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Crew available London area


Capt. D

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I’m a retired yacht delivery skipper from the Caribbean and for health reasons I’m moving back to UK.
I can’t afford to buy or rent a place here in London, the prices are through the roof, and I’m not really a house or flat person anyway, so I’ve been looking at narrow boats as an affordable alternative.


I’ve lived on boats for almost 50 years so I could easily see myself living on a canal boat, not sure about the winter!
What I’d like is to crew for a while until I can figure out what I want.

If you need crew in the London area I’m available.

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High on the list of things you'll want to figure out is whether London is the right place for you. You're probably at least partly aware of the problems of the canals in London, i.e. the difficulty of finding moorings in the centre and East End and the limited facilities. But it's overcrowded for the same reason that London property in general is, that a lot of people want to be in London for employment or because the people they know are in London. If this doesn't apply to you, your boating and to some extent other living costs will be lower elsewhere, particularly once you're beyond easy commuting distance. There are a lot of canals and rivers up north with plenty of room on them.

Also, you should probably try to play to your strengths. I don't know what experience you have of inland boating, particularly lock operation and steering to avoid other boats, weirs etc., but I think people from a sea-going background don't take long to learn it because they already know a lot of useful stuff and just have to get used to being so close to land all the time!

Conversely, someone like me whose experience is all inland has a lot to learn before going out on all that scary lumpy water with all its potential dangers. I often crew for other people on the forum, typically a week or two helping to move a boat for people who either lack the knowledge or need someone fit to do the locks, but I'd be out of my comfort zone anywhere downriver from Brentford. You on the other hand would be very useful to someone needing to move a boat on tidal rivers or at sea, if your health permits it.

In London boats don't move so much, especially in winter, so any demand for crew might take the shape of someone living aboard who wants a helper to take the boat for water and pumpout regularly and generally look after it while they lead their very busy London life.

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Welcome. Peters post says it all realy. I would just add that the majority of the uk system is outside London and MUCH nicer place to be so I would bin London and move somewhere nice to be on a boat. Also winter is fantastic on the boat, far less hassle when moving etc etc the only problem can be getting iced in and being too warm on the boat :cheers:

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I think you are both wrong.

Thus chap could set up a thriving business here. Move people's boats 2 Miles and one lock whilst they are at work and then move the next one 2 Miles and one lock. 

Build up a good client base and you could make a fortune ,co-ordinating boat moves west or east from Kensal Green to Stonebridge and back. You could probably shuffle 8 boats every day and never have to worry about finding a mooring as you just moor where the next one is.

Find out who's away for a few days and thats the accommodation issue sorted.

SImples. 

Edited by matty40s
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Thanks guys, I appreciate the replies. But for the moment I’m stuck in London.

 Matty’s idea sounds a really good idea. I’m seriously looking into it.

I’ve been searching the net looking for a forum with a comprehensive section devoted to canal boat owners looking for crew but apart from one website where they want you to pay to join I can’t find anything.

Anybody got any suggestions?

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I've a feeling the post by matty40s was rather tongue in cheek. But also rather true! Certainly if you want to specialise in boat wrangling in London I expect that the London Boaters group on facebook might be the best place for you, but that you'd need a base on some particular boat rather than a nomadic existence.

For owners needing help to move a boat on UK inland waters, this forum is the best resource as far as I know. Bear in mind that sometimes topics which belong in Crew Swap turn up in other parts of the forum and vice-versa. Or someone comes on with a fixed idea as to whether to move by road, or using a professional boat mover, or just a DIY trip with some unpaid person like me as crew, then after some discussion they realise that a different option is more suitable for their circumstances.

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