WATERDOG c. 1876
89' x 15'11" (27m x 4.85m) Humber Trading Barge
Waterdog was built c.1876 and traded on the Humber, Trent and Aire & Calder until the 1970s. She was then converted to live aboard and became student accommodation in York until 1996.
Lorna saved Waterdog from being sent to scrap 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 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. She was moored 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.
The long dry summer of 2025 allowed us to strip and paint the decks as they had become decidedly rusty in the years that we concentrated on the interior. We have to admit that she looked great by the end of the summer. She sold in October and we wish the new owners every happiness in her. Our next adventure lies elsewhere on the Isle of Wight, with sailing, cycling, walking and swimming around the island. And a home with flushing toilets!
In 2025 we celebrated 29 years living on board Waterdog and we think it’s time for a new adventure.
We leave Waterdog as a warm, comfortable home, on a beautiful residential mooring in Woodbridge, Suffolk.
She is sold to new owners who will make there own plans and stories in this fantastic location.
We’ve swapped river views for the leafy views of the Isle of Wight, wading birds for red squirrels and blue tits, and twice a day tides for rolling hills and long sandy beaches.
A big positive change for us and perhaps a proper retirement.
