Carpathia sails again

No, not the RMS Carpathia that rescued 705 survivors from the Titanic, but this very unusual narrowboat built by John White. She has been hanging around our boatyard for some time , and at the weekend we met her new owner and he showed us over the boat.

Obviously the raised cabin / wheelhouse is the novel feature. It has two single "dinettes" that convert into bunks, and of course a steering wheel and control panel so the steerer can keep warm and dry in all weathers. It also has a conventional tiller on the rear deck. Down below it is er, cosy. A small sitting area, a normalish galley and bathroom and a fixed double bed at the front. No front doors. Considering her length at 42 feet (I think), she makes good use of space. She has no heating stove but radiators warmed by an Eberspacher diesel heater.

She has taken a while to sell, because I would think most narrowboaters prefer something more conventional. Her new owner will be living aboard and continuously cruising. He admitted to us that he has never been through a canal lock!! Quite how he will manage solo I can't imagine. The learning curve is going to be pretty steep to say the least. Well, I wish him luck.