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stories

  • Reedbound

    20.00
    Written by Giles Byford with Illustrations by Jill Parkinson. Life afloat suits some people, and with a business that's made living and working all over the English waterways possible, it suits Giles and Jill so well they feel blessed. Everything, from the odd circumstance of finding their first narrowboat to rejecting academia, seems to bring rewards: so they are not surprised that the same strange magic appears to be working it's charm when they set about building Hawthorn, the barge they intend to spend the rest of their lives exploring Europe on. The future's promising and wonderful. And then, quite suddenly, everything falls apart. Reedbound is largely about what follows. How the terrifying violence of crossing the Irish Sea becomes an act of faith that contrasts with a gentle westward wandering along an empty canal to the River Shannon. And how, over the year they spend exploring the Irish waterways, a philosophy of trusting all will be well and refusing to research beyond the barest minimum delivers adventure, unexpected spaces and other misfits. Ultimately Reedbound is a celebration of how the redemptive power of Ireland's landscape and culture re-establishes the couple's faith that they're looked after on the water. Hardback. 217 pages. 165x240x20mm
  • Out of stock
    The Skipper & Her Mate: Ten years on Irish Waters. by Nicki Griffin. This is a book about people, boats and wildlife on the Irish Waterways. Told from the perspective of a woman with only a week's hire-boat experience learning to drive a vintage timber cruiser, it is a journey through rivers and canals, and an apprenticeship in the ways of boating among a vibrant community of new and diverse people. When Nicki Griffin started boating in 2000, the inland waterways were occupied by older family boats. In the years to follow she would witness these being replaced by larger cruisers and 'gin-palaces', changing the character of the Irish Waterways, and threatening what was, for many, a unique and special way of life. Following in the wake of such works as Theo Dorgan's 'Sailing for Home' and 'Time on the Ocean' and Dick Warner's television shows, 'The Skipper & Her Mate' will appeal to the novice, the river rat and non-boater alike. Nicki Griffin has been writing a very popular column for Inland Waterways News since 2002. The Skipper & Her Mate is her first book. 233p Paperback 215x135x20mm
  • Out of stock
    Water, Wind and Wood - A Memoir - by Reggie Goodbody. Reggie Goodbody grew up in isolation beside Lough Derg during the war before moving to live on a boat for 2 1/2 years. Education required a move to Dublin before moving to England to work in the timber trade. Returning to Dublin in 1960 he worked in a wooden box factory and saw mills. In 1979 he set up his own boatyard in with his wife Hjordis in Portumna, building and repairing yachts and motor cruisers. This memoir tells stories of old boats and entertaining characters on the Shannon, restoring a steam boat, a Pucan, a wooden Dragon and making a very fast barrel back launch. A lifetime sailing on the lakes and at sea, making scale models and half-hulls, violins, and restoring a water clock to name a few projects as well as building and restoring several houses. His involvement with Newtown School, Waterford and Lough Derg Yacht Club, Industrial Heritage, Photography, his two sons and his dogs produce many entertaining reminiscences. Over 150 photographs, 200 Pages, Hardback.

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