Just to let you know, on the 19-22 June 2004 I shall be the captain for the 1st Annual floating tionol, aboard a narrowboat on the river Thames. We will have the full Tionol experience with piping lessons, reed making workshops and maintenance sessions. We will be cruising from Oxford to the head of the river at Lechlade and back through beautiful countryside. It is also a bargain price, so contact me on ENGLAND 01865 727942 for details
Hi Sean,
You might want to keep this very quiet so the local fiddlers don’t plant any mines along your route 
Could end piping in the London area in seconds, thus beginning the fiddlers age.
Patrick.
Tionols in interesting places reminds me of the discussion that Patrick and I had once about piping in non-standard atmospheres, for example on the International Space Station. Would a D set of pipes still play in D in a pure oxygen atmosphere? How about in heliox used for deep diving?
Boy, I dunno. I think if we were to digress any lower than fiddling, we’d have to take up clubs and start hunting mammoths again! LONG LIVE PIPERS EVERYWHERE! 
Make sure that you tie a string to the bass drone slides with the other end tied or fixed to the stock so the slide does not get lost at sea. Neillidh Mulligan tells a great story of losing a valuable pipes part in a lough while playiong on a boat. They hired a diver to successfully retrieve the piece later based on a recollection of where they lost the part. The diver was rewarded with a few of the 50 IEP notes that featured a piper.
What a really good idea! Narrowboats tend to navigate from pub to pub, so all in all a good time should result.Great initiative, will phone for details.Good luck!
Somehow, I can imagine turning these boats into floating pubs, adrift on the Thames. Otherwise, you may as well drive from pub to pub. 
Narrowboats are a cunning way round the U.K.Drink driving laws-Allegedly!
glad to see interest is being generated. Can’t quite figure out the ‘may as well drive’ idea, takes away the whole point of the cruise! As for performance of pipes, well I live on a narrowboat (not the one being used for the Tionol) and have no problems with mine. I have started to take deposits, so anyone interested, please get in touch.
Why do us poor fiddlers always get a slagging here? Its not fair dammit!! 
Dan
Hey, I love fiddlers. I play with one all the time.
buskerSean, I was picturing the crew moving from pub to pub where the good times would be wating, unless there was a pub on the boats, that’s why I said drive. I think it sounds fantastic to do a float on the river. I’ve only done that once, on light breeze on the Columbia River, and thought it was great. Anything helps with that lack of humidity in this desert.
I imagine the official tionol song will be “Sweet Thames Flow Softly.”
And the official tionol book? How about “Three men in a boat” by Jerome Jerome…it is a great read!
What a great idea
I’ve been thinking about the fact that you live on a narrowboat.Does this have any effect on your reed, whether you play on or off the water?I’ve seen all the problems mentioned with humidity and I just want to come prepared!Cheers ,Teirw
Teirw, Humidity is not excessive on a modern narrowboat as they are well insulated and heated by solid fuel stoves with central heating plumbed into them. The only problem can be the boat getting very hot when the burner is roaring, but it is easily remidied. The Tionol is in June and this shouldn’t be an issue. I have recieved three deposits now by the way, so anyone interested do get in touch. Look forward to seeing some of youse at the Birmingham Tionol.