25th October
Another blue sky day!
Not a great start along Port Meadow though, as it's Saturday and all the rowing 8s,4s and 2s seemed to be out along this lake-wide stretch. It's incredibly shallow along here so we have little choice but to stick to the centre of the river. The rowers were all over the place. First they were widthways across our path, so that we had to make a full stop and then one 8 tried to undertake us just as another was heading our way. We would have been hard pressed to steer a course between them in the depth of water we need. Both Pete and I had altercations from either end of our boat with the controllers in their engined boats as they seemed to be doing very little to organise their trainees. To top it all, as we came up to Godstow Lock, the marked channel which was very narrow was impossible to enter as there were 4 rowing boats abreast completely blocking it, awaiting their next instructions from the control boats which were not coming quickly enough. Again we had to stop and this time reverse to re-position ourselves with other rowers coming up behind us - all very alarming and I shouted to one controller to ask how she proposed we were to get to the left of the marker buoy in order to get in the lock whereupon, (she having established from Pete at the stern that yes we did want to go through the lock(?!) ) she finally shouted to the 4 boats to "MOVE". What else she thought we were planning on doing I have no idea! It was as if we were invisible!
It was a relief to reach the haven of the lock and a worried-looking very young girl rower apologised to me as we went by. I explained to her that we were only cross because we were worried about colliding with them and that it wasn't their fault but that of their coaches. We think they are obviously used to having this vast expanse of water to themselves and we're surprised at their seemingly minimal knowledge of the needs of other craft like us. You would think that would be part of their training. We cannot stop suddenly, we need a certain water depth and we have to obey buoys.
Oh well, despite being a little frazzled, we enjoyed the last of the Thames anyway, past Godstow Abbey, through Dukes Cut and onto the Oxford canal to quiet Thrupp, all in sunshine!
Godstow Abbey ruins
Another blue sky day!
Not a great start along Port Meadow though, as it's Saturday and all the rowing 8s,4s and 2s seemed to be out along this lake-wide stretch. It's incredibly shallow along here so we have little choice but to stick to the centre of the river. The rowers were all over the place. First they were widthways across our path, so that we had to make a full stop and then one 8 tried to undertake us just as another was heading our way. We would have been hard pressed to steer a course between them in the depth of water we need. Both Pete and I had altercations from either end of our boat with the controllers in their engined boats as they seemed to be doing very little to organise their trainees. To top it all, as we came up to Godstow Lock, the marked channel which was very narrow was impossible to enter as there were 4 rowing boats abreast completely blocking it, awaiting their next instructions from the control boats which were not coming quickly enough. Again we had to stop and this time reverse to re-position ourselves with other rowers coming up behind us - all very alarming and I shouted to one controller to ask how she proposed we were to get to the left of the marker buoy in order to get in the lock whereupon, (she having established from Pete at the stern that yes we did want to go through the lock(?!) ) she finally shouted to the 4 boats to "MOVE". What else she thought we were planning on doing I have no idea! It was as if we were invisible!
It was a relief to reach the haven of the lock and a worried-looking very young girl rower apologised to me as we went by. I explained to her that we were only cross because we were worried about colliding with them and that it wasn't their fault but that of their coaches. We think they are obviously used to having this vast expanse of water to themselves and we're surprised at their seemingly minimal knowledge of the needs of other craft like us. You would think that would be part of their training. We cannot stop suddenly, we need a certain water depth and we have to obey buoys.
Oh well, despite being a little frazzled, we enjoyed the last of the Thames anyway, past Godstow Abbey, through Dukes Cut and onto the Oxford canal to quiet Thrupp, all in sunshine!
Godstow Abbey ruins
Location:Thrupp
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