Inside the Sardine Can

Firstly, dear readers, I must inform you that unbeknownst to me MN (keep up, check earlier blogs if you've forgotten this acronym) had discovered my blog and was following it. As the owner of the magnificent Fandango and a keen narrow boater I had not chosen to tell him of its existence as I was not sure how he would take my sceptical view of this particular pastime. Oh embarrassment. 

But it turns out he's enjoying the blog and was even kind enough to be the one who responded to my request in The Art of the Lock Flight for an answer to the question why one end of a lock has two gates and the other one. Well, being the MN he had the answer and thanks to Nick I will educate you further.  

Its all vey sensible and logical of course. The reason you have one gate at the top and two at the bottom is weight. The bottom gate of a lock is a much deeper gate and therefore its easier to operate if you install two smaller gates rather than a single large one. Simples.

We are now approaching the end of week three here on Fandango. "Oh god, I can't believe its flying by so quickly" says the captain at this piece of information. I decide to keep my counsel and not to share my newly installed countdown clock on my smartphone.  Smarthusband I say. 

With this amount of sea hours under my belt I think I have enough experience to briefly enlighten you on what it is actually like for a grown man to spend his life aboard and how you have to adapt. You'll recall my earlier fears about being 6'2" in such a confined space and developing the permanent disfigurement of a tilt of the head as I bent to negotiate the low lying roof and doorways. Well I'm delighted to report that good old Fandango has enough head clearance for me to generally nip about the cabin without fear of concussion.  The only exceptions are the rather smart wooden ceiling detail to the "double" bed and the low knees-bent-crawl you have to make over the engine enclosure popping up after the sliding hatch in order to exit the rear of the boat to the steering platform. 

Best to describe the bedroom obstacle as a sort of mock four poster bed where the upper rail that would have held the curtain is attached to the roof of the cabin and has a stylish but low lying carved detail at its corner ideally situated to make contact with my head if I am hurrying about my first mate duties. Its fairly typical that I will have whacked my head on this lovely feature and proceed up over the engine in a bit of a blue daze only to make secondary contact of said head with the hatch. 

Should be wearing that crash hat WHs.

The other means of movement about the boat I've had to develop is the one required to navigate down the narrow side corridor past the bathroom and into the bedroom. I have been describing this as my crabbing motion but I was surprised and delighted to learn in a conversation with a live aboard worker at the Anglo Welsh yard that there is in fact a proper officianado term - the narrow boat shuffle! So it's not just me. Not sure if that's reassuring or not....

I'll not dwell on the bathroom for although it is small (can't be anything but really - it's a narrow boat!) I just about manage. It is a bit of challenge to shave as you need to get the angle of your torso just right down the side of the cabin so you can see clearly in the mirror and my head does make contact with the roof when showering, but hey, that motor sure heats the hot water and the shower is wonderfully powerful so I'm not complaining. 

We are into the routine now of preparing and dismantling Ros' bed morning and night and sit comfortably round the dinette table for our meals (when not at the pub...).  Otherwise, the two of us manage quite amiably to share our restricted space apart from occasionally tripping over the dog who insists on lying in that wretched corridor and in front of our best friend, Morso. 

We sit in parallel in our comfy chairs of an evening looking up from below the waterline through the window opposite at the trees and sky and of the feet and legs of walkers reading, listening to music, blogging and occasionally watching TV if we can get a signal.  

Pretty much like at home don't you think? (Apart from those feet in your window of course).