Spirit comes honourable third! 

 

 

Good Friday came at last and I made my way to H.N.A and opened up Spirit in preparation for the arrival of my friends Andrea and Robin along with their grandchildren, Chris, Matthew and Sam plus the two dogs Billy the labrador and Snowball the 'Westie.'

 

With the aid of the downloaded map from our website and Robin's GPS in his van they had no trouble in locating Summerhouse Lane. From Spirit's stern I spotted them coming over the bridge by the "Coy Carp" and a minute later Robin driving a well loaded van and Andrea in a car behind with the grandchildren pulled into our forecourt.

 

Spirit loaded and Coppermill Lock open ready for us I got Robin to work immediately on the front of the boat as I winded her south. The fact that someone hauls on the front line  as the engine kicks round the stern makes for a brisk about face and we entered the lock alongside a patiently waiting boat. The sun had got his hat on [hip hip hip hooray!] and it certainly helped, as my guests took in the picturesque settings for the first time.  I tried to tempt Robin into putting in an offer for 'Black Jack's Mill' as we passed, but he thought £1.25 million was a bit out of his league!   Several boats were out and about as we made our way through Uxbridge, Cowley and the grotty bit between the Slough Arm and Bull's Bridge where Mr Tesco was visited by the mob to buy the inevitable 'forgotten' items. I stayed with the boat to talk 'canals' with two members of my old boat club [West London Canal Cruising] who had moored their boats for some shopping.

 

On the mob's return, we cast off and across the main line to enter the Paddington Arm for an almost 14 mile run to Little Venice. Despite the fact it was a Bank Holiday weekend, there was no traffic to speak of but the sunshine kept everyone happy as drinks and meals were dispensed by a very efficient Andrea from Spirit's virtually new galley  [see 'A Spirited Return' elsewhere on this website]  it had been set for some time though before we moored in Paddington Basin at virtually the same spot  as Barry Trimmer and I did once before [see 'Brentford to Limehouse-and beyond' elsewhere] Now, of course the building work has progressed enormously and public access is much, much easier. We spotted a notice whilst walking the dogs informing us that the moorings are for seven days and £25 a day after that! The dogs walked and supper had [a HUGE shepherd's pie] it was out with the Monopoly for the next hour or so. Eventually, we succumbed to Morpheus' entreaties and Spirit became silent and dark as the effects of the fresh air all day took its toll.

 

Saturday 26 March 2005

 

I was awake by 07:00 but left the others to emerge from their own cocoons--with three excitable kids on board,it didn't take that long!  After breakfast we slid away back to Browning's Pool at Little Venice and began our journey on The Regent's Canal. Robin was born and bred in Kilburn and knows this area like the back of his hand but, as many people have said to me when talking of travelling on the water, 'It gives you a whole new perspective.'  The kids were absolutely fascinated by their first tunnel at Maida Hill. It's only 272 yards long but enough spoil was dug out in its creation to lay the surface for the nearby Lord's Cricket Ground!  Then of course we had the serpentine stretch around Lisson Green taking the canal under countless railway bridges before the fine Georgian mansions at the edge of Regent's Park. Next, of course, we were cruising through London Zoo with some fine Oryx and The Snowdon Aviary on view. As we arrived at the first of the  Hampstead Road Locks [which has the common misnomer Camden Lock] I was pleased to see that the single mooring ring right outside the entrance to Camden Market was unoccupied--I wasted no time in tying up and my passengers all debarked forthwith with my comment ringing in their ears, 'No Hurry.'  I was content to watch the world go by and have a  drink  of coffee whilst the throng thronged. I lost count of the times I was asked what time I would be setting off as it was assumed by all and sundry that I was a trip boat!

 

Robin reappeared extolling the virtues of the market and asked if I fancied some food as there was a plethora of different types available-very cheap too. We ended up with some curried goat, [no kidding-excuse the pun] delicious. Eventually, they all returned and we then ran the gauntlet of the top three locks gliding amongst the weird and wonderful populace. St. Pancras Cruising Club provided a water point before we negotiated the much longer Islington tunnel at about 900 yards length. On the far side of the tunnel we weren't so fortunate as at Camden Market, all the moorings were full-most of them double moored so we tied just above City Road Lock for the night. 

 

We hadn't covered half the distance of yesterday but there was a good reason for stopping where we did. On 31 March 2004 I bought two tickets for 'Mary Poppins' and it wasn't until a month after I'd agreed to be steerer for Robin and Andrea [around January 2005] that I remembered the tickets, tucked safely away in the drawer.

 

By consulting the map I discovered that the number 19 bus from Islington High Street, some ten minutes walk away, would deposit me  at Piccadilly Circus where I met Sheila and proceeded to the show in Old Compton Street. In a word, fabulous. If you've got kids go and see it, but the kids are not compulsory! The bus was a routemaster, sadly soon to be withdrawn from service as it's not 'disabled friendly' ye gods!!!

Arriving back at the boat around 23:10 I tapped gently on the roof to be admitted by Robin into what felt like Dante's inferno! They'd all gone to bed earlier, zonked out by all the day's activities. When they had dropped off again I opened the hatch and turned off the central heating to allow the temperature to drop to an acceptable level.

 

Sunday 27 March 2005

 

A cooler start today, with cloud and bright patches. We moved off by 08:10--me knowing that Limehouse had to be reached in time for a locking out onto the Thames at 13:30. I didn't switch on the mobile until Old Ford Lock where we took on water, to find a message from the Limehouse lockkeeper to say that yes, the Boat Race would present a few problems in regard to our progress towards Brentford! Yesterday he'd said it wouldn't!   Still, nil desperandum, we'll keep going. 13:10 saw Spirit emerging from the canal across Limehouse Basin to the East Wall where visitors moor to await release onto the Thames. A panicky phone call from Karen, Robin and Andrea's daughter, revealed that they were just pulling into Limehouse station, having travelled from Stanmore only to run into various engineering works and relief buses on the way having the effect of making them much later than expected. I had told her on the phone the previous day that 'Time and Tide Wait For No Man' so, be on time or lose out on the Thames experience.

 

I should explain at this point that, originally her four children were due to spend Easter with her parents but Jack [8] had qualified to play rugby for his team and, if successful at the tournament, would qualify to play at Twickenham before the next England game!  He was, and is going to!   However this meant losing out on the boat trip that his three brothers were experiencing and he was delighted when Karen promised they'd rush from Nottingham, where the tournament was held, and liaise with us so that Jack could stay for the last night on board.  Right, back to the phone call. Karen, husband Nick and Jack were somewhere near the dock but could not find a way to the water from the road. They were really worried that having come all the way from Nottingham, they would miss out by a couple of minutes. Suddenly, I could see them on the far side of the basin and with a final burst of speed arrived, absolutely wasted, on board. Barely two minutes later, four yachts coming up in the lock emerged into the basin and we went in and down-phew!!

Within the lock the keeper told me that we could proceed until at least Wandsworth Bridge where, in all likelihood, the Harbour Master of the P.L.A. would hold us up until the Boat Race had moved sufficiently upstream for us to continue. If he wasn't there on his boat with blue flashers going, then we could continue until we met him but not go past!  Wandsworth Bridge reached,  there was an inflatable facing downstream with a man in HiVis jacket aboard showing us the flats of his palms. Two narrowboats and five cruisers thus were holding station and drifting about until suddenly the inflatable turned upstream and disappeared into the distance. We all followed, save one poor soul on a cruiser who had drifted back a long way and then inexplicably decided to negotiate the arch on the southern bank rather than the central span indicated by the sophisticated lighting system. His superstructure produced an impressive cacophony of noise as it smashed and broke up under the bridge!  At one stage I thought there would be serious personal injury as he tried to reverse out of trouble only for the noise and damage levels to increase!  Eventually a battered broken boat emerged on the upstream side worth considerably less than minutes before!

We continued on until, at last, there was the P.L.A. boat complete with blue flashers. I slowed only to see the boat turn about and race away just like the last one. That was our last hold up as the race had finished. Some boats returning downstream made a nonsense of the supposed  6 mph limit. These powerful beasts had to be making 50mph at least--I kid you not! The fact that they appeared to be manned by black-shirted special patrol group type personnel probably had something to do with why they got away with such blatant disregard for the rules!

 

We passed the finishing post for the boat race some thirty minutes after Oxford and contented ourselves with an honourable third place! When we glided by the Chiswick Boat House where the boats are taken out of the water we saw Oxford being interviewed so the sharp-eyed amongst you might have seen us in the background! 

 

All too soon, I spied the entrance to the Grand Union at Brentford Creek-now adorned by a serpentine white wall of about eight feet in height and twelve feet in length. One of the kids asked me what it was and I was only able to say, 'Modern Art!'

'Why is it there?' he said. 'Exactly' said I!

A toot on the horn brought Sam, the helpful Brentford lockkeeper, out to the boat and he advised us to moor just above his lock for about 30 minutes to ensure sufficient air draught below Brentford High Street bridge. Otherwise we could have 'done a Wandsworth' on the cabin top. [I since read in the press that a 'barge' got caught under Hammersmith Bridge necessitating the bridge's  closure, causing major traffic problems on Tuesday--what's wrong with these people??!!]

The enforced stop enabled a change of crew to take place. Nick and Karen departed with their two youngest boys and left Jack with us so's at least he could have one night on board following his rugby triumph. We pushed on to 'The Fox'  at the foot of the Hanwell flight where we stopped for the night. For those who don't know it, The Fox is one of the last traditional 'canal pubs.'  There is a television but I've never seen it switched on. The furniture is old but comfortable--virtually nothing matches, they sell several decent beers [there had been a beer festival earlier] and good food. The loudest noise is that of many conversations-just as it should be, and Monty, the standard poodle who even has some of his adventures portrayed on the pub wall in the fashion of a comic-strip regularly makes his rounds, helping people out with their excess crisps! 

 

Monday 28 March 2005

 

A lovely sunny start to the day made the steady plod up the Hanwell flight much easier to bear. Everyone was impressed with the 'Three Bridges' [another misnomer, it's actually two] where the railway passes under the canal and the road passes over it. Chris, the eldest boy, suddenly recognised Tesco's at Bull's Bridge and you could see the knowledge that the system is all connected seep into his consciousness. After the grotty bit between Bull's Bridge and Cowley it was a pleasure to tie up at The Toll House Tea Rooms at Cowley Lock for an excellent lunch of Broccoli and Stilton soup, followed by Liver and Onions. The good weather ensured that the place was packed. I was able to empty the rubbish  and fill the water tanks while we were stopped there.  

The continued unpredicted sunshine meant that sunglasses were essential all the way back to Coppermill.  Just before that, I bought some lovely free-range eggs from Black Jack's cottage with a view to enjoying them later on. I should have known better, after my group were safely on their way home, their thanks for a great Easter break ringing in my ears, all I felt fit for was bed and a long sleep!