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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2020 9:58:29 GMT
We're only on board from January onwards ... and reading some of these posts makes me glad of it. October, November, December in the house ... whilst the nights are closing in. January as the new year begins back onboard. I'm always impressed by full time live aboards managing their winters ... especially the continuous cruisers. And as metanoia mentioned ... 14 years largely single handing is impressive in my eyes. Rog I found it was Dec/Jan/Feb that were the hardest months..
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2020 10:04:48 GMT
I found my first winter on the boat CCing fairly miserable, mainly due to loneliness setting in. My solution was to pay for an on-line mooring close to a town but still 'countryfied' near to family. 10 mins very dark walk along a rough but hard path brings me to the 'bright lights' of town. Being easily able to visit family and the occasional chats with other boaters who you get to know (and help out/be helped out by) sorted the loneliness.
Still have all the hassle of charging/water/elsan/rubbish but that is just minor stuff - easily dealt with.
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Post by JohnV on Nov 24, 2020 10:05:51 GMT
like the avatar
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Post by Mr Stabby on Nov 24, 2020 10:10:45 GMT
We're only on board from January onwards ... and reading some of these posts makes me glad of it. October, November, December in the house ... whilst the nights are closing in. January as the new year begins back onboard. I'm always impressed by full time live aboards managing their winters ... especially the continuous cruisers. And as metanoia mentioned ... 14 years largely single handing is impressive in my eyes. Rog I found it was Dec/Jan/Feb that were the hardest months.. Personally, I find this, November to be the most difficult month. Half-way through December, on the 13th, we have the earliest sunset of the year and by the end of December it is already noticeably lighter later into the afternoon. As we pass into the new year I start to feel that I am over half-way through my stint at work and the time to go boating starts coming into view. Of course the weather can be fairly miserable but generally my optimism levels start to rise, which compensates for that.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2020 10:14:42 GMT
There was an old guy (well in his 70's) who'd lived aboard for decades on a boat called Roma. He told us he used to wait until afternoon when it got dark before going wandering around the shops enjoying the bright lights. He found the darkness was his enemy. Lives near his family in a flat now ... lovely old guy. Rog ETA There is a flaw in seeking employment as a christmas temp in Jan, Feb and March
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2020 10:14:59 GMT
Not many ladies out working in the colder months I imagine, less stabby action in the truck.
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Post by JohnV on Nov 24, 2020 10:22:13 GMT
I found it was Dec/Jan/Feb that were the hardest months.. Personally, I find this, November to be the most difficult month. Half-way through December, on the 13th, we have the earliest sunset of the year and by the end of December it is already noticeably lighter later into the afternoon. As we pass into the new year I start to feel that I am over half-way through my stint at work and the time to go boating starts coming into view. Of course the weather can be fairly miserable but generally my optimism levels start to rise, which compensates for that. not sure I would totally agree ..... November is hard but so are December and January, by the end of January it's getting noticeably lighter and there is the promise of spring to come.
I have never been a great lover of winter and as I have got older I find I dislike it more. I really hate feeling cold and even more I hate that there are so many jobs habve to wait for better weather.
I'm not saying there aren't days I love in winter, last winter I had a couple of trips on the river in glorious weather, cold but that didn't matter when you could sit on deck by the cooling air outlet from a 6 cylinder air cooled Lister.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2020 10:24:12 GMT
There was an old guy (well in his 70's) who'd lived aboard for decades on a boat called Roma. He told us he used to wait until afternoon when it got dark before going wandering around the shops enjoying the bright lights. He found the darkness was his enemy. Lives near his family in a flat now ... lovely old guy. Rog ETA There is a flaw in seeking employment as a christmas temp in Jan, Feb and March One of the boaters here is in her early eighties (how early depends what she thinks on any day... ), she is still self sufficient in day to day stuff. Been here for 40 years.
Hope I'm as lucky as her.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2020 10:37:03 GMT
Its not that great at home either, this lockdown is killing me, looking at the figures Nuneaton & Bedworth are likely to be in Tier 3 next week anyway so pubs and stuff will still be shut, getting really board of being in the house.
Last night was difficult, ended up asleep before 10, trying to stay away from the beer is also hard when you don't have much to do, think tonight I will make a start down the garden on my bbq shack upgrades just to get out the house.
Also cant visit the boat in a couple of weeks if we are in tier 3, really need to get up there and empty water, lift matress and get my expensive bits out for the winter.
Tier three should only be full lockdown for the idiots who carry on regardless and don't wear masks.
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Post by Telemachus on Nov 24, 2020 11:17:48 GMT
When we first got our boat 10 years ago I did have vague notions about living aboard full time when I retired, but having done quite a lot of cruising the first few winters I decided that there were just too many hours of darkness to make it anything more than a chore. So winters in the house, thank you!
We have been on the boat each Christmas since and hoping to do same this year (as far as I can tell, and it is confusing, one can now sleep over in 2nd homes in Englandshire). Really like Christmas on the boat but also happy to get back to the house afterwards. There is simply not enough space in the boat to do anything much in the hours of darkness apart from read, watch telly, eat and drink! Whereas at home I have lots of other constructive things to do with my time.
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Post by Trina on Nov 24, 2020 11:53:45 GMT
This year,we'll be spending Christmas in the new house.It'll be the first Christmas in a house since 2003 ! We often took the boat out for Christmas & had trips to Norbury,the Bratch,Stourport,Kinver & Alvechurch(moored at Oldbury at the time). Only one year was a problem,we got back as far as Brum & were then iced in for nearly 3 weeks ! P stayed on the boat & I got a bus home as I was teaching back then.Since then,we've spent Christmas on our mooring with a bit of local cruising thrown in-Norbury for a couple of years & now Audlem.
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Post by Mr Stabby on Nov 24, 2020 11:59:55 GMT
I doubt I will move the boat again until March/April, Reminds me - insurance company demanded a survey? Blacking when? Towergate wanted a survey. So they didn't get my business. Blacking will be March or April immediately before I set off cruising. Not sure when exactly as this depends on factors outside my control at this time.
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Post by naughtyfox on Nov 24, 2020 12:06:36 GMT
Its good advice about the winter marina life, marinas such as Barry Hawkins yard on the Atherstone flight need no licence, so £180/month may seem a little steep but you can knock your licence off whilst you are in there, so now its only £100 extra, take away the cost of fuel to charge engines and run backwards and forwards to top up water, stay under the CRT radar and it doesn't look as bad.. Couple in with 240v, water and someone to chat to each day! I'm convinced loneliness kills. I thought you had a new partner? I am looking forwards to covering Berkshire in a thick cloud of smog from my stove at Christmas! Nice 'n' cosy with the stove, glass of single malt, and a beer, and poking something in the frying pan. Frying pan handy for dealing with zombies too!
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Post by naughtyfox on Nov 24, 2020 12:13:30 GMT
Its not that great at home either, this lockdown is killing me Get used to it - it's not going away. Oh - and you won't have a boat by January 2022 - mark my words!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2020 13:22:02 GMT
This year,we'll be spending Christmas in the new house.It'll be the first Christmas in a house since 2003 ! We often took the boat out for Christmas & had trips to Norbury,the Bratch,Stourport,Kinver & Alvechurch(moored at Oldbury at the time). Only one year was a problem,we got back as far as Brum & were then iced in for nearly 3 weeks ! P stayed on the boat & I got a bus home as I was teaching back then.Since then,we've spent Christmas on our mooring with a bit of local cruising thrown in-Norbury for a couple of years & now Audlem. We buggered off up the Ashby last year for a few nights between xmas and new year, was a nice break away from it all, but not sure we will ever cruise on xmas day due to Gill having 3 kids and grandkids that she likes to have over.
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