THE WESSEX ROSE ‘LIFE ABOARD’ Issue 2 1 The Wessex Rose ‘Life Aboard’ www.wessexrose.co.uk [email protected] 07881 287320 Issue 2 – Spring 2014 ‘LIFE ABOARD’ BRINGS YOU NEWS & UPDATES FROM THE WESSEX ROSE IN THIS ISSUE ‘Let’s Run A New Year Cruise’ A lovely opportunity for us to welcome back a A better day? Ha, the canal gods had spent the charming guest who had cruised with us during the night conspiring. To thwart us, a narrow boat summer. This lovely lady from America booked the slipped from its moorings floating aimlessly in the boat so that she and her husband could celebrate canal. Easily remedied though, grab the rope, pull it New Year with four of their UK friends. back to the towpath and tie it up again. A mere 15 The journey for our New Year cruise was to be minutes delay. Great Bedwyn to Pewsey. A scenic route Back on route & smugly thinking ‘those pesky canal unaffected by maintenance stoppages and suitable gods will have to try harder than that’. A stupid for short winter days taking in Froxfield, Crofton, thought, there ahead we spy the looming shape of Wilton Water, the Summit pound and Bruce a tree, strangely horizontal across the canal! Was Tunnel, the charming village of Wotton Rivers and this to be the show stopper? Almost, but no. A 2014 - A New Year Celebration a picturesque stretch of canal to Pewsey. mere couple of hours hanging off the front of the David & Karen prepare for a very enjoyable New boat hacking away a bow at a time to clear a path Moving the boat from Devizes to Great Bedwyn Year’s cruise and appease the ‘canal gods’. and we squeezed through the gap. Battered, was to be a pleasant 3 day saunter, a chance to Page 1 blow away the cobwebs and appreciate the canal, scratched and bruised we moored up believing it but we hadn’t reckoned with the canal gods! must be plain sailing from there. Listening To Our Guests Another dawn and we find ourselves surrounded by A recent modification to our tiller arm Page 2 Casting off from our mooring in bright winter sun, we reversed the boat to a winding hole and as we a thick frost and ice on the canal, very pretty, thank began to turn a shower of hail arrived literally out you canal gods! The ropes crunch as we untie them Cook’s Corner Page 2 of the blue. Cold and fierce and we had nowhere to and as we move off we witness a new Ideas for a ‘Perfect Gift’ Page 2 phenomenon, the Wessex Rose ‘pushing’ sheets of hide, but we survived the battering and ploughed Living History Book Page 3 on as hail gave way to rain. Sometime later, and ice ahead as they crack and slide on top of each wet but not dispirited we came upon a blurry shape other making an incredible noise Fact File Page 3 in the canal ahead. What was this? A wide tarpaulin We enter a lock. However, 70ft of boat plus 20ft of Cruising Focus Page 4 covered boat moored in a narrow section. Could we ice sheets = insufficient room for the boat! So on to pass? No. As we went silently but definitely the foredeck again, attack the ice with a boat pole, Engineering Bits Page 5 aground in our attempt, it gradually dawned on us break it into small pieces and in we go. Only we’re ‘Happy Birthday’ Page 5 that the Canal Gods clearly were not happy! We going down so the gates open in and the smashed knocked, but no one was aboard the mystery craft, pack ice decides to hide behind the gates. Result, Flickr Page 6 clearly abandoned for the festive season. Nothing the gates won’t open enough! So out with the pole Feedback Review Page 6 for it but to man (and woman) haul the hulk to a again, reduce the ice to Slush Puppy consistency nearby winding hole, move the Wessex Rose past and finally the gates fall back enough to let us out! The ‘End Bit’ Page 6 it, then haul it back again. Great fun on a slippy Thankfully the rest of the journey was uneventful, muddy tow path in the rain!. our guests arrived without incident and the cruise With dusk falling, we’d had enough for one day so went like clockwork. A lovely time was had by all. time to moor up. Perhaps an offering of whisky to The sun even shone on the last day, wonderful!. the canal gods? Nah, don’t be silly, far better The canal gods? Ah yes they smile on us again, we consumed by the living to aid dreams of a can only assume it was the noble haggis we (hopefully) better day ahead sacrificed to them on New Years Eve!! 2 DID YOU KNOW? Do we listen? the diameter of the tiller arm, and, with the Confusion in Europe is nothing new:- help of two trusty aircraft engineers, for no We do when it involves reason other than they were at a loose end and Until current international standards needed keeping out of mischief! the tiller arm were applied in the 1930s, it was common suggestions from guests was cut, shortened & drilled. The knurled brass for steering orders on ships to be given hinge was ‘persuaded’ into place, roll pins fitted as "Tiller Orders", which dictated to to secure it, and job done. No matter how much care you take with a design which side of the vessel the tiller was to there will always be things that you had forgotten, It now means that we can briefly lift the tiller be moved. missed or misinterpreted. It’s not until you actually arm whilst cruising so that, as guests have use something that you see the flaws and even Since the tiller is forward of the asked, they can cross the back deck without then you can miss the obvious and need a second rudder's pivot point, the tiller's feeling that are inconveniencing us and at the (or third) pair of eyes. movement is reversed at the rudder. same time avoiding curvature of the spine! This gave the impression that orders One such feature was Another winter job out of the way were given "the wrong way round". For our tiller arm and the port fact that the required and another guest suggestion example, to turn a ship to (left), length meant that it taken ‘on-board’, literally! the helmsman would be given the order hindered moving "starboard helm". The ship's tiller was across the back deck then moved to starboard, producing a from the doorway to turn to port. the top deck steps without either stopping the boat or the However, it’s no surprise that the guests taking up limbo dancing and opposite convention applied in France! ducking under the tiller!! Where tribord (starboard) meant turn to starboard! Yet Austria and Italy kept One of our lovely guests commented that it would to the English system. be nice if the tiller were hinged so it could be lifted to make crossing the back deck easier whilst To confuse matters further there was cruising. Karen, who spends most time at the no standardisation at all in vessels from helm, agreed wholeheartedly (and repeatedly) so the Scandinavian countries, where the re-designing the tiller arm made it onto on my practice varied from ship to ship. winter job list! A very large, chunky, heavy and finely engineered Entente Cordiale? round brass hinge was sourced which would fit Power whisk sugar, eggs, yokes & vanilla in THAT PERFECT GIFT ‘Cook’s Corner’ a large bowl until mousse like in consistency What is a ‘Perfect Gift’? It’s one which will and lifting the whisk leaves ribbons. be unique, one which will be something to Pour into the mixture round the edge of the look forward to, one which will create Melting Chocolate Pots bowl, sift melted butter & chocolate in flour unforgettable memories and above all one and then slowly fold all together with a which will show the thoughtfulness and This is Karen’s favourite desert and I always feelings of the giver. metal spoon. have to make a couple of extras for The description is easy but how many hours ‘emergency use’. Needless to say if there is no Butter individual metal pudding basins and have we all spent trying to find the ‘Perfect ‘emergency’ she quickly comes to the rescue pour in mixture to just below the rim then Gift’ which fits all the criteria? with ‘well it would be a shame to waste them’! cover with cling film and chill. Well look no further as the adverts say! We Pre heat oven to 200c/Gas 6, unwrap the Ingredients:- have launched a range of highly puddings and cook on a baking tray for 14 personalised Gift Vouchers which make a mins, rest for 1 min then turn out onto 200g Chocolate minimum 75% cocoa totally unique gift which will be thoroughly plates. 200g Unsalted Butter (diced) enjoyed and create memories that will last 110g Golden Caster Sugar I serve with pouring cream and when cut the forever. 4 Large Eggs center of the puddings should still be soft 4 Egg Yokes Our personalised Gift Vouchers can be for a and run slightly. 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract particular cruise, they can be ‘open’ to be 60g Plain Flour used on any cruise, or they can be of a ‘set Karen also says that they value’ towards any cruise.