I wasn’t looking to live on a boat, until I met my now wife. Yes, it’s her fault. We were happy living in a house. Spending time and money to make to home we wanted. Spending more than £80,000 on renovations to a Victorian house. Got it the way we wanted back to Victorian colours, where possible Victorian décor and mouldings, plus the kitchen to die for (the only modern part of the whole house.)
Life and work getting in the way. Our life became sleep, work, eat, bed. the next day starts all over again. That’s no way to live. When it takes about two hours to get home after work. “TRAFFIC”………… As Sarah would phone my sister and say “ I hate Chelmsford”. Something had to be done. My work was around the south of Essex, still sitting in traffic along the A13 and A127. Southend sits out on the far end of south essex. So the only way out is to use those two roads.
We started to think about ways for Sarah of cutting time down from work to home. Moving to the most expensive part of the UK outside London was not an option. With flats over £400,000 plus and houses way more than that.
Then a conversation from the past came ringing back. What about a narrowboat. Wasn’t that a holiday thing? The research was underway. Had a look online and found a marina in Harlow. A thirty minute to work for Sarah. Now that’s interesting.
We started our search into narrowboats. Knowing that could be the way forward. This fell in time for the Crick boat show, in Northampton. The booking was made for the whole three days of the show and the campsite.
The show date arrived, not knowing what to expect. We got to Crick on Friday evening and set up camp. Being a regular camper, it doesn’t take long to setup and have the kettle on (well the beer out).
For those who haven’t visited Crick, if you are interested in boating, then this event is worth the trip. Three days of nothing but boats. Well that’s not true, there is beer and fruit-based drinks for the ladies. With its own Beer Festival, and live music in the big marquee.
The site is full of traders that cover just about anything you need or like for boating and the food section has a mix of cuisine. From the traditional pasty to fish and chip, or maybe something a little more exotic but the best start to the day is the breakfast rolls (bacon or sausage) and the coffee wasn’t that bad.
Saturday morning arrives, and the show opens. After breakfast, we made our way to the “Talk Tent”. This is the place where you get to hear from people that have done it, lived it and have many of the T shirts.
We heard the Why, What and How talks. Still interested. We moved in to the boat display area and made appointments to have a look during the weekend and meet the owners.
Checking out the layouts and design of the boats, giving us ideas of what we could do to make life comfortable and practical. This probably raised more questions than answers. Do we have folding beds? Or is having a fixed table. And that was just the start. Do we buy new or pre-owned, fully fitted or empty and DIY fitout? Etc. Ect.
After two and a half days of thinking and talking narrowboat. The decision was made. That’s what we will do, narrowboat is the way forward. New and built to our spec.
The one area at the show that we hadn’t visited during the time there, as it was always very busy, and you need to book to view was the broad/ wide beam boats. As we passed by the displays were empty. Here’s the chance to have a quick look.
Walking on to the first boat, this boat was more than £250,000., way over our budget. This craft had just about everything you would need from A/C to Wi-Fi and all mod con’s. BUT WOW what a boat. There were four boats on display at various prices layouts and contents. Took just over an hour to get around all four boats in this section.
Now that has put the cats amongst the pigeons. That was the point of confusion. Broad beam, narrowboat, Broad beam, narrowboat, Broad beam narrowboat. And so it went on.
A six months later after a lot of research, we made an appointment to visit a boat builder. Elton Moss based in Middlewich, Cheshire. We spent about two hours on the first visit, talking about possible designs and requirements. After this meeting and a bit more digging in to Elton Moss as a company and their building background. (At this point I must say, everyone one I contacted about Elton Moss didn’t have a bad thing to say about them.) That was it. We made the decision to commission them to build our new home.
After many meetings and emails (about another year) reviewing plans and options. The plans were set and the deposits paid for our build slot.
Meanwhile we set about selling our home to fund this new adventure in life. The house was on the market for three weeks with one agent and nothing. Gave it a little longer, with no luck. So, changed agents. During this time we started to clear the house. Now that’s where you find that you have 15 years of stuff in the loft that you haven’t gone near in all that time. So 5 skips later the loft and the house was ready for the new owner. Who ever that may be. Two days later with the new agents it was sold. All happened in four months and we were homeless. No house and no boat yet. So off we went to a Travelodge in Bishop Stortford. Only fifteen min’s from Sarah’s work. That was in the April. Having a provisional boat delivery date of the 28th of July.
Now the one big bit of advice that anyone buying a boat of any size. If it’s going to be on a mooring, Now is the time to find one. The bigger the boat the more problems you will have finding a mooring. When you have one, start the renting it now. Don’t wait for the boat to be delivered, because it will be gone and you have a real problem. See it , Get it.
We were very lucky, found one first trip out, around the location we wanted.
Ours is just outside Ely on the river Lark. Good road links (A14 and A11) to the rest of the world and 40 minutes for Sarah to get to work. Now it’s my time to have the trip through Chelmsford back to where we lived. But after Sarah drive across the county for 6 years, It must be my turn to do the journey in the other direction.
The build begins.
Just a note: If you are going to have a boat build, just remember that normal time and boat build time are two very different things.
This did mean there was time for a couple of trip to the factory. In a small village on the out-skirts of Trebic, about two hour’s drive from Prague.
Trebic is a very historic town and is a world heritage site, in fact it is the only place in the world that has two world heritage sites. A walk around the Jewish quarter was very interesting and in places very moving too. Worth a trip just in itself. We will be returning to Trebic soon.
When we got to the factory, we found that was the first day back after a public holiday and the steel only arrived to start the build had only one working day before we got there. But already they had started laying out sheets of steel and bending struts. Chalk marks on the floor was the start of our new home. Although a little disappointing not to see a hull, it was great see her being born.
The design team who are based at the factory, fortunately speak very good English. We met Ivo the factory manager, who spent a few years living in the UK and London. We sat down with him and started to go over the plans. A tweak here and there. We are off and running. Talking about very specific things. Wall panel colours, tiles for the kitchen and wall coverings in the bathroom and on-suite. We made a couple of visits to the factory, and each time the meeting was very focused on tiny details and a bit more tweaking. The information from the team in Trebic was great. Lots of photos and updates came every week.
During this time of no house and no boat, Crick came around again. Once again another three day event. Just as good as the last visit. Had the chance to take a RYA a brief introduction to boat handling course. The RYA instructor was brilliant. Tim, more of him later.
We met up with our builders. They were displaying a wide beam in the marina. One of their top of the range boats. CCTV, A/C, Satellite TV and about anything you could ask for. Needless to say, they won the best in show award.
Here is the moment of the construction of my Man Cave……
More photo’s of the build, showing progress.
Fast forward to the middle of October…….
The big moment……. She was completed, painted and all fitted out. Bright and early on the Thursday morning 12th October 2017, in the Czech Republic, she was loaded on to a very long lorry (the boat is 65ft x 10ft), set off UK bound. Wasn’t there to see it ourselves but the photos were sent as thing were happening. Very exciting to see.
She was to be in the water in the UK on the afternoon of the Friday 13th. What could possibly go wrong the 13th ha……. But not quite. Due to a paperwork delay in Germany, it wasn’t on the booked ferry at Calais. They now had to wait at the port for a ferry that had space for a load of that size. Good news. Friday lunch time (six hours late) she was on a ferry. Bad news was the crane driver at the marina we were putting her in the water, was going away for the weekend and couldn’t be there after 12 o’clock. The staff at Westview Marina were great. The crane driver held on till 2 o’clock, making herself late for her weekend away. Meanwhile the lorry is now lost somewhere between Dover and Cambridge. As no-one on the delivery team here in the UK can speak Czech and the driver doesn’t speak English, they are having to go via the factory and the transport company. Chinees whispers or what. At around 4 o’clock the lorry was found at Cambridge services on the A14. Safe. But too late for lifting into the water tonight. That’s where it stayed over the weekend at the services. This did mean Sarah and I had to find a hotel for the weekend. A chance to stay at one of our favourite hotels on the outskirts of Peterborough.
On the Monday a replacement crane driver (the brother on the previous driver) was on site and so was the lorry at 8:30am.
After what seemed like a million checks, we where ready for the main event. THE LIFT……. A bit of very carefully adjustments to the strops that now hug our new baby of 24 Tons, up and off the trailer she came. Now swinging in the air for what seemed an hour (only about 15 min’s) the lorry moved away from under her. More checks and then forward the crane moved and in to the water she went. With no more than a plop.
More checks by the delivery team and the build of the wheelhouse wooden frame. Like an Ikea flat pack.
All this had taken about five hours. At last the walk through and handover. Wow, she was better than I had in my head. Build quality is brilliant. Now for the quick motor out of the marina on to the Great Ouse river. I had a play with the controls and moored at the fuel station dock. (With a lot of help.) The Lethbridge Stewart had arrived and was ours. That’s it, we are on our own now with a new home a full tank of diesel and overflowing water tanks. The world is ours, well the rivers and canals that are big enough for us.
So that was Monday, as darkness fell. I glass of beer and to bed, still at Westview marina.
Tuesday. Our trainer from the RYA arrived just after 9o’clock. Tim (I said he would hear more about him) took his time with us newbies. Went over everything about the boat we needed to start, with some tips and some safety breifing.
Only having about half an hour of experience with this boat the day before, getting her out of the marina to the fuel point on the river. But that was our experience so far. So, with a lot of trepidation, we set off and within 500 yards our first lock. Now that’s a start to the day.
Here’s something for the history buffs. Hermitage lock was first built in 1651 by Cornelius Vermuyden and was replaced in 1825, the current lock was refurbished in 1997.
We with help from Tim and the lock keeper we were through, I was feeling sorry for Sarah, as she had to do the rope work in the lock to hold the boat in place. That’s heavy work. Once out of the lock Sarah and I took turns in taking control (I use the term loosely, as neither of us realy had control at this time). The long trip began.
This is where you find the pace of life and you slow to river speed. We also found how long the GREAT OUSE river is. After a few adventures with bridges and tight bends, missing a few trees too well almost ‘Five’ hours we made the call to stop over in Ely. As to go any further it would have been dark. Another hour and we moored for the night. Tim goes off to his hotel and us off to sleep.
9 o’clock we started again. Tim spent time going over knots, a few handling tips and some safety items.
This time I ran the lines and untied, Sarah pulled away. Centre of the river and off. We make our way to the River Lark, mostly uneventful, the odd GRP heading for us and turning at the last second. Almost like they were playing chicken. Two hours later we reach the junction. With a sigle of blasts of the horn we make the turn on to the Lark. We are on the home run now. No more surprises, that’s what you think…. For those who know the Lark all is well for sometime then that bridge……..
Prickwillow bridge is around that bend. “NO STOP”, she is not going to go under that. And guess what. The Prickwillow moorings are closed, with a bright orange construction fence blocking access. Oh what fun. Thanks to Tim. He was able to get a line on a mooring post and fixed us there for us take the back rails down. That gave us just enough clearance with about half an inch to the roof of the wheelhouse. A note for next time get ready before as you now know what you must do. We left the rails hanging on their hooks over the sides and carried on. Not far now. Passing by a couple of moorings on the river. Isleham marina is coming into view. All we need do is make the turn into the marina then along eight boats and into our own moorings where we were greeted by some of our new neighbours who help to bring us in and to moor up.
So that’s it. We arrived home on the 18th Oct 2017. We have been practising our rope work (a great drinking game) and are getting ready for spring to start the cruising. The first trip hopefully will be to the pub on the Great Ouse at the end of the Lark. Only two hours with an overnight stay, then the trip back, all with our home with us.
We do have a long-term plan of the rivers and canals of Europe. But maybe start around the UK. That’s a few years away. But in the planning already.
Happy Boating
Sarah and Steve Smith, on the Lethbridge Stewart plus the cats.
Note. Not all of the photos in this are owned by us. These are direct from the Crick website.
Larking around with a Ham 