The Big Cruise Day 1: a wet and muddy start

Our first opportunity, following retirement, to use our canal narrow boat for a cruise lasting nearly 8 weeks! That's the plan anyway.

So, here is our home for a couple of months. She's our 3rd boat - a 42 foot tug-style narrow boat called Come Along (after the fictional Great Yarmouth tug in Arthur Ransome's Coot Club: "She's a lovely tug," said the old man. "Motor-boat, she is. Take you up no matter how the tide run. When she say come along, they have to come.").

As you can see - the rain and the very muddy towing path are not good signs on our very first day. This is our overnight mooring on the Coventry Canal near Nuneaton.

Our dog, Ella, is getting on a bit. A bit arthritic, a bit deaf. But she enjoys boating and only falls in occasionally.

I hope to upload a good variety of Blips but will only be able to find time to do a few (like this) during our two day break back home after the first 4 weeks. The rest will have to wait until June. You might like to follow our journey - there are bound to be a few adventures.