Keeping friendships alive.

[Caprifool]

How do you keep your friendsships alive while on the go? Might be a silly question to some. But I would miss my long term friends on land. (not that I have any over there yet) Do you visit them when ever youre passing by? Or do they chase you around the canals for a cuppa? Is it mostly computers now? A cyber hug is very dry compared to a hug IRL!

 

Or do you just not make friends with landlubbers? :-)

[bizzard]

How do you keep your friendsships alive while on the go? Might be a silly question to some. But I would miss my long term friends on land. (not that I have any over there yet) Do you visit them when ever youre passing by? Or do they chase you around the canals for a cuppa? Is it mostly computers now? A cyber hug is very dry compared to a hug IRL!

 

Or do you just not make friends with landlubbers? :-)

Most inland boaters are really landlubbers as they're only a few feet away from it most of the time.

But as you remark a lot of contact is kept by phone texting and the internet.

All my friends and relations seem to keep descending on me for river trips.Three times this year i've taken 18 or so up river to a riverside restaurant one of which was my birthday and my cousin Tracey smuggled a cake in with indoor fireworks on top which nearly set the place alight,Mick the owner ''A Chinese restaurant''was not pleased. Although more than 12 people aboard a leisure boat is illegal but what the hell. bizzard.

[Guest wanted]

How do you keep your friendsships alive while on the go? Might be a silly question to some. But I would miss my long term friends on land. (not that I have any over there yet) Do you visit them when ever youre passing by? Or do they chase you around the canals for a cuppa? Is it mostly computers now? A cyber hug is very dry compared to a hug IRL!

 

Or do you just not make friends with landlubbers? :-)

 

 

 

Good question, I have lived quite a transient life to date and have friends who move all over the world. I think it's all down to attitude really, I go for months without seeing my best friend (other than Charlotte) but our friendship has the strength to ignore the time scale. it's always as if it's only been yesterday that we have seen each other.

My Italian friends I see but once a year and again, it's like we have never spent time apart (except for more grey hairs) and my London buddies can't keep away from the boat!

 

And strangers? they are just friends that we haven't met yet....

 

(P.S) just about to send you a PM, have been using a touch screen to type of late and it's slowing me down!)

[Caprifool]

Most inland boaters are really landlubbers as they're only a few feet away from it most of the time.

 

Good point. And come to think of it, I hardly ever see my friends IRL any more as it is allready.

 

 

(P.S) just about to send you a PM, have been using a touch screen to type of late and it's slowing me down!)

 

No worries. I'm on a borrowed iMac at the moment, and hating every second of it too

Edited November 18, 2011 by Caprifool

[bizzard]

Good point. And come to think of it, I hardly ever see my friends IRL any more as it is allready.

 

 

 

 

No worries. I'm on a borrowed iMac at the moement, and hating every second of it too

Perhaps they can't find you in your cabin in the forest.

[Tim Lewis]

How do you keep your friendsships alive while on the go? Might be a silly question to some. But I would miss my long term friends on land. (not that I have any over there yet) Do you visit them when ever youre passing by? Or do they chase you around the canals for a cuppa? Is it mostly computers now? A cyber hug is very dry compared to a hug IRL!

 

Or do you just not make friends with landlubbers? :-)

 

Facebook is the best method of keeping in touch that I have ever come across.

 

Tim

[Tam & Di]

Most inland boaters are really landlubbers as they're only a few feet away from it most of the time.

But as you remark a lot of contact is kept by phone texting and the internet.

All my friends and relations seem to keep descending on me for river trips.Three times this year i've taken 18 or so up river to a riverside restaurant one of which was my birthday and my cousin Tracey smuggled a cake in with indoor fireworks on top which nearly set the place alight,Mick the owner ''A Chinese restaurant''was not pleased. Although more than 12 people aboard a leisure boat is illegal but what the hell. bizzard.

 

As you admit, 12 is the legal maximum. Not sure it is a good idea to boast about it on an open forum.

[Lady Muck]

Never have any problems encouraging people to come and stay - have you seen the price of narrowboat holidays these days?

[bizzard]

As you admit, 12 is the legal maximum. Not sure it is a good idea to boast about it on an open forum.

I find it safer than say six inside the boat as that number all going to one side to look at a duck through a window will put an uncomfortable lurch on the boat,but with twelve or more this can't happen,a bit like the Northern line in the rush hour.I won't allow clambering on top.

[Tim Lewis]

I find it safer than say six inside the boat as that number all going to one side to look at a duck through a window will put an uncomfortable lurch on the boat,but with twelve or more this can't happen,a bit like the Northern line in the rush hour.I won't allow clambering on top.

 

Cautionary tale of having 16 on the boat:

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/may/20/1

 

Tim

[KevMc]

Cautionary tale of having 16 on the boat:

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/may/20/1

 

Tim

 

That article says there are no laws about the number of people that can be on a pleasure boat ... I know its dated 2005 - has something changed?

[bizzard]

Cautionary tale of having 16 on the boat:

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/may/20/1

 

Tim

This was probably a smallish GRP boat,the article doesn't say, with people swarming over the top.My boat with everyone kept below is more stable than with just me on it. As i stated i do not allow folk to swarm over the roof.Of course i admit that this is no excuse for me breaking the law though.

[Caprifool]

So, I would be fighting any new friends off the boat with a broom stick. Well, thats ok then....:-)

[bizzard]

That article says there are no laws about the number of people that can be on a pleasure boat ... I know its dated 2005 - has something changed?

I thought the law changed after the Marchioness sank.

[cereal tiller]

I thought the law changed after the Marchioness sank.

The number of people allowed on a private or hire boat has always been limited to 12.

 

any vessel carrying more than that number has to be registered with the MARINE AND COASTGUARD AGENCY.

 

MCA annual inspections are carried out on all passenger vessels,the skipper will be a holder of an MCA licence for which he/she would have had to pass an oral and helming test.

 

 

until a couple of years ago boats that were for hire and limited to 12 passengers were not subject to MCA scrutiny,that has changed , helsmen must have a licence and the boat must conform to MCA regs.

[Caprifool]

Not wanting to be a party pooper. But....this was about staying friends. Not a pissing contest about who knows the most rules.

[Tim Lewis]

Not wanting to be a party pooper. But....this was about staying friends. Not a pissing contest about who knows the most rules.

 

Given that response I guess that you do not have that many friends

 

Tim

Edited November 18, 2011 by Tim Lewis

[bizzard]

Not wanting to be a party pooper. But....this was about staying friends. Not a pissing contest about who knows the most rules.

Agreed Cap.They all altered it by picking on me. I hate rules.

[cereal tiller]

Not wanting to be a party pooper. But....this was about staying friends. Not a pissing contest about who knows the most rules.

apologies,caprifool,i was merely answering a question.

 

what is a pissing contest,is it a scandinavian celebration?.sounds a bit perilous in the temperatures that could be anticipated in northern climes.

 

now,on topic,the lovely thing about boating friends is that new ones appear most days,they may not be around for long,and you may not cross paths with them for a year or two.

 

when i was ill a while ago,a boat moored alongside early one morning the phone beeped,and the text message was one word,breakfast?

 

the sender had breasted up and cooked a super meal,he had heard of my ailment and decided to check on my well-being.

 

how nice was that?

 

have not seen that friend since,such is the boating community.

[Caprifool]

Given that response I guess that you do not have that many friends Tim

 

You are so right. I don't. But then I don't measure myself from how many friends I have. I measure myself from what I can give back to the few that can put up with me So the ones that prove to be good enough to keep are a treasured few and not left hanging just because "you can allways get new ones".

 

Agreed Cap.They all altered it by picking on me. I hate rules.

 

We bare a very important role to group dynamics, you and I.

 

what is a pissing contest,is it a scandinavian celebration?

 

Well, you know; Swedish saunas, naked men, beer and loads of moonshine.......who knows what us vikings get up to?! Well, I do. But I'm not telling

 

Your breakfast story is very heart warming.

[KevMc]

Not wanting to be a party pooper. But....this was about staying friends. Not a pissing contest about who knows the most rules.

 

Back on topic : I had a boat warming and at one point there were lots of friends onboard

 

.... like others have said it seems that social network sites are the best way of staying touch - providing your friends are computer literate

[Pykebird]

We all tend to use texting and skype to keep in touch. Most friends on boats understand and we just pick up where we left off when we see each other. Mind you with the "towpath telegraph" I often find people know my news before I get to tell them, although it might not be accurate! That's the good thing about living on a boat, boaters get it. My land based friends still think its quite a novelty so love to come over and stay.

[Catrin]

I'd agree about the "Towpath Telegraph", it's remarkable how much information is passed on as people pass each other. As the boating community is relatively small, and there are 'special interest groups', you quickly get to meet people. There are meetings, rallys, festivals and banters regularly where you can meet up, or just meet people.

 

As we travel around on our 'big summer trip' we often spot people that we know, mostly through the forum, and that can lead to anything from a quick chat, through a leisurely break for coffee and cake, or an evening trip to the pub. Last year we 'bumped into' Cheshire Rose and Postcode and then spent several days travelling with them - and altering our travel plans so that we could go to a banter in Birmingham that they had arranged. Hairy Neil can turn up anywhere - going in any direction, and you can still meet him again a couple of days later somewhere completely different and completely unexpected.

 

Because we blog what we are doing and where we are at any one time people come and find us - sometimes turning up on the towpath waving a windlass and offering to work us through some locks.

Cath.

[Ange]

Facebook is the best method of keeping in touch that I have ever come across.

 

Tim

 

I agree with this - I update my status on Facebook every day with our current whereabouts when we're cruising, which is most of the year. This forum has given us an ever expanding set of new friends as well, through meeting at banters and just happening to notice from people's posts where they are and PMing them when we'll be in that area.

 

We do have one couple who we consider our closest friends who haven't yet seen our boat for various reasons, but we visit them every 3-6 months when we go "home" to visit the family. Our friendship goes back nearly 30 years so a few months here and there don't make any difference.

 

[Guest]

I agree with this - I update my status on Facebook every day with our current whereabouts when we're cruising, which is most of the year. This forum has given us an ever expanding set of new friends as well, through meeting at banters and just happening to notice from people's posts where they are and PMing them when we'll be in that area.

 

We do have one couple who we consider our closest friends who haven't yet seen our boat for various reasons, but we visit them every 3-6 months when we go "home" to visit the family. Our friendship goes back nearly 30 years so a few months here and there don't make any difference.

 

 

Another vote for Facebook - most of our family and friends log in and follow what we are are up to, when we boat.