TRIP REPORTS

SUMMER 2005
Our last long cruise in Felis Catus II

Part 2 : A long week-end from Cowroast to Cosgrove

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We resume the story with Felis Catus II on the moorings above Cowroast lock.

A long weekend

Wendy left home first to shop at Berkhamsted Waitrose at 08:00 but was thwarted because they don't open until 08:30, at which point all the world rushes in. I arrived in time to pack the shopping, then we got a cab to Cowroast and set off at 11:20. The fridge was a bit stubborn about starting, but obliged before we reached Bulbourne, where we met Mike and Lynda Ede (old friends from Hillingdon CC) on Harpoon and tied up for drinks with them. They are very pleased with the move to Leighton Buzzard, as they both have better health because of the cleaner air. The only downside is Lynda's job, which isn't as pleasant as the one she had in Uxbridge. I saw a Kingfisher in Tring cutting. The Marsworth flight was beautiful.

All was going well until 17:25 when, on the approach to Ivinghoe bottom lock, the gear cable packed up, leaving the gearbox stuck in reverse. That being the case, the strong cross-wind made mooring quite tricky. The engineer at Grebe had just gone home, and the yard said they'd 'phone us back in the morning. We decided it was too windy to barbecue safely.

Grebe called just after 10:00 to say they couldn't do anything until Wednesday because they were overstretched by the things they were doing at the Wendover Festival on top of their normal work-load. They suggested Wyvern (pessimistically). We managed to get hold of James on his mobile, He say they couldn't do anything until Tuesday, but if we could to their yard they'd sort us out then. He suggested we jury-rigged a string-operated system, but we preferred the thought of trying to get a tow.

We managed to cadge a tow from Ben (John & Katherine Thomkins, with retriever Harvey, daughter whose name we didn't find out but who had just finished a History degree at QMC, and guests). John thought it best to tow us breasted from the first bit, but singled-out for the pound between Slapton and Grove, where he remembered some shallows on some bends on the side their boat was on (They drew nearly 3ft). Wendy did the butty steering (thankful to be without the previous day's wind) so that I could do the jumping on & off at locks. Our benefactors were stopping at Grove Lock for a meal in the new pub there, so we decided we'd try that as well. We were too late to book in the restaurant so tried the bar food which we found indifferent. On returning to the boat, John offered to tow us the rest of the way to Wyvern in the morning before they headed back to their base at Pitstone. They were happy to do this even though it would add a couple of hours to their journey. We'd already given them a half-bottle of Glenmorangie as a thank-offering.

Off on schedule at 09:00, once again singled out with Wendy getting some more practice at butty-steering. Once again there wasn't enough wind to make life difficult . We arrived at Wyvern Shipping's yard at Linslade at 10:10. Wendy went into Leighton Buzzard hoping that Waitrose would be open as the Berkhamsted one had been boasting. It wasn't, but she discovered that Millets and the market still exist, and the town now has a theatre, She found a recycling point at the corner of Tesco's car park. In the evening we christened the new barbecue, which worked well - a big improvement on the old one. It takes a lot more charcoal to fill it, but it should be possible to cook on it half-full.

The day started with an excellent dawn chorus. Wendy took some stuff to the recycling place, then shopped in Waitrose & WH Smith. Before she was back, I had to move the boat by poling it. One of Wyvern's fitters took about half an hour to replace the gear cable (cost £41), and we were ready to set off again. We worked solo through Leighton Lock, but found a partner, Coco Loco, at the top of Soulbury, with whom we shared locks until they stopped below Fenny Stratford to investigate an overheating engine. En route I saw house sparrows, starling, redbreast & rabbits. Wendy saw many magpies & a kingfisher. Blackbirds & thrushes were much in evidence, as were pigeons and many waterfowl (but no coots, oddly). One pair of swans in Milton Keynes had nine cygnets, Marie Draper (another old friend from Hillingdon CC & London IWA) was sitting out on her patio as we passed their house in New Bradwell so we stopped for a chat. Vernon's a bit under the weather. They're moving house (six doors away!) to one with better facilities but a smaller garden, as they feel their present garden's a bit much for them.

At Cosgrove sani station we dealt with rubbish and water. Our plan was to leave the boat here for 10 days, but we found that all the moorings between the sani-station and Solomon's Bridge are now designated as 48-hour ones. We discovered that there are some 14-day ones below the lock, but they seemed pretty full. Just beyond Solomon's Bridge there looked to be a good bit of bank, but occupied by anglers, who said they'd be finishing about 21:00, so we decided to move there then and stay on board overnight after all. First we moved onto a gap in the 48-hour moorings temporarily. I went to the Barley Mow to find a 'phone number for a taxi for the morning. Finally at 21:25 we moved onto a mooring past the bridge.

A taxi to Milton Keynes Central station at 07:00 and off home.