Day one
From the car park to the first lock.
About two hours, most of it on the water.
14:00, the wharf
Park, unload and have a tea while we carry the bags aboard
14:30, the engine
Daily checks, the fuel, the water and the toilet, on a card you keep
15:00, the tiller
You steer down to the winding hole and turn the boat round
15:45, the first lock
We work it together; you do the second one on your own
16:30, away
We wave you off with the route card and our phone number
Safety
The four things we insist on.
Life jackets
For children on deck, always; for adults working locks after dark
The cill
Keep the boat forward of the white line when a lock empties
The windlass
Stay with it on the spindle until the paddle is down
One on the stern
Someone at the tiller whenever the engine runs
Questions people ask
We have never done this.
Most of our guests have not. The handover is the whole point.
What if something breaks?
Call us. An engineer reaches anywhere on our routes the same day.
Can we eat out?
Yes: each route card marks pubs with moorings, and the market towns on the week loop.
What do we bring?
Food, clothes, soft bags and flat shoes. Everything else is aboard.