Great boating experience. I am a convert.

dylanwinter said:
the best thing is when you turn the darned engine off at the end of the day

I can stick canals for about four days....

then I am dreaming about sailing, the gentle chucle of water around a bow, the beauty of sea-birds in flight, the pull of the tide, the peaceful anchorages
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There is something in that, but after three hours of plugging to windward at 20 degrees of heel in high apparent wind speeds I long for a canal.

Bottom line for me is that one type of boating is not enough. I like quiet anchorages, warm nights at sea, sunny days on a canal, kayaking up a creek, the gin palace in the med, the dinghy along the coast.

Each has its place. Too much of any one doesn't work for me.
 
I have every plan that when this boat becomes to much and the next boat has taken its toll.. Then it will be time to retire to the canal's, have done various chunks of canals in the past and would like to do more when I "retire" form the sea..
 
The only cannal trip I have done is Crinnan. I used to quite enjoy the trip, just a one day event taking a short cut from the Clyde to the West Coast.
I would quite like to try a cannal boat for wee trip some time. I don't think I could actualy be converted though.
 
Yantlet said:
What breed is Minnie John?
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She's a ComPac 19, built in Florida and, as far as I know, the only one in UK. She is 7' on the beam and draft is around 2.5' - this just 'fits' our inland waterway system so a couple of years ago I took the rig off and put her on the Lancaster Canal. I'm intending to explore the canals, of which there are about 3,000 miles in England, when I get the time.
 
Salty John said:
She's a ComPac 19, built in Florida and, as far as I know, the only one in UK. She is 7' on the beam and draft is around 2.5' - this just 'fits' our inland waterway system so a couple of years ago I took the rig off and put her on the Lancaster Canal. I'm intending to explore the canals, of which there are about 3,000 miles in England, when I get the time.
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sailing on the canals

the "hardy Corinthians" of the Humber Yawl Club did a lot of canal sailing

it is lovely and quiet and takes very little drive to get the boat going

but you do need an easy drop mast

bung an ent rig on your boat

D
 
Salty John said:
She's a ComPac 19, built in Florida and, as far as I know, the only one in UK. She is 7' on the beam and draft is around 2.5' - this just 'fits' our inland waterway system so a couple of years ago I took the rig off and put her on the Lancaster Canal. I'm intending to explore the canals, of which there are about 3,000 miles in England, when I get the time.
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I thought that might be the case, I have seen them in Small Craft Adviser, always thought they looked a sensible small yacht.
 
dylanwinter said:
sailing on the canals

the "hardy Corinthians" of the Humber Yawl Club did a lot of canal sailing

it is lovely and quiet and takes very little drive to get the boat going

but you do need an easy drop mast

bung an ent rig on your boat

D
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Seems to me some kind of bipod mast attached to the existing chainplates would be the answer?
 
The original plan was to fit an electric drive but as the design progressed it became clear that it was a non-starter. The recharging, as always, is the problem - too much solar panel area required, or a generator or shore power. Abandoned the project in favour of a Honda outboard.
 
That looks great fun family harmonious cultural holidaying.

The only canal I have 'done' ( unless you include parts of The Ditch, the US ICW) was to take my Corribee through Brittany and not around the end.. Some years ago now. So quiet it were horizontal laid back, like...

10 days iirc and it were delightful as the gales swayed the poplars overhead, but a decided relief to pop the mast back in, turn the o/b off and quietly tack it's junk rig down to Arzal and back to the sea ...bliss.
 
I'm doing my first canal trip in September, Bradford on Avon to Bath and back in four days with twenty blokes on two barges. It's my nephew in law's stag do and his dad and I are planning on being the skippers, anyone ever raced barges before?
 
When I worked in Yorkshire during week and returning to Norfolk home at weekends I was looking at buying a narrow boat to live on. Was amazed at the cost of moorings - seemed to be on the same scale as the Solent with the risk in some areas that you would not be allowed access to your boat in times of flooding. So by the time you add up maintenance, mooring etc there wasn't any benefit and the thought of another boat to look after put me off!
 
TeeRev said:
I'm doing my first canal trip in September, Bradford on Avon to Bath and back in four days with twenty blokes on two barges. It's my nephew in law's stag do and his dad and I are planning on being the skippers, anyone ever raced barges before?
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I was on that section of canal this week. If you go over 2 knots people shout at you. Not much of a race. You can walk faster on the towpath.
 
Karouise said:
I was looking at buying a narrow boat to live on. Was amazed at the cost of moorings - seemed to be on the same scale as the Solent with the risk in some areas that you would not be allowed access to your boat in times of flooding. So by the time you add up maintenance, mooring etc there wasn't any benefit
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Some water gypsies constantly move to avoid mooring costs.
Some outstay their welcome.
 
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