Total hits on www.saulnomad.com and www.bargemanholidays.com  as at 2nd January 2009 are 1,944,946 since we started in Autumn 2002.  ( 154,668 of you checked us out in July!  A new monthly record.)   You really should get a life..or it could be "Now fasten your seat belt Dorothy, it is bye bye to Kansas City!"   

Thanks everybody for your continuing interest in our humble offerings of "gateaux avec les fruits", and we hope that our ever more tedious..almost weekly additions.. are keeping you suitably entertained!  

CATCH OUR LATEST NEWS IN THE "2008 STARTING IN AIGUES MORTES" SECTION...SEE BOTTOM LEFT BUTTON

"SAUL NOMAD" on her mooring at Saul Junction - September 2003

Winter 2004

Dad and I decided a number of years ago to build a 1920/1930's Style Barge to cruise the European Canal and River system. It would be suitable for commercial charter.  A proper working boat. We did not want to build a poor British Replica of a what is known as in the United Kingdom as a Dutch Barge. However sometimes discretely described by the Dutch as an "English Bucket" !  "Saul Nomad" definitive layout would probably not pass the Dutch anorak test, but it had to be pleasing to the eye.   I joined the Barge Association, (The Barge Association -  www.barges.org ) and have found it most helpful. Their Magazine is a font of information written by experianced Barge owners, and their website discussion pages - occasionally lively and always very interesting. Bargees like Barges are all fairly unique, and you can pick up many "best" ideas - even on the same subject. I have soaked up as much as possible and come to my own conclusions. (Admittedly, and in retrospect, not always the correct ones!)  We have aimed at Continental cruising because we feel that it will be some years before many of the current improvements to our native system bear fruit.

Sadly my Father, George, passed away aged 92 on the 29th October 2003 after a short illness. He was a retired International Water Engineer, and had lived in Ramsey, Isle of Man, since 1987. In 1947 he was appointed Baghdad Water Engineer.  By the time he left ten years later Iraq had drinking water to European Standards.  Whatever happened during thirty five years of Baath socialist rule?  During his retirement he wrote "Basic Water Treatment" which is a world standard reference to supplying drinking water. A hot topic these days, and the text book is required reading on University Engineering courses world wide. It is a shame that he will not get to enjoy the fruits of our labour, because he loved travelling and particularly cruising somewhere warm!  Some of his last words to me were that although he would miss the cruising, it was possible that he would be somewhere warm!  (Highly unlikely in my opinion, but he had an excellent sense of humour!).  I am John (62), who spent 35 years in the fashion industry. I also spent many years pursuing my love of tennis.  My competitive club tennis has been replaced by what  Billie Jean King  once accurately described as  ""Hit and giggle". (Her standard of "Hit and Giggle" being at a slightly higher standard than my own !).    I have also been a semi-professional photographer since the age of twelve. I added "semi" because "professional" on it's own, implies that I have made a living at it!  Nowadays I do it because I love taking pictures, and digital photography gives you such an economical way to enjoy your hobby. I am fond of pets, and my current collection is a Blue Fronted Amazon Parrot which I have had for twenty three years, Two rather large Newfoundland Bitches (7  and 13 years) and a Koi Carp. The Koi is going to live with my niece, as I am assured that fish can get seasick on a boat!  "Bobo" the Parrot says "hello!", sings in tune to any song that takes her fancy, and noisily insists on sharing whatever you happen to be eating!  We have recently had three french cats adopt us whilst moored in France. (Now down to one as at 3rd December 2007...editor)

John Smethurst in 1950...before it all went wrong!  Aged 5, too young for "Cabin Boy", but already swabbing decks and had to be rescued in a mediterranean shipping emergency. Still swabbing decks in 2007, but fingers crossed no recent embarrassments!  Thankfully I had not also been making Nike trainers by this age, or the social services would have been around!  Please note that I am proudly wearing my "Festival of Britain" Tie Pin!

1958 and the Thin Red Line of toy soldiers!  Whilst attending Ashbury College, Ottawa, I somehow finished in the Cadet Honour Guard..that's me second from right!  We were affiliated to the Governor General's Footguards, who were affiliated to the Second Battalion Coldstream Guards...hence buttons in two's.  The Queen Mother came to one parade.  As soon as she left and it was time for family photos, it pissed with rain! The Lee Enfields were loaded with .303 blanks (They double checked!) for the salute, and as a further safety feature there were corks stuck on the end of our bayonets!

Get aload of the "Quiff".  I was nicknamed "Elvis" at Ashbury!

My sister recently reminded me that when "Monty" inspected our Company, he mentioned to our Commanding Officer that we all needed a haircut!  That was the "Full Monty" of Alemain, and not the portly Scottish Golfer nor redundant stripping Steelworkers!   Field-Marshal (Rtd) Bernard Montgomery was in civvies. On his suit he wore almost as many medal ribbons as a Soviet Tank Commander!

 
N..N..Nineteen.  Assiniboine Division at “HMCS Cornwallis” 1964. The “Sin Div” as it liked to be known, did very little to counter it’s reputation. South of the Border things were getting more serious...ie how to avoid 'Nam!  However Canada was far more relaxed.

We sailed on “HMCS Fort Erie” July 1964. Launched May 27^th 1944, she was classified as a "Frigate" and was one of 58 ships in her Canadian class. (By the end of WWII Canada had the world’s third largest Navy, probably aided by the fact that most of the Axis Navies had been sunk!)  She was similar in design to the Royal Navy’s 48 “River Class” Frigates. Displacement 1445 Tons. 301 x 36 x 12 feet held a complement of 140. Two x 4” guns, Ten x 20mm Bofors. The Depth charges which would roll off the stern in 1944, had been replaced by Hedgehog multiple depth charge launchers by 1964. The triple expansion machinery produced a throbbing 21 knots in emergency...she also rolled like a ******!  We crossed the Atlantic in the summer of ’64 at around 14 knots, on a patrol that took in the Azores, Chatham, Newport, Tor Bay, and Bantry Bay. Just my luck to have to show the flag mostly to the United Kingdom, rather than an exotic cruise around the Caribbean! If you wish to know what it was like inside, please visit the WWII cruiser “HMS Belfast” in the Pool of London.

The RCN Photographer unhelpfully captioned this one.."aim at the third seagull on the left!"  I am not the unfortunate Cadet who is under the firm instruction of the Gunnery Chief Petty Officer.  The RCN were more relaxed about things..notice Cigarette in left hand.   In reality we knew that we were protecting Canada from a seaborn invasion by Fidel Castro!

1966...and all that.  21 years old, finishing my Engineering Course at Allan’s of Bedford, and getting to start Management training at Marks & Spencer.  England had just beaten Argentina in the World Cup. The lone Argentine Engineering student at Allan’s had severed diplomatic relations. It was the first time I had heard “Malvenas” included in a sentence, and thought at first he was referring to the name of their Center Forward!

John in 1984!  Slightly more slimline, where daily tennis and roadwork may have had something to do with it.  Walking Newfoundlands is not exercise!  My baby Blue and Gold Macaw "Robert" looks between the ears for any sign of grey matter!  Sadly my decision not to clip his wings, because he had no way of breaking his fall off his perch, proved misguided.

October 2008  Can this be the same person?  Hey I am a Gemini!  Plenty to smile about, but the question raised is "Ok then! Who ate all the pies?"

My late father, George, on his 90'th Birthday.  Spruced up for his Grand Daughter Kathy's wedding
in July 2001

My late mother, Frieda, all dressed up whilst Cruising with the Portuguese and Orient line in 1975. My Mum and Dad went cruising every year of their fifty year marriage.

We were introduced to R.W. Davis & Son ( www.rwdavis.co.uk ), through a third party recommendation.  The building slot was allocated and the yard introduced a Naval Architect, Tony Tucker who was involved with two other Barge Builds that were then in progress there. Tony is a busy man, with outside interests beyond boating, and I would politely classify his work was "steady".  Although the build was commenced without all the drawings being completed, the design that resulted from a fair amount of discussion is good looking.(I would say that wouldn't I !)  Tony left the project before the completion of the hull, but the essential details of the look of the hull are his, and remain within his portfolio.

Want to contact us?  then try:   viacamden@msn.com or info@bargemanholidays.com

Fitted Out and ready to Cruise June 20th 2005!

SEE OUR HOLIDAY WEBSITE:  www.bargemanholidays.com   for details about our Europeanwide Adventure Holidays! 

If you wish to talk to us, please ring: 0033(0)643 085240