This week I continue my cruise heading North explaining the downsides of living on a boat. Although I really do love boat life it does have its challenges and is a lot of hard work especially during the colder winter months. I try my best to address Boat Life expectations and realisations although I absolutely adore this off grid lifestyle choice.
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Thank you so much for watching. If you are new here, I’m Heidi and I live aboard my Narrowboat The Rum Wench and travel the UK’s Canals in search of Adventure. After selling my house to experience an alternative lifestyle I bought a canal boat and a camper van which as a solo female who loves to travel, gives me the best of both worlds. I have recently got myself a new addition to the crew, a fabulous companion – my little rescue dog Bonny who is an absolute joy. I also work full time off grid from my tiny home and trade at canal festivals as The Pirate Boat.
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If you want to know more about LIVING ON A BOAT, CANAL RULES or WHAT I DID BEFORE BOAT LIFE then please watch these two videos:
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For more info such as Filming Equipment, FAQ and more: 🏴☠️ https://thepirateboat.co.uk 🏴☠️
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You can also follow my adventures as the Narrowboat Pirate aboard The Pirate Boat here:
🟦 Facebook – https://facebook.com/thepirateboatUK
🟥 Instagram – https://instagram.com/thepirateboatUK
⬛️ Website – https://thepirateboat.co.uk
🟨 Music – https://heidimanning.bandcamp.com
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🎵 Music 🎹
Stiff Ripples by Heidi Manning
Nip in the Air by Heidi Manning
The Thrusting Cutlass by Heidi Manning
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🥃 If you would like to buy me a Rum you can do here :
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thepirateboat/
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🅿️ Alternative way to buy a virtual Rum via Paypal :
https://PayPal.me/TheNarrowboatPirate/
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❤️ Become a Patreon and long term supporter on the channel: The Narrowboat Pirate
https://www.patreon.com/TheNarrowboatPirate
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30 Comments
Ahoy! For FAQ, badges, music and more please check out my website thepirateboat.co.uk 😄🏴☠️❤️🥃 cheers me hearties
Hiedi has a brolly, transparent as you see, she hooks it in her nips to keep her hands free😂😂
Very interesting video, thanks for sharing the "reality" of boat life. As always little Bonny perched atop your boat gladens my heart.
Wishing you a speedy recovery. Please stay out of the rain and a sip of rum can go a long way. Cheers
Great video! Question: What type of cap/hat do you wear?
You are an inspiration girl. I’ve learned so much from watching your videos. I’m scared to go full time but I know I will succeed. Cheers Heidi xx
Saludos desde México.tu canal me da mucha paz…
You're living my dream life ✨️ but I'm just saying that running a house has its issues and wants repairs and general upkeep, and sometimes it's out doors so I t totally understand where you're coming from……. with doing things in horrible weather you really do take the brunt of it and you do so well for being a single boater I take my hat off to you!! 😊
Take care Heidi and Bonny safe boating looking forward to next week 😊 ❤ xx
Lovely post. You’re an amazing gal. Xx
Ps. Wishing you better soon. Xx
Hope you’re feeling better now and thanks for sharing the challenges and adventures of boat life ❤
#@TheNarrowboatPirate
Thanks Heidi, keep yourself warm love ! Great V-log thank you XX.
A lovely skipper called Heidi, cutting a silt trench quite widely. Her hair is a frizz and she's moistly in a tizz. She may drive her van to cadiz, but not when she's covered in jizz.
Thanks for the badges you sent us Santa loves us my wife loved them and was surprised they were made on a narrow boat by a rum pirate xx
Not wingeing just the realities of Life!
Hope you’re feeling better soon we have just finished watching all your videos took a few weeks a bit sad as we only get one a week now love to Bonnie and thank you for all the happy videos Peter & Serenity in Western Australia
Another great vlog. If anybody asks me about life on the canals I point them to your YouTube channel, because you tell people how it is, warts and all. If they think they would want to live on the waterways I suggest they arrange to hire a boat for a year, so they experience them at their worst as well as their best.
There are a couple of things I do when I have the 'snuffles'. I will put a teaspoon of honey into a mug, cover the bowl of the teaspoon with a good squash (usually orange, sometimes orange, lemon and pineapple, and occasionally (depending on the last 'component') blackcurrant), add a Lemsip (which, if it is blackcurrant, means blackcurrant squash), and top off with hot water.
One of the weirdest ice creams I ever tried was Mingelas' Dragon Breathe ice cream (I think that was the name). It was like eating a frozen curry! Hot and spicy, while also very cold. My poor taste buds did not know what was going on! Unfortunately they did not make this flavour for very long.
I do not know if I have mentioned this on an earlier post, but for icy conditions you might want to get hold of some Magic Spikers (other products are available), They fit over the soles of your shoes, and the little spikes then dig into the ice, providing you with a decent grip. I have two pairs (one is always in my work bag). Think of them as snow chains for your shoes.
Take care, stay safe, and happy cruising.
Hi, we’re Mikey & Andrew, we’re great fans of your channel and have seen all your vlogs from the start and look forward to your news each week. We feel we’ve learned a great deal from your content along with a couple of other vloggers and this has helped us plan for our own change in lifestyle.
We plan to make the move to a nb within the next year or at least commit to a build slot. Obviously questions arise from time to time which we would love to be able to ask people with real experience; hence our message!
We have heard a lot about the big increases in the boat license over the coming few years and we’d love to know what you think about it. Can you share any thoughts please? Do you think it will push a lot of people to look for a “home mooring” to keep things cheaper?
Thank you so much and keep doing what you do! ☺️☺️
Hi Hiedi & Bonny
Hope you're feeling better and your batteries are fully charged 🎉 must be a bit cold holding your tilla on top of your boat How Rude.😊 keep sipping sipping sipping your lem sips you'll feel better soon luv Chris & Jeannie xx luv your video 's you must have been a great teacher very entertaining 😮
Internet – If you have data on your iphone, have you tried using your phone as a hot spot to run your laptop.IT's what I do when away from home. An interesting foray into boat life reality. I would not like to be boating in cold driving rain. Does that make me a wimp?
Great vlog Heidi, not moaning just a explanation of some of the downsides. Maybe next should be a vlog about the upsides of narrowboat life. You could raid your archives for your favourites bits of good times – not more than 59 mins though!! We cruise April to Nov on our 58' narrowboat and then winterise it whilst we bugger off to somewhere warm. Of course we're retired, it took 47 years of working to achieve it though. We love seeing youngsters like you living on and enjoying the inland waterways, so keep up your great vlogs for the world to enjoy
Cheers,
Keith & Sue
NB Su-Kee
You are as far away from being a whinger as anyone could possibly be. You work hard to maintain your lifestyle and you don’t complain at all. It is nice that you’re traveling with a companion. It makes life easier at times when you know someone has your back.
Question about winter moorings… How do you decide where to spend the winter? Does it depend upon the canal maintenance? Availability of villages services like markets, entertainments? Being near family? Just curious about where and why you spend the winter.
Hi again Heidi, so glad to see you are still just as cheerful! My Dutch barge is now moored up in Mulhouse, France, where I will be spending a fair bit of my winter; x 😋
Heidi, I hope that I’m not being too forward, but in another vlog, you complained about your hair being Ames’s, since you had just showered.
Bonnie… you can't eat the wildlife ! (It's not cooked).
Hi Heidi. Love your videos. Looking forward to seeing some of your euro trip.
Boat life seems great from afar but you really do tell it like it really is or close to it.
Ben from Australia 🇦🇺
LMAO…Nice cucumber.
I we'll buy some off you
Miss Pudding but love that lil dog Bonny, she is soooooo cute 😍 im waiting on survey and likely taking on a 60ft cruiser stern (whatever that means) and i shall be let loose on the canals 😱☠️ i know very little 😬
Something my wife and I would like to do ,just don't have the courage,