THOUGH general boating is feeling the pinch in this time of financial depression, hire boating seems to be doing well.
All six of the narrowboats boats available for hire from Black Prince's new West London base are booked for the duration and beyond of next summer's Olympic Games, from 20th July to 14th September 2012 writes Debbie Walker.
500 boats
Black Prince is part of the Drifters Waterway Holidays consortium, which offers 500 boats from 35 locations across the country, with the new hire boat base on the Grand Union Canal Paddington Arm at Willow Tree Marina, near Greenford, that was opened in March 2011.
John Lucas, Operations Manager for Black Prince, pictured above, exclaimed:
"We are delighted to be sold out for the Olympic summer. We have been really pleased with the response from both existing and new customers since we opened our new base at Willow Tree Marina at the beginning of the 2011 season."
2012 prices at Drifters' London base start from £431 for a short break on a four berth boat or £663 for a week. Bookings start on 17th March and run until 27th October. Boats range from two to ten berths.