Dad didn't arrive until about 4pm, so by the time we reached Bulls Bridge, and done our shopping, and had tea it was dark. It was busy at Bulls Bridge, and had to moor along side another boat. They were impressed when I got the automatically locking trolley to the moorings. I told them the trick - drag it backwards.

Sunday 20th August 2006
Bulls Bridge to Sunbury

A high tide at Brentford of 13:10 meant we had to go off early, well for Dad anyway. I set off for the locks at 9am, and reached the top lock nicely as another boat was entering. We shared the locks down the flight, and made reasonable time. They only had the boat for a couple of months, but had been boating since 1998 (starting in a Broads cruiser). Their last boat was a 65ft Hudson boat, that was 'too heavy' for them. Last time they went to the top of the Thames they struggled with the tight corners, so they are going to try it again with this 57ft one!

At Thames Locks there was no keeper in sight, and it was already 12:15, thankfully he reappeared shortly after with a carrier bag from an Asda (or somewhere like that), obviously his lunch. He locked us through, and we were off on the tide. It was only a fairly small tide, so we only got a couple of miles an hour out of it, but after Richmond the fresh coming down overpowered it, and we made slower progress up to Teddington, arriving just after high water.

We left our new friends there to get their licence, and continued up the river. I had planned to do as many back waters as possible on the way, and so the first to arrive was the River Ember which joins the Thames opposite the Hampton Court moorings. This is a little river, which after going under the end of the Hampton railway station platform, and a road, splits into two, and goes up to a higher level with some weirs. There are some notices on the railway bridge about not continuing without a licence from the National River Authority, but since that's the EA now, I don't suppose it's a problem! I notice there are some boat rollers on one of the weirs, so I assume its possible to take a skiff or other small boat onto the next level.

We pulled out, and arrived at the lock just to late to get into the last locking, so had to wait. A hire boat pulled along side, and then we moored along side them in the lock. They followed us through a slew of sailing boats, but thankfully didn't follow when I turned around the back of Platts Eyot, I then went around the back of Sunbury Court Island, which is more like a canal than part of the river, and needed a slow speed and careful steering to avoid the shallows on the exit back out onto the river.

We arrived at Sunbury Lock with 'Bug the Tug', who after not quite making it to the lock in time went up the Sunbury back water with us, but turned at the main weir. We passed Quiditch on the moorings just into the back water, but nobody on board. Only later did I realise he was probably at the GIG. A strong flow of water tried to push us into the bank where the channel narrows, but I was expecting it and won. We continued up the narrow channel dodging willows trees to reach the end. There is a little hook into a brook, which I stuck my bows, and then swung the stern into the weir channel. Thankfully the sluices were closed, and got around with ease. A couple watching from a nearby garden were suitably impressed, obviously expecting some fun!

Once through Sunbury lock, we stopped outside The Weir pub, less than half the distance we had travelled along the backwater, at 17:45. Dad had a look to see if they did a Sunday 'lunch', but since they didn't and the live band they had on was loud, and prices standard for the area we had a roast chicken dinner with Yorkshires on board.

There was little noise from the pub, and had a good nights sleep, especially after getting rid of a tee-shirt on the prop that had been bothering me all day.

Monday 21st August 2006
Sunbury to Runnymede

I let Dad lay in this morning, and didn't get up until 10am. After getting breakfast, and ready it started to chuck it down, so we waited until the rain cleared. We finally got off at 11:30, but after going around the back of Desborough Island we stopped at Weybridge. As we pulled in we met Harry and Charlotte (two boats) from Northolt. Harry shouted across, and after pulling in had a chat. They had been up to Oxford, where they said it was rather busy from rally traffic. After walking up to Thames Lock and having a good look round we got back to the boat before it started to rain. It didn't and we got to the lock just as some boats were let out.

We were only locking through to save the £2 ferry trip to Nauticalia, and we found a mooring above the lock. After having a good look around, we set off again having bought nothing. At Chertsey we shared the lock with the BW boat Sagitta, which has the engine room swapped with the boatmans cabin for 'health and safety' reasons! It went well, and overtook us on the way to the next lock.

I wanted to go around the gravel pits of Penton Hook, and so we left them at the lock. After having a good look around we went back to the lock, but for some reason the lockie didn't let the lock down - presumably waiting to see if any boats were coming down. I had a walk up to the lock, and he started to empty the lock, but by the time I was back at the boat the lock had stopped emptying. Another boat was coming down the river, and so he turned it again!

While we were waiting, Humber Barge Reliance joined us at the moorings. They were on their way up to the rally as well. Daybreak (of whom they are friends with) had gone up earlier, and so they were using their moorings at Stains. We just reached Bell Weir at 18:50, but the lock keeper had already gone, and the lock was filling. Another boat which left just in front at Stains had gone up to the top control panel, but it didn't stop a boater from each boat in the lock from getting back on their boats! Once the gates were open one of them had to walk around the whole of the lock - at one point I thought the boat was going to wait for them before leaving but eventually they left, and the other guy closed the top gates. We opened the bottom sluices (which are timed, of course, for maximum annoyance).

Once out at the top the slow boat had decided to stop in the middle of the lock moorings, but I just pulled the bow in, so Dad could jump on. We stopped at the moorings just below Runnymede, where there was plenty of space.

Tuesday 22nd August 2006
Runnymede to Temple (near Bisham)

We set off at 10:00, and had a good run right to Eton, where we took the weir channel, past the college and turned just below the weir - where it gets quite shallow very quickly. We shared Eton lock with the "super-yacht" narrowboat Phoenix 58. It looks a little more in place on the Thames than the canals. After finding that the sanitary station location at Bovney isn't where it's shown on the Nicholson's, we still didn't miss our lock full because of the time it took to turn it.

We then went down the Windsor Racecourse backwater to the entrance of the marina there. This is a nice stretch, with lots of sharp bends. It's a good job we didn't meet anyone coming in the other direction. There was a good view of the race track here, but nothing was racing so we headed back up the river.

We went up the river with a wide plastic hire boat, who were weaving all over the river as they went. At Maidenhead we had an ice cream, with raspberry sauce, and we then started looking for moorings after Cookham wharf. We didn't really find anything good until Marlow, but Dad didn't like the noise from the road, so we went through the lock, just missing out on the penning thanks to another boat that overtook us when we were looking for a mooring.

Dad talked to the lock keeper, who was very helpful, and said we could moor at various locations around the lock. He said he would lock us through, but the current locking took longer than normal (I think they had a problem, and had to let some water out again). By the time he had emptied the lock, and opened the gate, he was ready for off. We worked the lock with the wide hire boat, who helped after the locky asked them to do so.

We started to look for moorings again once at the time, but one space was to small, and in the meantime the hireboat we left closing the gates had caught up and passed us. At the next lock, just above Bisham Abbey, were some moorings. I didn't think we'd fit in after the big hire boat, but we just did. There is a stream that empties here, but we just squeezed in front.

Wednesday 23rd August 2006
Temple (near Bisham) to Reading

Today we will be mostly waiting. We got up early as there was rain forecast for the afternoon, and we just caught a locking - well we thought we had as a wide narrowboat from the Lee was about 2 inches to wide, and we got stuck inbetween when they pulled the front end in wedging both of us. With a bit of throttle, and some pulling we finally got free - by this time a dutch barge called Sudersee, moored just below at Bisham had arrived at the lock. We went through with them, and another boat as they were only 63 feet long (and 13 feet wide I found out later). I noticed they had a separate engine for the bowthruster, which while noisy did give them extra turning oomph. The lock keeper came while we were working through, and operated the top gates.

At the next lock we found the widebeam narrowboat moored up having breakfast. The lock keeper was not to pleased, but was happy he didn't have another boat to contend with. We squeezed into the lock, but there was no room for Sudersee. They caught up with us at Hambledon lock, and we all squeezed in. At Marsh lock there was a huge queue, which grew even more before we left it. Rather than try to get in as many as possible the lock keeper tried to keep it simple, and get boats through quickly. He was filling the lock quickly, which is just as well.

Sudersee stopped just above Shiplake lock at the sanitary station there. I thought we had a good break there, but he just caught us up before Sonning, so we were stuck behind him again. He let us moor alongside, and I had a good chat with him. It turns out that the rudder actually turns like a finger giving him sideways thrust at the stern, and the reason he had no trouble catching up with us was that he had a 120 BHP 6 litre turbo DAF main engine. I also found out he had more power in his bow thruster, by several factors than my SR3, at 90 hp!

Some confusion with the BW boat Saggita getting out of shape caused us to miss the lock at Sonning, so we had a really long wait there. We finally reached Tesco's at 16:00, where the boater from the boat in front helped us with our ropes. It started to rain at 16:20, so we timed that nicely.