Saturday 25 June 2016

A walk to meet a tubby boat

It’s just over two miles to walk from our mooring near Dorney Lake along the Thames Path to Baths Island at Windsor which is what we did yesterday morning.  We’ not walked this way before ...
This bathing place of Athens was presented to Eton College by Hiatt C Baker in memory of his son John Lionel Baker a brilliant swimmer who spent here many of the happiest hours of his boyhood.  He was killed in a flying accident in August 1917 in a flying accident while still a member of the school.
 A lovely spot opposite Windsor Racecourse
 Mural painted by Cosmo Sarson under Windsor Bridge
(click the link above for more of his amazing art works)
 From Windsor Bridge we can see Baths Island moorings and there’s tubby moored behind Rock n Roll


On the slipway the Red7 divers were packing up.  The company inspects all the structures of the river so perhaps today they’d been looking at the underwater bridge supports
 Here come Meg as we approach the boats and there’s Kevin, Ann and Jaz from RnR and Sue from No Problem XL and doesn’t she look good … XL I’m talking about (sorry Sue!)
 … and inside was Vic and a large bottle of pink champagne which was delicious!  After a good look round the new wide beam we sat on the rear deck with bubbles and nibbles to catch up with Sue and Vic for a couple of hours before returning to Dorney and Still Rockin’.  We shall be travelling with both boats for a while from early next week.
 Steam Boat Windsor Belle … very shiny, very posh!

I realised that I’d left my camera on NPXL so we rang Sue and she walked towards us with it and of course Meg and Penny came too.
 Penny ‘fetching’ in the river Thames
 … while George and Molly watch from the slipway and I take pictures
 ‘do it again mum!’ 
 Passing the redundant Anglican church of St Mary Magdelene at Boveney on the banks of the River Thames

Back at Still Rockin’ we relaxed for a couple of hours before we had a bbq dinner out in the garden.
Steam boat Windsor Belle passing us later in the evening with its passengers doesn’t look so good with that awful but probably necessary ‘tent’ on the back.

Looking forward to more cruising on the Thames next week!

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