"What are Narrowboats like?" Narrowboats come in a range of sizes, from very short day bats like this ( Photo ) to long boats like ours ( Photo ). Faraway was originally a holiday hire boat, and could accommodate up to 10 people! You can see a small display of photos that show some of what life afloat is like by clicking Here. If you want the pictures explained you will have to read this and view them one at a time. It is quite possible to accomodate a small child on the boat ( Photo ), and kids usually love everything about boats! ( Photo ). Just have a look at this view from the canal ( Photo ) which is typical of the kind of scenery that the canals of England run through. There is a small wood next to the canal near to where we are moored, this is what it looks like in winter. ( Photo ) One of the nicest things about our life is the sense of community, people are always happy to stop for a chat ( Photo )
Here are 3 nice pictures from the last snowfall of the winter (1) (2) & (3)
"What do you do for water, electricity, & Gas?" We have a 660 Litre water tank at the front of the boat, and we can fill this from any of the British Waterways waterpoints along the canal. Our nearest one is about 300 Metres away. Electricity comes from a few sources. We have 750 Ah of Forklift Truck batteries on board, and these are charged by a combination of Solar and Wind power, ( Photo ) the alternator on the boat's engine, and a petrol generator, which powers a battery charger. Our mains devices, (TV, DVD, Stereo etc) are powered by an 800 Watt Inverter, which makes 240 Volt electricity from the 12 Volt Batteries. In summer, we get most of our power from our Solar/Wind equipment, In winter, this drops right off to about 5 - 15%, depending on the wind conditions. To top up our batteries, I run the generator or engine for a few hours. This is done almost every day in winter. Gas comes from 13Kg Propane bottles, we have 2 on board with a spare for winter.
"What About Toilet Facilities?" There are 2 types of toilet available to boaters, a chemical toilet, which is the same as a Porta Potti that you get in a caravan, and a Pump-Out toilet. A Pump-Out toilet is just what it sounds like; there is a big holding tank in the boat, and once a month or so you have the waste "Pumped Out" at one of many marinas that offer the service. This service has to be paid for, and has the added drawback that if your boat gets "frozen in" during the winter, you are unable to empty the toilet! For this reason, most Liveaboard boaters favour a chemical toilet. This has a detachable, sealed "Cassette tank", which requires emptying more frequently, but there are many more facilities for this, and they are provided free by British Waterways. You can also use the emptying points at any time of day or night, which is very useful in the summer, when there is daylight till 10pm. We have an emptying point 500 metres from our mooring.
"Isn't
it cold in the winter?" - Believe it or not, this
is by far the most common question asked of boaters.
Nobody has yet come up with a humorous answer to this that
doesn't sound rude, so if you can think of one, please email me.
The answer is that it's cold outside, but it's quite easy to keep
a small space warm, so long as you have good insulation. There
are many ways of heating a boat in the winter, most people have
an iron fireplace or stove, which can be run on wood or coal. (
click Here for a pic of ours) On bigger boats, a back
boiler can be fitted to the stove, and this feeds one or more
radiators throughout the boat. Another option is Diesel or Gas
Central Heating. This also involves a boiler and radiators, and
these systems usually heat hot water for washing as well. Some
people have a Calorifier on their boat's engine, which uses the
engine's heat to supply the hot water. Another device is a
Paloma, which burns gas and heats the water instantly as it
passes through a heat exchanger.
Below are some links to other boat owner's sites, and some other
places where you can learn more about the canals.
Why not find out more by using the links to other sites below?
Jim Shead's boating page: a well known canal Aficianado
nb "St Kilda" : a narrowboat on the river Cam in Cambridge
nb "Havana" another boater's story
RBOA : residential boat owner's association
"Canal Boat" Magazine
Fancy buying a boat? have a look at what your bucks will buy you at Whilton Marina
The Buckingham Canal Society Our part of the canal is at a junction with a disused arm that used to go to Buckingham
An Interview with a man born in 1918 and his memories of our village and canal
Fancy a Canal Boat holiday? Visit the Wyvern Shipping Company and see their fleet of hire boats
email us
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