What was the highlight of your 2012 travels?

[johnmck]

It certainly was not the weather!

 

Mine has to be the Liverpool Link. It was FAB. From the CRT staff, the people we met, to the city itself. We will return.

 

http://nb-triskaideka.blogspot.co.uk/2012_05_01_archive.html

 

And a tad early, happy new year to all.

Edited December 31, 2012 by johnmck

[Kwacker]

Reversing nearly a mile back to a winding hole when we realised that it wasn't actually going to stop raining for the next 4 days

[alan_fincher]

Certainly a lot to choose from for us.

 

It was the year we did make it up to Manchester, but also took Sickle to a large number of events.

 

I think it has to be celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary, with family, friends, Odin the dog, Sickle and Chalice at the Alvecote Historic Boat event.

 

 

We particularly liked having Sickle alongside her "twin" Tycho, for the first time for either of those boats new owners.

 

Edited December 30, 2012 by alan_fincher

[keble]

A wonderful return trip from Stourport down the Severn to Saul.

... after having to leave it up at Stourport because the river was too high, after 2 weeks of wet weather!

But the sun came out and all was well

[FadeToScarlet]

 

 

 

 

Steering Indigo Dream down the tidal Thames to Barking Creek. Great fun and very, very adventurous!

[Québec]

No contest.....our first 'big adventure'.....the whole length of the Llangollen from Hurleston to Llangollen and back again...and it only rained on the first day and last day!

 

Edited December 30, 2012 by Québec

[Mac of Cygnet]

Getting up the Wigan flight singlehanded in less in hours than my age in decades.

[stagedamager]

Getting BCN 1645 through Rumps lock at Middlewich, after she stuck fast, 2 weeks previous. Then eventually getting her back to Langley Mill after what was a horrific trip. Although much credit to my parents, Liam and Kez, who all came to my aid!! a 10 day trip that eventually took a month......

Dan

[Billw]

Definitely crossing Pontcysylite aqueduct for the first time, on a perfect morning in October.

[DaveP]

On the boat:

Two hours up to Horbury Bridge for the fireworks after fitting a new tiller. First trip out for 7 months after snapping it off.

 

On the bike:

Two laps of the Motorland Aragon track after the World SuperBikes racing. [Or the swimming pool at the campsite after 300km in 40C+ temperatures].

 

--

Dave

[Ange]

Ours was the Llangollen too. We were last there in 2007 on a Viking Afloat hire boat. I was chatting to the lockie at the junction and just happened to say to her "I'd love to live on a boat and do this all the time". She said "go on then. Rent your house out and buy a boat." For me it was one of life's light bulb moments when you suddenly think "wow, we really could make this happen"

 

Returning to the same spot on our own boat was wonderful

 

The Montgomery was pretty fab as well. Going through the locks at the correct time with a booking compared to that same holiday when we decided we fancied a jaunt down there with no research, not reading the signs and not reading the notes in Nicholsons and met the wrath of the lockie when we blithely started working the first lock!

[Tuscan]

First time we've been able to go on a long 3.5m cruise. Highlight stopping in the rain in the Middlewhich arm, only boat on the moorng , late afternoon kip woke up and with dressing gown on stepped out of boat with dog to discover we were surrounded by boats from local club, bbq's lit etc etc, Managed to retrieve dog and retire disgracefully . Next morning woke up and by 9 only boat on the moorings again. Alternatively Alvercote festival then onto Shakerstone boaters music night in the local pub.

[Ange]

Actually noooo - there was a better one!

 

Being part of Nicki and John's wedding procession in central Birmingham:_

 

 

That was one of the best experiences of my life!

[Odana]

The Wedding Chaos was very definitely our best trip ever! Made special by the dozens of lovely friends who turned out to join us. Still haven't sorted all photos yet...

[Biggles]

For me it was March 17th the day after we were put in for the first time.

 

On this day I put my boat into gear and moved it for the very 1st time after spending 2 years building it.

 

Since then we have racked up 154 hours.

[Stormbringer]

Highlight for us was selling the house, buying our second boat and moving aboard.

It was only a month ago, and despite the rubbish weather we absolutely love it!

Oh, and ice breaking along the Middlewich branch the day after we moved aboard

was great fun!

Oh, and watching the cygnets grow up, and having them tapping on the boat ....cute

 

Happy New Year to you all....

 

Andy

[matty40s]

My highlight this year started by deciding to boat to the Beeston Banter, and inviting fellow forumees Mike31 and KathleenBridget to come and enjoy getting to the banter the proper way.

which we did.

waking up to this helped

 

 

and then on to calf heath for the banter where kathy joined me again

 

and then a summer cruise from the oxford to the soar, interspersed with a quick trip to the east coast

 

and finally getting DarcyDancer out for her first cruise in at least 5 years

 

 

My highlight this year has been KathleenBridget

Edited December 31, 2012 by matty40s

[Ange]

 

My highlight this year has been KathleenBridget

 

Awww - I went all mushy then

[Laurie Booth]

Making lots of new boating friends.

[PiRSqwared]

 

 

 

 

Steering Indigo Dream down the tidal Thames to Barking Creek. Great fun and very, very adventurous!

 

Snap!

 

Thames Barrier on Indigo Dream by articulator, on Flickr

 

Canary Wharf on Indigo Dream by articulator, on Flickr

 

Calypso by articulator, on Flickr

Edited December 31, 2012 by PiRSqwared

[koukouvagia]

For me it was a boat trip down the River Acheron and the River Styx (two of the rivers in the Underworld, according to Greek mythology). We hired a local Charon who pointed out nightingale nests and sunbathing turtles and insisted that we anoint ourselves with the waters of the Styx to ensure immortality.

 

Edited December 31, 2012 by koukouvagia

[Starcoaster]

This was my first year boating and so there were too many high points to really pick any one.

 

My first go at driving Springy (properly) in early January with MB was great, for all that I didn't do much... As was my first go at single handing Springy on my own, many months later and after cutting my teeth (figuratively!) on Reg, even though I nearly never got going at all (until someone on the marina shouted at me to knock the gear button out of the locked position) got grounded (without a pole) was asked to stop for a beer and couldn't (didn't have any mooring stakes!!) and took 15 mins to reverse back onto my pontoon.

Single handing my own boat (or even taking it out at all) was kind of a big thing for me, as it is my home and also my cats were on board, and I was (and still am in many ways) pretty paranoid about this.

 

Being in charge of Reg in the days immediately before the Braunston rally was amazing for me, moving Reg on my own including starting the Glennifer and just pootling up the row of other boats and breasting up with the other tugs on my own pretending I knew just what I was doing and was too cool for school made me feel like King Dong, as did driving Reg in the rally, on my home turf as it was, when a few months before I was adamantly NEVER going to get the hang of driving, or even try, and seeing the videos of it later.

 

Also taking Reg out on my own the following week and then winding and mooring up breasted up to Sickle was probably the hardest thing I had done so far so I felt like the mutt's nutts after that!

 

All of the trips all over the place I have done with MB on Reg and Aldebaran this year rank too. Aldebaran is also a lovely boat to drive, but I really love the fact I learned on Reg, who is by most people's standards kind of a moody, pissy git to drive! But I know him now and I love it.

Driving Reg at the Alvecote rally was like really slow dodgems, I liked that a lot too. Being there to see Nutfield climbing the bank was pure comedy gold. As was MB slipping off the gunnels and narrowly avoiding a dunking, which becomes funnier every time I watch the video of it that Dave (of 'Ange and Dave') managed to catch.

 

But my absolute favourite moment was probably my first ever go at single handing, which was on Reg for a couple of hours at Lapworth while MB went off in the van (so I had no one to call for help if needed) and winding in a fairly small space without fecking up (or doing it very elegantly, but still I did it!) and then in the pub that night some dude came up to me and said "oh, you're the girl with that historic iron boat, aren't you!" KING DONG.

 

That was probably my overall favourite, and I really 'got' the whole thing about boating and how cool it was and really got my Zen on with boating, and the knowledge that if something happened I had to manage it myself so put the shit fits away, cos they won't help, just get on with it.

I have been madly in love with Reg since then, and this wisdom also stood me in good stead when I was single handing Springy up to Hillmorton in November and passed the only other moving boat I'd seen all day only for the steerer to a double-take and yell back at me "YOU'RE ON FIRE, LOVE!" and sure enough, there were flames and black smoke billowing off of the exhaust pipe.

 

So I have been to loads of things and seen loads of lovely places this year, but rather embarrassingly, I can't name half of them, because this year for me was all about the boats and getting to grips with them rather than the scenery or where we were, and I've loved it. Had a great year abusing MB's boats, and hopefully 2013 will be more of the same (with less of the abuse.)

 

**Edit** and I forgot to mention, the time I slipped off the gunnels while we were going along and landed knee-deep in the cut before recovering myself and pulling myself up, which caused MB to think I was falling all the way in and so throwing Reg into neutral which caused us to crash with some welly into a moored boat, which led to us (and them) to think that they were sinking as they then started listing badly (turned out to be moored on a centre line and the knock got the boat caught at an angle under the piling) and them going fecking nutso to the point that me and MB thought they were going to beat us to death, them not believing our story as I was yelling 'OMG so sorry but I fell in!' while all they could see of me above the cabin top was bone dry, but that eventually ended with us all being firm friends, having a laugh about it and playing with their dogs on the towpath for ages.

GREAT STUFF.

Edited December 31, 2012 by Starcoaster

[Dr Bradley]

and then on to calf heath for the banter where kathy joined me again

 

 

Oi, delete that at once - I look bald.

 

Thouroughly enjoyed Calf Heath and Lapworth banters, sad to miss the Birmingham wedding. Fell in with Waricks "Folk on the Water" and spending two months on the L&L.

 

Edited to add my annual pilgrimage to the Anchor.

Edited December 31, 2012 by Dr Bradley

[DHutch]

We did went down the Avon to the Severn and did the Droitwich, and had a cracking weekend to do it in.

 

So I nominate meeting my uncle Thomas (grandad Tom's eldest son) in Worcester at lunchtime and boating through the town in glorious sunshine.

 

 

Daniel

[eightacre]

Travelling up the Avon from Tewkesbury to Stratford just after the river level dropped into the "passable" zone.