March has taken us back to winter.
Cruising in the late winter is peaceful and very relaxing.
If you want to join one of our syndicates, now is the perfect time to ensure you can enjoy a spring, summer and autumn this year.

After the very cold snap usual wet and windy weather has arrived.
This is our busy time of year repairing the boats for the coming early spring cruising.
It is a perfect time for a very quiet cruise.
The beauty of shared boats is they are available throughout the year and that means for those who enjoy a quiet cruise and cosy nights by the fire,you can pick up a week in winter to enjoy that.

2023 has started with mild weather and most of our boats in for maintenance.
You may also notice that shares have been selling over the winter and our stock is rather low.
I have a few shares due to come on the market in the coming month so keep checking the website.

I would like to wish you a wonderful festive season and New Year

Christmas cruising is very popular get away.
The canal stoppages cease over the holidays and many of our boaters will be enjoying the festive season on the canals.
With the cosy solid fuel stoves and the peace of the wonderful English countryside, what is there not to love!

With the chimneys out and the fires alight, it is time to ensure our Smoke and Co2 monitors and working.
Stoves need care in use and checking the (baffle plate) plate a the top of your fire bricks for soot can avoid a blockage.
If your stove is sluggish please do check that the flue is clear and the baffle plate is clear to ensure we all can enjoy safely the joys of a solid fuel stove.

With the very mild temperatures we have been blessed with a pleasant early autumn.
The promise of more usual temperatures will have us reaching for a winter woollies.
But boating in winter can be a very peaceful and restful time on the canals.
Shorter days and cosy evenings in front of a lovely warm fire can be very appealing.
Why not head out to the canal system and enjoy life on the cut.

With the autumn comes the dropping of leaves into the canal and a timely reminder that if your boat looses propulsion and the propeller is clear it could be leaves.
The propeller sucks the leaves to itself and if you take the boat out of gear the leaves will drop away.
It can be very slow progress through very leafy areas with propulsion on and off until you get to a clearer stretch.

With the start of the autumn colour many of us will be lighting our heating and solid fuel stoves.
It is very important both boating and at home to check the Co2 and smoke alarms are working and that on our stoves the flue is clear and the (baffle plate) the plate that sits on the top of the fire bricks, this can have collected any loose soot over the summer. Always keep the plate clear to prevent the old soot catching fire.
It is time for glorious autumn cruising and cosy evening by the fire.

We are still enjoying the warmth of late summer but can see the autumn approaching, the drawing in of the evenings, the later sunrises all give our internal clocks the ques.
So Ownashare is equally planning for the changing season with boat surveys to inform the syndicates of work required over winter. All the AGM's are planned. Every season has its rhythm and after the calm of summer cruising Ownashare prepares for work around the corner.