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
Aftertaste
In the period of jet-lagged post-US dis-function memories swirl through the brain, rather like unexpected aftertastes...
The taming of territory
First visit to Southern California’s San Marcos was 13 years ago in 2003. What looked like a new town about twelve miles...
Thanksgiving ingredients
In the build up to the last-Thursday-in-November-festive-feast there are several traditional ingredients...
Not quite as expected…
The morning after touchdown at LAX the Cleddau crew were awake and functioning well before dawn – the effect...
Keep calm – and carry on
5,500 miles is a long way to go to deliver a message– but, mission achieved. “Anything you want me to tell...
Marple – an aqueduct undressed
Chance has allowed a couple of North Cheshire Away Days. The Cheshire One had spent part of half term down in...
The familiar and the surprising...
Cleddau has cruised “home” northbound along the Macclesfield Canal, a very familiar route. High above Scholar Green...
Homebound cruise resumed...
After an emergency closure of the navigation on the Middlewich Arm Cleddau had returned southwards to Nantwich to...
Delays... diversions... disasters...
Back to the Macc… It’s a simple route really: take a left out of Overwater Marina, go about 5 miles northbound to...
An evening cruise – and a Dahling afternoon...
No, Cleddau has not slipped her moorings at sunset and sailed off into the gloom – but the John Bunyan did! While home-based...
Ferry duty
The thing about the unexpected is that there is no warning of when it may occur… Take Sunday for example. A prompt...
Quick Peeks
There was nothing quick about the start on Wednesday morning… Cleddau and Tentatrice had spent the previous...
Tight squeezes on the Llangollen
The last five miles from Trevor to Llangollen are spectacularly beautiful. The canal runs on a contour along...
Pronunciation
And so to Llangollen… In all the time Cleddau and crew were heading north west to Liverpool and back earlier this...