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
Flowers, fountains - and a fan
This morning for the first time the battery state of charge read as below 50%. Why? Because yesterday’s cruising...
21 giant watery steps...
The heat yesterday, the weather forecast for today, the presence of the Dutch barge moored just three...
Whose space is it anyway?
By mid-evening on Saturday two Anglo-Welsh hire boats out of Wootton Wawen had moored in front of Cleddau. Their...
Charitable Concerns
After heavy rain yesterday evening and during the night it was bound to be a soggy start today. Just after 9am Cleddau’s engine...
The Stratford Experience – in Three Parts
Decades ago, when still not even a school pupil, Boatwif first fell under the spell of speech radio. At a quarter to two every afternoon, tum...
Midsummer Frolics
Here in a front row mooring on Midsummer’s Evening Stratford is as its most beguiling best. Cleddau is directly opposite the theatre...
Is water liquid gold? (Or the right and the wrong sort of water)
Since being on the Avon boaters coming downstream towards us have complained vociferously about...
And the band played...
Saturday’s blog failed to appear until Sunday morning: if you missed it do check out Adventures on the Avon below before...
Adventures on the Avon
“Tomorrow a half day’s cruise to Pershore” were the words that finished yesterday’s blog. Never assume reality...
Bells, blooms and banners
An early start – to little avail. On Captain’s orders (with which Boatwif totally concurred) the boat...
Visitation from Wales
In a past life Boatwif used to run a Drama Club for school age youngsters. Routine was all-important. Enter...
Tailor made in Gloucester
`First some photos from the last few days that have caused delight or amusement: • Stained glass window...
Slimbridge Stroll
To be so close and not to have visited the Wildlife and Wetland Trust at Slimbridge would have lost the Cleddau crew...
Puddles in Gloucester
First a correction: Foster’s on the Docks does indeed exist, in Kimberley Warehouse, its notices...