From gaileymarine.galadriel@btinternet.com Sat May 1 11:23:31 1999 Date: Wed, 10 Jun 1998 11:09:59 +0200 From: Peter Lawson Reply-To: canals@blacksheep.org To: canals@blacksheep.org Subject: The Peregrinations of Galadriel (7) >From Banbury we became a trip boat. Some friends did a two-car shuffle which enabled them to travel with us as far as Aynho. We were delayed at Somerton deep lock when a plastic cruiser became wedged against the bottom gate. Why is this gate single - it must be among the largest manual gates on the system (we'll find another at Bath). Fortunately there were several other boaters around to first drag the boat backwards with ropes while wiggling the gate and then create a little extra clearance - no actual obstruction could be found. The cruiser finally departed amidst good-natured banter (get yourself a proper boat etc.). Some time was spent in bridge-holes waiting for showers to pass over - the night stop below the Heyfords with the gees hooked into a short length of Armco on the offside. Next morning more friends met us at Thrupp and travelled with us to Godstow lock. We went onto the Thames via Duke's Cut avoiding that rather scruffy section of the canal and at King's Lock mental arithmetic became on-topic! The options: 1. Up to six one-day licences at GBP17.60 each 2. Up to two 15-day licences at around GBP55 each 3. One 31-day licence at GBP77 We chose option 3, as it would allow us to take our time doing Reading-Bristol-Reading and also to spend more time on the Thames than four of option 1, which is probably the minimum. >From Godstow it rained quite hard and steadily, but we had to continue to Osney Bridge as our remaining passenger had to catch a train back home. We were lucky to find a mooring immediately below the bridge and in less than half-an-hour she was on her way - the station is quite close. The rain continued so we did not. Tuesday began with shopping - it's a fair walk but we arrived at Sainsbury's as the doors opened at 08h00. We took a small case of ours which has wheels on to lighten the load and moved off the mooring at 09h00, so when we got to the lock the keeper was already on duty. We stopped for water and a DIY pumpout above Abingdon lock. I feel it would be helpful if there was some indication how much pump time is left - I would hate to put a lot of clean water into the tank to flush it and then have the time run out. Perhaps the time-expired light could come on when there is still a minute left. Once below the lock (where there is a short length of free mooring) the banks are adorned with notices re mooring charges (08h00 to 14h00 GBP2, 12h00 to 20h00 GBP2, 24 hours GBP4). If I were a trader in Abingdon I'd be peeved. We sped past glad that we'd shopped in Oxford. Talking of speeding past, there are six locations on the river where markers have been erected to enable you to check your speed - the transit time should be 1 minute which equals 8 kph. Our time was 51 seconds, so we were going at 9.4 kph, but Galadriel's wake is far less than a gin palace travelling at the same speed, and the current would account for at least 1.4 kph (illogical to have the same limit up and down-stream). So we pressed on, just ensuring that we never made breaking waves. It was a very blustery day. We had virtually no rain and a fair bit of sunshine, but on the long wide straight reaches of the Thames there were white horses and on occasions I felt the spray from the bows on my face. Waiting at locks was minimal, on several occasions we were able to drive straight in. Andy Greener had kindly suggested that we look him up while at Pangbourne, but with the weather being so unsettled and our having to pick up new passengers the next day at Reading we regretfully decided to press on. I spotted Jamyjosipipe at Caversham. Blake's lock was unmanned so it was back to the shock of DIY, and we moored up for the night on the island in Reading's Abbey Backwater at 18h50. Peter & Jill