A new lifestyle

Having   purchased   the   narrowboat   Alkeny    late   in   December   2020   it   took   until Saturday   9th   January   2021   to   prepare   her   for   living   aboard.   Eventually   I moved   her   along   the   Stainforth   and   Keadby   Canal,   River   Trent,   Nottigham Canal   and   the   Trent   and   Mersey   Canal   to   Mercia   Marina   in   Derbyshire, arriving   on   Wednesday   17th   March   2021.   Later   in   the   season   when   the weather    improved    I    would    commence    cruising    the    rivers    and    canals    of England.   Much   of   the   work   to   prepare   Alkeny    and   to   move   her   to   Derbyshire was   delayed   by   the   third   Covid-19   pandemic   English   national   lockdown   that was   introduced   on   6th   January   2021.   The   work   also   took   much   longer   than expected,   with   delays   brought   about   by   other   work   in   the   boatyard,   the weather and the late supply of some equipment and components. I   always   planned   to   rename   the   boat   “Tradewinds   IV”   (TW4),   in   sucession   of my   previous   boats   with   the   Tradewinds   name,   and   eventually   ordered   the new   graphics   late   in April   2021.   Removing   the   old   names   and   graphics   from each   side   of   the   boat   left   marks,   so   the   background   paintwork   had   to   be repainted.    My    narrowboat    was    officially    renamed    “Tradewinds    IV”    and registered    under    the    new    name    with    the    Canal    and    River    Trust    on Wednesday   12th   May   2021.   The   new   name   graphics   had   not   yet   been applied at that time, but were added a little later when the weather improved. I   was   then   looking   forward   to   being   part   of   the   Mercia   Marina   community, and    when    possible    and    when    my    family    and    friends    decide    to    join    me aboard, to enjoying some cruising on the many miles of English Waterways.

Why?

I    am    a    European    and    before Brexit     came     along     I     had     a passport   that   woud   allow   me   to travel   anywhere   in   Europe   for   as long     as     I     wanted.     Until     1st January    2021    I    was    spending about    11    months    of    each    year split   between   Greece   and   Spain   - that   was   my   life   and   my   choice, and    then    suddenly    it    all    was taken    away    from    me!   And    so    I needed   to   find   somewhere   to   live in   the   UK   during   the   6   months   I’ll not   be   unable   to   travel   to   where   I want    to    be    in    Europe!    Having spent   36   years   in   the   Royal   Navy and     most     years     since     living aboard   yachts,   it   was   natural   that I    should    want    to    live    aboard somewhere                    somehow! Narrowboats    were    the    obvious choice,   not   only   for   the   lifestyle but   also   for   the   comradeship   of other    boaters.    My    new    lifestyle was opening up ahead of me!