WATERDOG c. 1876
89' x 15'11" (27m x 4.85m) Humber Trading Barge
The black and white photo above is from Waterdog's trading days on the Humber, Trent and Aire & Calder. She is pictured near Pollington Lock in the 1950s or 1960s.
Lorna saved Waterdog in 1996 and her & Lawrence worked together, in Goole from 1997 till 2008, to make her ready for crossing the North Sea and cruising Europe. We had full time jobs in the offshore industry which slowed our progress on Waterdog. We set sail from the Humber to Dunkerque in July 2008 to carry on the adventure in France. We cruised the waterways of Northern France and Belgium for 9 years going from rural to the centre of Paris and on to the champagne region.
In September 2016 we crossed the North Sea in Waterdog for a second time from Nieuwpoort, Belgium to Woodbridge in Suffolk. We now moor bow on to the Deben river front with only a 5 minute walk to the town centre. In 2017 we voyaged along the coast to Essex for a month in dry dock and then back via Harwich.
Lawrence retired in 2019 so we set about finishing a new galley and main saloon area, with new solid oak floors. Bedroom 2 then got a pneumatic fold up bed, so that it doubles as a craft room. The new wheelhouse roof was fitted with solar panels charging LiFePo4 batteries and this was integrated into the electrical systems onboard. We now use very little shore power, especially from spring till autumn, and each gas bottle lasts nearly a year due to solar power running a small air oven. Woodbridge has been voted the one of the best towns to live in, in the UK 2024, and there many activities to become involved with on this lovely river.
In 2025 we will celebrate 29 years living on board Waterdog and it’s time to let someone else continue the story.
Waterdog has slowly been transformed into a warm, comfortable home, and is on a fully residential mooring in Woodbridge, Suffolk.
She is ready to move straight into permanently or for holidays with the beautiful river Deben and a lovely town right on the doorstep.
Equally, she is fully mobile and ready for cruising.
Offers in excess of £250,000
