Life on a Boat

In late 2008 I realised I’d slipped back into the old routine. Fat rent, little pay, ambition lost, working London had reduced my soul to tatters. So I left, I bought a narrowboat, and moved onto the Kennet & Avon Canal in Wiltshire. The idea was to wake up every morning and kayak, all in preparation for a source to sea expedition along Australia’s Murray River, a journey that I hoped would get me back on track in my pursuit of a career in adventure. Luckily, it worked.

There were other, hidden lessons that year. Life on a boat introduced a whole new way of living, I appreciated the simple things like saving water and watching ducklings grow up. I emptied my own toilet out, cooked on a stove with a finite gas supply and realised a pleasurable life didn’t have to be expensive. In fact, it was ridiculously cheap!

I haven’t always had an affinity with water because my homes have always been landlocked, but life on Aslan the narrowboat led me to my first journey on water, and I can safely say the entire year, both in the UK and along the Murray in Australia, renewed my passion for life. If I hadn’t made a drastic shift from city to country, house to boat, then I wouldn’t be where I am now.