After a little search I found the log, such as it is, for the trip we took in 1984 on Savoy Hill. Given that it's written on a scrappy bit of old TV script paper I think I've done well to keep it for 26 years. I'm afraid it doesn't reveal much beyond when we started and stopped each day, and where we tied up.
Purely for my records - more permanent than that old scrap of paper? - I'm transcribing the log here. The scribblings on the right look like a calculation of the number of locks passed, and probably a mileage tally too.
Sat 140484
1400 left Cowroast Marina
1500 Northchurch
1800 moored Three Horseshoes, Winkwell
Sun 150484
0950 left Winkwell
1940 moored Denham
Mon 160484
0850 left Denham. Many moored boats to Cowley Peachy Junction
1215 Bulls Bridge Junction
1320 Bridge 16, Paddington Branch
1345 Grand Junction Arms, Acton Lane,Harlesdon
1650 Cumberland Basin
Winded at Hampstead Road Lock, Camden
1930 moored just west of Little Venice
Tue 170484
0615 left Little Venice
0945 Bulls Bridge Junction
1315 Brentford Lock
1530 tied up by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
1750 left Kew
1930 Teddington Lock
2010 moored Hampton Court
Wed 180484
0930 visited Hampton Court
1200 left Hampton Court
1900 moored Datchet, went to The Manor Hotel for meal
Thu 190484
0925 left Datchet
1000 stopped at Windsor
1115 left Windsor
1950 moored just below Sonning Lock
Fri 200484
0615 left Sonning Lock
0900 Pangbourne Lock
1900 moored just above Osney Lock
And that's it. That's all the detail there was. Nothing about the Sandford Lock Surprise, when Steve took an unplanned dip in the lock. Now locks are dangerous enough places if you're in the water, but when you can't swim ... We had no idea Steve couldn't swim, but his thrashing around in the water didn't look like it was done for effect. The lock keeper acted before I could even think of the life ring on top of the boat. He'd thrown a buoyancy aid on a line to him and he was saved.
Below is the reverse side of the log.
Now I have to find the photographs from the trip. In those days it was on 35mm, of course, and I probably shot no more than a 36 exposure roll.
5 comments:
your writing hasn't changed
Identify yourself!
ah, C format VT... anyway.
Fascinated by the Brentford entries - I'm assuming you mean Brentford [Gauging] Lock rather than Thames lock, otherwise you spent two hours going down to Kew Bridge - which is interesting in it's own right, most of us do the run between Brentford & Teddington without additional ado... ;-)
A bit of serious cruising too, Sonning to Osney. You needed the 6am start. You were an hour faster than Canalplan suggests, too ;-)
Simon, perhaps we had to wait for the tide. To stop at Kew Gardens we tied up to the chains which ran down the bank. I remember the tide was going out and worrying that the boat might get either hung up or capsized. I was very relieved to find neither had happened after our two hour sortie. The foolishness of youth! I certainly won't do that again!
Yes, we made good time to Oxford, especially as it was against the tide (to Teddington) and against the flow!
it was me :)
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