Oldgits Thames trip .

[oldgit]

First an apology to all who kindly gave phone numbers,only to find I did not ring.Having spent weeks printing out all sorts of advice and info to cover the trip including several phone nos,some nit-wit left it lying by the front door.
It may have leaked out by now that we were involved with a altercation between my pulpit rails and an eyot which refused to get out the way,despite my having the right of way ie.we were going upstream with the tide..........
Left Rochester 5am on Thursday morning and had an interesting time with wind against the tide going up the estuary,wife was not amused.Had the usual visit from police on the way up to St Kats for first nights stop,only event of real interest was a certain cheeky bloke in a Fairline jumping the que.Did nip round to say hello but he had legged it.Arrived around 1.30pm.Was supposed to call TCM but had left Me book of info behind..............
Wandered around to v.nice little italian in Wapping called El Bordello for evening nosh.
Left St Kats at 1.30pm on Friday and turned RIGHT for Richmond via all the bumpy bits caised by trip boats.Fascinating to go under those bridges and looking at all the sights.There then followed an incident,which demonstrates the need to pay attention on a windy river that somebody has carelessly left an island in the middle of.BASH CRUNCH ......S..t...S..t...B.....r.
Richmond came and went and so to Teddington,where I was relieved of 60 quid for the pleasure of going on to hallowed waters.
Ps they did not bother to seal my bog.
Next on to Hampton Court for first night on Thames proper,mooring right by palace and a very short walk from town.Tomorrow the big day we meet young BOSUN and his old owner.
Boatone had kindly offered to meet me and the missus somewhere around Chertsey and show us the delights of the area over the next day or so.<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.secstop.co.uk/boat1.jpg>Piccy here PEDRO</A>.Lucky old him,not only did he get me and the wife,but my daughter and boy friend into the bargain.Then all on to Windsor to try and find somewhere to moor for the night.
Blimey talk about crowded and thats just the locks.<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.secstop.co.uk/boat2.jpg> LOCK Piccy </A>.
Really nice to meet young Bosun,the lovely Maggie and wotisname with the very old thumbnail picture.
More tomorrow.

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[boatone]

Left St Kats at 1.30pm on Friday and turned left for Richmond...
yeah ...right....thats why it took you so long.........

wonder how long it will take you to put it right...right...RIGHT!!!

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[PGD]

Oh! you old git, cheeky guy in the Fairline here /forums/images/icons/wink.gif, the harbour master called me in on VHF ch 80 and by hand signals. Also, I had radioed ahead for permission to lock in and I would fit in the lock and I had booked a mooring 2 weeks prior, this may have had something to do with it. Spotted your burgee and came to say hello but indeed you had legged it /forums/images/icons/wink.gif.

Can't help it if I'm called in before you! just following instructions. I know you were there before me but if you noticed Felecia, the sailing boat tried to jump the queue and was told to stand down 3 times by the harbour master.

Anyway, glad you enjoyed the trip, I too caught up with Boatone on the way down, I think he's on patrol your know.

No bother off the police, just a friendly wave as they and 2 ribs with 8 guys in each flew past me at Dagenham at 30 knts +, gave a wave and left me to deal with the wash /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

Catch up soon

Peter


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[Greg2]

Sounds great. I would love to get round to the Thames from our base on the Broads - hoping to do it next year.

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[oldgit]

Sorry to have missed you and yes, did see that perishing yacht charge in after being told to clear off two or three times in.He was really desperate to get in.All the back log was caused by everyone having to wait for ages while some scruffy old Thames barge dragged itself up the reach and into the lock.H the barge . should have been made to wait his turn as be was big enough not to be affected by the wash around the waiting bouys.

<hr width=100% size=1>There I was,upside down with nothing on the clock....../forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

 

[oldgit]

Re: the slight return

Boatones idea of an evening meal in Windsor involved a forced march half way across town to his favorite chinese,where he is on intimate terms with all the (female)staff.Highlite of the evening was the above mentioned B1 trying to divide the bill using some new GPS navigation gadget which,as time went on, he obviously had no idea how to operate./forums/images/icons/laugh.gifWe wobbled back to the mooring by a totally different route enabling us to see the other half of the town we had missed on the way out.Our journey back down included a very pleasant lunch stop at Staines?,where we purchased a little vin rouge and brie from the street market..
Having said our au revoirs we left to get a few litres of fuel before stopping again at Hampton Court for the night and in the process evicting our two freeloading passengers to get the train back to Sheppey.
Morning visit to the Palace was well worth the cost of the ticket and we then headed down to moor for the evening just above Teddington lock.
Up at 5am to catch the last of the flood and river looked wonderful with mist rising off the surface.Richmond appeared and we were through before we realised.
Central bit of river was as rough on the way down as it was coming up,but nice views of HP.<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.secstop.co.uk/boat3.jpg> Piccy</A>.
While coming under Putney Bridge the lifeboat whizzed past followed by the police,as we drew level,we could see them keeping station with an object in the river.Not sure who has the task of pulling out the unfortunate person in the water,but no one seemed in a hurry.

Journey from Teddington to Rochester took 7.5 hrs and we used an average
(for all you Solent speed merchants/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif) 2.5 GPH

<hr width=100% size=1>There I was,upside down with nothing on the clock....../forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

 

[boatone]

Re: the slight return

Know how to use the gps....its the bloody calculator I have difficulty with...are you sure VAT is 35% on eat in takeaways???

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[PGD]

Re: the slight return

glad you had a good trip up and down river, wasn't the chop fun /forums/images/icons/frown.gif on Thursday up to St Kats, we left Gallions just after you passed by and did a steady - sorry, bouncy 8 ktns all the way. Like yours, the wife wasn't happy !

But had a better trip down on the Monday before, got 16 ktns out of the boat just after the Woolwich ferry, smug grin time.

Did you seen anything amusing in the river derbis ?

My best object to date was a 4 seater oak park bench just below Teddington/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

Two challenges overcome this trip, wind over tide chop and getting through it for the first time and hooking a buoy to tie off, not done either before.

catch up with you in due couse.

peter and a very much recovered lisa /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

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