Why Captain Ahab? is usually the first question I am asked, and its a fair challenge.
Captian Ahab was a name given me by one of my children's teachers, who liked the works of Herman Melville and knew of my passion for boating. When I set up this Blog all those years ago I needed a semblance on anonymity and Captain Ahab I became! Since then Captain Ahab's Watery Tales has grown and become well known in the world of the inland waterways and it would seem a shame to consign him to a watery grave.
Captain Ahab
The Captain is supported by a loyal crew, mainly in the shape of his wife Belle, who has found herself sucked into his watery world, but actually prefers foraging on the towpaths, running her own Blog 'I know a Bank where the Wild Thyme Grows' that will be much more to the taste of the foodies among you.
Then there is Jeff, the now grown up Cabin Boy who doubles up as First Mate in his mothers absence, and is my companion on those more 'dodgey' trips to remote and less travelled corners of the canal network. And then there is Tilly, my daughter, who is a crew member without portfolio but can always be counted on to add a bit of glamour to the proceedings.
Of course, the true star of the show is Wand'ring Bark herself without whom none of this would be possible. She is a 42.5 ft narrowboat (I will tolerate the description 'barge' but never 'longboat'), built in 2003 with 38hp Beta engine which has never missed a beat. She is not glamorous but the old girl she gets around a bit!
As for me, I have just turned the big 50 and am celebrating over 40 years afloat. My love affair with the canals started with The Captain Snr, my father, who introduced me to the delights of the BCN in the late 1960's when things looked very different. Even at the tender age of eight I harboured dreams of one day owning a narrowboat, if i I ever came to live in the Midlands.... and here I am.
As for my real persona? I can say that my name is Andy and a clue to my surname can be found in the following link. I you want to get in touch just leave a comment with your e-mail address.
I hope you enjoy my Blog. It has become something of a sprawling monster which fuses my interests in waterways, the industrial revolution and photography, but it's important that you remember that its primary audience is me. Like Wainwright, I worry that I will lose my ability to get out and about as I get old, and want something which will let me reflect on past adventures. In the meantime it keeps me off the streets and provides some gentle amusement for others.
