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Tour 2019 Bow Back Rivers / Thames Tideway

2 - Thames Tideway

Saturday 17th August 2019

Crew::- NA (Helm), Captain Beeky (Comms and refreshments) and Magical Trevor (lookout). Limehouse to Brentford, departure 12:00, which was 4 hours before HW London Bridge. We had not done the Thames Tideway for yonks, and this was to be our first passage with mandatory VHF for craft over 13.7m. After the initial surge (we got up to around 8MPH) through the busy section Below Westminster Bridge, we throttled back so as to not out run the tide and so arrive in Brentford Gut with insufficient water. Very busy in the lower section (clippers, trip boats rib rides and Super Sewer spoil barges) we swung about into the bow waves, wherever possible. We were not boarded by Boarder Agency rib (probably too busy on the South Coast!). Arrival at Brentford was 14:30, some half an hour before core time working (enough water over the cill of Thames Lock). When we arrived we were amazed to find another narrowboat waiting., it had not come up the Tideway, so we can only surmise it left Teddington at an odd time (so would have to of used Richmond Lock, as the half tide weir would be down) or there had been a navigational cock-up. We found out from the "exchange" between the master of narrowboat and the Thames Lock CaRT Locky that it was the latter...but we won't go into that. We nearly got caught up in some "robust" paddle opening (our windows were shut). Hey ho...the result was that we went through the Gauging Locks on our own and got the last mooring in the basin...yes really the last, at the end of the uncovered shed "feature". Captain Beeky jumped ship and NA and Magical Trevor met up with Mrs TNC and BIL at the still rather excellent "La Rosetta" Italian in the evening.

Sunday 18th August 2019

NA and Magical Trevor moved the boat back to it's temporary home, back at Harefield Marina. That day we left at 07:45 as it started to rail and got to Norwood Top at 11:00...just as the rain stopped! It was a much better passage up Hanwell than in April...it was actually full of water! Rather curious to why CaRT had paddle-locked a bottom gate paddle half up on Lock 95. Got to Cowley VM at 12:45. That evening met up again with Mrs TNC and BIL in the "Malt Shovel".

Monday 19th August 2019

We left Cowley at 09:00 and got back to Harefield at 11:00. After a diesel top up (82p/l base) and quickly putting NB Earnest to bed NA dropped Magical Trevor at West Ruislip for his trip back home.

Limehouse Basin. The three departing craft jockey for position in the lock

Limehouse Lock.

After a good blast on the air horns and VHF to London VTS we leave Limehouse Lock.

Looking back to the Isle Of Dogs.

Looking up at the stanked off Shadwell Basin.

Wapping Met Police depot.

Shard, Tower Bridge and Walkie Talkie.

Tower Bridge. Mrs TNC clocked us on the webcam!

Tower Bridge.

Walkie Talkie, Gherkin and The Tower Of London.

London Bridge.

London Assembly Building.

Looking back at Carpathia going through Tower Bridge.

Shard and HMS Belfast

Cannon Street Railway Bridge.

Looking back at Tower Bridge.

Bankside Power Station / Tate Modern.

Millennium Bridge.

Looking back at Southwark Bridge.

Blackfriars Pier.

Blackfriars Bridges.

Looking back from Blackfriars Bridges.

Super Sewer spoil being removed by barge / tug.

Waterloo Bridge.

London RNLI.

Hungerford Bridges.

Embankment Pier.

Westminster Pier (the busiest), Westminster Bridge and Palace of (Fools) Westminster.

London Eye, old GLC County Hall and Waterloo Pier.

Westminster Bridge. The exclusion zone in front of the Houses of Parliament has been moved back.

Looking back at the London Eye.

Lambeth Bridge.

Looking back at Westminster Bridge.

Looking back at Carpathia and Westminster Bridge.

Vauxhall Bridge.

Carpathia overhauls us by the M16 Building.

Looking back at Vauxhall Bridge.

Battersea Power Station.

Victoria (Grosvenor) Railway Bridge.

Chelsea and Albert Bridges.

Looking back at Chelsea Bridge.

Battersea Bridge.

Battersea Railway Bridge.

Battersea Heliport.

Wandsworth Bridge.

Another Super Sewer temporary wharf.

Fulham Railway Bridge.

Looking back at Wandsworth Bridge.

Fulham Railway Bridge, Putney Bridge beyond.

Fulham Football Ground.

Hammersmith Bridge.

Looking back at Hammersmith Bridge.

Chiswick Eyot.

Chiswick Bridge.

Kew Railway Bridge.

Kew Bridge.

Looking back at Kew Railway Bridge.

Kew Bridge.

Brentford.

Entering Brentford Gut.

Brentford Gut.

Thames Lock, Brentford Gut.

Brentford Basin. We have just reversed out of the last far mooring under the "shed". Grand Union Canal.

Leafy Hanwell flight, Grand Union.

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