TRAINING & CONSULTANCY COURSES/CRUISES:
Want to live aboard your own narrowboat, and/or extensively cruise the English Canals?  Perhaps you would like a taste of what living aboard a private boat (as opposed to a typical hire boat) is really like, before putting in a lot of money and effort.  We can help!  Our training and consultancy cruises are a very cost-effective option for those wannabe liveaboards - As featured in the two page article in the February, 2004, issue of Canal Boat magazine.

True ability in narrowboat handling only comes with ongoing practical experience built on a sound understanding of the principles involved. Our canal boating is greatly effected by the way the boat reacts to the canal water around it, which is itself curtailed within the channel of the canal. Our boating is very different to boating on sea or estuary.  Many of the techniques we use come from the methods used by traditional boatmen. Without proper understanding you will not become truly proficient.

Between October and March we operate our formal winter season training & consultancy courses described in the following paragraphs. These winter season formal courses are now only offered to couples - sorry, not to single persons.

During the main summer cruising season, from April to September when the canals get busier, any training charters need to take the form of a cruise from one location to another (we call these 'trainee crew cruises'). These are available to both couples and singles. Trainees on these 'crew cruises' will still learn a lot, but do so during an actual 3 day cruise and in a less formalised setting.

Of course at any time of year those contemplating a 'liveaboard lifestyle' can come with us for a 'consultancy cruise'. Put simply, these let you get the flavour of what living aboard is really like but in a relaxed way.  Such a cruise can still let you get an insight into efficient boat handling, but it concentrates on other consultancy issues such as an understanding of the boat systems required for living aboard, tips on buying a narrowboat, understanding and obtaining different types of mooring or 'continuous cruising' - and just getting an idea of whether or not the lifestyle would suit you, before spending all that money.

Consultancy Aspects:
We are committed to the liveaboard lifestyle and want to help.  Although it isn't exhaustive (there isn't the space here), we have written some brief articles to get your mind working whilst you consider setting up suitable systems for living aboard a narrowboat - follow the links 'Boat Equipment'. That information is free for all, whether you come with us for a course or not.  We also discuss these aspects, in depth, during our courses (some call it brain picking). Perhaps a 'consultancy cruise' to get the feel of living aboard would suit.

Once you become a client by coming on one of our cruises/courses, we can assist with an email consultancy service to try and iron out specific consultancy queries you may have (that service is also extended to those who are yet to come on a course provided they have already paid their booking deposit).

Sorry but we just don't have the time to enter into consultancy email correspondence with those who are not yet clients - but feel free to browse this site and to read free articles we have written for canaljunction.com.

Boat Handling Aspects: - What we DO NOT aim to do:
During a two or three day course, as a novice, we do not believe that a student will have gained sufficient competency within the duration of the course, to call him or herself ‘qualified’ - no matter how successful our training methods and no matter how much individual potential ability the student may have. Our training and consultancy courses do not attempt to follow the lines of other formal inland waterways courses and we offer no certified qualification at the end of the course. A proper Qualification only has validity if it is shown that there are those who can fail examination, as well as those who pass. We all know the courses we are referring to - anyone know of an instance when someone has failed such a course? And if nobody fails how much credibility can be associated with a ‘pass’?

We measure success, not with the issue of meaningless paper certificates, but by giving clients the ability to, themselves, climb the learning curve to become a truly competent, confident and safe narrowboat skipper. This understanding is then coupled with the client themselves putting the theory into practice once obtaining their own boat.  Believe me, becoming proficient makes narrowboating so much more fun.

Boat Handling Aspects: - What we DO aim to do:
True ability in narrowboat handling only comes with ongoing practical experience built on a sound understanding of how and why the boat reacts as it does to the skipper's commands and the effect of the water around it - that’s why the understanding of the theory is so crucial. 

The main aim of the boat handling aspect of our course is to provide that understanding, with demonstration of some very advanced techniques to illustrate and prove the theoretical. Many of the techniques and boating practices that we recommend descend from the practical methods historically used on working narrowboats, rather than by adapting ‘seagoing’ techniques to canal use. 

There is a lot to cover in just a few days. In that short period we cannot convert you into an instant competent narrowboat skipper - so we won’t try to. Instead we measure success, not with the issue of paper certificates, but by giving clients the ability and understanding to, themselves,  climb the learning curve to become a competent, confident and safe narrowboat skipper. 

The syllabus, of course, does include some narrowboat handling basics. But we will not dwell on those factors for long and we will soon progress onto the more advanced aspects of narrowboat handling, to our knowledge, not being taught formally elsewhere. Newcomers to narrowboating may not be able to fully master these aspects during the two to three days but we are confident that, given the understanding of the techniques, they will be able to master these skills with practice and in time. 

Compare our present full-board course rates with current daily RYA rates -  you will be pleasantly surprised. Our current courses involve clients paying our normal hotelboat tariff for the cruise during which time the intensive training & consultancy is included free of charge - a very cost effective option for ‘wannabe liveaboards’. So a two or three day course based on a couple attending together would amount to £80 per person per day (£90 per day for a single person). The fees include tuition and full-board accommodation. When we say a ‘day’ we mean a full period of 24hrs. These same rates apply whether you come on cruise or a formal course.

Although we do cover advanced boat handling techniques, much of the emphasis is on our consultancy services covering numerous subjects - how to set a boat up for living aboard - buying boats - licensing and mooring issues - council tax etc etc. For living aboard you will want your boat’s heating, electrical, and charging systems to match your boat handling capabilities. Ideally the systems should be integrated, and this needn’t cost the earth. Our advice may even save you considerable amounts of money. There are no hidden extras.

Boat Handling Aspects: - Required Personal Fitness Levels:
Displacing approx 20 tons, it has to be pointed out that Willow is a bigger, heavier, narrowboat when compared with the typical 57ft average boat made today - although many a loaded traditional working boat would have been much heavier than Willow.  In narrowboat terms the  Perkins D3 fitted in Willow produces loads of 'grunt' (pardon the 'technical' term) and 'throws' a 21ins propeller.  She has a correspondingly large rudder blade which, with 'Perkins power' (and when pivoting Willow around under power), does take some physical strength to hold in place. So we have a dilemma here - would we want to teach real narrowboat skills on a lesser boat??  If you can handle a full length narrowboat properly, you will be able to handle a 45 footer - but the opposite is not necessarily so.  Those with some ability already, wanting to learn more advanced techniques, would not thank us if Willow was a 'lesser' boat.

All of that shouldn't deter (I'm only an averagely fit, age 50ish), but if you are of less than average fitness (or perhaps have some minor disability) you may not have the physical strength to safely handle all of the boat handling exercises involved.  Of course your own boat (typically 57ft or less in length) is likely to require less physical strength if it has a smaller prop and lighter rudder (and perhaps weighs less) and by coming on a course you will have still learned the correct practical procedures, equally valid on a lighter boat. 

Physical fitness does, however, need to be borne in mind. Very many of our clients have found the narrowboating lifestyle suits them well and many have gone on to buying  their boat to live aboard (some under our direct guidance). We still meet past clients - now on their own boats proudly waving and shouting 'we did it!' as they pass.

BUT there are some folk who we think will never be suited to the lifestyle of continuous cruising. We did have one couple who insisted that the H&S Executive should be called in to examine locks - because they felt a full bridge over the chamber was required, rather than the gate walkways provided by BW (and that winding lock paddle gear was too much like hard work).  Another trainee thought that, before they could live aboard, the canal system was too old fashioned and needed brought into the 21st century. Most would agree that both of those minority opinions are utter 'tosh' and it's probably best such folk stay away from the canals.  But it does illustrate that our grand, and much loved, canal system and lifestyle might not suit all. Best, I suppose, they find out sooner rather than later.

Course Duration: Two or Three days - stay on board (min 2 days). Can be based on a weekend, or midweek if preferred.

Course Costs: You pay no more than our ordinary hotel boat tariff - presently £80 per person per 24 hour period, based on two sharing. Sorry, our formal courses are now only offered to couples, and not to single persons. These tariffs (correct for 2007 season) are for full board, with the tuition/consultancy provided at no extra cost.

Liveaboard Equipment  12v Charging systems  Water/Space Heating