TRIP REPORTS

SUMMER & AUTUMN 2003
The Thames and the Kennet & Avon

Part 3 : The GIG and the "National"

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We resume the story in Culham Reach on the Thames on our way to the GIG (Grand Internet Gathering).

We started at 8:30 and came across a lot of lock-queues - the traffic towards the National was building up. At 15:22 we arrived at Lower Basildon Farm (upstream of Pangbourne) for the GIG. Our mooring was outboard of Earnest, with Weyfly outboard of us. So working outwards from the bank we had a parrot, two cats and a dog. We christened it "Zoo Corner". Molly came aboard to stay for the duration.

The GIG started with a cream tea, and in the evening there were really good fish & chips and a musical evening with Benny Graham, Charley ( really good fiddler), Bruce Peckett and Anne and Lee from Vital Spark. Good use was made of the beer tent that had a couple of locally-brewed real ales.

We made a leisurely start to the day. We'd planned to join a walk to Beale Park, but it set off earlier than we'd expected, and Wendy was still cooking chicken for tomorrow's picnic, so we didn't go. There was an excellent communal barbecue at tea-time, followed by a musical evening with Benny and Charley, supported by Bruce.

The morning was spent in a charity auction, with Guy as auctioneer. We sold the 12-volt vacuum cleaner that we've hardly ever used, and some second-hand books, and bought a small inverter that I hoped would be able to charge my lap-top's batteries while boating. As usual, several items for sale, including Bruce's best guitar, had been "borrowed" to sell back to thewir owners for charity.

It's a tradition of the GIG to have a Sunday afternoon picnic cruise so that those who are camping can get afloat. Keith Midgeley & Paul Edwards joined us. About 6 boats & 2 barges took part. We moored to a not-very-good bank about ¼ mile before Mapledurham lock, so decided to picnic on deck rather than ashore with some of the others. Everyone had contributed something, so there was quite a feast. Molly had brought us a DIY Pimm's kit.

    
On the way back from the picnic

Back to the GIG site at 18:40, there was a communal curry planned, but we & Molly opted out. We'd planned to eat on board, but after the huge picnic were too full to want to cook. The day ended with a very late session for the three of us on FC2, in which a large quantity of gin was consumed.

I had to go home to transport all the kit I needed for the National, so Molly gave me a lift to Reading station at about 10:30. Weyfly set off for Henley. Lee, Paul & Brian helped Wendy move FC2 alongside Vital Spark. They had a lengthy & enjoyable lunch-time session. Wendy filled the greaser. I arrived back soon after 21:00.

Setting off at 08:40, Wendy amused an audience with a dog's breakfast of a turn to set off downstream. We stopped outboard of Roger Jeffries' Tit Willow just south of Beale Park lake entrance for me to go & find the cabin I'd be working in during the National. We were soon off again in search of services and shopping. At Better Boating boatyard below Caversham lock we dealt with pump-out, gas, water and diesel, then went on to Reading Tesco for some long, slow shopping after mooring with some difficulty. Saw old friends Richard Packer on Robert Child & Sarah Child, and Chris Barber & family on Bug.

We went back to our Festival mooring, just a few yards from where we'd stopped mid-morning, outboard of John & Jenny Hobson on Yeoman. Yeoman's access was at the back end, where the harbourmaster had promised (and the carpenters later delivered) a landing step, as Jenny was recovering from hip replacements. We moored facing the same way as them to start with, but decided to turn round in the morning as our back-end would be inconvenient as our main access (especially for Lesley who was joining us and is disabled). Glen Peckett was due to stay with us for a couple of nights until his pitch on the camp site was available, so he and Mandy Morley (who was staying on Liz Payne's boat) ate with us.

Glen & I were working on the newsletter all day, Lesley (who arrived on Thursday evening) working shifts on the South London Branch stand. On Thursday night, Wendy & I were in the winning team at the Boaters' Quiz, along with Tony & Jenny Brookes and a bunch of their friends.

FC2 was moored outboard of Yeoman, now as a pushmipullyu, and inboard of Eager Beaver (Jim, Sheila & beagle Bosun), Moonflower (Mike & Audrey), Soggie's Delight (Chris) and Drifter (anon). We had a few pleasant sessions together, including one for the illuminated boats parade, during which I arrived back from my day's work. Wendy had thought of going on the free bus to Tesco in Didcot, but didn't need to as Lesley and Dorothy had to go on a shopping trip for the stand so were able to get what the boat needed at the same time.

Tilly seemed to have found some excellent hunting, and (judging from the numbers of dead mice and parts thereof we found) to have taught Mandy to hunt. Mandy was in evidence most of the time, and collected quite a fan club, and Tilly would appear aboard in the small hours.

On Tuesday morning I cleared the office, stowed all the gear that was due to go back to London into a WRG crew bus, and we were finished. Brian & Margaret Oliver came on board for a drink. We needed to take our elsan onto site and empty it, and Brian Holt helped by scrounging a wheelbarrow for us to use. Various boats left and a boat called Ace came to moor outboard of us, changing crew overnight. We knew Tilly wasn't likely to be ready to come back to the boat until after dark, so planned to set off next morning. In fact it was about 2am before she came back long enough for us to shut the door and keep her in.