Merry Miller II,

The cabin had two windows either side as opposed to one, and the kitchen - and the vertical storage space for the motor - was on the right hand side. She looked like a Nomad but was different!
Although she was comfortable, and she was certainly handy (she turned round about a foot in front of the bow with full throttle) she had a snag. Condensation!
Until we dismantled the starboard front window that was a problem. With the front window gone it was acceptable. If she was on the slips now we would build in four ventilators to prevent that.

The fuelling was done with a two gallon can! I could refuel in quick time, even in the middle of the river. If the motor cut out, I could unscrew the filler cap and fill the tank, and screw the fill cap on again. Then I could get the motor started without difficulty, all without straying from course.
We didn't refuel often with Merry Miller II at the middle of the river, though. she was usually tied up to the side! The tank usually lasted between meals (!) which were taken stationary - we weren't going to cook underway. The tank was filled every meal time and lasted a long time!

Nomad, original!	Seagull Century

The actual Merry Miller II

Merry Miller II was delivered to the wharf upstream from Jesus Green Lock, I was living on a houseboat belonging to the builder. One night, the houseboat sunk, gradually, the water was coming in therefore I had to abandon ship in the middle of the night. I had only one choice, I had to relocate with my belongings to the Merry Miller! I liked it so much that I remained to the summer.
I spent the summer, and the winter too, in a caravan. The caravan was on the outside, downstream of the Fen Ditton Plough, where there was a ferry that connected the towpath side with the Plough Inn. Convenient when you consider that I was at the Pye main works on the towpath side and a quarter of an hour later was the Plough.

The first long journey I went on, during a weekend, was only to Ely, but it was enough to prove the effectiveness of the boat.

The Ely journey was repeated over the two years I spent residing in Fen Ditton. I did journey up-river, to the birthplace of Merry Miller II through the Jesus Green lock - as well as going swimming at Jesus Green Swimming Pool at the tail of the lock, occasionally. But I favoured journeying downstream.

The two Locks and two Lodes were entirely different. The first lock sported a bridge along the length of the lockside. The Merry Miller was only sixteen foot long, therefore the bridge didn't have to be swung. The other lock was in the open river in the fen banking. The sluicekeeper was part time therefore we had to get down and up sharpish! Therefore we preferred to spend a weekend down the river.
The two Lodes were different too. The first lode had one pair of gates only, like a staunch (navigation wier.) We passed it one day when it was open and, just to try it, went inside. Merry Miller didn't have much draft so we un-shipped the motor and paddled the ship along the Lode. We were not surprised that we did not find enough water, but wading and pushing, we got the ship along all right until we reached the railway bridge. 40 yards from the bridge actually, we ran out of water.
The railway line from Cambridge to Mildenhall passed over the lode at the trackbed level. I think that the railway was built after the lode was 'abandoned' because the bottom of the bridge was level with the fen banks. We returned home!

The other lode had a entrance lock. We journied two miles and turned right at the road that went Cambridge to Ely.

Another time, we had a camp with the Sea Cadets at the Upware Site, 100 yards down the river from the lock. We didn't go up the lock to Wicken Fen, being strapped for time as we only spent the Bank Holiday Weekend, and we were based at Cambridge!
Calamity! The Sea Cadet's motor cruiser broke down on the way to base. We had to tow them, breasted up of course. 16 foot of my boat, 35 foot of their boat, Merry Miller could do it!

---

I embarked on a "Annus Horribilis," 1961....
First, because my mother died in the beginning of the year, and I was considering the move to pasture new anyway. I had a ten year younger sister to consider, she went to relatives living near the Thames soon afterwards. I had a three week holiday which I spent trying to get myself through it, the reality was really different....

I was unaccompanied, and I departed from the opposite the Cambridge Sea Cadets HQ early Saturday morning. (I had a mooring at the bottom of the Pye sport field then!) I had a full tank of petrol and 10 gallons in a spare can.
We, (the Boat and I, of course!), cleared the two locks almost before the sluice keepers were on duty and we were on the way to Ely. Upware was passed in good time, and the Old West at late lunch time. Ely came in sight and the Quay was almost free from boats, it was changeover day at the boatyard upstream from the Quay and I didn't expect it! I moored the boat facing up-stream and went for a swim.
On the return from swimming I prepared dinner, ate, and got ready for bed. After all, I was getting up at first light tomorrow.

As I was passing the mouth of the the Coal River that morning, the Lark it's called really, I was taken by the difficulty of horse transport. In particular, the changing side of the river through the junction of the Lark and Ouse. There isn't a bridge in sight, the origin of the name is the annual journey to deliver a load of coal and fetch the load of sacks of corn. Because the boats would be horse drawn, what would have happened to the horse at the junction? Because the guage of the Lark, at the upper reaches, would not have permitted the passage of a narrow boat - where did the transhipment take place to fen lighters? In Wisbech? In Mildenhall? or not at all?

I passed the Little Ouse and the Wissey in good time, and made Denver Sluice about two o'clock. The lock was not set, as the Salters Lode was not ready.

The new flood water prevention goes off to the right at Denver, but it wasn't there at this time,twenty five years ago. The sluice doors were two way, too - I think the upper door was guillotine at that point of time and the lower gate was two way, like lock gates.
I was soon allowed to enter the sluce, and soon through. I soon was at the junction of Salters Lode, I dodged the sandbank going downstream and up again, but I couldn't go through the Sluice. The Sea side of the sluice had two balks of timber obstructing the entrance, and mud overall. Then I executed Plan B!

This was that plan that I had discussed with the sluice keeper. A different one that I had met at Denver. Although they had contact by telephone they were strangers! The sluice keeper had known all along that I couldn't use the lock! And the Plan B was to use the Old Bedford River to go round to Stanground. We had to wait until the water levels were equal, as they were twice a day at the ebb. The sluice, consisting of two doors facing downsteam and two doors facing upsteam, are able to open for half an hour at the ebb, they are closed the rest of the time! I queried why not at flood tide, and was told that the insurance company would not wear that! If a boat was jammed in the gates the flood tide would back up the Old Bedford River and would flood the land....

Coming out of the flood gates, well - I couldn't call it a Sluice - I was suprised to find two fen banks disappearing to the distant horizon. I set off and steered on to Upwell Fen, only I couldn't see it! I overnighted at Welney, I got delayed because of the weed cutting downstream of the town!

I was in Welches Dam Sluice mid morning, the junction of Counter Wash which goes on to the bank at Earith and the Forty Foot. I remembered the instructions and accordingly, I went to the cottage in the field at the outside and borrowed the windlass. Then I returned to the Sluice.
The pound beneath the lock was dry.

I went down to Horseway to see if the sluice was closed. It was open! I forgot the windlass --- but I had the wherewithall to telephone. I phoned the sluice keeper at Outwell (I think it was!)
"I don't think it will be all right to flood the pound! It runs out 'do you see.' If you go back to your boat and walk back along the waterway you'll see."
"I think you`ll have to go round the other way, It'll cost you."

I enquired what it would cost. It seemed it would cost the crane to lift Merry Miller II from the water of the Old Bedford River and run her around to Salters Lode, and put her in again. It would take to Wednesday and cost me. I thanked him for the thought, and said I would have to think. I would have to telephone him again when I got back to the boat.
He said "if I don't hear from you again, I'll presume that I don't have to order the crane...."

I returned to Merry Miller II with a heavy heart.. I couldn't raise the cost of the crane, or really I didn't want to, lest I found the canal and Nene costs too much. I calculated the costs again and realised that I couldn't do it. I returned the windlass and I winded the boat to in the mouuth of the forty foot drain, to get a punctual start the next morning.