About Us - Details about Jennie & Alan

J & A have worked solidly since their teens and have arrived at a time in their lives where their health is still good (for their age ;-) and they wanted to capitalise on this, by way of a new challenge and a cost-effective change of lifestyle. Plus adventure, improved weather, good food, wine, friends, etc. click here for info on the barging concept click here for diary info of the 5 year programme

Jennie's working life has centred in the service industries, originally as a BA long-haul stewardess and latterly in the corporate insurance world working for both the insurer and then brokers. Her work has focused on assisting larger businesses with sourcing the best for their staff by way of staff-benefits such as health insurance.

As a long-haul stewardess, Jennie had the benefit of visiting most of the distant known world but comparatively little of the near one, in particular mainland Europe. This is one of the key reasons why barging around Europe has had such an appeal to her and why she instantly took to Alan's idea (for a change :-) of designing their own vessel. The other introductory reason such an extreme lifestyle became acceptable was due to J&A buying a house alongside the Grand-Union-Canal in Berkhamsted, in SE England and becoming embroiled with the narrow boat scene.

Alan on the other hand has had just one career and that is marketing but this career has taken him around and through many industries and commercial undertakings - both up & down... it must be said!! He has been a chairman of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and more recently been made a Freeman of the City of London by way of the Worshipful Company of Marketors, where he is a liveryman and past Chairman of the Events Committee in this august body. He has worked for himself since 1980.

Alan has always had a passion for bikes and particular cars, so-much-so that during the decade of the 1980's he started and ran his own race & sportscar design & manufacturing company, called UVA. Marketing his cars and specialist automotive parts business throughout the world - little of which prepared him for a future in the maritime world, hence a near 6 year research and build period. Alan now lectures and gives talks about JENAL and the barging life. See Presentations Page.

Henry is a 15 year-old Tibetan Spaniel, he measures 25cm to the shoulder but imagines himself to be at least a meter!

Full of character and a great house dog although exceedingly territorial where other (usually larger) dogs are concerned.

He will, no doubt, live out his remaining years onboard JENAL and continue to give us and our guests an entertaining time. This often entails dragging out his smelly bed-clothing to show-off to newly arriving guests! Long may it continue:-).

Sadly, Henry recently departed us to live with his old friends in the big kennels of the sky's, at the ripe age of 16.