Boatwif
The occasional adventures of the Cleddau crew
About Us
We are ‘The Captain’ and ‘Boatwif’, owners of nb Cleddau.
Cleddau was a five year old youngster when we took her on in 1994. She was built for cruising on the River Trent. Over time Cleddau has had internal and external adjustments but she retains her original hull, propeller, anchor and portholes.
When asked (frequently) “What does Cleddau mean?” our response is usually “In Welsh it means swords but Cleddau is the name of the river that flows into the Milford Haven deep water estuary in Pembrokeshire…”
We both grew up in Pembrokeshire; for some years we have kept a record of what we call ‘Monkton Moments’, those exchanges with boaters and non-boaters who recognise our Pembrokeshire connections.
This blog below is a record of our mainly boating adventures.
RECENT KEN & SUE LOCATION
Over and Under
Water – when land-based you turn on the tap, use the washing machine, have a shower, and maybe use a hose pipe...
Crawling like tortoise...
Months of planning, weeks of boat preparation, hours of baking and a stash of winter clothing – that’s what it takes...
Just rehearsin’
You don’t need to hear the Captain’s voice at this time of year to know what he’s thinking: it’s When can I run away to sea?
When not waiting...
There seems to have been a lot of waiting around recently: waiting for trains, for buses, for officials, at clinics, for deliveries...
Retrospection and anticipation
There’s been a Grand Tour. The Cleddau crew’s recent ‘Grand Tour’ involved a fair mileage across England and...
Ones and Twos
it was half term. The year is moving fast. Numbers seem to be in the air… The Cheshire One was in residence in Beds...
Afloat at the turn of the year
Ask the Captain where he’d prefer to be – and the guaranteed response will be “On my boat…!” Late November sunshine...
Drop of brandy, anyone?
Have you groped in the back of the cupboard over these last few days for a bottle of something special for that...
Last snippets from California
“Look! England’s flooded!” exclaimed Cal Gal. It was Sunday, the last night of the Cleddau crew’s Thanksgiving trip...
Pelicans, pastimes and a pier...
Oceanside on a holiday weekend is a good place for people watching. The lifeguard huts might not be manned (after...
Whose time is it anyway?
To Heathrow, for a transatlantic flight. How many hours ahead of take off do you need to be there? How much time do you need...
Work party
When you live a three hour drive away from your boat you can become concerned, indeed obsessed, by Jobs That Need...
The Last Ascent
just two days’ cruising lay ahead when Cleddau pulled away from Biddulph Aqueduct on Tuesday morning. To Bosley...