mlines
Well-Known Member
As the sea forecast was too choppy we abandoned ideas of going and watching the Cowes-Torquay powerboats and took a quick (by "quick" I mean slow, of course!) Thames trip.
Very quiet in places, here we are forming our own queue at Sonning lock.
However there was much entertainment to be had on the river today. First was this hire boat who "tied off" in the lock. All was well until the boat reached the height where the rope over the stanchion rail became taught and pulled the front of the boat down, the resulting strain meaning the rope could not be released. There then followed a few amusing minutes of the ladies jumping up and down on the front of the boat, trying to make it drop enough to release the rope tension. Eventually the lock keeper went over and impressed the ladies with the swift use of his chopper.
He then handed them the two pieces of rope and advised them to splice it before handing the boat back in Caversham.
Up at Reading we were treated to another hire boat who seemed to be only capable of turning right. He was coming up stream and was the only boat and the lock was empty. He managed to miss the lock, no I don't mean he contacted the gates etc. He missed completely and disappeared from view into the bank and reeds to one side. He then appeared across the lock entrance. The lock keepers hauled him in on ropes.
Once the lock had done its work he then tried to exit and dragged the righthand of the boat along the lock. The lock keepers pushed the nose out and he immediately turned right again and bounced his way out of the lock and down the cut.
On the banks at Reading were some entertainingly drunk people who were almost incapable of walking, the disturbing bit was that they were heading back to the carpark.
At Sonning we also saw Sulley of this forum.
Very quiet in places, here we are forming our own queue at Sonning lock.
However there was much entertainment to be had on the river today. First was this hire boat who "tied off" in the lock. All was well until the boat reached the height where the rope over the stanchion rail became taught and pulled the front of the boat down, the resulting strain meaning the rope could not be released. There then followed a few amusing minutes of the ladies jumping up and down on the front of the boat, trying to make it drop enough to release the rope tension. Eventually the lock keeper went over and impressed the ladies with the swift use of his chopper.
He then handed them the two pieces of rope and advised them to splice it before handing the boat back in Caversham.
Up at Reading we were treated to another hire boat who seemed to be only capable of turning right. He was coming up stream and was the only boat and the lock was empty. He managed to miss the lock, no I don't mean he contacted the gates etc. He missed completely and disappeared from view into the bank and reeds to one side. He then appeared across the lock entrance. The lock keepers hauled him in on ropes.
Once the lock had done its work he then tried to exit and dragged the righthand of the boat along the lock. The lock keepers pushed the nose out and he immediately turned right again and bounced his way out of the lock and down the cut.
On the banks at Reading were some entertainingly drunk people who were almost incapable of walking, the disturbing bit was that they were heading back to the carpark.
At Sonning we also saw Sulley of this forum.
