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
Thank you to campaigners, volunteers and musicians
These days the canal basin is lined by apartments, a busy pub, some private moorings and some day and holiday hire boats. In former times goods such as worsted cloth, grain, bricks, beer and coal were brought in and out of the town via canal barge. A striking reference to the past is this, ‘Frank the Plank’, an art installation to suggest a worker moving a plank on the wharf-side. It’s a sundial too, according to this: https://batch.artuk.org/discover/artworks/union-wharf-sundial-frank-the-plank-315449
Merryweather testing…
Onwards, northbound again, all but blinded by the dazzling white of the blackthorn blossom.
Then, a new colour came into view, the yellow heads of rape. Ten days ago these fields were green, now large swathes of West Northamptonshire is dressed in spring-time yellow!
Two false starts on the shakedown cruise
Mid-afternoon, after a second false start to this springtime shakedown cruise, Cleddau was untied again, to turn right, pass Trafalgar again, pass the previous night’s mooring place below Crack’s Hill and manage a couple of miles more before tying up for the night at a favourite spot.
Where is the sea? Where are the boats?
Heading west round the coast Tenby’s famous harbour too was all but bereft of boats. Beachgoers and sea were absent too!