Sammo
New member
Up at the crack of dawn …I got a weather report off the local 8 o`clock news and as it seemed favourable …sunny with force 0 winds ….we set out for Reading …
After loading up with grog and frey bentos pies we said our farewells to the staff of betterboats and headed out into the mainstream punching the current……our destination …Caversham lock 500 yards ahead…..
Clearing our first lock …which we came through sideways….we set about untangling the ropes and set course past a couple of cruise liners and headed northwards
By dead reckoning we navigated past an island that loomed up ahead of us and as we swept past it I searched the landscape for any signs of recognition…. but could find none…even the hire base had no name on the seaward side….
Then looming out of the sun on our starb`d quarter we saw a bridge
One of the crew who was well travelled said he thought it was very similar to the one at Reading and indeed after consulting our charts we agreed and pencilled it in…
After navigating the bridge and heading for open water we seemed to be making very little headway… and I was beginning to wonder if the 3 to 1 gearbox was a wise choice when a pleasure steamer coming towards us seemed to be doing about 30 knots with no wash ……then one of our smarter crew members said he remembered a yellow board at the lock with strong stream warning on it …so that’s why we were going so slow…..
Soon we reached our next waypoint and hove to to allow the passage of a cruise liner that was negotiating it`s way out of the lock towards open water….
Later whilst I was below testing the holding tank the sky`s got dark and thinking we had entered a squall I rushed up top to find we were carrying out a tight manoeuvre beneath a very small bridge……
Entering the outskirts of Goreing we motored past what I believe was the harbourmasters office , which occupies an elevated position giving them a good view of all the shipping in the area…..
Passing the white water raging rapids near the entrance we entered the lock at Goreing
…..by this time we were all tired and weary from the constant movement and the roar of the engine but we knew that the end was in sight so we decided to press on to our final destination.
Land Ahoy
Just a spec at first ..then slowly getting larger we saw the flagpole then the large tree that is marked in the almanac as “Big Byron” and we knew we were going to make it….
Soon we were alongside and the maiden voyge was over …the only proplem we had on the whole trip was a leaky relief valve on the hot water calorifier…..
Everyone enjoyed the trip…especially Roanne ….and now we`re looking forward to an Indian summer.
……………
After loading up with grog and frey bentos pies we said our farewells to the staff of betterboats and headed out into the mainstream punching the current……our destination …Caversham lock 500 yards ahead…..
Clearing our first lock …which we came through sideways….we set about untangling the ropes and set course past a couple of cruise liners and headed northwards
By dead reckoning we navigated past an island that loomed up ahead of us and as we swept past it I searched the landscape for any signs of recognition…. but could find none…even the hire base had no name on the seaward side….
Then looming out of the sun on our starb`d quarter we saw a bridge
One of the crew who was well travelled said he thought it was very similar to the one at Reading and indeed after consulting our charts we agreed and pencilled it in…
After navigating the bridge and heading for open water we seemed to be making very little headway… and I was beginning to wonder if the 3 to 1 gearbox was a wise choice when a pleasure steamer coming towards us seemed to be doing about 30 knots with no wash ……then one of our smarter crew members said he remembered a yellow board at the lock with strong stream warning on it …so that’s why we were going so slow…..
Soon we reached our next waypoint and hove to to allow the passage of a cruise liner that was negotiating it`s way out of the lock towards open water….
Later whilst I was below testing the holding tank the sky`s got dark and thinking we had entered a squall I rushed up top to find we were carrying out a tight manoeuvre beneath a very small bridge……
Entering the outskirts of Goreing we motored past what I believe was the harbourmasters office , which occupies an elevated position giving them a good view of all the shipping in the area…..
Passing the white water raging rapids near the entrance we entered the lock at Goreing
…..by this time we were all tired and weary from the constant movement and the roar of the engine but we knew that the end was in sight so we decided to press on to our final destination.
Land Ahoy
Just a spec at first ..then slowly getting larger we saw the flagpole then the large tree that is marked in the almanac as “Big Byron” and we knew we were going to make it….
Soon we were alongside and the maiden voyge was over …the only proplem we had on the whole trip was a leaky relief valve on the hot water calorifier…..
Everyone enjoyed the trip…especially Roanne ….and now we`re looking forward to an Indian summer.
……………
