Arielle's Boat - 22/09/23

Context:

• I met Arielle a few times as a patron visiting my pub in the Oxford area. Her and her dog Astrix would semi frequently pop in from time to time. Both always entered with an abundance of positive energy. Big love Ariel! (Forgive me if I’ve spelt names wrong!)
• Toby is an incredible cabinet maker who I've known for a good few years. Offering insight and shedding light wherever he can. Some of the most interesting conversations you'll ever have. If you're in need of quality woodwork, look no further. Follow www.mortoncabinetmakersoxford.co.uk I hope you're thriving bud!

Story:

I found myself on Arielle’s narrowboat one afternoon helping her shift around floor boards and securing them into place. There were three of us on the boat in total, Ariel, myself and one other (I don’t think I knew this person). A change of events occurred while we were on the boat together, but unfortunately I can’t recall what happened here.

Not long after, I needed to go to the toilet. This meant exiting via the front doors of the boat to find a hedge on the towpath. Her front doors were relatively unique in comparison to most narrowboats however. Instead of a door, or set of double doors, that were built into bulkhead of the cabin, she had a solid cratch (Usually a canvas-covered A frame at the front of the boat) that was an integral part of the cabin design with doors that swung outwards at an angle onto the towpath. Due to how low the boat sat in the water and how high the towpath was relative to the cabin, if the boat was rocking at all, the doors would be blocked by the bank when trying to open them. When I first attempted to exit, her boat knocked against the bank quite sharply, preventing me from opening the door. I quickly realised this was due to another boat passing by on the opposite side which was creating a large wash as it did so. As her boat rocked back and forth, I watched the other boat pass completely and allowed the wash to subside before trying again. This time I had more success, the doors opened and I stepped out onto the towpath. However, due to the shift of weight as I left the boat, it rocked back away from the bank before lurching forwards once again with the doors still outstretched over the edge of the towpath. As it rocked towards the bank, the bottom of the open doors cracked down directly onto the piling (corrugated metalwork that supports the edge of the towpath) gouging a huge chunk out of the bottom of the doors. Unfortunately, these doors were almost brand new, constructed by Toby, so they were immaculately made. I felt so embarrassed that I’d damaged her boat and Toby’s beautiful craftsmanship. The dream fades as I re-enter the boat to tell Arielle of the newly acquired damage.

End.