Windsor:
Then through Romney lock which had a diving workboat unloading in it and a Heron guarding the sign!
Then passing the Great Park:
Through some more locks and then the Salters Steamer 'Hampton Court' caught us up and we shared Bell Weir lock with them, and what a surprise, the skipper was the same guy that skippered my 50th birthday party boat all those years ago!!
The Hampton Court:
Onwards through Staines, Chertsey, Weybridge, Walton-On-Thames and Sunbury. Sunbury has a pair of locks, a normal lower Thames powered one and an upper Thames (canal style) manual beam lock. The lockie directs us into the manual lock, through one open gate, beginning to feel at home here! Then disappears to operate the other lock, so I jump up and close the gate and drop the paddles (as you do!) then he opens the bottom paddles and down we go. The lockie come over to me and thanks me profusely for helping, I'm a bit surprised by this, but I suppose the palaces (gin) do F all to help out, to us canal types its kinda normal! Then Hampton Court:
On to Molesey lock and a top up with water and a bargain £8 pump-out (it was £20 at Evesham!) and to Kingston, busy with trip boats:
Kingston:
A phone call from Penny (who is in Kingston) arranges to collect my post (which I left in the car yesterday!) and to collect her left behind sunglasses. The short cruise to Teddington lock, find and pay for mooring, consult lockie about time to leave for Limehouse tomorrow (0600), chat to boat next door (Bacas Mist) and agree to travel with them in the morning, phone Limehouse so they know we're coming, phew!! Oh, and watch the tide drop away from the weir. Time for dinner, butter chicken again! And wine! And engine checks, you never know!!
PS, I've just had a few glasses (of wine) so excuse any spelling errors!
Today: 26 miles - 9 locks - 9.5 hours
So Far: 374 miles - 296 locks - 187 hours
And how do I find out who owns the working boat Pegasus, it's still tied up at Harts boats in Kingston, it's going to rack and ruin, I want to save it!!
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