hlb
RIP
We've just been out for a country run and inevitably because I haven't seen the boat for a couple of months. We headed for Coniston and Windermere, calling in at the marina village for a coffee. Now firstly it constantly amaizes me, the size of boats, up to 60ft on a lake thats only 12 miles long. Years ago we used to trail our cuddy cabin American thingy up there for the weekend, dont know if things have changed but there was a choice of about three places to moor, all jettys having a sign on them saying things like KEEP OFF,or HALF HOUR ONLY,or ££££ FINE. Or simply BUGGER OFF!
Now it would be lovely to have the boat less than an hour away on Windermere, instead of 5-6 hours away in Plymouth, but what the hell do you do all year. I mean, you can buzz round the lake in an hour or take it very slowly and make a weekend of it, but what then!
The other thing we noticed was the uncaring way all the boats were moored. All looked a bit Fred Carny. Just a couple of bits of string tied at any old angle to the nearest stump, fenders seemed to be optional extras.
Down the bottom of the lake where it goes into the river. Boats were moored with bows tied hard into a stone wall! Ok there was the odd tyre tied to the wall but few boats seemed to hit them and those that did, all had nasty tyre markes down them. The others, well you might guess!
Now as Windermere is the home of Asambo Binliners. ( They sell them up there like chip butties) And the thread a few floors below was asking about them. I made a special study. Now ther were boats much older than Binladins, and most looking quite reasonable for age. But then, and you can make them all out in the distance, theres this boat that looks like it has'nt had a wash in years, closer inspection says. The trouble with washing it, a bit more comes off on the sponge! You see, they love having jazzy stick on motiifs around Binladens , which look great in the show room, but look horrid a few years later, And then there the inevitable putty round the windows, that looks like its been put on with a carving knife. Then theres the special grey paint on the older ones (Or whatever it is.) That goes especialy dull in no time.
Anyway back to the plot.
I was perusing with th-wife whether I could live with the boat on Windermere, after all its got a lovely club house complete with swiming pool, and all done up like the dogs bollocks.
"Yer would'nt last five minutes." She snarled. Luckily today, she kept her teeth in, so there was no visible damage done.
Older bretheren here will be aware of the year that I made the unfortunate error, of taking the boat on a detour From Plymouth to Stourport for the winter. Now dont get me wrong. The club house was great and with the folks in the marina there, it was just like home from home.
But, trip up the river, half a mile, then run out of water. Scruffy pub. Trip down river, lock, "I'm in charge here" type lock keeper, then warned, Go extra, extra slow round next bend. Theres a bloke lives there and he's made a life long comitment to complain about anyone doing above 2 knots. Boats handling now like a jelly in the current.
In between this lot, theres big tree trunks floating along, and if you try to miss one, the other two get you! You can feel the back end rise as the propelors try to scramble over them.
Mean while the lock keepers, having nothing more to do, have been telephoning each other to say when your expected. "Should have taken 1.3245 hours from last lock to this" I gives blank look! " Yerv just done it in five bloody minutes." "Err sorry, err its the current, err am rubbish at this stuff."
Then theres BWW, who seemingly want to drill holes in the bottom of boat, to give more ventilation!
So it was off, sharpish, back to. As long as your not completly bonkers Plymouth. Ramble, rant, rant.
Haydn
Now it would be lovely to have the boat less than an hour away on Windermere, instead of 5-6 hours away in Plymouth, but what the hell do you do all year. I mean, you can buzz round the lake in an hour or take it very slowly and make a weekend of it, but what then!
The other thing we noticed was the uncaring way all the boats were moored. All looked a bit Fred Carny. Just a couple of bits of string tied at any old angle to the nearest stump, fenders seemed to be optional extras.
Down the bottom of the lake where it goes into the river. Boats were moored with bows tied hard into a stone wall! Ok there was the odd tyre tied to the wall but few boats seemed to hit them and those that did, all had nasty tyre markes down them. The others, well you might guess!
Now as Windermere is the home of Asambo Binliners. ( They sell them up there like chip butties) And the thread a few floors below was asking about them. I made a special study. Now ther were boats much older than Binladins, and most looking quite reasonable for age. But then, and you can make them all out in the distance, theres this boat that looks like it has'nt had a wash in years, closer inspection says. The trouble with washing it, a bit more comes off on the sponge! You see, they love having jazzy stick on motiifs around Binladens , which look great in the show room, but look horrid a few years later, And then there the inevitable putty round the windows, that looks like its been put on with a carving knife. Then theres the special grey paint on the older ones (Or whatever it is.) That goes especialy dull in no time.
Anyway back to the plot.
I was perusing with th-wife whether I could live with the boat on Windermere, after all its got a lovely club house complete with swiming pool, and all done up like the dogs bollocks.
"Yer would'nt last five minutes." She snarled. Luckily today, she kept her teeth in, so there was no visible damage done.
Older bretheren here will be aware of the year that I made the unfortunate error, of taking the boat on a detour From Plymouth to Stourport for the winter. Now dont get me wrong. The club house was great and with the folks in the marina there, it was just like home from home.
But, trip up the river, half a mile, then run out of water. Scruffy pub. Trip down river, lock, "I'm in charge here" type lock keeper, then warned, Go extra, extra slow round next bend. Theres a bloke lives there and he's made a life long comitment to complain about anyone doing above 2 knots. Boats handling now like a jelly in the current.
In between this lot, theres big tree trunks floating along, and if you try to miss one, the other two get you! You can feel the back end rise as the propelors try to scramble over them.
Mean while the lock keepers, having nothing more to do, have been telephoning each other to say when your expected. "Should have taken 1.3245 hours from last lock to this" I gives blank look! " Yerv just done it in five bloody minutes." "Err sorry, err its the current, err am rubbish at this stuff."
Then theres BWW, who seemingly want to drill holes in the bottom of boat, to give more ventilation!
So it was off, sharpish, back to. As long as your not completly bonkers Plymouth. Ramble, rant, rant.
Haydn