The June Rose: Sunday 12 July 2015

We didn’t wake up until 7.45am and got on our way. We no sooner left the mooring when another boat, Tug No 2, asked us to wait for them at the lock which we did and travelled back to Thames lock with them. The lady asked me where we had moored and I said at Pyrford to which she said so did we and it was very noisy last night wasn’t it – I said yes we had heard some music coming from the Golf Club. She then commented that some people on a hire boat were having a bit of party and were making quite a bit of noise........I didn’t admit to the fact that we were on the hire boat!

We rejoined the Thames at about 12 noon – all the locks are manned but they are huge and several boats go through together including the many day trip ferries. We chugged through Shepperton, Chertsey, Penton Hook, Bell Weir, Old Windsor, Romney and Boveney Locks. The kind lock keeper at Chertsey Lock told us to hold on tight at Bell Weir and Romney locks as they fill from the sides and front and on narrowboats it throws you into the middle and backwards. All the locks require you to have a rope on front and back so whilst we are not operating the locks we still have a job to do!

At about 4pm the heavens opened and we got absolutely soaked – I had three layers on all of which were wet by the time we found somewhere to moor – there definitely seems to be a distinct lack of mooring on the Thames. We are moored up at Boveney which is just past Windsor and Eton.

This Cormorant kept us amused - he kept flying over the top of us then landed waited for us to go by then he kept diving - it seemed like he was trying to avoid having his photo taken but I think the wash we create stirs ups the fish!