8:20 Drizzly light rain started the day. I had to get up early, and make a run to B+Q to get some fittings for the central heating. Dad was down, and he threatened to install my bubble diesel stove that had been sitting in the wrapper since before winter. When I’d got back, time was getting on, and I still had to turn the boat round. I had two choices – I could take an hour going down to Yeading and back, or reversing a mile to the winding hole at Black Horse Bridge in Greenford. I thought I’d rather do a mile at 1 mph than do 5 in an hour and quarter.

It took a bit getting use to the way the boat handled in reverse, and it’s nowhere near as responsive as Kismet (50ft nb). After about half an hour we had got to the middle of the straight before the Black Horse, and found a water outlet which had a sloped brick bit of bank underneath. I steered the bow into the outlet, beached it well and truly and pulled the stern around by hand. I had to lift the fenders over the concrete piles, there was less than an inch to spare. Thankfully there was enough depth to do this trick.

~9:00 Stopped at the Sainsbury’s in Alperton, got the shopping in (dragged the trolley to the bank side kicking and screaming!), and we were off again about an hour later. The rain had stopped at last, and made it much more pleasurable.

I would have good timing data for the rest of the trip, but my GPS crashed and lost the data, so the following times are approximate.

~11:30 Little Venice. Reached the Maida Vale tunnel, and found another boat entering at the other end. I didn’t see the first tunnel sign, and didn’t know if you could pass inside. I saw the mooring, but could not read the sign on the tunnel till almost inside it. Of course I had to beat a hasty retreat. Apparently there is a bend in the tunnel, the Jason’s Trip Boat operative was telling me as he flew past.

~12:00 Camden Lock, and we caught someone up. They had already dropped their crew off and were waiting for the lock to fill. Both the other boat and I were trying to keep in the middle of the canal but the wind bounced around the buildings and you didn’t know which way it was going to come from next – managed quite well mind.

At the bottom of the Camden 3 he mentioned that they were going to stop at a pub, so we were quite surprised when he continued through the next lock. He finally turned at City Road Lock (after Islington tunnel), and went back with a boat travelling the other way.

14:08 Battlebridge Basin, but I could not see President.

14:26 City Road Lock. Just through Actons Lock some kids throw some stones, but atleast the windows are so small that I’m not quite so worried!

16:22 Old Ford Lock – All the locks have been against us so far!!!

~17:45 Limehouse – Full house, every single lock was against us. When arrived there was only one gap, and that wasn’t big enough. We asked the owners if they could shuffle up for a little one (well OK a big one), and the nice people obliged. Not so easy to moor bigger boats, we had it easy in the 30ft Rose of Yorkshire!

Continued...

9/5/04 Sunday

The gearbox had been whining all journey, and had slowly got worse, so I thought it was time to sort it out. Lifted the floor, and Dad noticed a dipstick, so opened the filler cap on the gearbox, and started to fill. We put a good amount in, and checked the dipstick – no better – well it is a big gear box, we’ll put some more in it. More went in, and still no better – where is it all going to? On closer inspection we found another dipstick – this time on the gearbox, the other was on the reduction box!!! Duh! We had to pump some out as it was level with the top of the dipstick hole!

9:53 Set off from the wall into Limehouse lock. The lock is not just wide enough to get four narrowboats in – someone didn’t think too much about this! – "Whats the largest vessel we want in Limehouse? "oh… 90ft x 24ft will be big enough!". We locked out on to the Thames with API Wonderer, and Bird Song, another lock full was waiting on the mooring outside and we set off slowly, waiting for the last lock to get through. We were still making 7mph over the ground with the half neap tide on the last of the ebb.

10:33 Greenwich 6.5mph. There was very little traffic about so early on a Sunday, so it was an easy uneventful run down the river until just before Greenwich where there are some barge mooring buoys which are anchored well towards the middle of the river. The lead boat left it a bit late to avoid them, but since I knew what a fast tide was like for dragging you down onto anything in the way I pointed the boat at the opposite bank, and then only just nicely missed them. The other boats behind however hadn’t either noticed the bouys or just not steered far enough away but there was some nasty moments when both me and my Dad were getting ready to rescue survivors. Thankfully everyone managed to miss them, though one had to go through the middle of them to get to the other side in one piece.

10:56 Millennium Dome (Doom) Pier 5mph. The barrier now in sight. The other boats are just starting to catch us up now!

11:15 Tidal Barrier 4mph. As we approach we can see an old sailing ship coming from the opposite direction, we turn in front of it, and start to push the remainder of the tide.

11:20 Tidal Barrier (again) 2.83 mph – same throttle I thnk. As the ship catches us up, I suddenly realise it must be the replica Endeavour – Captain Cooks modified Whitby coal barge. No name on the side, but we did hear her calling Woolwich later in the day. She was packed to the gunnels with people, they were on the deck, rigging, crows nest, everywhere!

10:56 Millennium Dome Pier 3mph. A large tug comes steaming up from behind, must be doing over 8 mph in the water, with a huge bow wave. It did slow a little to pass the flotilla, but not much. I did a “crazy ivan” so as to get the boat into the waves, but left it to late as other boats where around me and water splashed into the front well and through the front door. I later found out that it was not worth turning into the waves, it didn’t help much.

12:24 Greenwich 4.4mph. I opened the throttle as far as it would go – but it never quite seemed to revv fast enough – if you see what I mean. Later we found out that the bracket holding the cable on the engine end had moved, so did not pull the throttle far enough at maximum quadrant position.

12:56 Limehouse 4.25mph (flat out). Finally back at the lock, we were in the second lock, and so moored up innocently on the pontoon outside. It was only after the lock keeper had opened the bottom gates to let the water out that I realised that was not a good place to be! More water came in then, than any time during the trip.

A good day was had by all, and the weather could not have been better.

View Nuggler's log here.

©2004 Michael Askin