Debdale moored at Stone on a frosty November morning
Interior View of
Debdale showing the dining area and the kitchen beyond
Debdale moored in
Coventry Basin by the statue of James Brindley.
Debdale was built in 2006 by Reeves, with a fit-out by Milburn boats. She was originally commissioned by the ill fated "Ownerships" boat sharing company who managed the boat on behalf of the owners. Since the failure of Ownerships Narrowboat Debdale has been managed by her owners through a syndicate with 12 shares. All decisions are made by the syndicate and all expenses are paid by the shareholders.
Debdale has room for six people in three double cabins. There is a master cabin with 5 foot double bed at the rear of the boat . This has an en-suite washroom and toilet. Forward of the master cabin is the bathroom with its corner bath plus shower, a second toilet and wash basin.
Forward of the master cabin is the kitchen - well equipped with gas oven, gas hob, microwave, freezer, fridge and lots of storage space. Forward again is the dining area where the table is removable and the seating converts to a double berth.
Right at the front of the boat is the lounge area - with HD TV/DVD (with Freesat) and radio (there is also an HDTV/DVD in the master cabin). The lounge sofa converts to form the third double berth and there are curtains to partition this area from the dining area. Folding doors to the front well deck can easily open up this area to the great outdoors. If it's too chilly for this then instead enjoy the solid fuel stove in the lounge - it really keeps things warm and cosy. There is a separate central heating system to radiators, so Debdale can be enjoyed all year round with members especially enjoying Christmas and New Year on board!
The boat is very easy to handle with a powerful 2ltr diesel engine capable of propelling Debdale at a reasonable cruising speed at low revs - this means that in normal cruising the boat is very smooth and quiet. A hydraulic bow thruster makes manouvering at low speed in confined spaces very easy and she can be turned in her own length. She also reverses very nicely responding to her tiller quite well although again the bow thruster comes in handy!
The engine has an alternator to battery charge controller to maximise the output from her alternator and make sure that the bank of accommodation batteries are kept well charged and can supply all the power to the boat - she can even provide 240v AC power! Normal daily cruising is usually enough to keep all the batteries charged up.
Debdale is based at Shire Cruisers in Sowerby Bridge where the Rochdale Canal joins the Calder & Hebble Navigation. This is proving to be a very exciting change for us as this is a very different cruising area - more locks, fewer boats and some stunning scenery.