Long Row 2013

THE HENLEY WHALERS - Thames Long Row 2013

Rural Lock

Annual Autumn "Thames Long Row" - Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th October 2013 - "Upper Reaches" - Lechlade to Abingdon.

Molly had been launched at "Lechlade" on Friday afternoon to enable a swift start

Rescue exercise	Crayfish on lock wall	Rural Rowing	Some bridges are narrrow!
Saturday - "Car shuffling" placed a few vehicles at the overnight stop for those leaving mid way. Sun shone as Crew met at "The Trout Inn" just downstream of Lechlade. After cast-off a brief diversion was made upstream to view St John's Lock the "highest" on The Thames, then Molly, instinctively drawn toward her natural salty environment, wound her way downstream whilst her crew marveled at the narrowness of the river compared to their home waters. The serpentine windings of the young Thames introduced a frequent source of amusement as landmarks were repeatedly seen on alternate sides of the boat. It seemed as if some features, Farringdon Folly for example, would not be left behind! The day passed jovially as Molly sublimely cruised through rolling rural landscape, rich with autumn colours. Only occasional houses and small hamlets are seen. A group of firemen(?) conducting a rescue exercise sparked some excitement. "Wildlife" included crayfish (English not American) spotted crawling down the wall of a lock. Surprisingly soon, the overnight stop at Bablockhythe appeared ahead. Several crew had arranged to jump ship; stalwart crew stayed aboard to ferry their overnight gear to the B&B, The Ferryman Inn. Settled in, showered, supped, sustained, supped again, slept. It rained overnight.
Waiting for lock	In lock	Leaving Lock	Rural Pub
Sunday - Settng out	Maximum North	Remote Ruin	Still Raining?
Sunday - Resident Whalers peered though misted windows during breakfast; Optimists optimised, but precipitation persisted. Cars were shuffled to Abingdon, landlubbers and fresh crew arrived from their homes, kit was ferried, and still steady rain fell as Molly set off downriver. Some entertainment was gained by attempting to identify the most Northerly point of the Thames, near Kings Lock. Beware, it is actually in the weir stream so did not form part of Molly's route. The river becomes wider and less rural when you can see Oxford's approaching spires. The rain still fell. A rest stop, with lunch brought by faithful shore support was organised at Osney. A pub obligingly allowed dripping crew in to warm up, consume own food, and drink pub's beer. Weather improved after lunch so with spirits raised we took up oars to head onward and downward through Oxford. The scene below Oxford is still mainly rural but not as remote as the upstream waters. The sun shone as Abingdon hove into view. One more lock, followed by Abingdon bridge, suburbs to starboard, then helmsman is looking out for the turn into Abingdon Marina and the slipway.
Rural Rowing	Osney	Stately Pile	Plus 1 mile to the slipway = 40 !

The stats:- Saturday - 16.6 Nm (19.1 miles), Max 5.8 kt (6.7 mph), Av 2.8 kt (3.2 mph), 5 hrs 54 mins (inc locking but not lunch) Sunday - 17.1 Nm (19.7 miles), Max 5.2 kt (6.0 mph), Av 2.4kt (2.8 mph), 7 hrs 5 mins (inc locking & lunch)
Space for YOUR picture	Space for YOUR picture	Space for YOUR picture	Space for YOUR picture
Thus ended the final major event of The Henley Whalers' 2013 calendar. In rowing from Lechlade to Abingdon, Molly has now covered all The Thames from Lechlade to London (Woolwich Yacht Club) - except Windsor to Walton - A future project? Purists might argue that there are navigable waters upstream of St John's Lock. 'Tis true, but:- (a) The Trout provides a better launch point and meeting place than others upstream (b) fanatical Whalers could complete the last few boatworthy miles by canoe another time. - Another future project?
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