So, when is Chinese New Year 2016? The Year of the Monkey begins on Monday 8th February and that’s a good excuse to bring you three random boating facts with vague and questionable links to China. (Number 3 won’t shock you at all – I was just being a cheeky monkey when I wrote that headline!)

1) Some Second Hand Narrowboats for Sale Were Made in China

East West Marine boats supply narrowboats made in China, on a production line, which makes each boat quite similar to one another. Often, British narrowboats are more or less bespoke, built individually and are based on the ideas of the owner. So it’s possible that at one time a Chinese-built boat was thought to be an economical way of getting a quite highly-specified boat for your money. The interior fit out was often made from bamboo, a traditional Chinese wood. So just imagine, when you're looking for a second hand narrowboat for sale you may find that it originally came from China!

2) There is a Floating Chinese Restaurant on the Canal

The Feng Shang Princess (pictured) claims to be London’s best kept secret,
“An exquisite social retreat serving outstanding Chinese food, fine wine, cocktails and champagnes.”

It is a hand-crafted, floating, red pagoda restaurant based in Cumberland Basin on the Regents Canal in Regents Park. Diners can enjoy a lovely view of the locally moored Camden narrowboats. I have always wanted to go there but never got around to it when I lived in London. The location is stunning, and probably an ideal setting for a romantic meal for a couple of London boaters on Valentine's day.

3) Boatshed Has Offices Near China!

Did you know that Boatshed Grand Union is part of the world's largest yacht brokerage group? Boatshed is an international organisation with more than 50 branches world-wide. We have offices in Asia, Penang (Malaysia), Phuket and Langkawi (Thailand). Alan Giles of Boatshed Phuket enjoys the variety of his work and not being stuck in the office.

“Most of my work can be done from my iPad,working hard when necessary but being able to get away for a couple of days when we’re not busy. We enjoy traveling around and visiting other islands in southern Thailand”.
See more at: No Desk Required; How to Live the Laptop Lifestyle.

Although each office is a separate, legal entity with its own business and name, operating within its locality we have standard working practices, standard procedures and use standard agreements and contracts, so that each office maintains the highest levels of customer service and professionalism - ideas at the heart of Boatshed since it was formed by Neil and Mandy Chapman in 1998, (the Chinese year of the Tiger!)

Now, doesn’t knowing that we’re bigger than you thought, give you more confidence when buying or selling a boat? You may not be ready to sell yet, but get yourself on our exclusive list of boaters if you're ready to get all the towpath news, boat maintenance tips, upcoming events, and waterways stories mailed directly to your inbox - plus instantly receive our free eBook: How to Sell a Boat: The Ultimate Guide.

Image credit: Thanks to raghavvidya on Flickr for making this image available under a Creative Commons licence.

Peggy

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