I dare not do the calculations ( but I will) of what it costs to keep a cottage and a boat. I'll then consider the costs of just the boat and continuously cruising having sold the cottage .... I doubt I'll share but I know it'll be an eye opener.
So today I got back from visiting my old ma in her care home to open a letter from the farmer who we pay to bob around on the off side and tie up to his land - it really is a nice mooring I should be more grateful.
From April the mooring fees are going up 20%
I let that sit there before I carried on typing to test my resolve in maintaining boat ownership.
So its well over £2,000 to moor Percy now, still a chunk of change cheaper than a marina. I understand C&RT have increased their share of the mooring and the farmer has bigger water bills to pay - we do get water close to the boat. Not focussed on the farmer but it really does feel like everyone has a hand in your pocket - how those still working deal with it god only knows.... it is stretching our incomes for sure.
But critically money is a tradable commodity for adventure and therefore memories. I'd rather remember that sunset, that person I met, that moment of calm alone on the back ticking over through a cutting, the sense of achievement after completing a lock flight all those things smash the memory of how much money I have/had in the bank into the long grass.
If money affords the adventure use the money that can be for holidays bikes boats vans any adventure ....
I have been to Percy, Tuesday 3rd I took some coal as we'd burn through all we had on board over the New Year. Checked her over, all seemed well. The moorings were very wet, no surprise there. I had a lovely hour chatting with our boaty neighbour about her lithium install and other boat and not boat related stuff
I also called by Stenson lock after a visit to my mum on the following day. The lock cafe is basic but it right on the lock side so you can watch the boats going through - three used the lock while I was there.
As nice as this section of the Trent and Mersey is it is blighted at this time of the year (and other times) by the river crossing at Alrewas and Shardlow. I have been reading with sympathy Irene's FreeSpirit posts about being stuck in Alrewas and Shardlow on the way back to their Erewash mooring.
Another visit to my mum today and I came back via the lanes with a stop at Mercia Marina. They are in the latter stages of a promenade build - it dwarfs the marina at the end it is being built. It amazes me the development that has been allowed here from when it was a small trout lake - I have a pre marina photo somewhere I took when I visited at the time they were talking of building a marina there. I guess if I lived in Willington or Findern I'd rather have the marina development than housing that seems to be everywhere now.
The amount of rain we've had is not good for the canal infrastructure..... so much water to destabilise land as seen at Whitchurch. The lanes home today could have floated Percy on some of them.
As to Percy, use it or loose it is the simple approach we are going to take.
