honey ryder

I can't help but feel a wave of mild shock at seeing the prices of marina mooring at the beginning of this thread. I thought I was in an expensive part of the country (yes different boat, different circumstances etc) being on the south coast, in the middle bit where it's the most populated and expensive. but over 6000 for an inland mooring? wow that is mighty mighty expensive. Yes I know narrowboats are longer than most regular coastal boats, but they're thinner. I don't understand why they aren't working on square meters or some other measurement. A 50' narrowboat has a similar amount of space to a 30' motorboat. Yet narrowboats tend to get shoe horned in next to each other with just their fenders between or not much more than that. On the east coast, where I moved from last, there was a broadbeam there, on a drying mooring with electricity and water and easy short walk to car parking etc, it was only around £150 ish a month. For a live aboard who doesn't want to venture too far, it was an idyllic setting.

I did have a washing/drying machine in my narrowboat. (it ran off the electrolux travel power on the engine) (the boat was designed by the previous/first owner to have a space for a machine) The thing that foxed people was not having a satellite dish/cable tv etc. a fair few people considered that as essential as having food. Some people asked where we plugged in to get the mains power. Which when I said that we didn't ever plug into mains power. That was too much for some people to handle.

So, finally it's goodbye to the winter. Kinda. Not counting the cold wind howling through the doorway today. but Hello BST. I wrote a thing today answering four of the most asked questions, the same questions I was asked when I lived on my narrowboat and continue to get asked now, on a different kind of salty water boat. here is the thing: http://www.boogie-nights.org/2017/03/can-you-smell-that.html the questions I attempt to answer are: Is it cold in winter? What do you do in the evenings? Aren't you scared ((when it gets stormy?)) walking down a dark tow path, being on your own, etc etc Don't you wish you were in a house? I once got asked how do you live in such a tiny space, do you have to bend over all the time, as the person asking the question didn't realise that narrowboats actually go further down than the surface of the water. Another was, how do you move it? has anyone else had some questions repeatedly asked of you on your narrowboats? cheers Jayne

Alas, I live with this, so I see it with different, familiar eyes. That's my bedroom. :-)

I'm not sure where the toilet seat idea comes from, can't quite see what you mean. I haven't seen anyone painting the watertank, but when we painted the engine 'ole it was a task only suitable for my bendier other half at the time. Getting the gas boiler was a similarly fun task back on my narrowboat. as was getting the portapotti out on a very regular basis for the usual reason.

I've been scribbling and typing away making myself giggle the past few weeks after a front cabin cleaning frenzy went further than I intended. I actually wrote this during the UK summer, but only just got around to finishing it. I know I stepped away from the narrowboat a while back, but a lot of this is still relevant. I found myself in all sorts of contortions even back then in a massive (comparatively speaking) 57 footer. http://www.boogie-nights.org/2016/10/bend-it-like-boater.html

probably one of the many reasons I'm still single :-)

pork pie? um, I'd rather lick my dogs ring piece. pork pie is made up of lips'n'arseool anyway. I generally cater pretty well for guests. I don't think it's the catering at fault. I am going to have to investigate the pork pie though as part of my regional culinary research for my masters major project. and for the person who asked what F6 is, on my compoota it controls the brightness of my keyboard illumination. out on the water, (beaufort force) F6 is fun and frisky. Just the way I like my.... never mind.

I like a bit of comfort. that was the start of a race. most other boats have them too. glad of that spray hood when on night watch and the waves are constantly hitting it.

yes I'm still on lumpy water :-) I thought the images were a dead giveaway... though the dating techniques apply to all genders I think. clearly not quite working for me right now. I quite like reading blogs and what other folks are up to. It's not done in a narcissistic way despite your misgivings. I originally started the blog so my mum could keep up with what I was up to as well as other NB'ers on here so I could meet up and what not. but gradually it changed, as did my boat. I grew tired of seeing others ripping off or sharing stuff they didn't create themselves, funny stuff and nobody ever wonders, who created that thing, that meme or that funny cat video. I decided that I should probably continue to share the silly things I/we get up to because why not? It can be funny and relatable. And it's not cats. the world is saturated with mediocre click bate, pop up adverts and product placement. I don't do any of that. and fingers crossed I might get one or two guest bloggers soon... I'm also working on a new magazine launch (yeah I am a journalist/photographer after all, that's my job - well one of them) it's part of my masters degree major project I'm working on over the next 15 months. I did a slightly humorous survey if anyone fancies a look: http://british-eccentricities-mapazine.blogspot.co.uk/ don't be misled, its not a blog. its not commercial and its part of my studies, which I hope will include canals and the inland waterways. I'll be on the look out for interesting stories to follow. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UjZPj2bBvLA/VD_oJdQ_tVI/AAAAAAAAM3A/_Rpe-Kl_s5Q/s1600/14257060129_a633eec514_h.jpg

after a moderately disappointing date with "someone who doesn't" last weekend I felt moved to write a blog about how to date boaters, sailor and "those who don't" I had giggle whilst I hugged my kickspace heater on a cold damp bank holiday. It's just for fun, don't shoot me down in flames. http://www.boogie-nights.org/2016/05/how-to-date-sailors-essential-guide.html no matter what kind of boater you are, it's relatable I think. happy cruising (btw I'm still available...)

I had an interesting encounter with a 20' open fishing boat (with a small cuddy over the helm) The chap had gone out of the river Roach in Essex and taken three women with him (his sister, his niece and his girl friend) they intended on a nice little afternoon out. it was quite nice weather for it. He had bought the boat a while before, but not taken it out fully. He'd tested the engine in safe area. the problems started when they ran aground and were stuck for hours on a mud bank causing them to get free of it as dusk was falling. they headed back into the river, but the weather had turned quite windy. in the dark, they went straight past the entrance for their river and continued down the river Crouch until they came across lights and pulled alongside me asking where they were. the women were cold and quite scared. turns out the chap didn't know about tidal effects, how to use his vhf radio or how to use his chart plotter (when I looked, it was showing a base map, which means he hadn't actually loaded any additional charts into it, meaning it was useless). He had no paper charts. it wasn't that he was reckless, simply uninformed. He had gone out there and navigated by eye. That's fine on a lake. The boat was fine and was unchallenged in the conditions. Likewise a 20' Bucaneer as OP intends to use is absolutely fine for fair weather coastal use. The questions should be, what do I have to do to make ME seaworthy. VHF licence + VHF radio paper charts, compass and basic day skipper knowledge a book of tide times and some sort of almanac giving local knowledge of areas you can go and at what time/state of tide. life jackets for everyone on board. everything else you can learn on the go. happy cruising.

it's quite wordy.

erm... I think I did... I'll get my coat

ok, gotcha. don't even think about expecting gratuitous nudity...