Sunday 10 September 2017

Never let it be said ...

... that we're only fair weather boaters!
 In the pouring rain on Friday 8th September by 08:30 we'd left the visitor moorings at Goring and ascended Goring and Cleeve Locks.  
Waiting at the top of Cleeve at the water point filling the tank once again.  
Our plan was to moor up on the meadow just above here but the sky seemed to lightened a little and we decided to carry on.  I was very wet indeed because I had walked from our mooring to Goring lock to set it ready for Still Rockin' and had been standing in the rain whilst operating the two locks but now there were no more locks today. 
But the rain didn't stop.
Vrouwe Johanna
We thought because it was so wet it would be a quiet, uneventful cruise, but that was not to be either!
Just look at this behind us
Some passed us to our right and some to our left.  Sometimes the rowers were passing us on both sides whilst other rowers, narrowboats and cruisers were coming towards us too!
We often needed to use the horn to warn rowers of our existence and the journey took therefore took longer than it should.

The reach between Cleeve lock and our destination of Wallingford is 5½ miles and because we can travel with the pram hood up over the deck we didn't get any wetter than we were.  

By the time we were moored up the rain had abated at little and we popped into the town market for some fresh veg, returned home to relax inside whilst it got wetter and wetter on the outside.

4 comments:

Nev Wells said...

Hi Carol,

Looking forward to getting on the Thames, my neighbour Mandy had so many positives to say about it on her trip earlier this year.

Take care

Carol said...

Thanks Nev, will look forward to seeing you here.

Vallypee said...

You courageous soul you. I would not have enjoyed that, but thank you as always for the great account and photos! I hope you're dry now :)

Carol said...

Thank you Vallypee. We soon got dry and warm inside and are now enjoying discovering more of Wallingford.