffic running up that we never had to set a lock. There was a lot of communication between boaters and some CRT volunteers on the locks, and several times upward travelers could simply leave the gates open for us. There was one episode with a hireboatful of young nitwits who swarmed the lock as we entered and started working the paddles without so much as checking with us, but we managed not to get hung up on the cill and they were coming up, so we didn't have to encounter them again. Altogether, it was a brilliant first experience and we were grateful for the dozens of YouTubes that prepped us for dealing with locks and swing bridges. We look forward to the four counties and all the hints here are very helpful. The chat also helps pass the time as our next cruise is almost six month away. Arrgh!

Oh, and breathing. We love breathing. We did quite a lot of it on the L&L in September. Delightful activity. Don't get much of it at home.

A fortnight is all we can manage now (I long for a month or six), and we will do our best with it! Our boating style, I guess you'd say, is low and slow. We're not into eating up miles along the cut, just 4-6 hours on cruising days and the occasional 2-night layover in places we really like. We are probably not looking into any detours off the ring for this trip. Everywhere will already be new to us. We just want to see what we can along the ring and get back comfortably in time for the handover. We enjoy stopping and getting the feel of towns and villages, especially if they have traveler-friendly amenities like cafes and the occasional shop. I am a pub hound, my wife is not, but she's happy to hang around the boat while I'm off for pints. She's not one for big cities and wants to avoid industrial areas and hooligans, where as I'm less fearful. We would also like tips on countryside walks easily accessible from the canal. Oh, and targeting launderettes is a logistical thing for us, as we fly in with only a carry-on if possible and can't pack a full two weeks clothing. (I keep talking on that point on this forum, and maybe I should shuddup about it.)

We're planning our second hire cruise, two weeks in May on the four counties ring starting at Great Haywood. Would love any thoughts, recommendations, favorite places, etc. from the experienced community. One question for sure: clockwise or anti-clockwise?