Friday, October 10, 2003
Chatting to passing boaters
It's one of the enjoyable things about being on a boat. I normally keep the side hatch open looking out on the canal. If boats are passing at a decently slow rate it's always possible to have a bit of a chat with the people aboard. I always ask if the people on hireboats have enjoyed their trip. It's not just polite conversation, I really do want to know what they think of the canal that I think is so wonderful. Mostly the responses are positive, but general. If there's time I try to find out something they liked and reinforce it and the joys of boating. Very few people have strong dislikes of the Rochdale, the general comments on the negative side always have to do with the difficulty of the lock gear and the gates being immovable.
Today one of the boat crew from a Shire Cruiser that was passing at a lovely, slow tickover... sorry, I digress... the lock crew on the towpath passed by looking happy at the lack of rain. One gentleman was intrigued by the 'Manchester - Milwaukee' lettering on the stern cabin side. Once he heard me ask if he'd enjoyed the trip it became obvious that I was the Milwaukee contingent. He asked how I got to the UK, I untied the albatross from my neck and settled in for a quick chat. Once he'd regained full consciousness, we had a chat about the canal. The concensus was that the Rochdale was a challenging but exhilarating trip, worth the effort and supplied with sufficient pubs to make the trip even better. As the boat and rest of the crew had disappeared, I gave him the recommendation of a good pub in Hebden Bridge and released him from conversational durance. He said he planned on a future canal trip at which I recommended the Shroppie. Hopefully the crew will find it as worthwhile as the Rochdale was, although they won't find it any more beautiful.
Today one of the boat crew from a Shire Cruiser that was passing at a lovely, slow tickover... sorry, I digress... the lock crew on the towpath passed by looking happy at the lack of rain. One gentleman was intrigued by the 'Manchester - Milwaukee' lettering on the stern cabin side. Once he heard me ask if he'd enjoyed the trip it became obvious that I was the Milwaukee contingent. He asked how I got to the UK, I untied the albatross from my neck and settled in for a quick chat. Once he'd regained full consciousness, we had a chat about the canal. The concensus was that the Rochdale was a challenging but exhilarating trip, worth the effort and supplied with sufficient pubs to make the trip even better. As the boat and rest of the crew had disappeared, I gave him the recommendation of a good pub in Hebden Bridge and released him from conversational durance. He said he planned on a future canal trip at which I recommended the Shroppie. Hopefully the crew will find it as worthwhile as the Rochdale was, although they won't find it any more beautiful.
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