13/08/2026
The Nomadic Narrowboat - Tales of a Roving Trader
Ah, the romance of the waterways! You picture yourself gracefully gliding down the cut, a cup of tea in hand, master of your own floating domain. Then reality steps in, complete with missing keys, vanishing pens, and a dog who simply couldn't care less.
We were literally just just about to leave a lock when B & W Fuels hove into view. It was brilliant timing, as we were actually in need of fuel! The only hitch was that my brain decided to play hide-and-seek with the key to Waratah’s tank right at that moment.
Meanwhile, did the fuel boat dog, Amber, offer a single word of encouragement? Absolutely not. In the baking afternoon heat, Amber was far too deeply invested in a magnificent nap to give us the time of day. Utterly scandalous customer service from the canine department.
Naturally, the chaos didn’t stop there. The chap running the boat then lost his pen—the absolute sacred tool required for the legal fuel levy declaration. Fortunately, writing utensils are my specialty, so I swooped in to save the day with one of my own from my vast biro collection.
Once the key finally turned up and the diesel started flowing into Waratah, David had to execute a careful little balancing act along the gunwhales toward the end of the transaction to reach the card reader.
Right around then, I sheepishly confessed our recent boating crime: we had just panic-bought aggressively expensive gas from a campsite, fully convinced we were on the brink of running out.
Turns out, my gas wasn't running low at all. The flame was merely gasping for air because a fierce breeze from the galley window was waging a personal vendetta against it. Imagine my absolute chagrin to discover that B & W Fuels sells it for a fraction of the price, and our emergency stash was entirely unnecessary! Still, at least we're fully stocked now, provided the wind stops trying to sabotage our dinner. I shan't make that mistake again!
