Monday 10 May 2010

Savoy Hill - more


I searched for my cruising log of our trip on Savoy Hill in the early 1980s today. I didn't find the log, but I did find a photo album which I will plunder for some images of that trip. I've found out that it was in April 1983, and the pictures remind me that the ropes were ridiculously thick - enough to tie up the QE2 as we said at the time.


This reminds me that we made a detour up the Leicester Section as far as Crick Tunnel. When we needed to turn back, to make it through Watford Staircase in time, we weren't at a winding hole. So we bow-hauled (stern-hauled?) Savoy Hill back to the previous one with lots of cursing of overgrown vegetation on the towpath.

Savoy Hill was a 63 feet cruiser-stern boat built by Water Travel of Autherley Junction. I saw it again a few years ago, at Cowroast Marina on the GU. It looked rather shabby on the outside, and a stove had been fitted, but it had retained the bunks in their own cabin.

6 comments:

Jan said...

Happy memories! I remember you entered that photo of Sue cleaning the windows into a photography competition. Did it win? I think so.

Halfie said...

Well, I wasn't going to mention it ... but, yes, when I looked at the back it had a blue sticker with 1st on it!

Simon said...

btw, the current Savoy Hill (although this was nearly two years ago now)

http://nbtortoise.blogspot.com/2008/08/thurs-14th-middlewich-to-wrensbury.html

Halfie said...

Thanks for the link, Simon. I hadn't seen the "new" Savoy Hill before.

Simon said...

Savoy Hill IV!

http://www.savoyhill.org.uk/

It's funny, I'd never really thought about joining the BBC Club section, boating has always been as far removed from work as possible... ;-)

Halfie said...

Simon, I was a member all the time I was at OUPC in Milton Keynes, but Norwich is a lot less convenient. Now the BBC has moved to The Forum in Norwich we've even lost our outpost of the BBC Club. Until very recently OwnerShips has supplied the majority of our boating for the last eight years.