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clapping.gif Hi, I'm looking for someone (male/female) to join my wife and I on a narrowboat trip from the south of England to as far north as we can get. The trip will take anything from 6 weeks to 3 months. I'd be happy with several people doing short stints or one or two to do longer stints. Food and drink provided except when eating out a couple of times a week. I expect the trip to start mid March. A beginner is welcome and you are expected to muck in with everything including locks, steering and even doing the dishes now and then. If you are interested drop me a private message on here. I need to know a bit about you, age hobbies, etc. Most importantly when you are available. We are both in our sixties and both able bodied. Age will not be a restriction so long a you are over 18. detective.gif

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Not exactly what you are looking for but checking anyway. American couple in late 60's but fit (Just finished scraping and painting a house this summer and walking most of the Thames Path last May) Very flexible on sleeping accommodations depending on layout of your craft. We were looking to hire a narrowboat for the first time and found this forum when looking for crew to help out. Wife will be mobile but recovering from a shoulder operation and may have difficulty in working the locks though she could push the gates (she is not a driver) and could help with housekeeping or in the galley. I can do a little bit of everything handy and could do locks or steering. Time frame flexible as we are supposed to be retired (another story) and could do a week to months if we are all compatible (We ARE Californians AND Yanks). Love the country and have spent months in London and the countryside over the last 15 years. Not drinkers or smokers and travel light.

No problem with helping out with supplies.

Terry and Barbara Dill

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Not exactly what you are looking for but checking anyway. American couple in late 60's but fit (Just finished scraping and painting a house this summer and walking most of the Thames Path last May) Very flexible on sleeping accommodations depending on layout of your craft. We were looking to hire a narrowboat for the first time and found this forum when looking for crew to help out. Wife will be mobile but recovering from a shoulder operation and may have difficulty in working the locks though she could push the gates (she is not a driver) and could help with housekeeping or in the galley. I can do a little bit of everything handy and could do locks or steering. Time frame flexible as we are supposed to be retired (another story) and could do a week to months if we are all compatible (We ARE Californians AND Yanks). Love the country and have spent months in London and the countryside over the last 15 years. Not drinkers or smokers and travel light.

No problem with helping out with supplies.

Terry and Barbara Dill

What a fantastic thread and post in response. The opportunity to do what you plan to do in this way is fabulous. On the he other hand, to complete a long journey from South to North and offer a billet onboard has made me feel good.
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What a fantastic thread and post in response. The opportunity to do what you plan to do in this way is fabulous. On the he other hand, to complete a long journey from South to North and offer a billet onboard has made me feel good.

 

Seconded.

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Me too, but I expect bigste will be back on it at some point with an update. Regular followers of Crew Swap will not be surprised to learn that I sent him a PM soon after the topic appeared, and am lined up to crew for the first week or two of the trip, along the K&A to Reading then up to Oxford, maybe beyond depending on the pace he wants to set. It's nice to have my first boating of the year scheduled, even if it is two months away.

 

He's had quite a few enquiries by PM and is probably in the process of scheduling other people and making sure his boat is fully ready for the trip.

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Working through how to use this site and found the 5 posting rule for sending emails. Still not sure if our email is assessable to bigste?

You still need to make another post, so reply to this and you'll be able to PM the OP.

  • Greenie 1
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UPDATE - It seems Peter-X has done this for me, well done Peter. I do have others lined up but nothing finalised as yet. It's a job and a half to sort out dates as I don't know what speed we will be aiming for. It could be a 6 week trip or a 3 months trip. The only easy one to fix up is the first leg and Peter has that one. I will reply to all PM's eventually. I live in Spain as most will know from my profile, but I spent last week over in the UK. The boat is new to me so there will be one or two problems I need to sort out. It is currently 7 berth, two doubles, bunks & a single. It is 60ft long with a vintage Perkins from the 50's, mainly made for Massey Ferguson tractors. I'll be in it for a week or more before we set off.

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Another PM sent about the schedule, I've asked to go as far as maybe Oxford or Banbury but I'm flexible.

Looking forward to this trip, I like doing the Thames.

 

With all those berths, is it an ex-hire boat? If you take enough crew, you won't have to do anything yourselves!

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No it's not an ex hire boat and never was as I was told. Big family I think although I thought ex hire when I looked it over. I've never done the Thames so am looking forward to it as well. We have all the kit with the boat and it has done the Thames against a strong current. I don't know the exact equipment included but I do know there is an anchor. That is why I'll be therea week or so before the sart, to make sure we have what we need.

On another note I am currently chasing up money. I have to pay the balance within the next month and I have money tied up all over the place in order to get a good return, (average of 12% p.a.). It is a nightmare but it is slowly falling into place. If anyone wants tips on getting that sort of return, PM me. I get interest every month on the dot and it's £100 for every 10k.

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No it's not an ex hire boat and never was as I was told. Big family I think although I thought ex hire when I looked it over. I've never done the Thames so am looking forward to it as well. We have all the kit with the boat and it has done the Thames against a strong current. I don't know the exact equipment included but I do know there is an anchor. That is why I'll be therea week or so before the sart, to make sure we have what we need.

On another note I am currently chasing up money. I have to pay the balance within the next month and I have money tied up all over the place in order to get a good return, (average of 12% p.a.). It is a nightmare but it is slowly falling into place. If anyone wants tips on getting that sort of return, PM me. I get interest every month on the dot and it's £100 for every 10k.

Sounds like Savingstream, MoneyThing or Collateral.

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No it's not an ex hire boat and never was as I was told. Big family I think although I thought ex hire when I looked it over. I've never done the Thames so am looking forward to it as well. We have all the kit with the boat and it has done the Thames against a strong current. I don't know the exact equipment included but I do know there is an anchor. That is why I'll be therea week or so before the sart, to make sure we have what we need.

On another note I am currently chasing up money. I have to pay the balance within the next month and I have money tied up all over the place in order to get a good return, (average of 12% p.a.). It is a nightmare but it is slowly falling into place. If anyone wants tips on getting that sort of return, PM me. I get interest every month on the dot and it's £100 for every 10k.

PM

Sent.

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Anyone on here who has expressed an interest in crewing will be PM'd nearer the time. I'm really interested in people who are available for the northern part of the trip i.e. midlands upwards. Just tell me your availability on here and I'll bear you in mind.

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Anyone on here who has expressed an interest in crewing will be PM'd nearer the time. I'm really interested in people who are available for the northern part of the trip i.e. midlands upwards. Just tell me your availability on here and I'll bear you in mind.

You might find that by the time you get to the Midlands you're ready to go it alone and will be relieved to have the boat back to yourselves to experience the beautiful canals north of Birmingham that are far superior to those south of it.

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All canals are beautiful in their own way, even the ones lined with industrial sites like the last few miles of the GU (just south of Birmingham) or Ryders Green (just north). But for me there's nothing to beat the Thames between Reading and Oxford. Mile upon mile of gorgeousness, with a variety of river traffic from the Salters trip boats and gin palaces down to rowers, canoes and the odd swimmer. Most of it posh, with the tone occasionally lowered by some scruffy narrow boat. I hasten to add I haven't seen bigste's boat, but it sounds quite nice.

 

He hasn't said much about his boating experience that I'm aware of, but I get the impression that bigste and Mrs bigste are already competent to do this trip alone, they just fancy having crew along to assist. Never a bad idea on the eastern K&A in my experience, some of those locks and bridges need a bit of muscle.

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We are both up to the job and have been boating on and off since the 80's. We are more than happy to do most of it ourselves but there are a few places where locks are thick and fast, wide ones at that. As we are both pensioners (only just), that is where a bit of help would be nice. We have never done the Thames and are looking forward to that bit especially. Peter x's last paragraph has it spot on.

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  • 2 months later...

I just thought I should write a few words to say thank you to bigste and his wife for what was a very enjoyable trip. He was unwell for a chunk of it so I ended up doing more of the boating than had been planned, but that was fine by me, and I was well looked after, with a steady supply of tea and food brought to me at the tiller. It helped that the weather was kind to us, very little rain, and the rivers had gone down to normal safe levels. Early on in the trip it became apparent to us that all the batteries were on their last legs, and special thanks are due to Paul from Berkshire Batteries who went the extra mile for us; quite a few miles actually, driving over from Aldermaston to our nearest road bridge to deliver new batteries.

Due to these problems and also not being in a great hurry, it took us a week to get from Foxhangers to Reading, then we went for it more: Abingdon, Thrupp (yes we actually found a mooring there!), King's Sutton and a short final day to Banbury where I left. Quite a few people offered help through this topic for the later stages of the long journey north, and I gather some of them will be contacted in due course.

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