Saturday 10 October 2009

Why boat ?

Not sure the grammar of the title is correct but hey ho.... Why do we go boating might be more correct.

Can't recall who's blog it was that got me thinking why I have a boat, but I reflected on what aspect of boating ticked my box.

I am not an engineer so the oily bit it is not

I am not a historian or particularly interested in history so the history of the cut is not it

I am not an evangelist for restoring canals either (but I appreciate the work that goes into this)

My boat is not an old working boat restored or even a new boat built to look like an old boat

I do not dress up like a boatman of the 18th Century

I do it because it enables me to meet people and visit my country see my country see the industry go fishing drink beer and wine but above all I relax on my boat. I don't even have to move it to feel good about it. The fact I am able to spend close quality time with Rachel, working as a team depending on each other for living is fantastic

Unrelated but an significant factor is I like the feeling of being independent of the expectations of society..... sounds daft but the fact we could cut and run no debt some money in the bank no job to give me anxiety is a real factor in why I enjoy my boat.

what about you ?

Nev
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1 comment:

Halfie said...

Nev,

I'm really, really looking forward to enjoying my own boat. It'll be my "retreat". A home from home, but with a more manageable maintenance load. My mobile "garden shed", my space. My workshop, my music listening room, my place. I will share it with Jan,of course, so it'll have to be her space too. When it's cold outside we'll be cosy with the stove going, sitting in comfy chairs, reading the paper, drinking coffee, not having to work.

Actually, that's one of the main things about boating now: the escape from the pressures of work. If only I could do it more often.

Add the serious amounts of fresh air, the exercise from walking or cycling to shops etc. (no car, of course), the changing scenery and the changing seasons, sometimes the sense of pioneering (as when we inched through Froghall Tunnel), and that's why I like boating.

Oh yes, it's also the privilege of working the same locks, crossing the same aqueducts, navigating the same tunnels as the working boaters did all those years ago. I do feel a connection with the past. It's exciting. Still.

Did I mention the slow pace of life? At the walking speed of a narrow boat you see a lot more than you do from a car.

Add a few more "really"s to the first sentence.

11 October 2009 at 22:11

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