Boating bits and bobs

Well, the weather has changed dramatically and we've just had a weekend of violent wind and rain, so no further spuddles have been possible, which put me in a bit of a hump. I hope it won't get too cold now as I'd dearly like to be able to go out again on the boat, but I'm unashamed about saying I'm a strictly fair weather farer. Without a wheelhouse, there's no way I'm going to stand at the back of the boat and get either frozen or soaked - for fun.


So, to make up for it a little, I've read another couple of boaty books - this time they are both about narrowboating in England (I can always dream, can't I?), so here's my impressions of them. The first one is called The Narrowboat Lad By Daniel Mark Brown.


I downloaded it on my Kindle and read it in one sitting, so I don't think it's all that long as I'm not a fast reader. Still, I enjoyed it very much. The author is a young man who decided to buy a narrowboat when he realised he'd never be able to afford to buy or even rent a house that he would enjoy living in. Quite a loner already, Daniel loves the country and did a great deal of cycling and walking before he decided this was the way for him to go. When he buys his thirty foot home, he has never set foot on a boat before and certainly never 'driven' one, so the story of his hundred-odd mile trip from the marina where he found the boat, to his home town in Shropshire is a huge essay in trial and error, punctuated by occasional heart stopping dramas. Daniel writes in an accessible style and reading the book was very easy to 'down in one'. He obviously self published, so it lacks editing and fine tuning, but for all that, it's a thoroughly enjoyable, honest and sometimes hair-raising read. A goodie for the Kindle.

The other book is called Narrow Margins by Marie Browne. Also about novice narrowboaters, this is a very funny account of how a young family deal with the effects of the economic crisis and the collapse of their business by selling their house and buying a narrowboat. 

After months of searching, they finally find Happy go Lucky, buy it and only then find out that neither of them has a clue about how to steer or manoeuvre a boat, each believing the other has had past experience. Their learning curve is also enacted on a long journey to their new home and I have laughed out loud (as promised) at some of Marie's antics. She writes very well and clearly has a great sense of humour. I haven't finished it yet, but so far, I am loving it and can recommend it strongly. I'll definitely be after the sequel, Narrow Minds. The only, and minor, objection I have is that there's a bit too much trivia about how they keep their young son entertained. It's part of the story, I agree, but I feel she could have cut out some of the unimportant details. That said I might even buy the paperback of this one.

Reading aside, I am going well with the editing on my sequel to Watery Ways. It's working title is Harbour Ways and it might stay as that since the main thrust of the book is about how I convert the Vereeniging from an empty hull into a home. The 'Ways' part is now becoming the theme of my memoir series (sounds good to have 'A Series', doesn't it?), so I'll have to keep that, but I'm not sure yet about the 'Harbour' bit. I'm a bit stuck there, so any suggestions will be welcome. 

I also need a certain tall Dutch man to draw some illustration diagrams or doodles for me…