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
Clogs and cobbles, cotton and canals
Success this morning in gaining entry to the Portland Basin Museum. Exhibits in the lower galleries...
Too soon, too short...
Too soon into Uppermill this morning, on the doorstep of the Post Office before 9am,waiting for it to open…
Silver linings
Uppermill (no miles or locks) Sometimes even grey and blustery days can bring reward. Uppermill is a pretty village with a fair...
Downhill to busier places
Cleddau has cruised nowhere else quite like the Upper Tame Valley: the land folds around in a great bowl shape so the eye...
Rest day at Marsden
Sometimes it’s not what you say – it’s what you can hear… Tuesday was a rest day at Marsden, awaiting Wednesday’s...
Ever so slightly frustrating
Shortly after breakfast the Captain prepared Lock 33 ahead, untied the ropes and pushed off. Up ahead...
Little acts of defiance
Motto of the day: be prepared for the unexpected… With just about a three hour trip expected today there...
Slothful in Slaithwaite
Top news story this morning was the flooding in parts of Lancashire and West Yorkshire, “five inches...
Deluge day
There had been a moment yesterday when the Cleddau crew contemplated delaying departure from Huddersfield...
Midsummer monsoon
Back to the good ship Cleddau yesterday to ready her for a Thursday morning departure: as the crew peered...
Wild boating into Huddersfield
It was always going to be a long trip, direct from the moorings at Slaithwaite to Aspley Basin in Huddersfield, a distance of 4.77...
The right sort of water in the wrong sort of place...
‘Guess what tomorrow is about? Locks!’ So Boatwif wrote naively last night. If only… this is the tale...