UK Canals - Burton On Trent Run

Last week on a business trip to the UK, the opportunity to go for an early morning run along the canal in Burton On Trent (Brandston) materialized. Along with 2 colleagues (one from the offices here in Atlanta, the other from our Brandston offices), we headed out.

We saw numerous very long, very narrow boats as we ran. In single file fashion, they were tried up along the sides of the canal. The scent of wood burning permeated the air, and the softness of lush green grass could be felt through our shoes. We were floating through the domain of live aboard long boats. These were peoples homes. My 2 other colleagues chatted nearly the whole way, and normally I would have been engaged with them but I was lost in fantasy land, thinking about the life of being on these boats. I could see the smoke billowing out of the smoke stacks on the boats. I could imagine the people inside puttering about, doing normal morning things, but on a boat!

We ran under a number of bridges ... a few were so low that I (at 6ft) had to duck. It appeared that from the water line, the clearance couldn't have been more than 8 ft for a boat passing under. The boats on the canal didn't seem to have a beam of more than 5 ft which, given the width of the canal, much more would have really jammed up the water way. These 2 dimensions, even with a stepped mast, means that our boat, Ariel, wouldn't be able to make it through these water ways.

As we ran along the canal, there were some boat folks up and about doing their things. As we ran by, they smiled and nodded. Interesting, when we were running off the canal and passed people whom were dirt dwellers doing their morning things, they didn't nod and smile. While not a scientific polling mechanism, it sure seemed that those lived on their boats were much happier.

My only regret was not taking any photos. I didn't even carry my phone, which has a camera, for the run. The memories, however, of that magical experience, that running through the backyards of true boat dwellers, with lush green grass, calm water, and the scent of the fresh wood being burned, will live with me forever. I can't wait!!!! What's the count today? 265? :)

Does It Float?

During car rides, a lot of family time is spent on mentally walking through various scenarios that we will face as we live on the boat. Recent discussions were on our water strategy and the mechanics of ferrying water back and forth to the boat.

"What happens to a full water can when it falls into the water?" was a question that came up. It will probably sink. Val then chimed in, "I've read that some folks purposefully don't fill their water cans to the top thereby leaving some space at the top of the cans so that they will float." Brilliant! Such a simple solution.

My maximize space mentality would certainly have filled each Jerrycan full of water, but the "work smart" part of my brain sees that leaving some space at the top of the can will provide a certain amount of insurance just in case a water can falls overboard. There is also the added benefit of a lighter can. My back will like that!

Water cans going overboard isn't just a concern when ferrying them via dinghy, but also as they sit on the boat in the cockpit. One good rouge wave could send one overboard, and it would be nice to have the option of retrieving it if the conditions allow.

Lots of little details out there, and the mental scenario exercises really help flesh them out.

Insuring Boat During Transport

An important item to have squared away when transporting a boat, or anything else, is insurance that reimburses the owner for the value of the item in case of damage or loss during transport.

This is not as simple as relying on your general insurance coverage. In fact, most insurers don't cover the item during transport. You should double check and make sure that you are covered completely. In our case, for example, our State Farm Insurance will not cover our boat during transport unless it is struck by a direct hit of lightning. Even when we asked for supplemental transport insurance to cover cases beyond lightening, they said no.

Another gotcha is that almost all transporters have freight insturance, and will tell you they are insured. However, freight insurance is based on weight, not the replacement value of the item. The going payout rate of freight insurance is $0.10 per pound on damages. To give you an idea of what this means in our case, our Gemini 3200 weights 7,000lbs. If we only had freight insurance coverage for our boat and there was a total loss, we would be reimbursed a whopping $700. Not good.

Most transport companies offer declared value coverage up to the full value of the cargo for an additional cost. The transporter that we have chosen automatically includes the declared value coverage in his quote.

So the next time you ship a car, boat, or a camera at your local PakMail, or other local ship store, be very sure to ask if the item being shipped is covered for full replacement value in case of loss. You may be surprise how many times the answer will be "no." However, you can always buy more insurance from someone.

Banana Nut Bread Recipe

The following Banana Nut Bread recipe is sooooooooo good that we have deemed it OMG Banana Nut Bread. It's easy to make on land. However, I'm still working out the kinks for cooking it in a pressure cooker so that it is boat-able. Enjoy!

2 cups self rising flour

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 1/2 cups mashed bananas (roughly 3 overriped and 4 very ripe)

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup butter

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup coarsely chopped peacans

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. Mix together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar sugar until smooth.
3. Stir in the bananas and eggs until well blended
4. Add sifted flour and stir until blended
5. Add pecans
6. Divide the batter evenly between the two loaf pans

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the crown of the loaf comes out clean. Let the loaves cool in the pans for at least 5 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack, and cool completely. Wrap in aluminum foil to keep in the moisture.

Note: If you use smaller foil pan, you will need to cook the bread for about 20-30 minutes longer.

Last $250 for Car Tags!

With February being Val's birth month, we had to renew our car tags.

For $250 USD, both of our cars are registered in the state of Georgia for 1 more year. Whoopie. This may very well be the last time, for a long time, that we have to get the car tags renewed. Wahoo!

This may also be the last time that we have to do car emissions testing too. At $25 per car, that is another $50 we shell out each year.

$300 each year for having registered automobiles in the state is a lot of money. However, our current lifestyle needs the cars. Our next life phase, the voyaging phase, won't require them so that $300 won't be spent! Now, about the boat registration money we send to the state .... :)