The sun shining through one of the portholes produced this shadow of one of my dreamcatchers
Sunset over the canal.
Next day we headed for Reading where we had heard more horror stories of the passage through the centre of town........
Meeting a seriously large vessel en route at one of the locks
Garston Lock another turf sided lock - but this one did not have the sophisticated superstructure to assist access to the boat. But it did have a pillbox still protecting it from invasion.
Signs still warning you of weirs predicted the next canal / river junction and another lock to circumvent it.
And so we approached Reading where we had been warned of difficult moorings before the lock, a traffic light system where you could wait for 20 minutes and you only had 12 minutes to get through before the lights were on green for oncoming traffic. Not to mention the fast flowing waters that crashed you into the bridges much to the delight of people in the waterside coffee shops as they assessed boaters efforts to transit Reading with panache and expertise............or not!!
I must admit I did nearly miss the mooring for the lock, as it was immediately under a large road bridge and not just before it.
This was the lock just before the centre of Reading. The men in the flourescent yellow jackets were firemen supposedly staging a mock rescue but who in reality had heard that John was prone to falling in the water and were on standby.
(Sorry John but journalistic opportunities cannot be missed. Call me Paparazzi if you like. I was then quickly reminded that I had also fallen in too - but not on this trip.......yet)
The traffic lights were just as you left the lock but with an easy mooring spot to activate the lights. Vinnie pressed the button for us and as soon as it showed green I went (we were told that it only showed for a split second so I didn't want to miss it!
Transitting Reading. As advised I kept my speed slow so that when the channel narrows I would not be swept away out of control......
Still managing to take lots of photos, speed under control
Ah now this is the bridge that people crash into. Seems benign to me.
No problem. All this fuss for nothing. But then we had not had rain for a long time so that was probably what made the difference.
Then on to the Thames where in the absence of appropriate signs I actually turned the wrong way. There is a sign but it is so small that it is impossible to read unless you are stood on the bank next to it.
And on to the River Thames. First boat was a derelict barge which showed signs of occupation by a number of families. Quite a cultural shock really. Added to which we moored outside Tescos ......I need say no more!
The next day in Reading I was joined by Wendy(we have been friends forever) who was to stay with me during my passage on the Thames. We set off on the Friday, John was taking the shorter route back to Gloucester and would leave a couple of days later.
So my journey with John and Vinnie had come to its conclusion. It had been for me a steep learning curve as far as cruising was concerned but I am extremely grateful to John for sharing his expertise and to him and Vinnie for becoming such good friends. I wish them a safe journey back to Saul.
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