BarryH
Active member
I had an itch that needed scratching rather badly. So in a fit of madness I hitched up the boat and dragged it into London. Knowing that all the Fulham Farmers and Putney Plebs would be in the nearest sports bar watching the rugby the place would be empty. We lost anyway so I didn't miss anything.
45 mins later I was reversing down the embankment at putney dropping the boat in to rather brown looking putrid sewerage. In two and a bit hours of boating I had bright warm sunshine, snow, rain and sleet, diverse if nothing else! First stop, well loiter was Hurlingham Yacht Club to see if any old friends were about. The place was deserted. So on down stream under Wandsworth bridge to blow some cobwebs away. On the throttle all the way down past the Houses of Parliment giving them a two fingered salute and on past the mecca of boating prose at Kings reach. The millenium wheel just before there is awesome from the water. Down on under Tower Bridge past that down market Marina at St Kats. Met a boat with a blue flashing light going the other way, they even gave me a wave and a nod!! Most unusual!
Spun the wheel around and headed back up the river as it was getting damn cold. Bad mistake putting a stainlees wheel on a couple of years ago, you live and learn? Met another boat going up, dunno who it was, but they were making a hell of a wash just begging to be overtaken. So I overtook them three times. Whoever you were, thanks for trimming the boat to dig the stern in, great fun.
All in all a good couple of hours wasted this afternoon. Had a "fix" until next time the itch gets unbearable. There was a point tho, all in the name of engine testing. I'll not dismiss the tideway as a boring open sewer anylonger while crossing it numerous times during my hum drum day at work. Still a fair amount of trip boats about, even the fast cat things that ply the river with no regard for rules, or so it seems.
Still itching to get back to the salty stuff tho! Who said Sundays were slow and boring during the winter months?
45 mins later I was reversing down the embankment at putney dropping the boat in to rather brown looking putrid sewerage. In two and a bit hours of boating I had bright warm sunshine, snow, rain and sleet, diverse if nothing else! First stop, well loiter was Hurlingham Yacht Club to see if any old friends were about. The place was deserted. So on down stream under Wandsworth bridge to blow some cobwebs away. On the throttle all the way down past the Houses of Parliment giving them a two fingered salute and on past the mecca of boating prose at Kings reach. The millenium wheel just before there is awesome from the water. Down on under Tower Bridge past that down market Marina at St Kats. Met a boat with a blue flashing light going the other way, they even gave me a wave and a nod!! Most unusual!
Spun the wheel around and headed back up the river as it was getting damn cold. Bad mistake putting a stainlees wheel on a couple of years ago, you live and learn? Met another boat going up, dunno who it was, but they were making a hell of a wash just begging to be overtaken. So I overtook them three times. Whoever you were, thanks for trimming the boat to dig the stern in, great fun.
All in all a good couple of hours wasted this afternoon. Had a "fix" until next time the itch gets unbearable. There was a point tho, all in the name of engine testing. I'll not dismiss the tideway as a boring open sewer anylonger while crossing it numerous times during my hum drum day at work. Still a fair amount of trip boats about, even the fast cat things that ply the river with no regard for rules, or so it seems.
Still itching to get back to the salty stuff tho! Who said Sundays were slow and boring during the winter months?