Fenland Tour 2001 Page 36

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Tour 2001

Fenland Tour Summer 2001

36 - Kelmscot to Cleeve Lock to Oxford - River Thames, inc River Thame to Dorchester.

Tuesday 7th August 2001

We left Kelmscot moorings at 11.35. Straight Across and Earnest Water fill up at Grafton Lock. Bloody high pressure, but not as good as Shifford Lock, which must take the prize as the highest pressure / largest bore hose pipe on the entire waterways system. Stopped for the day at Radcot (12.40) on the island moorings just below the bridge.
Pub lunch outside at the Swan Hotel. Huge sandwiches, with nice locally baked bread. Neil had a Special Club sandwich.....he could have sworn it was 7 inches high! The youngsters messed about in Straight Across and Diana 3's tenders and went round the old course of the river, through the oldest (now bypassed) bridge on the Thames. That night went back again to the Swan Hotel. Another nice meal and OK Green King Ales.

Wednesday 8th August 2001

Neil spent a jolly morning cleaning out the bilges - oil mess from disastrous oil change a few days ago. Neil had not noticed that old oil filter rubber seal had been left behind by oil filter. After engine was started this promptly blew out! Anyway bilges needed a polish and also cleared out yucky propshaft bilge and stuffing box. Next came overdue and well deserved shower + start engine and start washing machine.
We left Radcot at 13.20. The Radcot Locky was alright about leaving engine on as generator running......Rushey Locky was not......said it depended what the nice wooden cruiser, that was sharing with us. Ian C of course played up to this! Normal procedure when boating with Straight Across (3.5ft draught...and its precious bottom must not touch the bottom!) Is for the “slug” to go first and clear the bends of other “slugs”, or “sewer tubes” coming the other way.
We stopped for the night (16.25) at Newbridge, above the bridge on the farmers field £2.50 per night moorings. Ian and Mike got caught, Neil did not as he sneaked off to the Maybush pub with Captain Beeky (who arrived at about the same time). The youngsters went off trying for the head of navigation on the River Windrush, which enters the Thames, just above the bridge. Apparently Ian C videoed much of this and was most impressed with Peter A bow hauling River Tramp (Straight Across Thames REGISTERED!!! Powered tender!), from WITHIN the river.......they got up to the weir at Newbridge Mill.
There was a cock up concerning the meal arrangements. The Maybush was dead when we went in for a drink, but when we returned half an hour later, full up and fully booked! The trusty 4WD Beekywagon was bought into play and we went to the Hinds Head at Kingston Bagpuize. OK but simple meal followed. Room was difficult to find in the Beekywagon as it was being used for work purposes.
Half a ton of now scrap copper fitments were being taken back from Andrew's garage to the works smelter at Wednesbury. Neil of course ended up with a pick of the junk....anyone got a use for 24 X 24v AC/DC stepper motorised valves?.......24 are now on their way to the works skip. Andrew stopped the night, then left early for Birmingham office.

Thursday 9th August 2001

Day of continuous rain..........most of it heavy. Left Newbridge at 11.25 and arrived at moorings just below Osney Bridge at 15.20. Damien had a non intentional swimming lesson at Northmoor Lock. Fortunately the locky and helper, Peter and Neil were quick at getting him safely out. Earnest soon got separated from Straight Across......probably the lockies though all the “slugs” were better rattling about together in the locks.
The last 60ft mooring at Osney rather neatly taken, beating upstream slug and large plonky plonky narrowboat “Vectis” that was following. An entry in the “banned bowthruster book” had to be made........! Continued to piss with rain, so Commode D'Or stayed inside and missed the drawn out “Get Straight Across under Osney Bridge” procedure........we still had the mountain bike on the roof! Neil arrived on the scene as rain had left off a bit to find Straight Across safely under. Ian's “Beaker on the bridge roof” showed that TOO much ballast had been moved back and gave a clearance of 2.5inches. That night we went out to the previously much visited Indian up Botley Road - Chuckney 2...........and yes.... after a brief respite it pissed with rain again.

Friday 10th July 2001

We had a jolly morning watching all the slugs miss the landing stage above Osney Lock and either get wedged across the river or get sucked onto the little side weir (5 sluices, 3 up) Finally we said our good byes to Mike, Moira and Leon on Diana 3 and we trundled across to the empty lock waiting stage (13.00). Straight Across was soon behind us, though the nb coming up behind did not fit, so Ian C felt really strange and helped a NB is distress, by getting their ropes on (he was probably feeling guilty as they would have fitted in beside us!)
Slow amble down the Thames, nothing much to report. All the moorings taken at Abingdon (Ian C said that this was because the town council had made them all free). Many Darleks / Darth Vaders / Tupperware Castles / Surbiton Wedding Cakes./ Three Story Jobbies moored below the Bridge - not many of them fancy the bridge heights beyond. Ian C allowed a huge wooden cruiser to pass us. His only radio communication of the week was to tell me to get the video out and get some shots of the two boats together in the evening sun - a lovely sight if you like that kind thing. Apparently the 50ish foot white and varnished monster was a somethingorother, built in Lowestoft. It was not of the Thames, as Ian had never seen it before.
Eventually moored up in the field moorings (19.15) in South Stoke, opposite the “Beetle and Wedge”. That night we all wandered into the village of South Stoke and went to the rather yuppified “Perch and Pike” Brakspears pub. Ian + co left after a couple of pints of excellent ale as he was eating on board. Neil, Peter and Damian stayed for an expensive, but rather excellent meal.

Saturday 11th July 2001

The real point of us going this far downstream can now be told (we are going back via Oxford Canal) We left minus Straight Across at 08.50 after newsgroupie Robin Nicholson foned to say that he had just parked his car in Goring station and that he would walk down to meet us on the upstream of Cleeve Lock, water point (which we needed anyway). Arrived at Cleeve Lock at 09.15. Robin arrived at 09.40,just after we had finished filling with water. Reverse out into weir stream and set off back........destination the River Thame, which exits into Thames before Days Lock.
Arrived at The Thame at 12.05 and had a jolly time lining up for the entrance under the roving towpath bridge (plenty of NB navigable height) - this was due to a badly moored up Darlek. Extremely wiggly to start with, but made fair non tree cutting progress until a fallen, old rotten oak tree was encountered. This was half way across the river and was the first tree to succumb to the chainsaw wielding Commode D' Or.
Robin, though new to Earnest made an excellent job of powering the boat against the quite fierce current, as innocent trees / bushes were severely attacked. Eventually passed a few walkers who seemed a bit annoyed that we had “moored up”......we said that temporary halts to our progress would be followed by periods of forward motion until we physically stopped....they seemed unconcerned about the tree destruction. Soon we came to a couple of moored boats, with the owners on board. They said that we would not get too much further, but encouraged us to use the chainsaw as much as possible.....so we did!
Next came the angled Dorchester Bridge that we got under fairly easily (only a few cases of gravel rattling) Beyond here the river spits in two, we took the larger clearer, left hand channel, but ground to a halt soon after. A very controlled Mr Robinson descent of the river followed, with Neil attacking a few more willow and hawthorn bushes on corners. The rotten old oak tree was further attacked, which freed a large underwater branch (and a sunken pallet!) Eventually exited astern back into Thames at 14.05.
A startled Wilderness boat, moored just up the Thame was narrowly missed.....Neil told them to get up that River Thame above Dorchester Bridge! Robin N jumped ship at Culham Lock, to leg it to Culham Station to get a train back to Goring. Unfortunately the train was cancelled and Robin had to take a taxi back to Goring. 18.25 saw us just out of Iffey Lock and destination of Osney. Here we passed Mike in Diana 3, heading downstream. We had moored below Osney Lock, thinking that there would be no room for mooring above. The helpful locky came down and said that there were a couple of places and if we hurried up he would lock us through before knocking off. We went for another excellent Indian in the Chuckney 2....

Grafton Locky, Keith Webb (brother of the celebrated Brian Webb, Ian's locky at Hurley) show EA inspectors how a lock works! Upper River Thames.