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Do you find boating stressful


Wrinkley

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On another topic I was reading a comment was made that "sometimes it's not idyllic but wet, dirty, hard work and occasionally a bit stressful". Whilst I agree boating can be sometimes wet, dirty and hard work I do not understand the stressful bit. So I am sure that some my find boating stressy but what exactly would cause this? Just wondering.

 

Best regards

 

Chilled Wrinkley

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On another topic I was reading a comment was made that "sometimes it's not idyllic but wet, dirty, hard work and occasionally a bit stressful". Whilst I agree boating can be sometimes wet, dirty and hard work I do not understand the stressful bit. So I am sure that some my find boating stressy but what exactly would cause this? Just wondering.

 

Best regards

 

Chilled Wrinkley

Well, when stuck on the rubble in a bridge-'ole in Kidderminster, or in the grip of the Dreaded Middle Level Blanket Weed, it is. It still beats the alternative :)

 

MP.

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Well being honest I find it the opposite, the second I step onto the back of a boat and hold the tiller I physically feel the stress go away.

Could do with being on the back of one now tbh lol.

Yes agree it can be hard work and mucky at times but I even love that part of it, even a bit of rain does not bother me.

So no it's never stressful for me but more stress relieving

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I have found boating stressful on occasion, although usually when I'm actually stressed about something else and it transfers itself..

 

I don't enjoy having lots of small children on the boat - the parents never seem to see as many potential risks as I do, so I find that a bit hard work. Or drunk people who want nothing more than to leap on and off the roof and can't see why I might think that somewhat foolhardy... :captain:

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There are moments that can be a bit stressful, but in my experience a canal boat is the most relaxing thing I have found to date. It is the only thing that keeps me sane.

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I spend most of my time stressed for one reason or another -kids,work,bills,wife,mother-in-law,commuting,dog,driving etc etc.

 

I can honestly say about the only way I find I can relax in on a boat plodding along at 3 miles an hour, actually the more I boat the less actually getting anywhere seems to matter, I just spend longer and longer periods enjoying the journey not really worried about where I might end up or how long it will take to get there.

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Well being honest I find it the opposite, the second I step onto the back of a boat and hold the tiller I physically feel the stress go away.

 

Seconded. Mrs Gibbo says I'm a different person on the boat.

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Dare I suggest that boating is only stressful when you set yourself difficult or near impossible itineries? We've all done it when we were hiring. Paying £1000 per week, you somehow feel obliged to get your money's worth by motoring from dawn to dusk, doing a ring in 6 days, got to get there and back and back to the boatyard by 9.30am saturday or else.

Now that we can be smug because we own our own boat, we often tie up after lunch, have a snooze or open the bar early and watch the world pass by. Sometimes, around 6 or 7pm there will be a hire boat desperately looking for somewhere to pull in, father looking harrassed at the tiller, children desparate to get ashore and run around, wifey pulling her face because tea was ready an hour ago, dog crossing its legs....

We've also been chased up and down flights of locks by boaters in a hurry snapping at our heels. Fine by me, as they usually lend us their crew to speed us on our way by closing gates, running ahead to prepare locks and making sure we don't stop for anything leisurely or relaxing like a cup of tea or a look at the scenery.

It took us a while to get the M6 out of our system and realise that one bit of canal is much like the next and completely different when you turn around and come back.

So now, stress - NO!

  • Greenie 1
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Boating's like life, smooth and stressless with the occasional periods of stress, life would be boring if it was a long unbroken chain of relaxation, surely stress free relaxation comes from escaping stress, no point in a nice glowing stove if there is no cold to escape from, or a nice comfy chair if you haven't just had a long tiring walk.

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[i vote for this. When we hired it is totally true - you have paidloads of money for a week or two and you must get as much out of it as possible. As we are now living on our boat I do not care how many miles we do in a day. As long as there is food in the fridge or store cupboard, and beer in the fridge, it does not matter most of the time. The stress has been fitting a 4 bedroom hnuse into a 60 ft narrowboat!! Never again

 

quote name=windy miller' timestamp='1306524609' post='696518]

Dare I suggest that boating is only stressful when you set yourself difficult or near impossible itineries? We've all done it when we were hiring. Paying £1000 per week, you somehow feel obliged to get your money's worth by motoring from dawn to dusk, doing a ring in 6 days, got to get there and back and back to the boatyard by 9.30am saturday or else.

Now that we can be smug because we own our own boat, we often tie up after lunch, have a snooze or open the bar early and watch the world pass by. Sometimes, around 6 or 7pm there will be a hire boat desperately looking for somewhere to pull in, father looking harrassed at the tiller, children desparate to get ashore and run around, wifey pulling her face because tea was ready an hour ago, dog crossing its legs....

We've also been chased up and down flights of locks by boaters in a hurry snapping at our heels. Fine by me, as they usually lend us their crew to speed us on our way by closing gates, running ahead to prepare locks and making sure we don't stop for anything leisurely or relaxing like a cup of tea or a look at the scenery.

It took us a while to get the M6 out of our system and realise that one bit of canal is much like the next and completely different when you turn around and come back.

So now, stress - NO!

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After we had been on the boat a few weeks, we took a walk into a town. The kids said..." why are all the cars going so fast??" . I think we realised then that we were now living at a different speed to the norm.

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Dare I suggest that boating is only stressful when you set yourself difficult or near impossible itineries? We've all done it when we were hiring. Paying £1000 per week, you somehow feel obliged to get your money's worth by motoring from dawn to dusk, doing a ring in 6 days, got to get there and back and back to the boatyard by 9.30am saturday or else.

Now that we can be smug because we own our own boat, we often tie up after lunch, have a snooze or open the bar early and watch the world pass by. Sometimes, around 6 or 7pm there will be a hire boat desperately looking for somewhere to pull in, father looking harrassed at the tiller, children desparate to get ashore and run around, wifey pulling her face because tea was ready an hour ago, dog crossing its legs....

We've also been chased up and down flights of locks by boaters in a hurry snapping at our heels. Fine by me, as they usually lend us their crew to speed us on our way by closing gates, running ahead to prepare locks and making sure we don't stop for anything leisurely or relaxing like a cup of tea or a look at the scenery.

It took us a while to get the M6 out of our system and realise that one bit of canal is much like the next and completely different when you turn around and come back.

So now, stress - NO!

We have only done one ring on a hire boat and ended up not needing to rush, it was the Stourport Ring BTW but we went via the Netherton Tunnel not Wolverhampton.

What we did was the first 3 days we started early and finished cruising late to get ahead then towards the end of the week we could take our time with lay ins and late starts.

And I see no reason why we can't do the same system on the Black Country Ring this year.

Oh and never felt stressed trying to complete it.

Also bear in mund that on that trip we had 2 delays, one with problems with the boat which cost us half a day and the other was not really much of a delay, just had to finish the days cruising and hour early.

Spent the Friday trying to waste time and not get back to the boat yard to early and bear in mind we went down the Tardebigge flight on the Friday

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After we had been on the boat a few weeks, we took a walk into a town. The kids said..." why are all the cars going so fast??" . I think we realised then that we were now living at a different speed to the norm.

We have that with our car when we use it after being on the boat for months....I moan at him we are going to fast and its only 30mph :lol:

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We have only done one ring on a hire boat and ended up not needing to rush, it was the Stourport Ring BTW but we went via the Netherton Tunnel not Wolverhampton.

What we did was the first 3 days we started early and finished cruising late to get ahead then towards the end of the week we could take our time with lay ins and late starts.

And I see no reason why we can't do the same system on the Black Country Ring this year.

Oh and never felt stressed trying to complete it.

Also bear in mund that on that trip we had 2 delays, one with problems with the boat which cost us half a day and the other was not really much of a delay, just had to finish the days cruising and hour early.

Spent the Friday trying to waste time and not get back to the boat yard to early and bear in mind we went down the Tardebigge flight on the Friday

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When I got the boat It struck me that I had taken on something huge! but when I`m out with her my stresses fade away & I`m lost in the inner peace that I feel. How lucky are we to expererience this!!

 

Sue

 

Does anyone feel the same?

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Seconded. Mrs Gibbo says I'm a different person on the boat.

 

That's exactly why we're buying our boat. Life is ridiculously stressful, but we set foot on the boat and it all ebbs away.

 

I know stuff's going to go wrong (and we don't mind freezing to death in the wet - we've had a beach hut for years!) but it's different on the waterways. You can't help but relax and sleep.

 

Well, other than my imprompu admission to Warwick hospital from the hire boat last year. That was a bit stressful!

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We have that with our car when we use it after being on the boat for months....I moan at him we are going to fast and its only 30mph :lol:

You should try traveling on a train after a week on a boat.

Feels like your on a rocket lol

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