It's not how long it is it's what you do with it?

I am slowly convincing myself that Waterlily is too small at 50 foot. Comet, our previous boat was a 45 footer, so we are progressing the right way. The thing is for two plus a dog it ticks all the boxes. It is when we take others  it gets a bit too cosy. It can and has been done but its not luxurious?

The thing is there are quite a few benefits of a 50 foot boat over a 60-70 foot boat. Where it can go, ease of finding moorings on the cut, license, mooring fees, insurance, maintenance, reasons not to take others aboard....?

In fact I know in my heart it is the right boat and we have spent a lot on her recently to get her how we want her. She could do with a bath and  could do with an extending bed, but that's all really. So this introspective post is all about how we should be using Waterlily rather than betraying her for length.

So on to route planning for 2012. It has to include rivers I think as I seem to have a fear of them. Totally unfounded but I have avoided them with real ability since boat ownership. We do the Trent regularly.... but it is about 400 yards between Alrewas and  Wychnor so that really is cheating. We could do the Trent from Sawley, when we walked there recently there were boats moving with little trouble and they looked right.

I think I owe it to Waterlily to give the old girl some deep water to play in, just as long as she does not let me down.

Going back to the title and putting off route planning for another blog post, one thing I am aware of there it little out there to tempt me. There are loads of boats on brokerage, but non have all what I want. I have been looking in some detail and viewed a couple of boats. The last one was and still is very close as it had a really good fit out, crap external but ticks all the boxes apart from one..... the internal engine room and boatman's cabin. but it does have a good fit out and would cope much better for 4 rather than 2 maybe .........

I used to be indecisive, but I'm not sure now !!!

Nev