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
Cold Expectations
‘Twas on Boxing Day, after a family walk of a couple of hours up in Lyme Park*, that certain Boat Stuff was...
Take only pictures, leave only footprints
Take only pictures, leave only footprints are the words on notices at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve...
A trip into wine country
Drinkers of Californian wines will have heard of Napa Valley, an area about five hundred miles north of Cal Son’s...
Boys and toys
Last Sunday the Captain and Boatwif watched as Cal Guy Jnr fell irrevocably in love with trains. That was at Poway...
Outdoor Adventures
Cal Guy Snr was detailed to escort us up to Double Peak Park, a city park about a thousand feet above San Marcos from which...
“These are a few of my favourite things...”
It was at the local play park the other day that Cal Guy Snr pronounced himself King of the World. He had scrambled...
Chasing the Sunset
It was a first flight for the Cleddau crew from Heathrow’s Terminal 5. What a delight that embarkation...
By water – for water
Can a reverse of about one hundred yards and a forward propulsion of equal length be considered “a cruise”?...
Home moorings
The final stretch of the Macclesfield Canal is now familiar. In good weather the hillsides of Lyme Park are green...
The 518ft contour* (and a spot of fishing)
Rain, hail, thunder and winds punctuated the tranquillity of last evening’s mooring. A check this morning on...
Alternative solutions
Weather forecasters were insistent that gales would prevail by late afternoon. Hence the plan to do the relatively short...
‘Your local canal is an outdoor gym’
The motto in the title was spotted a couple of days ago, probably on the side of a British Waterways van...
Black and white
First lock of the day, about 400 yards from the overnight mooring, was lock 47. There never was going to be a...
Red and orange
Red and yellow and pink and green Purple and orange and blue… So go the opening lines of I Can Sing A Rainbow...
