nb Tastoma

This blog is our scrap book of narrow boat Tastoma. 

Being an IT Consultant and specialising in a fairly unique relational database management system (Ingres - www.ingres.com) has unfortunately meant that for most of my contracting career, I have had to work away from home.

For just over seven years I had been living out of a suitcase staying in hotels and B&Bs and commuting weekly between home (Pennard nr Swansea) and the North East of England (Newcastle upon Tyne) and previously Antrim (Northern Ireland).

When I managed to secure a contract in Kingswinford (SW Birmingham) – a much shorter weekly commute, I found a quiet hotel in Kinver called the Anchor Hotel and Restaurant. Being only a stone’s throw from the Staffs and Worcs canal and an ideal location to walk and cycle the tow path, it didn’t take long before the idea of buying a narrow boat came to me.

Although there were no guarantees as to how long my contract in Kingswinford would last, with contracts typically being offered for between three and six months, the fact that I had lasted seven years in Newcastle, I decided to investigate further.

We (Bev my better half and I) sat down and started doing our research. How were we going to finance it, where would we find a boat for sale, where would we find moorings and all the other considerations one has to make when contemplating buying a boat.

Although there were a number of factors that helped in the decision making process, some of the more influencing ones were:

. Having somewhere to stay when working away from home that was more like a home rather than the impersonal hotels and B&Bs  

. Owning something that would give a return for the money invested (rather than the zero return for hotels and B&Bs)  

. The ability to use the boat for holidays and weekends away  

. Something unique – in as much I did not know anyone else around me who had done anything like this! 

So it was, in August and September 2003 we set about searching for a boat (for more details about our quest, read the blog postings around this time or the ‘Boat Purchase’ categories).

Over the next three years, my contract was renewed which enabled me to keep the boat. However, all good things must come to an end and at the end of 2006 (December 31st to be precise), my contract finally came to an end and was not going to be renewed.

We then had to prepare for what we had always agreed – the boat’s main purpose was to provide accommodation for me whilst working away from home. With no further contract work on the horizon, we were at the point of considering selling the boat.

Then, out of the blue, a telephone call from an agency (Certes) giving me details of an Ingres DBA contract with Rolls Royce based in Derby! For more details, head for the January 2007 Archive and ‘Finding a new home for Tastoma’.

From the time we bought the boat, I had kept a notebook of just about everything that we did – from buying it, moorings, DIY, trips and ‘booze cruises’. Of course, to accompany my jottings, I have several hundred digital photos. Having a few months at home in the early part of 2007 (whilst waiting for MoD Security Clearance to come through for Rolls Royce), I decided to set about recording my notes and photos in the form of this Blog.

At the time of writing this ‘Introduction’ (March 2007), I still have many pages of text to write up and hundreds of photos to include. However, I am sure that over the coming months I will complete this, and of course add to it as things progress.

Should you wish to leave any comments, or would like to know more, then please don’t hesitate in contacting me at BMW@AuvergneITC.com

Thanks

Mark and Bev