Mike Stevens' UK Inland Waterways Pages

TRIP REPORTS : THE FELIS CATUS YEARS

THE LAST SEASON WITH OUR OLD BOAT, 1982

Part 1 : January to the Easter cruise

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In the early part of the year we made routine fortnightly visits to the boat at its winter mooring at Maida Hill (Little Venice) to charge up the batteries. On the fist of these visits, the boat was still iced in, as it had been since mid-December. A couple of weeks later we were able to go on a short run to Camden Lock and back, with a lot of ice still in the cut, especially around Cumberland Turn.

Ian and Roger came up to join me for some more work on the boat. We saw some boats we recognised moored in Browning's Pool and joined them for a mini-rally. They were Ray Dunford's Albion & Mike & Marion West's Edale. John Morin was filming A Swag of Roses, a film of Ray painting some roses on Edale. The three of us on Felis had a carpentry & cleaning day.

EASTER CRUISE

There was another beautiful dawn chorus, though not exactly improved by the contribution of British Rail. The weather was warmer, and when we got to Winkwell swing bridge it was raining. As we came up the lock, the previous day's snail-powered boats moved off moorings just above the bridge, which dictated our breakfast time once more.

We set off again when Alice (crew Gloria & Stuart) came through the swing bridge, and travelled with them as far as Berkhamsted, where we moored before lock 55, keeping out of the way until Mike & Lindy Foster had got their fleet away. I helped with showing the new hirers how to work the locks. Then we moved the boat up onto Mike & Lindy's moorings

We had a lazy morning. Mike F paid me in engine oil for my work the previous day! We bought diesel, used their sani station and watered. Mike F. sorted out an engine problem for us. It was very shallow from Berka to Dudswell. While I took the boat out of Cowroast lock, Wendy went to the 'phone box, phoned Ian and arranged to meet him later at Tring station bridge. I cooked lunch on the move in Tring cutting. We went on to the Grand Junction Arms, Bulbourne, and moored with our friends Gary & Rosemary on ex-GUCCC Draco, interrupting their breakfast at 15:35! Later we ran back to Tring station bridge to pick up Ian, winded and came back to lock down the Marsworth flight with Cowroast hire-boat Elegance, with a nice family who had been told but not shown how to work the locks. We moored at the Ship Stores, Marsworth, at 19:00 and Wendy cooked.

This was the best dawn chorus yet, followed by another very slow start. There was bright morning sun, skipping lambs etc. We shared locks from Ivinghoe to Slapton with another Cowroast boat, and Leighton to Soulbury with ex-GUCCC Pisces. Below Soulbury locks I "set up stall" with painted ware then made lunch. We set off again around tea-time and shared Stoke Hammond lock with noddy-boat Katy. We moored at The Plough, Simpson at 18:29, and within an hour, a floating armchair had settled cosily against our bows. We went to the pub before dinner. Wendy cooked.

It was sunny but cold, so we had a lie-in. At Linford wharf we winded and came back to use the sani station above Fenny Stratford lock.

We continued to a lunch stop above Soulbury locks and then carried on to Leighton Buzzard, where Ian & I caught a train to London.

Wendy shopped (no Liquid Lino for the boat's roof anywhere) & chatted with other boaters from noddy-boat Tiff. I came back from London around mid-day and we set off southwards , sharing a couple of locks with an Autrant hire-boat. Above Slapton lock we watered & met a resident gnome with an elderly but lively dog called Tigger.

We stopped again above Horton lock to do some carpentry, then carried on cruising through a beautiful sunset, to moor at 20:21 at the Ship Stores, Marsworth with loud & delightful chaffinch accompaniment. We had dinner at the Red Lion.

We started at 07:39, ascending the Marsworth flight in shimmery morning sun - the reservoirs were a joy to behold. We saw a kingfisher again at the Cowroast end of the cutting. On to Berkhamsted for shopping, then to the Rising Sun with Mike & Lindy. We had lunch on the back deck. Wendy had a shower at Mike & Lindy's. Setting off again, we had a bad road until we caught up a rather dozy (but pleasant) family on Hemlock, locking with them from Winkwell onwards. We stopped with Hemlock before Fishery lock at 18:31. They had a very attractive Irish setter called Major, from an animal rescue centre. Wendy cooked.

06:26 was what Wendy considered a civilised starting time. There was frost & slight mist at first, and a really low-flying swan as we moved into the first lock. We had a good road for 12 locks! Wendy cooked breakfast on the move. It developed into a still, sunny morning with goats, calves, rabbits etc skipping like young lambs, who in turn …….

Before Iron Bridge lock we stopped for another carpentry session. Later we saw a boater we knew, from Mary Anne, above Black Jack's lock. There were very many periwinkles below it. We moored at 17:49 below Widewater lock and Wendy cooked. We had a social embarrassment after dinner when a cat called, inspected the boat & asked for supper. As it was the last night of the cruise our stocks were down - nothing but cheese.

07:19 wasn't as early a start as we had hoped. The weather was cold. We had some trouble with a top paddle jammed half-open at Denham, then moored at the Swan & Bottle, Uxbridge, where Wendy left for home, then I cooked myself breakfast and did some clearing-up before heading for the Slough Arm, with a stop before Cowley lock to use the sani station. As I turned into the Slough Arm, the weather turned nice, and I had a pleasant run to High Line Yachting, at Iver, where the boat was going to have an engine service before the Slough Rally.