Handing in my Notice

After six years at Norbury Wharf it's time for Starcross to move on. It's been a good mooring and the Shroppie is - and will always be - one of my favourite canals. But I've given Simon the necessary three months' notice and will be giving up the mooring from the end of April.
This was Starcross on the day we arrived at Norbury Wharf in May 2006

And here she is in a recent photograph after a repaint, a new engine and a mooring nearer the Wharf itself.

I plan to spend as much of the summer as possible boating. Mind you, I said that last year until two house moves and a renovation rather got in the way. This year however I should be able to undertake a much longer trip and try to experience something of what it must feel like to be a liveaboard boater or continuous cruiser. Mooring fees are expensive - the biggest single expense after the boat itself - so it doesn't make sense to pay for a mooring that you won't be using. In fact, the saving I'll be making should largely finance the extra running costs and living expenses that I'll incur. It should also cover the cost of putting Starcross up in a marina for a few weeks if I feel the need for a holiday.


 Moorings now are easier to come by than they've ever been, so when I've had enough I'll just look for another one, probably one rather nearer Lancaster as the 210-mile round-trip to Norbury has proved just a little too far.