In the IWA members' enclosure (or whatever they call it) we had a cup of tea with Bernard and Ann Hughes of Ein Cariad. They are the kind people who interrupted their downstream passage to take Willow upstream to a mooring at Bablock Hythe after our first propeller fell off. Bernard and Ann were proudly clutching their certificate and trophy awarded for the "longest direct cruise on inland waterways" to the festival. Actually, I think points were given for enterprise too: reaching parts of the system which other boaters don't, and so on.
It's a decent size trophy. There must have been a lot of money about in 1950 when it appears to have first been awarded, at the first IWA Festival in Market Harborough.
I'll return to Bernard in tomorrow's post, when I'll reveal how, astonishingly, I was able to render assistance when Ein Cariad broke down!
I took very few photographs at the festival itself. Here's one of the Wilderness boats displaying on the lake. The next day one of these was coming towards us at 30 mph. At the time we were walking back from Pangbourne to the boat. Wilderness boats are trailable, and this one was going home. Or to another waterway. By the time I'd thought about taking a pic, it had gone. It's not like that on water! I waved, though, and both driver and passenger gave a boater's wave back from their car.
For the record, here's Willow on its mooring, with Kew, conveniently, right behind.
In the next post ... rescuing our rescuers, and entering the Thames for the third - and most spectacular - time.
2 comments:
Well done to Bernard and Ann. Had there been a prize for the most eventful journey, I wonder if we would have won? The return journey was pretty eventful too. Halfie had a splashing time!
My goodness these last posts have read like a serial story...and there's still more to come!
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