On the canals, if you choose to continuously cruise, you can stay almost anywhere for free for up to two weeks at a time. On the Thames it’s very different. There are occasional free public mooring places but they are for 24 hour stays only and are few and far between. Almost everywhere charges a […]
On the Thames
Womad Festival by boat
Attending a music festival by boat transforms the experience. No queuing for toilets or showers, sitting in a tent in the rain or cooking on wonky calor stoves. This year I took my home afloat to Womad (world music and dance) Festival at Reading and moored right outside the venue. There was a long row […]
Swimming the length of the Thames
Coming up to Caversham Lock I drove past a man who’s swimming the whole length of the Thames, from source to sea. Lewis Pugh started on 17th July near Cirencester and his destination was Southend Pier. He had already been through Oxford and Reading and had Henley-on-Thames, Windsor, London and Greenwich ahead when I passed […]
Windsor
This Sunday some friends joined me in Windsor to go boating, eight of us in all. Bristol Fashion, being in a Dutch Barge style, has a wooden cabin at the back to keep the driver dry and warm, but today it was sunny so we lifted the roof off and folded the sides down on […]
Row, row, row… oh, let’s not bother
On the way to Windsor a couple of people in rowing boats waved at me and asked for a lift. They were supposed to have taken the boats back by noon and the only way they’d get there on time is if I gave them a tow to the next lock. So I tied one […]
Locks on the Thames
The locks on the Thames are somewhat different to those I’ve used on the canals. In my regular haunts, between Camden, Cowley and Hanwell, there are over 20 miles of canal with no locks and it’s easy to cover a long distance quickly. In other places such as around Marsworth there are several locks per […]
What does B.O.A.T. stand for?
Had some repairs done on Bristol Fashion. The shower waste pump had packed in and electrical problems (including a faulty switch) meant I also had no running water or gas hob ignition. Tim Barfield Marina fixed it and the pumps are now running better than ever. Tim also sorted out some battery issues – thankfully […]
Tagg’s Island
Bristol Fashion is temporarily moored up at Tim Banford’s Marina until some pressing problems (electrics, water pumps, batteries, leaks) are fixed. I’m living opposite Tagg’s Island, ten minutes from Hampton Court in the middle of the Thames, which has a fascinating community of houseboats.
First time on the Thames
This morning I woke at half past five in Brentford and attached rope and chain to the anchor. I’d booked a passage through Thames Lock at six am and together with narrowboat Isis entered the lock. From now on all the locks are automated and there are lock keepers (so far a friendly bunch) ready […]
Thames cruise
On Saturday evening a cruise boat and its crew were donated to enable the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust’s families, friends and supporters to spend an evening sailing down the river Thames. The boat travelled from Richmond to Hampton Court Palace and back again and as the Trust’s website designer I was invited to join the cruise. […]
Boats that make me smile
Some boats make me envious – wide beam barges with bright shiny paintwork; some boats impress – beautiful old wooden cruisers, and some boats really make me smile.