We finally have the Boatman Stove installed!

After cocking the dates up on our part, we eventually managed to get the boat down to Eddies workshop on Sunday. It didn’t take as long as I originally thought but due to the weather and a late start to the job we didn’t get completely finished. That will have to wait until next weekend. Eddie packed us off with clear instructions and all of the gear we needed to do the job.

Pictures to follow…

The Cruising Club I am a member of had arranged a coach trip up to Strawberry Island Boat Club for the day, which started off at 10am and finish finish until 3am!

We arrived shortly after noon and were directed into their beautiful clubhouse for a bite to eat and a cuppa, or a beer, of course. We then had a walk around the Island, which has been created by the course of the navigation being altered over the years and also due to the allotments actually on the Island itself, which, as you may have already guessed, is where the strawberries are grown!

We were put with a lovely couple, Richard and who, although they said they were t-total, their boat was called “Rum a Gin” so I think they were pulling our legs, and, later on, during our cruise, this was confirmed by a rather large milk churn being full of cans of assorted beer!

We headed in the opposite direction of Doncaster, through the lock and towards the Aqueduct at Barnby Dun, which we did pass over and then winded shorty before the next lock, heading back over the aqueduct and then mooring up for a nice stroll down another arm of the navigation. The boat, which I did have a go of, was a lovely, nearly new 55ft narrowboat built locally at Kimberley in 2004. It handled well and had ample power from below through the Beta engine.

We headed back later in the day, returning to the clubhouse for even more food and some excellent entertainment laid on by the members of SIBC. We eventually, and reluctantly, boarded the coach shortly after 1am as it was started to snow, and when we got up in to the hills, we were greeted by a complete snowy outlook which followed us all the way back to Manchester itself.