From owner-canals@blacksheep.org Mon Jun 2 15:34:45 1997 id AA19532; Mon, 2 Jun 97 15:34:30 EDT for canals-nonews@blacksheep.org (canals@blacksheep.org) To: canals@blacksheep.org Date: Sun, 1 Jun 1997 16:59:45 +0100 From: Michael J Wooding Subject: Our trip to the Thames - LONG Hi Y'all, As threatened here is THE log of our trip to the Thames and back last week. Regards ... Mike Friday 23rd May Arrived on board at around 1800 and loaded up ready for a Saturday departure. Found it difficult to fit the kitchen sink in so we decided to leave it in my van! And we were only going away for a week. One or two things had been forgotten, so Krystyna decided to go back home in the morning to collect them and probably some other stuff as well! It’s a good job we live only 14 miles from the moorings. Saturday 24th May A fine dry day with a fair bit of cloud and at times a stiff breeze. Finally got away from the moorings at 1205 and 1315 saw us at the top of Marston Doles! A whole 2 locks and 1 mile in 1 hour 10 minutes, this wasn’t going to get us to the Thames and back. What a lot of traffic in both directions - and some of it knowing what it was doing! Cruised to Fenny Comptom where we stopped at the marina for a nose around - nothing like the old days of Pete and Fenny Marine - in fact if that is the best Cowroast can do then I would forget it. A definitely less than friendly greeting and absolutely no atmosphere to the place at all. Oh well - tempus fugit and all that. Carried on to Claydon top lock, arriving around 1730 and found ourselves no.5 in the queue! Sunday 25th May Less wind today and definitely warmer, still plenty of cloud around. Set off at 0830 - well joined the queue that is. Exited Claydon bottom lock at around 1000, not too bad considering the amount of 2-way traffic. Pottered on towards Banbury in the same queue, meaning an average 30-45 minutes wait at each lock However, after Banbury we managed to lose a few boats and cruised on until 2030, eating on the hoof, arriving as planned at Lower Heyford. A quick splash in the sink and we were off to the Bell Inn for a jar or two of Honey Dew, when we finally found the pub as yours truly went the wrong way! Monday 26th May Virtually no wind and cloud, getting quite hot. 0830 saw us on route again for Oxford and the Thames. Definitely less traffic today, apart from a few hire boats coming up from Oxford - we seem to have left the masses behind. Decided to go through Oxford itself this time instead of taking the more usual route through Dukes Cut, as we had never travelled this stretch of water before. OK, we’ve done it - not again I fear, a typical town/industrial scene (not that that is in itself necessarily uninteresting) but with live-a-board after live-a-board after etc., etc. It wouldn’t be so bad if they looked after their boat homes (OK I realise that this is a generalisation, and I apologise to those to whom these remarks do not apply) but most of them just seem to be the water- home version of slums. However, after a stop at Oxford boats for a pump-out et al, 1800ish saw us locking through Isis lock onto the Thames - at last. A virtual toss of a coin and we headed down-stream, registered at Osney lock and then paid for the dinghy at Iffley lock - UKP 4.00 !!! Cruised down-stream to just above Sandford lock arriving at 2000, where after dinner we ventured into the Kings Arms for as jar or two of Directors. Tuesday 27th May A very hot sunny day with no breeze. Away at 0915 we were locked through Sandford (nice this having the locking done for you what?) and headed down-stream to Abingdon, where we moored just down-stream of the lock at around 1100ish and headed into town for some much needed stores. Three trips into town later saw us fully replenished with food, beer, wine and spirits, post cards and some chandlery from the bridge-side boatyard. 1500 saw us off sown-stream again through Culham and Clifton locks, where we found a nice field mooring just above Days lock and stopped engine around 1800. Time for a BBQ we agreed, only it turned out that you-know-who had left it at the moorings! OH well, back to the cooker and break out the beer and wine stores. Wednesday 28th May Again very hot, no cloud and no breeze. Away at 0900 heading back up- stream we eventually arrived at Iffley lock and were informed that the Oxford University May "8’s" were in progress, and that we would be slightly delayed. Watched the start of a race from just above the lock and set off in pursuit, rounded the corner just up-stream from the lock and not an "8" in site - apparently they don’t have to observe the 8kph speed limit! Cruised gently on towards Osney lock, through the melee of boats, "8’s", ferry punts, etc., etc. We nearly managed to wipe out two "8’s", whose coxswains were not only apparently not in control of their boats and crews, but seemingly totally unaware of the 10+ tons of Wa’Na’Nee’Che bearing down on them. The lock keeper at Osney lock was most upset when we told him the tale, because we didn’t bring him a trophy to hang above his lockside ‘office’ - namely a piece of a rowing "8". We locked through Osney, manually worked through Godstow as it was by now around 1830 (hard work! Thank heavens for the lock keepers during the day) and moored in delightful surroundings just above the lock at around 1930. Several jars of Draught Bass at the adjacent Trout Inn - an excellent establishment, one well worth visiting by road as well. Thursday 29th May An exceptionally hot day, no breeze or cloud. 0900 saw us cruising up- stream through Kings and Eynsham locks, a stop off at Oxford Boats to top up our stores and then on through Pinkhill lock to a pleasant mooring at 1230 for a few hours. Kids in the river, Krystyna in the dinghy and me in the engine hold doing some work on the battery systems, adding a second service battery. 1530 saw us off down-stream heading for Dukes Cut. Back on the S. Oxford and worked through to just below Shipston Weir Lock at 2000, having encountered at Thrupp and then followed the ‘Private Boat From Hell’. The boat was a 60 footer, loaded to the brim with people and kids, erratically cruising at around -1 mph, etc. After dinner it was decided that we should move on and try and overtake and get some distance between us and said boat - also a good excuse to try out the recently fitted spot-lamp. 2100 saw us off again - we passed that boat at Enslow (now facing South!!) and carried on to mid-way between Pidgeons and Northbrook locks, mooring up at 2230. The lamp is great! Friday 30th May Another hot, sunny and wind-less day - phew! A bit of a late start as we did not wake up until 0845 having missed the alarm. I blame the ‘Cuckoo from Hell’, who obviously lives in the tree we moored adjacent to - nice song, pity about the words, he started his chant around dawn for about an hour and then left, only to come back again around 0700 for another session! 0930 saw us on the move with Michelle in bed with a dickey tummy - probably too much river water. A nice easy run, although nearly all the locks were against us. Pulled in at Banbury at 1730 to get something from a chemist to fix Michelle and to replenish the stores and again dwindling drinks stocks. Off again at 1830 until we arrived at Cropredy at 2045 and our overnight mooring just above the lock. No visit to the Red Lion I am sorry to say due to Michelle, although feeling better, not yet fully recovered. Saturday 31st May A very hot day, no cloud but thankfully a breeze. Awoke at 0530 with Michelle is some distress. Contacted the local emergency doctor network and a doctor duly arrived at 0620. Help administered and by 1000 Michelle was fully on the mend - and getting noisier by the minute. Thank heavens for mobile phones and a particular thank you to OXDOC, the Oxford Doctors on Call for their very fast response and help. 0700 saw us on route from Cropredy towards home (well it wasn’t worth going back to bed, anyway Michelle was in ours!) Arrived at Claydon bottom lock timely at 0800 just after the flight had been opened and exited top lock at 0845 (with all 5 locks against us). A somewhat quicker passage that on the outward leg a week ago. A pleasant run across the summit saw us arrive at Marston Doles top lock (or if you really prefer, Napton top lock!) around 1230 and 1330 saw Wa’Na’Nee’Che safely tied up at our moorings by the engine arm just above whatever you want to call it lock - as far as I am concerned it is Napton top lock - so there! All-in-all an exceptionally good trip, with the small hiccup of Michelle being ill for a short time. I had been reminded again how lovely the S. Oxford really is, especially the Cherwell valley and canalised river section. The River Thames is also especially beautiful in its own different way. The wildlife on the river seemed more plentiful and we were serenaded (excepting that damn Cuckoo!) by all nature of birds, some of which we were unable to name. The weather on the trip of course helped, we have spent so many canal holidays permanently dressed in water-proofs, wellies and sow-westers. -- Michael J Wooding G6IQM email: vhf-comm@g6iqm.demon.co.uk World Wide Web site http://www.vhfcomm.co.uk KM Publications, 5 Ware Orchard, Barby, Nr.Rugby, CV23 8UF, UK Tel: (0)1788 890365 Fax: (0)1788 891883 VHF Communications Magazine - Especially covering VHF, UHF and Microwaves