One night at a radio contest site, or at the Ancient Shepherds pub in Fen Ditton, Brian Wilson (then G6YAD now G0KFQ) mentioned the idea of operating Amateur Radio from a canal boat and making a holiday out of it. We listened to the stories of his adventures, being tied up in a lock during floods and so on and the idea gelled. I had some previous experience on the Llangollen and Shropshire Union Canals in 1981 but for the rest this was new territory.
John Parmenter (then G6UGI now G0TIL) quickly set about the task of finding a suitable route and canal company with his usual efficent manner. And so Brian Wilson, John Parmenter, Martin Cranage (G8OFA), Ted Chapman (G1ALF) and myself David King (G6KWA) found ourselves at the Nantwich base of Simolda Ltd. boarding Queen Joan the second in March 1986 with the plan to "do" the Four Counties Ring.
With hindsight perhaps this was not the best choice for our first outing but we still talk about the boat and the things that happened, so the trip made a lasting impression on us.
So look next at 1986 to see how we got on.