Decision made: Out with the old, in with the new

Engine problems…..After a lot of thinking, discussions, backwards and forwards on what to do next, we came to a conclusion – out with the old and in with the new. We just wanted peace of mind and be able to turn the key and the engine starts. Every time! And that meant out with the old engine (again) and in with a new one. Our existing engine is a Perkins 3654H and we believe she was fitted into the boat in 1971. This is not the upright, model and the engine lies on the side with access to most serviceable parts, but not all. The engine was rebuilt in 2019 and even then the engineers struggled to find spare parts for her. In fact, the rebuild involved a repair to two major corroded engine parts (sump and bell housing) as we could not find replacements parts. We were also warned that the oil scavenge pump for the engine was no longer available. There was also a persistent oil leak and we had resigned ourselves to the fact that this was going to be a weekly mop-up job...not ideal. Despite this, we felt (fairly) confident that we would be OK with this engine. Yes, we would be travelling with almost no access to spare parts should there be a problem and we had an oil leak. But it was a risk we were prepared to take as it felt we didn’t have a choice and this was effectively a new engine following a full rebuild.
But now we have a new problem and it involved a lot of white smoke from out of the exhaust and our confidence in the engine shifted. Patrick and the engineers could stab a guess at what it might be but it would take hours and possibly a lot of money to accurately diagnose and fix the problem and this is without addressing the oil leak. A diagnosis was going to involve taking the engine out and possibly sent away (somewhere?) to be diagnosed. The engineers said they could start having a look to get a view of what might be wrong, but it probably beyond their remit. They also repeated their concern/warning about not being able to find spare parts to do any work or parts for us to keep onboard as spares. So they gave us some time to decide what to do next.
What we really wanted was peace of mind. We wanted to be able to turn the key, knowing that she was going to start and we could move on and travel. Particularly in a foreign country. We decided that travelling with an old risky engine with no part numbers and reduced access to spare/replacement parts is not a game we wish to play.
So we dug deep and then deeper into our pockets and we decided to proceed with a new engine. Patrick and the engineers discussed options, considering the space and height restrictions of the engine bay and also what our requirements were. The decision was a Nanni 115, a 4 cyclinder turbo engine. Nanni was an engine Patrick had always had in mind should we have come to this very point. The beauty of this engine, besides being new and fitting in the engine bay, is there are no electronics, its just a simple diesel engine. It was also agreed to fit a thrust bearing, so the new engine will run smoother.
Once we got over the initial shock of the cost of this, we were excited to be moving in this direction. So we “pushed the button” and a new engine and all the extra bits were ordered.
The engineers got ready and they lifted out our very broken engine, which was a sad moment for us as we had tried so hard to keep her going and she had given us some fun adventures.
Once the engine was out we were made aware of two more issues that would have put halt to our trip, and again, before we even really got started. The engineers also showed us how corroded the exhaust manifold heat exchanger was and they estimated we only had a few hours of motoring left on this manifold.
Also, the engine was actually touching the bottom of the hull. We always knew it was a tight fit in the engine bay and Patrick had never been able to even slide oil-absorbing sheets between the engine and the hull. What we were not aware of was that the engine was rubbing away at the hull when running!
Looking back, I suspect our initial response to all of this must have been disbelief, but also a sense of relief and further commitment to a new engine.
So the planning and initial work for the fit of the Nanni began. Patrick spent a few days cleaning up the bilges and getting ready for a brand new engine. The existing bearers for the Perkins were too wide for the narrower Nanni. So new steel bearers were made, painted and fitted to the existing bearers. The fire extinguisher was removed and we are going to have to find a new space for it. It is attached to the front bulkhead and is wide and in the way. The Perkins had the exhaust on the starboard side, it ran up and over the starboard fuel tank and down the starboard side of the boat. The Nanni has the exhaust on the port side. So they are going to have to run the exhaust pipe round the back of the engine to join up with the existing exhaust.
A steel plate was needed for the thrust bearing, so that was measured up and the template sent away to be completed.
Fortunately the generator did not have to be moved, only taken out for the engine fitting but it could go back in the same spot. That would have been another huge job if it needed to be moved elsewhere. We will have to find a new spot for the generator battery though.
Once the new bearers were in, the Nanni was dropped through the roof to check that everything was dimensionally correct. Although the engine wasn't in the boat for long, it was exciting to see it in there, all shiny, new and blue.
Then she was lifted back out and the engineers got into the engine bay to start the proper fitting work. They first had to remove the shaft coupling that was there from the Perkins, in order to fit the thrust bearing. (At this point we should have KNOWN that we were in the quiet before the storm). Removing the old prop shaft coupling was proving to be almost impossible. After a long long struggle, the engineers finally got it off. It took hours of pulling, using gas heat, pulley plate and eventually an angle grinder. Then the problem exposed itself. The shaft was tapered. This problem was explained to me. The new thrust bearing had to be fitted on a square end of a shaft. It was not designed to clamp onto a tapered shaft. To be fair the engineers did explore a few options to overcome this problem… can the tapered end be cut off, creating a square? Not enough shaft left to reach the engine. Do the manufacturers have an “adaptor” for situations like this? No.

The outcome? A new shaft was to be fitted. This is going to involve lifting the boat out of the water with a crane, removing the old shaft and fitting a new one. They estimated a couple of hours and even discussed doing this shaft replacement while the boat was still in the slings of the crane!! That made sense to me because the boat could go straight back in to the water and they continue with the engine fit. Easypeazy!!
Enquiries were made as to how long for a new shaft to be delivered and also when would a crane be available for the lift. A little over a week!! Just as UK prepared itself for a heat wave and summer was starting to be a real summer. A summer where travelling on the river would be amazing, long warm days, BBQs, walks. I wanted to cry but also knew this was going to be worth it.
Into day 3 of waiting for a lift out, the engineers stopped by to talk about the exhaust. They had a conversation with the manufacturers of Nanni engines, the engine required a new exhaust. The current exhaust wasn’t fit for purpose. Besides being old, the new engine needed a bigger exhaust. (The old exhaust was a 75mm and Nanni needed 104mm). There would also need to be a water lock installed. This device collects cooling water when the engine is stopped, preventing it from flowing back into the engine and causing damage. It also acts as a muffler to reduce exhaust noise. To fit this larger exhaust pipe we were going to have to give access behind lockers, fridge, dishwasher and some of the cupboards, both in the saloon and galley. The exhaust runs behind all of these, down starboard side under the deck.
So the exhaust pipe and water lock were ordered and the beautiful new engine stayed safe in the workshop. Then we received a call to say we needed a new, larger exhaust tailpipe. As the back of the boat is shaped at a curve, we would not be able to buy one off the shelf, so the new one would need to be made to spec. All of this meant that Deux was going to have to be lifted out and placed on supports in the yard and the work would take longer than a few hours in the slings. Possibly a week of work (two to be cautious).
At this point I was ready to say goodbye to summer. I would watch it go by from the back of the boat, 3 meters high, in the boat yard.
And then it finally happened…. The crane arrived, the exhaust pipe, water lock, tailpipe and a lot of other bits all arrived. As well as the heatwave!!
The boat was lifted out and placed on supports in the yard. The engineers fitted pipes to our water outlets, so while we were on the boat, we could use the shower, hand basin and sink as well as the dishwasher. The toilets in the yard were only a quick ladder climb away, so we didn’t have to use the onboard toilet and fill the holding tank. We had access to electric and water so we were not completely hard done by. And the sunsets were really pretty from so high up. I also got really fit with every day climbing up and down the ladder – the hotter it got, the more beer was needed, the more toilet trips were required, the hotter I got = it was easy to see the cycle!
Over the next few days, the engineers got the prop and rudder off, with a lot of huffing and puffing – the summer temperature was really hot by now. The old shaft came out, the new one went in. The exhaust was huge but was fitted and the “destruction” of the lockers and cupboards wasn't too bad. This was not our first rodeo with Deux Poissons. We had lived through many dismantles and refittings so we took that in our stride. We took advantage of the boat being out of the water and did some jobs that were on our to-do list. I gave the galley cupboards a fresh coat of paint. Patrick replaced the salt water anodes with fresh water ones as we are spending all our time on rivers and canals. He did some paint patching on the hull. Same procedure as normal….. Once cleaned and any flaky paint removed, first coat epoxy, then a coat of underwater primer and then a coat of antifouling. Patrick also cleaned and polished the topsides while I varnished everything twice and repainted the cream decks.
The thrust bearing plate was fitted onto the bearers and the thrust bearing put in situ. The crane man was summoned back and Deux was slowly lowered back into the water.
After an hour in the slings and confirmation that all the water remained outside of the boat, the crane man was sent away. As much as I liked him, I didn’t really want to see him again.
Then the engine fitting was scheduled. A few days later the Nanni was lowered through the ceiling and settled into the engine bay. The exhaust fitting proved to be a challenge but once that was completed and all the other vital parts were fitted and connected, the start key was turned. She started first turn and both Patrick and I were amazed at how quiet she was. We could even talk to each other.
The generator still needed to be refitted and connected up, but we could manage without it (for now). We had a working engine! A quiet, reliable one. And the summer heat wave promised to continue for some time. So we agreed to a little test run the next day and then Patrick and I sat and planned a few days upriver. We will need to come back to have the oil checked and replaced and generator re-fitted but we were so pleased to get away for a while!

Deja Vu: Reading to Caversham and back to Reading.

With our visa applications submitted and paid for, we decided to say goodbye to Reading Marina and start heading down the river. We are looking at about a week or two to make our way down to Teddington and onto Richmond lock. We would then be on the tidal part of the Thames and we would take the tide through London. As it would be unlikely that we hear back from the French Consulate about our visas by the time we were through London, we plan to travel on the Medway for a few weeks. Once we hear about our visas (and hopefully that is positive outcome), we will decide whether we “pop” over to France for a few weeks or remain on the rivers in UK this year and do France next year.
So with sunny weather ahead we invited friends to join us on board for a few days as we leave Reading and make our way down river. We said goodbye to all the wonderful people at the marina, they had been amazing with helping us get the gearbox fixed and refitted and also look after (winterise) Deux Poissons over winter.
It appeared they were either wishing us a great future and trip OR were thrilled to see us leave. Either way, they really made an effort - flags, well wishes, trumpets - waving us goodbye from the marina which had started to feel like home. We promised to keep in touch and while we were sorry to say goodbye to such great people, we really looked forward to getting going on our trip.
We cast off, waved goodbye, charged our glasses and got chatting about the next few days ahead. As we approached the first lock at Caversham, which was self-service, Patrick gave a brief lesson on how to operate the locks. We tied up outside the lock and Patrick and friends walked over to fill the lock and open the gates. My friend walked back to the boat to help me bring the boat into the lock. As she approached the boat, she asked me “Carol, is that normal?” and pointed to the extensive, terrifying amount of smoke pouring out the exhaust pipe and filling the waiting area. My heart and stomach dropped. I switched the engine off immediately and shouted for Patrick to get back to the boat.
I explained what I had seen and he started her up, with disbelief, I am sure. More smoke and it just kept on coming. He opened up the engine bay and had a look inside – at what?? I have no idea.
So a call to Reading Marine Services to explain that there was a “slight” problem. They sent down a tow boat and within 10 minutes we were back on the same mooring! The flags and bunting still attached to the railings from our goodbye shout-out! The engineers promised to be down on Monday and have a look. Best case scenario – injectors. And those could be replaced and we could set off again, keep the champagne and all the flags and bunting hadn’t gone to waste.
Worst case scenario – replace the engine. I wasn’t sure what that meant with regards to the champagne.
In the meantime, we tied the boat up and made the best of a really sh*t situation. We used the marina dingy and went across the river to the grassy bank, the one we had first tried to tie up all those months ago, when the gearbox gave up.
We took all our BBQ stuff and plenty of drinks and ice and enjoyed the evening, looking at the boat from across the river. All the flags and goodbye paraphernalia still tied along the fence.
What would tomorrow bring?

Visa Applications - the beginning of our travels

The idea was to cross over from Dover to Calais, France, and then spend the summer months exploring France, Belgium, Holland and possibly back to France. With no need to rush, we would take our time and stop anywhere that suits us, take our time to explore and enjoy the adventure and the long summers.
Now Brexit meant we had 90 days (3 months) to travel and then we would need to leave the boat somewhere for 180 days (6 months) and return later to continue. That, however, leaves us returning in winter. A lot of the canals are closed for winter, never mind the miserable winter weather and this was NOT part of our plan. So we would need to return the following summer, a year later, and do 90 days again. The thought was soul destroying and not what we wanted to do at all.
So after some online searching, I was so pleased to discover that France would allow long stay holiday visas, if you met an extensive list of conditions. I also discovered that some of the boating communities had applied for and been granted these long stay visas, despite not having a fixed address while in France. I was so grateful to find that there was a lot of guidance and advice on line, so I settled in to start the process. I will forever be grateful to The Cruising Association for their comprehensive YouTube tutorial and advice.
It was long…… there were two on line application “forms” per person. One is the application on the French Visa site and the other is on the TLS contact site (a government organisation site). They both comprise a number of pages and much of the information required is repeated but they don’t appear to be linked so you need to fill them both in.
The supporting documentation required is another story…. Click here for that list
We also needed to do a trip into central London, for an interview at the French consulate and needed to go through a booking application for that appointment.
I took my time, a lot of breaks and breathing exercises and finally got the applications completed, paid for and appointments booked in London.
Now being back in London, if only for the morning and the appointment was such an interesting experience. We have been living on the boat for so long now that we had clearly acclimatised to a slow pace and minimal social interaction. We were not prepared for crowded train stations and busy streets with impatient people rushing to get somewhere.
We got to the consulate early and joined the queue and were seen without much wait. We were required to show all the supporting documentation and a short discussion on our plans. Then it was back on the train, back to the boat and our quiet life. We would have to wait now for a few weeks to hear back – they may have some more questions, deny the application or grant us visas.

En-route to Oxford

Now we have completed a few successful and really enjoyable runs up and down the river, we decided to do the much anticipated and discussed trip to Oxford.
We had a lovely trip chatting, working the locks, dodging trees in the river and taking turns at the helm. The weather was beautiful and we loved being on the Thames River.

Friends joined us for a river run

After our day run yesterday, we really wanted to go away for a few days. We wanted to finish what we had originally started before the gearbox drama – a trip up to Oxford and then make our way back down the river Thames. We also needed to work on our long stay French Visa applications (which I believe is a paperwork nightmare). But today we have friends joining us for a whole day and we are really looking forward to catching up. While we love getting away from UK winters and going to sunny Cape Town, its a long time to be away from friends. Patrick is dying to chat “boat / bilges / holding tanks / engines, with a fellow sailing buddy. I am dying to catch up on all the gossip I have missed.
We left Reading Marina at a sensible 10:00am (ish) and worked our way up through Mapledurham lock and then Pangbourne lock. We stopped for lunch at the Swan Hotel and pub; we tied up alongside the bank and garden of the pub, so it was perfect and the food was delicious. Afterwards we made our way up to Goring but didn’t go through the lock as we had to still make our way back down to Reading as our friends were not staying overnight.
The lock keeper at Goring also had the facility to provide us with a river licence, for the month of May. We didn’t need it for longer as we are planning to be off the Thames and possibly on the Medway or even in France by June. So we are excited to be moving in that direction.
It was a lovely day and the boat went well, which is always a relief with her. I mostly forgot about that visa application.

A little run up the river

With the boat all unpacked and ready for action, we did a little day run today, through one lock and back to Reading. We looked forward to moving on the river after being tied up on the mooring for so long and appreciating nature, especially all the new baby geese and swans.
We were checking that the gearbox was all happy and in working order as we have friends joining us tomorrow for a day trip. It also gave us (me) the opportunity to activate the muscle memory necessary to work all the ropes in the locks. It was a good day and fortunately the muscles required to lift wine glasses are the same muscles used to throw ropes so it was also a successful day.

We are back...

Even after an 11 hour flight and all the airport waiting time before and after, we still felt energised to get the boat back to a liveable state. The boat cover and the winterising procedure carried out by the marina left the boat completely dry and “key-start ready”, as promised. However, moving back onto the boat always takes longer than we thought it would take, so after two solid days of unpacking and “refitting”, we were ready to finally relax.
The river flow had subsided and the sun even threatened to show its face for more than a few hours. After 6 months in sunny Cape Town, we could live with the cloud and occasional sunshine for now, but we were so happy to see no “red boards”.
We decided we would do a little day run next Friday, a test for the gearbox and engine and friends joining us the following day so we are really looking forward to being out on the river.

The gearbox returns, the oil leak persists and the rain continues

Much to our delight we were told that the gearbox would be back in the marina/yard today. Whoohhhooo.
Patrick and the engineers had a final chat about the oil leak, as that needed to be resolved before the gearbox went back in.
The engine had leaked oil ever since she had been rebuilt and returned back into the boat. Patrick thought it might have been the sump plug leaking, so before we set off on this leg of the trip (which feels like 200 years ago), Patrick raised the engine as much as he needed to in order to seal the sump plug. Unfortunately oil kept leaking into the bilges.
Now with the gearbox off, the engineers were able to raise the engine even more and check out that sump plug. They confirmed that the sump plug fitted by Patrick was not the problem. The oil was coming from the gasket around the sump. And all the bolts around the sump were loose! They tightened all the bolts they could reach by ¼ turn and Patrick and I had a heated chat about how this could have happened. But at least we had found the problem.
Well that relief was short lived as the oil continued to leak and the engineers asked what we wanted to do about it. One option was to take the engine out and have a proper investigation, with no guarantee they could resolve it. The engine was very old and not as common as other Perkins engines. There were also no part numbers available for replacement. We also knew, from the previous work, that parts like the sump and bell-housing had been impossible to find and replace, so they had been “fixed” or re-welded.
We agreed to live with the leak for now. We will come back to the problem later and when the boat comes out for winter, perhaps that would be the best time to start the investigation. In the meantime Patrick was “happy” to do weekly oil mop-ups and we would keep loads of spare oil on board. He lines the bilges with these amazing oil absorbent pads, a little like nappy pads for leaky engines. The pads absorb oil and grime but don’t absorb water and they are very effective. He immediately ordered boxes of these.
The gearbox arrived, as promised; with a hefty (and what feels like unnecessary) bill. Lessons have been learned – trust your gut. If it doesn’t feel right, it might not be right (I am looking at you mineral oil SAE 30). The engineers got the gearbox back in with no trouble, despite the rain. We were thrilled to start the engine and run Deux on the ropes for a while.
It had been pouring with rain over all these weeks and the river is running fast and high but we were keen to do a little travelling on the river while we can. We have flights booked for South Africa in a few weeks and the boat will be covered and lifted onto the hard here at the marina for winter and that will be the end of our 2024 boat travel experiences.

A working gearbox!

Gearbox update and police visits

We had news that the gearbox is all done...and there was nothing mechanically wrong. It was the wrong oil!!
We had the gearbox completely rebuilt in 2019 and it had less than 100 running hours. We now (unsuccessfully) tried to contact the engineer who did the rebuild, but Patrick recalled a conversation about the oil that was put into the gearbox at the time. He had questioned the oil type at the time of the rebuild, as it didn’t make sense but the engineer assured Patrick that it was correct. Well now we know it wasn’t. The clutch plates had stuck and that was what had caused the gearbox to seize. What an expensive exercise. But the gearbox was all finished and on its way back to down to the boat. We were so happy.
As we were about to celebrate and plan a few trips, Patrick asked me if I had moved the bicycles (??? - what?). Ever since we had settled into the marina and were often using the bikes, we took them off the boat and chained them up to a steel pole under security cameras, in the yard. We hadn't used them for a few days as it had been raining non stop. Well now they were gone. We had a quick chat with Phil (the marina owner) and he checked the CCTV cameras. There it was – all the footage / film of a questionable gentleman and his trusty side cutters. He had taken more than 10 minutes to cut through the steel cable and then off he went with our bikes.
Suddenly the police arrived (well one car and two officers). We were really impressed by such a quick response to us reporting a theft to the marina. That was short-lived. The bike thief had also attempted to break into a house right next to the boat yard and the home owner had called the police. But the officers also took a statement from us, gave us an incident number and we called our insurance company. They were happy to replace the bikes, so that was a relief.
So we looked forward to new foldable bikes, a “new” gearbox and two new HUGE bike chains.
Silver lining behind every cloud. And talking about clouds – the rain just didn’t seem to want to stop.

Time spent in Reading

Spencer and Shaun (engineers) confirmed it was the gearbox. They called in another engineer (Matt) who was experienced in working with gearboxes. He concluded – it would need to come out. It wasn’t something he could work on. It would need to be sent away. He knew a man……
So that’s what happened over the next few days. They managed to lift the back of the engine in-situ and get the gearbox out. Patrick asked Spencer if he could also check out a persistent oil leak that he had attempted to fix a number of times. Spencer agreed to investigate that leak, once he had recovered from manually lifting out the gearbox and getting it into his vehicle. I think, with hindsight, he probably wished he had used the forklift that had been part of the discussion earlier in the day.
Spencer drove up to Nottingham to drop the gearbox off (about 150 miles one way!!) as he didn’t want to risk it getting lost using a courier service.
And we made the best of a bad situation.
Patrick painted the roof, which has been on the to-do list for years. He fitted an extra two flexible solar panels onto the roof once it was dry. The 3 existing solar panels charge the batteries for our fridges and freezer in the galley. The new 2 solar panels will charge the house batteries. We had friends and family come and stay on board. We played board games - not all drinking games either. We are saving the hard liquor for the feedback call from the gearbox man and our engineers.
We tried out a number of different laundrettes. Patrick took a bus. We explored the area by bicycle and visited the local museums and Abbey ruins (circa 1121). We saw some beautiful sunsets (not that many sunrises). All in all, while we would rather be travelling, this spot on the river, where we have broken down, is not too bad.

Reading Marina

Woke to the reality that something is really wrong with our engine / gearbox. But more than that – what do we do now?
Phil (who owned the marina) came over the river to have a chat. He explained that there were marine engineers who worked at the marina and he had let them know that we had some “difficulties”. He explained that the plan was to tow us back over to the marina where we could stay. The engineers, Spencer and Shaun, were out on booked jobs but would be with us tomorrow to have a look and discuss next steps. Phil also offered us electricity and water! So we were off!
The tow didn’t go entirely to plan, why would it?
Deux is a heavy boat and without the running engine, there was no way to slow her down. Patrick usually puts her into reverse very quickly to stop her. Once she got going, being towed over the river, it was very hard for the tow boat to stop her once she reached the other side. So the corner of the wall did!! The steel hull didn’t even feel the “bump” but the wooden toe rail and bow-roller took the hit. Something else quickly added to the “to do” list.
We settled into our temporary new home, filled up with water and made the best of the situation, while we waited for the engineers to let us know what they thought, what the next steps would be and we hoped it would be quick and painless.

Just a Quick Stop in Reading…The Day Our Plans Came to a Grinding Halt

After an amazing thunder and lightning show throughout most of the night, we woke to rain (of course), although I really wanted to believe the weather app, which claimed that it would be a dry, somewhat sunny day.

We left Sonning at 10:15, aiming to get as close as we could to Goring, as we heard it was so pretty and had lovely moorings. We also had friends coming from north of Oxford who would join us as soon as we stopped somewhere. We just needed to let them know where we were moored up or headed to, and they would drive to that spot.

This was becoming a regular and easy thing to do – post your position and friends find you. So lovely.

Patrick had some “intel” (he read it in the River Thames guidebook) about a fuel berth at Caversham, not too far up the river. So that would be our first stop.

Besides needing fuel, I was getting a little concerned about the condensation inside the boat. The outside temperature was dropping most evenings and the boat was getting really damp inside at night. I was wiping down windows and ceilings most mornings now.

This was not a new problem on the boat as winter approaches. Almost all boats have an issue with condensation, particularly with cooking, showering, breathing (snoring in Patrick's case), etc.

The problem of condensation and damp is best resolved by using a dehumidifier. (I am still working on the snoring problem.)

We hadn't brought our dehumidifier with us as it was just too large and difficult to store away when not in use, but it worked a treat when we used it. So I started an online search for stores that sold small but effective dehumidifiers and whether any of these stores were within walking distance of any stops or moorings along our route.

I found one at a store in Tilehurst, Reading, AND there was a marina right there.

So the plan was: fuel at Caversham, dehumidifier at Reading and then onto Goring to meet friends.

Sounds like a simple and easy day.

Fuel, Friends and a Really Cheap Dehumidifier

We found the fuel berth easily enough, as the sun came out. The clue was the large petrol pump on a wooden pontoon. Oh, and a big sign that said “Fuel”.

Another boat pulled up just as we started to fill up – we have two fuel tanks, port and starboard, and we wanted to fill them both. I hoped there would be some fuel left afterwards – we were looking at taking on board 300 litres!

I went back online to make sure the dehumidifier was not only small and effective but also really, really cheap.

The fuel pump was slow, so we had a good chat with the owners of the other boat.

“Boat people” are so lovely and even if you have completely different boats, you will have shared experiences. So, for a few minutes, you get to know so much about each other, only to probably never see them again.

Once we were done, Patrick added diesel-bug preventative into the tanks, we paid and we said our goodbyes.

Off to Reading to get the dehumidifier.

Just Half an Hour, They Said

We came across the marina easily enough, although it was more like a working yard compared to the marina we had stayed at earlier, in Windsor.

There was a wall in front, on the water, where boats were tied up, but it didn’t look like there was space for us and there was no obvious visitors' mooring.

There were, however, spaces across the river on the bank on the right-hand side, so we agreed to stop there and decide what to do – it is so hard to make decisions while the boat is moving.

The marina (and the shops) were on the left of the river but, as there weren’t any open spaces for us, our only option was to haul out the dinghy (tender), pump it up and row across.

Perhaps we should move on and look elsewhere for a dehumidifier.

A man shouted across the river from the marina side, asking if we were planning to stay there, on the bank. Patrick shouted back that we only wanted to stop for a while, to go into the town for “provisions”.

The man, Phil (who we later found out owned the marina yard as well as all the moorings on the wall and directly across the river), replied that we could come across the river with our boat and tie up/raft up alongside a large barge/canal boat that was tied up against the marina wall.

We could stay there for about half an hour if we wanted… Yes please!!

So we untied from the bank and Patrick did a turn in the river so we could come alongside the barge (called Bobbin-Along).

But It All Went Wrong

Rafting up is something we had done many times and Patrick asked me to throw a rope as we came alongside and try to get it (loop it) over the cleat on the front of the barge, bring the rope back onto our boat and tie it off – the line shouldn’t be too tight – and then see if I could get a centre line over the cleat in the centre of the barge. These are always on the roof of a barge or narrowboat.

He is usually in neutral at this point, so we go really slowly. He would then motor against the tied-on ropes and the back of the boat would come in alongside neatly. This is a system we often, and somewhat successfully, use when mooring up.

But it all went wrong.

As Patrick slowly brought Deux Poissons alongside, I was on the bow of the boat, ready with the ropes, but our boat “overshot” the barge, so I couldn’t throw anything. At the time I wondered why he wasn’t slowly creeping forward in neutral. I waited for Patrick to correct this, as he normally does, by reversing. In a worst-case scenario, he would just circle back round and I would try again.

But our engine cut out. Just stopped. But we were still coasting forward.
Moving towards a motorboat tied up in front of Bobbin-Along.

Patrick restarted the engine but it cut out immediately. He then came out onto the deck to grab the side of the barge to stop our boat from crashing into the other boat in front of us.

Which he managed. (I have no idea how, really no idea.) Our boat is heavy!

Then he took the rope, jumped onto the barge and tied off the front line. He grabbed the centre line and got that onto the barge. He then scrambled down the side of the barge and took the aft line.

Finally, we were all tied up and could breathe. What the hell had happened? I just kept quiet.

Patrick went back onto Deux and started her up. She started but immediately went forward. He put her into neutral and she kept going forward. Reverse, and the engine cut out. Stalled.

I thought it was faulty fuel – diesel bug? Fuel problem? Why would the engine cut out? Patrick said no – it seemed like a gearbox problem. She was stuck in forward, and as soon as he tried to reverse, the engine cut out.

This did puzzle us as we had the gearbox reconditioned about three years ago and we haven’t used the boat much since that time. Patrick estimated less than 100 hours. It should not have broken.

Phil, the owner of the marina, came over to see what was happening. Patrick explained and showed him what was happening with the engine and he agreed that it was possibly the gearbox.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay where we were – tied up on Bobbin-Along – as the owner would be back soon (he was also out shopping) and the barge needed to move. Bobbin-Along had a permanent mooring across the river and the space he (we) were taking up was reserved for other boats that would be back either that day or tomorrow.

God, what a mess!

A Tow and an Unexpected Mooring

But Phil was so lovely.

He offered to tow us across the river, back onto the bank that we had first stopped at, and we could stay there. He had a small little “ferry” boat he uses to shuttle people around the river, so he could tow us over.

He also has a son who was the marine engineer at the marina, and so he would arrange for him to be down to the marina early tomorrow and to come over and check out our engine/gearbox, and we could take it from there.

So we offloaded our bikes from the boat and locked them in the yard and got back onto the boat. Phil and friend John towed us over to the bank and we secured our boat up there. They were both so lovely and kind.

We later found out that John owned the boat in front of Bobbin-Along, that we nearly crashed into, and he often loves to just come down and stay over on it, enjoying the river and nature.

If Patrick hadn’t stopped our boat, it would have made for a very different ferry ride back to our boat – I would have been mortified.

As a reminder, our boat has a steel hull and a very sharp bow. John’s boat is “plastic”.

Emergency Provisions and Other Priorities

We quickly called our friends to let them know what had happened and they agreed to come down to Reading to see us, but they would be a few hours still. We grabbed some grocery bags and got John to ferry us back to the marina so we could take our bikes into the town to do some grocery shopping.

As tempting as it was to pull into the first pub and stay there, we were sensible and headed to the supermarket. We piled up as much beer and wine as we could into our grocery bags, secured them tightly to the back of the bikes and slowly cycled back to the boatyard/marina. We locked up our bikes again, as it appeared this would be our mode of transport for a while, and John helped us load our provisions into the ferry boat and took us back over the river.

So for now we had a place to stop and stay. How long, we didn’t know. Our pressing concerns were… power and water.

Patrick works Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on a laptop, so that needs to be kept charged. We have solar panels which will keep the fridge-freezer going, so the beer and wine will stay chilled. We have a little portable camping gas hob, so we could boil a kettle or a pot/pan, so we are unlikely to starve, although our shop earlier hadn't focused much on food! We hadn’t filled with water when we did the fuel stop, so we were getting low on water.

And the biggest crisis was the dishwasher was half full and would need to go on at some stage. Or I would need to hand wash :(.

Scones, Prosecco and a Little Less Trauma

But our friends had arrived and were standing on the bank waving at us, with a HUGE basket of goodies. John appeared out of nowhere and bundled them up into the ferry boat and brought them over to us. I was thrilled to find that the basket not only contained homemade scones and all the bits that go with them but also bottles of prosecco.

It was lovely to have friends over and we relived the drama of earlier, by explaining what had happened and hashing out all possible causes and solutions. The related trauma was significantly dampened with each sip (gulp) of prosecco.

They stayed for a few hours and then were bundled back into the ferry boat and waved goodbye as they set off back home.

We tidied up the boat, something I have to do a couple of times a day otherwise it becomes so cluttered and feels overwhelming. We had filled up on scones and prosecco, but agreed that a little dinner was needed.

So we ran the generator for a while, charged up the laptops and phones, and I got us some dinner done using the air fryer.

We forfeited our showers for the dishwasher, but if we were going to be staying here for a while, we were going to need a way to get water onto the boat. Using plastic jerry cans would be our best bet.

It was an early evening, and despite all that had happened we were in a lovely spot for the night – what felt like right in the middle of nature, as long as you only looked out the starboard side windows!

Oh, and the Dehumidifier…

As we settled down for the night I remembered that we hadn’t bought the dehumidifier.

With the words “broken gearbox / repair or replace / lift the engine out / very old gearbox / no idea what could be wrong / no idea of costs / recently reconditioned” all running around in my head, it didn’t feel the right time to discuss the purchase of a dehumidifier, even if it was in the store just round the corner of the marina.

So I thought I would sleep on it and bring it up at a later stage – choose your battles and all that.

Cookham to Sonning

After an evening of tasty snacks and even tastier wine, 10h30am felt way too early; but off we went – into the fog.
We passed more beautiful huge houses, impressive, with boat houses we could live in.
At Marlow lock we dropped our mast as we had a few low bridges ahead and the mast wouldn’t make it.
As we made our way to our next stop, Sonning, we shared the river and the locks with the same boats, travelling in the same direction. This almost always what happens; boats travel at the same(ish) speed, so you arrive at the locks together. If the locks are busy, you tie up outside the lock together and wait your turn or together work the lock. Then you enter and tie up inside together and wait for the lock to fill before you can continue with your trip. So there is a lot of chatting and “hello again”. You have time to learn about each other and share stories and advice. You just pick up where you left off at the next lock and for a while these are “your people”.
And then you go separate ways. You stop and stay somewhere and off they go, or vice versa. There is this strange joy when you see them a few days later, possibly tied up somewhere and you wave madly, like you have seen an old old friend. If you’re lucky, you meet again in a lock and can finally hear what happened to Aunt Susan on the hike in the woods or if Uncle Gary did win a prize in the vegetable growing competition. Today our friends were the owners of a sweet small day boat called Little Annie, who they purchased in Poole – our old sailing ground. The beautiful varnish made me quite envious and every time I looked at Patrick he was giving me that knowing/accusing stare – yes I needed to get on with my varnishing so Deux Poissons gleamed like Little Annie. (I think the clue as to the discrepancy in our varnished woodwork lay in the word “Little”).
We also shared the locks with Princess Marina, a very large old tourist boat. Today her guests were happily sipping cocktails and sparkling wine on the foredeck in the sunshine while some friendly ladies were cooking up a storm in the galley, which was in the aft section, with large windows. Princess Marina went into the lock first, every time, and we managed to squeeze in behind her. The first time I made a comment about the sliding windows in the aft section / galley being perfect serving hatches - we all just “laughed”. The next lock I greeted the ladies again with the normal somewhat “cheesy”… here we are again ladies. This time they held up chicken hamburgers and asked if we would like one? Mmmm. YES PLEASE! I was starting to regret the tasty wine from last night and hadn't had a chance to grab any food yet. I was starving.
I almost threw Patrick onto the bank to grab those burgers before the lock opened or someone intervened (like the captain or whoever was paying for the trip). The boat, however, was too far from the edge and Patrick couldn’t reach the prize, but he took one look at my face and quickly instructed the ladies with a plan. Using an oven tray they created a “bridge” and Patrick was able to secure the goods. Best tasting chicken burger. EVER. Thank you to the queens on the Princess Marina.
We passed through Henley-on-Thames which was really pretty. It was quiet with a few row boats practising but it was easy to see how crazy it would be here during the Royal Regatta in July. Established in March 1839, the regatta lasts 6 days and about 300 000 people attend each year.
We passed through Marsh Lock at 13:50 and got to Sonning about an hour later. We found a space on an Environmental Agency bank and grabbed it, which was lucky as there was a constant stream of boats for about an hour after, slowing down and looking for a mooring. We seemed to have got the last one. Princess Marina turned around before the lock, so we had said our goodbyes and thank you. Little Annie came through through with us and went on ahead. I am sure we will see her soon as they were headed for Abington which is where they lived and they were looking to take a few more slow days to get there. We are headed in the same direction.
My daughter, Amy and partner Tom drove up and joined us for a delicious dinner at the pub nearby, Bull Inn – was delicious, although the Princess chicken burger still rated 10/10 for me.
It wasn't too late to bed and as we settled down, the thunder and lightening started. It went on for ages and was amazing to watch and see. I did hope that this wasn’t the start of the rainy season just yet, as we were having such fun.

Windsor to Cookham

After 3 days in Windsor Marina, we looked forward to being on the move again. We had made arrangements to meet up with friends from Fareham, who were going to drive up and meet us where ever we stopped next. Our plan was to head to Sonning or somewhere closer if necessary. It was going to be good to stay somewhere new and I was looking forward to chatting to someone else, besides Patrick.
We left Windsor at about 10:20 passing some gorgeous huge houses and really pretty boats along the river. How the other half live!
We reached and entered Bray lock at 10:58, a manned lock and the keepers were very friendly. For a while I thought this was going to be our next overnight stop, with Patrick equally happy to chat to someone else, besides me. Especially when one of the lock keepers came out of their beautiful little office/house carrying doughnuts and tea. However, despite some shameful hinting on both our parts, there was no offer to share the tasty looking doughnuts, so we undid our lines and waved our goodbyes. (To be fair, I am not sure I would share either)
As we approached Maidenhead, the discussion turned to the lack of tasty snacks on the boat, the reasons for the lack of these snacks and what to do about it. We had friends coming round. For tasty snacks and drinks. A quick google search and we identified a couple of shops and supermarkets in Maidenhead, as well as a public mooring spot.
So we squeezed in between two large barges, locked up the boat, unloaded the bicycles from the back and set off. As I was now re-acquainted with cycling, I was tempted to reassure Patrick that the old phrase stands: “once you learn to ride a bicycle, you never forget how”. However, as I watched him ahead, weaving in between traffic and up and down pavements to avoid red traffic lights, I thought to myself; well you can forget how to ride a bike …. a sustainable head injury will do that…
But we made it there and back to the boat. Patrick also learned that the phrase “your eyes are bigger than your stomach” also applies to shopping and how much can fit into the carrier bags on the back of the bicycles. I did warn him….. Once back onto the boat and snacks packed away, we set off again.
We reached Boulters Lock at about 13h00 and tied up on the side to wait for it to open. Locks are either manned with doughnut-eating friendly locks-people or they are self-service. You know which it is going to be because there is a sign up on the side. Well the sign at this lock said “closed”. What? Once we were tied up Patrick went off to investigate. He came back with the news that the lock was broken and they were waiting for an engineer. No idea how long this was going to take.
So we found stuff to do while we waited. You cannot leave the boat on the moorings at lock entrances so we had to find stuff to do on the boat. I poured myself a gin and tonic. Patrick had a look at the To-Do list we had been ignoring for a few days now.
He settled on the ice-maker job. Our ice-maker is in a drawer and the plug and socket is behind the drawer, so the ice-maker is constantly on stand-by because you can’t reach the socket to switch it off. Personally I didn’t think that was a problem at all and “stand-by” seems to be a logical position to be in, as an ice-maker. Patrick assured me that switching it off at the socket wasn’t going to delay the making of ice, when needed and may also increase the longevity of the machine. I stood aside and let him continue. He took the drawer out and fitted a socket on the inside of the drawer. Another tick / crossing out in the To Do list.
At about 15:30 and three four gin and tonics later, the lock opened and we were waved in. All fixed, we were on our way again. We passed some beautiful overgrown areas and it was so peaceful.
We checked the map again and agreed that it would be Cookham for the night. We could have made it to Sonning but we would have got there at about 17h00 and the risk is that we don’t find a mooring. Ideally we try for an Environmental Agency (EA) moorings. They are free for 24 hours so get taken very quickly. Alternatively we have to take a council one. We spotted a mooring alongside a really green pretty space, so we grabbed it. It wasn’t EA, but council, but we were happy to be there.
FYI – Council moorings are owned by the local council. The moorings are marked with signboards and sometimes have bollards or rings on the banks to tie on to. If not, then you need to use your own spikes. They charge a fee of between £6 and £9 for 24 hours. The fee collectors are the fastest people on earth, as they appear out of nowhere as soon as you stop.
We had a little wander around Cookham village, which was so pretty, while we waited for our friends to arrive and enjoyed a beer in the sunshine outside a pub. Our friends made it as it was getting dark and we had a lovely evening catching up with all that had happened since we left and enjoyed all of the tasty snacks.

Windsor Marina Day 3

Woke up to rain…. the perfect reason to stay in bed, drink coffee, read a book and waste away the day.
But it was a work day for one of us, and it felt like there was an unspoken expectation for the other person (me) to also do something other than lay around in bed reading. So I reluctantly got up after about an hour or two.
I asked Patrick if I could get him anything, while secretly praying he would say that nothing was needed; but he asked for socks because his feet were cold sitting in the galley working. I was happy to do that – I could manage to throw him a rolled up pair of socks.
But all of the socks and other bits in one particular cupboard, below the front windows in the forepeak, were really wet. As it had been raining for a few hours, I thought it was a leak. We have battled leaks ever since we got the boat, so I wasn't surprised. Except these things were really wet and we hadn't had that much rain.
I took a pair of socks to Patrick, as requested, and let him know that everything was wet. He said …. lick your fingers. He really did say that. And I really did lick my fingers. Salt…. How strange.
Patrick explained that before we set off we had had a lot of dry sunny days. So any tiny cracks that we hadn't got round to filling or varnish over (hmmmmmm, felt like an accusation) had expanded and got bigger as the wood shrunk. We then we had two days of travel when sea water came over the deck and up against the front windows. These were when we travelled from Ramsgate to Queenborough with 4 hours of waves and water. And the other rough water day involved Pauline (see earlier blog for reference), so he wasn’t surprised that water had somehow leaked through. He also explained that the water would have made the wood swell, so any cracks would probably be closed up now. However, that did not mean I didn’t need to varnish as soon as the weather cleared up (ugghhhh).
As it was coming up for a week that the socks had been marinating in the cupboard, they were beginning to smell and desperately needed washing. So my slow relaxing day now involved another trip to the laundrette as there was just too many socks and other bits to hand wash and we don’t have the space to hang that much to dry. I also had some questions about why Patrick actually had so many pairs of socks on the boat as he only EVER wears flipflops….
So, as not appear like some crazy sock lady, I stripped our bed and added all our bed linen into laundry bags and called for an Uber to drive me to the laundrette - the rain was relentless.
Once back on the boat with clean dry socks and bed linen, I spent the rest of the day doing boat chores, slowly. With Autumn on it way, a full day of rain and the last lingering smell of wet socks, I was quickly reminded of how important damp control is on the boat. And the usefulness of vacuum bags. So I packed all of our extra towels and linen into vacuum bags and stored them away in plastic crates. I fill the bags after I have put them, empty, in the crates and then vacuum them once packed. This way everything fits well in the crate and it also means I can drag the crate out when I need something rather than drag the bag out. I have split the bags on a few occasions, probably because they catch on the doors or a piece of wood.
I also did some research on dehumidifiers. We had one on the boat before, but it was so large and difficult to store when not being used so we didn’t bring it with us. But it had worked so well and we were getting to the point when we needed one. The boat steams up quickly now that it is getting colder, especially after showers and cooking and the inside of the windows are often wet in the mornings.
We are setting off tomorrow for Sonning and friends will join us on the boat, so we will look to see if there are any dehumidifier shops near there or on the way.

Windsor Marina Day 2

We woke up at a reasonable hour as Patrick had to get to the “office” today – two steps up, across the main saloon (avoiding the bar as it was probably too early for a drink [?]) and down one step. Then he was at work. I took advantage of the big empty bed and spent a bit of time reading my kindle. Then the guilt set in (a little) so I got up and packed away all the laundry from yesterday. I checked what we needed from the supermarket, which was across the road from the laundrette I “visited” yesterday. My plan was to cycle to the supermarket rather than walk.
As everything I was going to purchase needed to fit into the cooler bag, which I would then strap onto the back of the bike, I was about to experience some real self-control, shopping wise. Might also be some big decision-making too – bread, milk, salad, vegetables, toothpaste, soap, gin, tonic.
I did a little practice cycle in the boat yard/marina and to my delight I found I could still ride a bicycle, so I set off to the supermarket before I exhausted myself. On my way there I wondered if I could somehow hitch Simone (the granny trolley / therapist) to the back of the bicycle for excessive shopping expeditions as the cooler bag seemed a little small. Something to think about.
The supermarket wasn’t too far, despite what Simone and I had discussed endlessly yesterday, but unfortunately there wasn't much to see on the way. We were in Windsor area, a beautiful and historic area, but it seemed all the old beautiful houses and estates (and the castle) were not situated between the marina and the supermarket. Perhaps a sightseeing cycle was needed before we left. The history of Windsor Castle is fascinating, dating back to William the Conqueror who began building at Windsor around 1070 and took 16 years to complete the Castle. About as long as it has taken us to get the boat ready for our trip! (You can read more here)
Once I was back from the shopping, having survived the cycle and the busy roundabouts I unpacked the goods. Then I needed a rest before doing anything else. While it wasn’t blue skies and sunshine, it wasn’t raining either, so I took my kindle, a cold beer and relaxed on the back deck, watching the paint from yesterday morning dry. This was an important job and I would have argued with Patrick if he had disputed it. When I was completely sure that the roof was dry, my glass was empty and Patrick had finished work, I went indoors to challenge him to a game of backgammon. Something I regretted as the 3rd game and 3rd loss came round. Besides that, it was a good day albeit exhausting from the cycling and watching paint dry.

Baths Island to Windsor

As the next three days would be work days, we prefer to be in a marina, so we headed to Windsor Marina, where we had booked in for the three nights. This way we would have shore power (for laptops) and we could fill up with water. We could also do a little boat maintenance and catch up with any chores/shopping that needs doing.
So we set off from Baths Island at about 08:30. We passed a large buoy left by the police divers, which would indicate where the sunken car was. We were through the lock at 09:00 and tied up in the Marina at about 09:20.
It turned out to be such a lovely warm day. I did a few hours work and packed up my granny trolley, who I have named Simone. It is a French name, so fitting with our French boat. It means “to listen”. Simone and I spend hours together and she listens to me moan a lot! Today she listened to me moan all the way to the laundrette. A thirty minute walk there and back.
Patrick was busy in meetings all day, so once I was back from the laundry and put Simone to rest, I got on with boat maintenance / work.
Before we left Portsmouth, which feels like years ago now, we had planned on painting the roof. I had diligently taped up everything to protect the varnished wood from the paint, but never got the painting done.
The yellow masking tape had survived Pauline (see earlier entry), a trip through London and a lot of rain. As we had carried the paint all this way, I got on with the job. We will need a second coat but at least the first one is on. We have been carrying two solar panels with us all this time and these will go onto the roof as soon as the second coat is complete. I cannot wait for that to happen as these solar panels are always in the way.
We have also been carrying our bicycles with us since Portsmouth, but haven’t been able to use them as we don’t have a bicycle tyre pump. So my final job for the day was to source a pump from someone in the marina. After a few tries, I finally found one. We don’t have a puncture kit, so I was thrilled to find that the tyres pumped up and stayed hard. Now to find out if I could still remember how to ride a bicycle! That would be tomorrow’s task as my trip to the laundrette had led me past a large supermarket and we were low on food and undoubtedly beer.
As we were in a marina we took advantage of the shower facilities. Our shower on board is lovely but I am always conscious of using too much water. Tonight I got to just stand under hot water and enjoy it.

Sunbury-on-Thames to Baths Island

We left Sunbury at about 10h00, heading to Windsor and I mentally prepared for at least 7 locks. We were getting quite slick at this now and a lot of the locks are manned, with a lock keeper opening and closing for us, so that was a relief. The challenge for me, almost every time, is the last minute indication/decision as to whether we (or I) would be tying up port or starboard once in the lock. The locks almost always have bollards port side and starboard side. The challenge is when you are coming into a lock behind a boat or two, as they tie up first and we need to fit in the available space, so we only get to make the decision as we enter, albeit very slowly. So I usually stand on the bow with rope in hand and have the aft line lying at the back ready for me. As soon as we can identify which side to go, I quickly get the ropes attached to the cleats, if possible both forward and aft and then lasso the bow line onto a bollard. Patrick will then come out and sort out the aft line. We have discussed having ropes ready on cleats both sides, but that's a lot of rope lying around getting underfoot, and so far we have managed with the last minute scramble.
Our first lock of the day was open as we approached, and we slowed down to let a boat ahead of us get into the lock and tie up. As we got closer, we saw the state of the boat. I was certain it was either going to break down in the lock or sink (in the lock!). Then we saw the owner. I wasn’t sure which was going to come to grinding halt first. The boat or the owner. He was so old and bedraggled. He also couldn’t get his rope onto the bollard so he was drifting sideways across the lock, jamming his dingy behind him. He eventually got this front line on, but was stuck sideways. The lock keeper helped him and we then got to go into the lock. Once the lock was filled with water and the gates opened this old boat wouldn't start and so we had to patiently wait. Finally we were through. Patrick quickly overtook him as we had 6 more locks ahead and this was likely to be a recurring situation.
We stopped and tied up at Chertsey Bridge as I needed to return an old work laptop, which meant a quick walk into town. Patrick stayed on the boat rather than lock it all up.
As I crossed the bridge, I looked down at Deux Poissons, in the sunshine and I thought to myself how wonderful that we have finally started to enjoy her full time. As I stood there, an old dilapidated boat, with an old dilapidated dingy, driven by an old dilapidated man passed under the bridge and slowly made its way past Deux Poissons. It was the old man from earlier. So his boat hadn't sunk, he was still very much alive and headed in the same direction we were. I looked forward to meeting up with him in the next 5 or 6 locks!
Once I had delivered my laptop, I returned to the boat and we set off. This was such a beautiful part of the river, the houses just got bigger and more beautiful.
At lock Romney, the second last lock before our destination – Windsor Marina - we were told that we probably couldn’t get to Windsor as the river had been closed by the police because there was something sinking in the river! I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was an old dilapidated boat that had sunk and I hoped the old man was ok.
We set off anyway, checking out possible moorings on the banks in case. The lock keeper was correct. As we approached the A332 bridge we saw a lot of blue flashing lights and police on the bank of the river. The told us to stop and turn around – there were divers in the water. There was a CAR in the river. It had probably driven down the slip on the side of the bridge, went too far and couldn’t get back out. The car then seemed to have drifted a little in the river and then started to sink. There was no indication that there was anyone in the car, but we still couldn’t go past. So we obeyed the law, turned around and tied up on moorings on Baths Island. There were already a few other boats tied up who were also planning to get to Windsor, so we had a chat about all the possible explanations for the sunken car. Then we cooked hamburgers on the back deck, using the gas stove and enjoyed the evening. We were certain we would be allowed through tomorrow. I did wonder what had happened to the old man and the dilapidated boat…..

Thames Motor Yacht Club to Sunbury-on-Thames

We said our goodbyes to the kind people of TMYC, promised to revisit the club on our way back down from Oxford and set off for Sunbury-on-Thames. We had arranged to meet “Steve the fuel man” in the Sunbury area. Steve delivers fuel from his fuel barge, so he claims to deliver to wherever you are. I was interested in how this was going to work, particularly as we had asked for, and were assured that he could deliver 300 litres of diesel. So we kept out eyes out for a suitable place to stop. We use a book/guide of the Thames River which has very informative maps as well as an app on our phones, both of which will tell us where boats are allowed to moor up. A lot of moorings along the Thames are privately owned with some very stern warnings if you dare tie up on one. This is different from travelling on canals, where you can basically stop and tie up anywhere along the banks.
We found a mooring bank and space, near a cute pub and decided this would work. However, for the first time, I had to jump onto the bank with the rope and hold as best I could, without any bollard or even a tree to help me. Fortunately Patrick is really skilled at this, so he slowed the boat down to almost no speed, and the bank wasn't too far away, the drop was not too far down nor slippery – all the things my imagination convinced me would lead to a catastrophic outcome.
As there was no tide and on that day, no wind, the boat just stayed where she was. I was able to hold both centre line (rope) and a forward line and left an aft line on the bank. Patrick jumped off and he hammered stakes/pins into the ground and attached the lines.
A friend of ours had kindly given us a ground anchor, which was basically a “screw-in stake”, marketed by the company Roughneck. He said to try it out as a mooring stake for the boat - something that this ground anchor was probably not designed for. Patrick was impressed in how easily it screwed in and how secure it was. I wasn't sure what to say, so made suitable appreciative noises, but agreed that we would definitely be using it again, and would probably buy another one or two.
We were all secure and ready for the day.
We called Steve the fuel man, let him know where we were. As we were now tied up to a bank, we had no electricity so I set up the little gas stove and made us some toast and coffee. After a few hours and no show from Steve, we locked up the boat and went walked into the town, with my new shopping trolley. It was a hot day, which required ice-creams and an agreement that it was BBQ for dinner. We filled that shopping trolley up with all the necessities and made our way back passing some really old houses.
As the day drew on and still no show from Steve, we gave up on him and Patrick did some research on fuel availability along the river. There were plenty of stops for fuel.
The river got really busy so we had plenty to watch – some beautiful boats and some we thought we would never see again! Just as we got tired of it all, a really small little boat with a family – two small girls, caught our eye as they seemed to want to moor up in the tiny space between us and another boat. They were, however, coming in at a speed and we heard them say that the outboard engine had no reverse, so they were going to just come to the bank, in neutral. As they tucked in between us and the boat behind us, Patrick and I jumped off our boat and asked them to throw us their forward and stern lines and we would stop their boat from going into the back of our (steel) boat. The wife leaned down and picked up a tangled lot of rope which was still attached to a steel ground stake and was about to throw it to me – her husband who was trying to steer also attempted to do the same to Patrick. I quickly said “no, don’t throw that”, just lean over and either hand it to me or throw it on the bank! Patrick managed to grab the rope from the husband and between us, stopped the boat. Patrick calmly explained to the man that next time it is best to undo the rope from the steel stakes. The man loudly replied that there was NOT going to be a next time. This was his brothers boat and he was done with the day and with his brother. He then got off the boat and onto the phone to his brother – we didn’t hang around to hear what happened next.
As it was such a lovely warm day, and it had been more than a week since I had varnished anything, I decided to remind myself why I never want to varnish again. I only did the handrails, but it was enough to trigger all the trauma. But nothing that a cold beer couldn’t sort out.
We never did hear from Steve but we did have a lovely BBQ. Just down the river a birthday party was getting into full swing as we sat down to eat. Then the karaoke started and Patrick and I both agreed that we were only able to identify 1 out of 6 songs, within the first two lines. The rest took at least half the song before we were even close at working it out.
As it got late, the mosquitoes arrived so we closed up everything and ran our mosquito repellent machines for a few hours, on the inverter. It was the first time we had used them on the boat and they really worked well. The water that had heated up when the engine was running was slowly cooling and we didn’t want to run the generator to heat up water, so we both had cool showers. I was thrilled to find that the karaoke had stopped by the time I got out of the shower.
We checked out our route for tomorrow – Windsor and it would be a marina as Patrick was working Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I might be over my triggered trauma by then and so may do some more varnishing. As long as there is beer.

Teddington Lock to Thames Motor Yacht Club

We woke up late today – we had settled into “go slow” very quickly! Our plan is to head up to Thames Motor Yacht Club, at Hampton Court later this afternoon and stay overnight there. We were not in any hurry now, so we took a slow walk (staying in our new groove), back into the town as we needed a couple of bungee cords to secure the bikes to the back railings. I also wanted to find something to secure the cushions to the outside seating and we needed to grab some fresh produce. First stop was a small little shop that sold everything. Including a shopping-granny trolley!
The shop keeper offered to put it together for us so we could load it up with the two other small bits we had bought. After watching him struggle for almost 10 minutes to attach two wheels, I got to watch both him AND Patrick struggle for a further 5 minutes to attach two wheels and the handle. Eventually it was all done, two wheels and a collapsible handle. I was assured that it was all secure – and I hope so, as this trolley’s first task would be to carry an undisclosed number of bottles of wine back to the boat.
We had passed a chandlery on the way into town and so we stopped on the way back to buy a 3 pound hammer. Up to now we have been staying in marinas or we have tied up on a bank that has bollards or rings which we tie on to. But that is not always going to be the case. There will be times when we have to tie up on a bank where there is nothing, and so we carry pegs/pins/rods. These will need to be driven into the ground securely and then we tie up onto those. Hence a very large heavy hammer.
On the way back to the boat we passed this old church and stopped in to have a look. Old church buildings and the stained glass is something we love to look at and to learn more about the history. It was worth the stop.
Then back on the boat and Patrick did a little engine check and tightened up the stern gland. He also took the time to give me a comprehensive explanation of what this meant. All I asked was “what are you doing?”). So it seems every day IS a school day. And I learned not only all there is to learn about a stern gland, but also not to ask questions if you have other plans in the next hour or two. But at least my teacher was a bit of eye-candy!
We called up Thames Motor Yacht Club (TMYC) to ask if they could accommodate us for a night and once that was out of the way, we set off. I am always in awe of some of the properties along the river but even more amused by some of the little things. Patrick nearly slammed on brakes (imaginary ones) when he spotted a keg of Pussers Navy Rum just sitting on the edge of a pontoon.
We got to TMYC in no time and were met by the commodore who invited us up to the club where there were a few members enjoying a beer or two. Sounded like our kind of place. Turned out to be an amazing afternoon of learning more about our boat.
We have a badge attached to the “dashboard” which states that the boat is registered with Thames Vintage Boat Club, which we showed to the commodore and members. The next thing we were on a call to the secretary of the Vintage Boat Club, who knew Deux Poissons and her previous owners well. We also met a gentlemen who had done a survey on her some years ago. They were all so pleased to see that she was still “alive” and being used and were very interested on what we had done to her in terms of restoration. It was almost like she was coming home (for a visit).
We called a “fuel man” to arrange a delivery of diesel tomorrow and then went for a walk into Hampton town for a look around and dinner. We had a little poke around a vintage / junk shop and Patrick got himself a vintage, Edwardian beer tankard – will definitely be a regular feature in our lives. We had a great Italian meal and a slow walk back to the boat – you could see her all lit up from the distance. As we were able to connect to power at the mooring, we both had a lovely hot shower and into bed.