Your 1st canal boating experience?

[Paul@CW]

Here's one to get the old memories flooding back. Whilst away on a boat last week I was thinking about the very first time I went on a canal holiday.

 

Do you remember your very first experience on a canal boat? Here's mine to get you started:

 

I must have been 6 or 7 (now 4 years away from when life begins... apparently) and I remember the family went to look around a narrowboat at a base in Ware (I think) on the River Lea or Stort (I forget which).

 

Anyway a short time after that we were away on a weeks holiday on the Leeds & Liverpool from Silsden. I can only remember a few things from the trip as follows:

 

- The boat was blue and white but I don't remember the name or the hire company.

- My mum was terrified of the locks but I thought they were fantastic.

- We met and travelled along with another family and when it rained the Dad stripped down to his swimming shorts and steered the boat in just his shorts!

- My brother and I used to pull out dead fish from the canal with our nets and tell our Mum and Dad that we had caught them.

- Everyone was so friendly and that was a bit of a shock to an young lad from London's Eastend.

- It was the first holiday I'd been on where I was hooked and wanted to do it again, as soon as possible.

 

Happy memories !

[Sam]

I can't really remember my first time... I just remember being allowed to move the throttle stick! And of course the fact that I loved it!

 

I think I was about 2-3-4 at the time!

[DHutch]

First canal experience was watching EmilyAnne being pulled out of the mill and put on a low loader and taken to the canal.

- I was only 4 at the time, but i remeber the whole think like it was yesterday!

 

 

Dainel

[speedy]

When i was between 8 and 12 years old my dad owned a boat (25ft fibreglass hulled boat whatever the proper name is, with a Z drive), and had it moored in the cow roast marina. Every other weekend during the summer we used to go to cow roast pub on the friday night, then toodle along the tring summit to marsworth and spend saturday night in the white horse and come back on sunday.

 

Twice a year we used to go further. Once up to stoke bruene and once down as far as croxley green. My dad always let me open and close the locks and on occasion steer the boat (which is no mean feat at 8 years old!)

 

This is what got me hooked on the canals, but unfortunately i have never been able to afford my own boat. My dad passed away in 2000 which is what inspired me to make my website.

Edited July 27, 2005 by speedy

[Cris P]

I went on a camping boat holiday for one wet and windy week aged 13. Now aged 32, I live aboard.

[Guest]

My family owned a 19 ft Dolphin plywood cruiser in 1967 with Johnson outboard on Leeds Liverpool canal. Most of my misspent youth was around canal boats. This was followed by a Dawncraft 25. In 1972 I built my own 14ft cabin boat on hull unknown (a freebie from a boatyard!) which looked different to say the least. I was then boatless until three years ago when we bought our first narrowboat. We are now on narrowboat number two, but I still have a soft spot for cruisers, converted lifeboats etc, and boats that dare to be different.

[fuzzyduck]

Last year.

 

I've been boating in different forms since I was but a wee young thing. I was first allowed to use the family inflatable on my own aged 12, and had been sailing dingys single handed from about 7, before that I had been a crew member.

 

Anyway, my first trip through a lock was the august bank holiday last year when bringing Fuzzy back to her now home mooring. You should have seen us trying to get through Trent Mechanised lock without a BW key, and without realising it was actually mechanised.

Edited July 28, 2005 by fuzzyduck

[Zoe]

...we were away on a weeks holiday on the Leeds & Liverpool from Silsden. I can only remember a few things from the trip as follows:

 

- The boat was blue and white but I don't remember the name or the hire company.

.....

- We met and travelled along with another family and when it rained the Dad stripped down to his swimming shorts and steered the boat in just his shorts!

.....

- Everyone was so friendly and that was a bit of a shock to an young lad from London's Eastend.

.....

 

Happy memories !

26160[/snapback]

 

That could have been my family - except that my Dad would not have been seen dead stripping to his swim shorts (not that he had any)! I don't think it rained much actually, the water levels were very low.

 

In 1968 we hired a blue and white fibreglass boat from a company in Silsden. It was called Lady something-or-other - I might even have a photo or two somewhere. It had 2 separate cabins, and you stood in the space between to 'drive'. It had a steering wheel rather than a tiller, and an outboard motor, as far as I remember. Everyone was really friendly and helpful, someone gave us a windlass when I lost ours in a lock.

 

When I look at the route now we must have gone VERY slowly, although I put this down to my Dad wanting to enjoy the hospitality of any likely looking pub (bless him!).

 

Anyway, it was great fun, and now my own family holiday on the canals every year.

 

Zoë

[fuzzyduck]

In 1968 we hired a blue and white fibreglass boat from a company in Silsden.  It was called Lady something-or-other - I might even have a photo or two somewhere. 

Zoë

26451[/snapback]

 

If you have, I for one would be VERY interested in seeing them. I have some photo's from an old Blakes brochure from 76, but would like to see some hire cruisers from earlier times.

 

It's for a project

[howardang]

That could have been my family - except that my Dad would not have been seen dead stripping to his swim shorts (not that he had any)!  I don't think it rained much actually, the water levels were very low.

 

In 1968 we hired a blue and white fibreglass boat from a company in Silsden.  It was called Lady something-or-other - I might even have a photo or two somewhere.  It had 2 separate cabins, and you stood in the space between to 'drive'.  It had a steering wheel rather than a tiller, and an outboard motor, as far as I remember.  Everyone was really friendly and helpful, someone gave us a windlass when I lost ours in a lock. 

 

When I look at the route now we must have gone VERY slowly, although I put this down to my Dad wanting to enjoy the hospitality of any likely looking pub (bless him!).

 

Anyway, it was great fun, and now my own family holiday on the canals every year.

 

Zoë

26451[/snapback]

[howardang]

26571[/snapback]

Our first 2 canal holidays were also from Silsden in 1978 and 1979. I think the company was called Pennine Boats of Silsden. The two boats we hired were Craven Maid, a 35 ft fairly primitive boat and Craven Lady which was much more up to date and about 45 ft. The company livery was blue and white but changed to Green in the mid 80's. I seem to remember that this company tried a system where the engine used calor gas for fuel. The boat had a very large tank in the stern and there were a number of safeguards - extractor fans and interlocks which prevented the engine being started if there was any gas in the engine compartment - and the engine was a Renault car engine suitably marinised. It wasn't a great success and only lasted a year or so.

 

Regards

 

Howard Anguish

[viking]

I cant remember the exact year but it was probably circa 1965 just after I started secondary school. My dad hired a cabin cruiser on the GU ( not sure where from). Apart for the fact that I enjoyed it so much two things stuck in my mind. The first was that we broke down outside the Three Horseshoes at Winkwell - here is the picture to prove it:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second is that whilst we were there my school friend that came with us fell in whilst trying to fish with a fishing net!!

 

NB The people in the photo are my dad and his brother, so I must have been taking it from the towpath.

Edited July 29, 2005 by viking

[fuzzyduck]

Viking, now that's what i'm looking for :-) is it alright if I post a link to that on a different forum?

[viking]

Help yourself Fuzzy. What is it about btw?

[Paul@CW]

Our first 2 canal holidays were also from Silsden in 1978 and 1979. I think the company was called Pennine Boats of Silsden.

26572[/snapback]

 

Pennine Boats, that sounds familiar. I wish I had some pics of it still. We also went with a company called Bijou Line once on a boat called Jasper. If I can find them I'll post some pictures in the gallery. Nice early 80's fashion on show!

[fuzzyduck]

Help yourself Fuzzy. What is it about btw?

26591[/snapback]

 

Well, i'm building up a picture of the history of Dawncraft, and alot of hire cruisers of that period were Dawnies. and it looks to me like the boat in the above picture is indeed a dawnie, but there are a few differences to the models we know. I'd like to get an opinion from some fellow owners.

 

also at a date of 1965 that's a very early model (if it is a DC), and might even predate our knowledge of when they started building the fibreglass versions. mind you it could be a wooden one.

Edited July 29, 2005 by fuzzyduck

[viking]

Two things Fuzzy - I am really guessing at the year based on the fact that I know I was at secondary school (my school friend came with us) and obviously I know when I started there. Second is I have a couple of pics of the inside if that would help you any.

[fuzzyduck]

yes please!

 

oh, and for your reference a link to the topic i've used your pic in.

 

http://forum.dawncraftowners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=791

Edited July 29, 2005 by fuzzyduck

[viking]

OK sport but you will have to give me a while as they only exist as B+W prints at the moment so they will have to be scanned in and then posted.

[fuzzyduck]

fine by me, I can wait.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

oh one question, I don't suppose you can read the BW number off the original photo can you?

Edited July 29, 2005 by fuzzyduck

[viking]

Well here we are then, not good I am afraid but neither was our camera all those years ago!

 

This is my Dad's brother making breakfast:

 

 

This is my school friend and my dad eating breakfast:

 

 

This is somebody sleeping it off!!:

 

 

This is the craft underway somewhere on the GU:

 

 

I had a look at the photos with a magnifying glass but nothing is visible sorry. One thing did come to light though, the two people on the original photo I posted were my dads brother and me! Comes to something when you can't even recognise yourself doesn't it

[Guest]

" ..... inspired me to make my website."

26336[/snapback]

Speedy

What's the website?

 

Peter

[Guest]

My (our) first experience of the cut is all down in black & white in;

Cruise Diaries

Newbies maiden voyage.

The first cruise, with all the mistakes!

 

and it was great, we wont ever forget it.

Peter

[AlanWright]

First canal holiday (after many on the Broads) was in August 1994. We were a party of four with a boat from Viking in Worcester. We took a fortnight to cover the Stourport Ring(anticlockwise) plus a few excursions (moored at the Black Country Museum and had a full day there including a Dudley Tunnel trip, took a furniture- and other rubbish- strewn day some way up the Wirley and Essington, and had a time-out up the Shroppie at Brewood). Idyllic weather apart from rain as we descended from Stourport Basin to the Severn on our last full day.

 

We have since had holidays on the Four Counties Ring, the K&A (western end, into Bath), and our local Warwickshire Ring. Considering another before too long, perhaps the GU towards Linslade, perhaps the Oxford. As with all waterways, it is the slowing down that does it!