Post by quaysider on Apr 6, 2018 20:28:58 GMT
If I have a fault, it's my modesty!
Just to bring you good folk (and Mr Stabby) up to speed.... THIS week we've had our maiden voyage and despite mother nature doing her best to feck things up with the rivers, we've had a blast with 2 "soon to be boat owners" and thoroughly enjoyed the experience - Patty, you'll be ok for at least 3 days of food... the rest we'll make up as we go along!
Since they left yesterday, we've turned the boat into a Chinese laundry... (at least that's what it feels like) but even that's not too bad - running the engine whilst washing/drying and stopping in a different place to normal has given us the opportunity to chat with different people (including an impromptu bottle of wine on a picnic bench with a new boater) and "enjoy" boating life.
Tonight, having spent a day "tinkering with improvements suggested by our first guests" we went to the pub for tea (and a quick couple of bottles) - on route back, we stopped to chat with some newbies on their lovely fat bottomed girl from Aintree... whilst nattering, another boater (also fat bottomed - boat I'm on about) went by then seemed to veer to starboard (that's right I think)... within a few seconds, screams could be heard from his good lady and their boat was in reverse, ending up wedged between a boat each side of the canal.... initially we thought - 'oh dear - they're drunk... but then her screams became more serious.... "he's in the water" was shouted... at which point we realised it was a "man overboard" situation....
It's deep here - even at the sides it's nigh on 6 ft...
SUPER ginge (no, that is NOT an oxymoron) lept into action, climbing over another boat and struggling across their ruddy cratch cover, and down their boat to the back to help. Meanwhile, the chap whose boat they'd just hit, was trying to pull the mob out of the water... - with more people accumulating on "that" side of the cut, I took charge of the wide-beam and dislodged her from her wedge and took her up the canal a few hundred yards to her home mooring - squeezing her in the smallest of spaces without a scrape or centre line (which was dangling to starboard)...
Having never been on a wide girl (steady) before nor squeezed into such a small space I HAVE to say I did a very good job - of both parking (sorry, mooring) AND calming down the ships mate who was a little historical.
Luckily, the black Labrador on board remained calm # read oblivious* and all is now well...
well I say well, He's got a dislocated shoulder judging by the noises he's making and we spotted whist we've been away with our first guests that some scrote has stolen our bike - which was chained to the picnic bench... asquads!
Just to bring you good folk (and Mr Stabby) up to speed.... THIS week we've had our maiden voyage and despite mother nature doing her best to feck things up with the rivers, we've had a blast with 2 "soon to be boat owners" and thoroughly enjoyed the experience - Patty, you'll be ok for at least 3 days of food... the rest we'll make up as we go along!
Since they left yesterday, we've turned the boat into a Chinese laundry... (at least that's what it feels like) but even that's not too bad - running the engine whilst washing/drying and stopping in a different place to normal has given us the opportunity to chat with different people (including an impromptu bottle of wine on a picnic bench with a new boater) and "enjoy" boating life.
Tonight, having spent a day "tinkering with improvements suggested by our first guests" we went to the pub for tea (and a quick couple of bottles) - on route back, we stopped to chat with some newbies on their lovely fat bottomed girl from Aintree... whilst nattering, another boater (also fat bottomed - boat I'm on about) went by then seemed to veer to starboard (that's right I think)... within a few seconds, screams could be heard from his good lady and their boat was in reverse, ending up wedged between a boat each side of the canal.... initially we thought - 'oh dear - they're drunk... but then her screams became more serious.... "he's in the water" was shouted... at which point we realised it was a "man overboard" situation....
It's deep here - even at the sides it's nigh on 6 ft...
SUPER ginge (no, that is NOT an oxymoron) lept into action, climbing over another boat and struggling across their ruddy cratch cover, and down their boat to the back to help. Meanwhile, the chap whose boat they'd just hit, was trying to pull the mob out of the water... - with more people accumulating on "that" side of the cut, I took charge of the wide-beam and dislodged her from her wedge and took her up the canal a few hundred yards to her home mooring - squeezing her in the smallest of spaces without a scrape or centre line (which was dangling to starboard)...
Having never been on a wide girl (steady) before nor squeezed into such a small space I HAVE to say I did a very good job - of both parking (sorry, mooring) AND calming down the ships mate who was a little historical.
Luckily, the black Labrador on board remained calm # read oblivious* and all is now well...
well I say well, He's got a dislocated shoulder judging by the noises he's making and we spotted whist we've been away with our first guests that some scrote has stolen our bike - which was chained to the picnic bench... asquads!