Oh I say .... A Regatta

We were leaving Sonning after the theatre, as usual it was a beautiful day.  As we got ourselves together this amusing sight came past.  Presumably  it was dad taking out his boy, there were two men paddle-boarding and although it was boiling hot, the little child was protected from the sun.

 

The first lock of the run was Shiplake where there is a service point.  The Thames is ever so slightly annoying in that there are water taps at most locks, (smaller boats might only have a gallon container) but not water hoses to fill up a narrowboat, but here at Shiplake its had all services.  I filled the kettle, two saucepans and our plastic gallon container that I keep on the kitchen counter!  

We got around the corner and we had to queue for the lock on both sides of the lock landing.  One other narrowboat was there too.

We all filled out of the lock and  the cruisers all pulled away.  Its very very lovely in this section down to Marsh Lock which is just above Henley.  It was Saturday morning, we passed these;

This one has a wee cabin!

A houseboat jogging along.

After queueing again at Marsh lock and this time having three narrowboats abreast in this lock, the middle one didn't really engage in the cross bow chitter-chatter but I had called across to the far sided boat that yes we intended to moor in Henley (We were having a visitor in the morning)...
Well the gates opened and the three narrow boats got underway, unprepared for the jostling that was to take place we found ourselves completely "Cut-up" or elbowed out of position.  All over the channel were rowing boats, kayaks, tiny motorboats and the zonking great trip boats.   
The middle narrowboat went for the only visible mooring space how rude!  

We crept along the moorings but it was a no go.  We decided to go down on the grassy meadows beyond the bridge and there was a smallish cruiser that had been in the lock too already moored up, we approached and the nice lady took our ropes... "Isn't this wonderful!!" she enthused....?  I wasn't quite sure to what she was referring to, but Brenda (She is now a new friend)  Brenda explained that it was a Regatta Day, Town and Visitors I think they called it, clearly not Henley Royal Regatta, but we were moored up close to the finish line plus we could hear all the commentary from the loud speakers, at one point the commentator went a bit mad when a hire boat veered into the racing section, he was almost screaming....

We had a fabulous afternoon ended up with Dwinks onboard Brenda and Mike's cruiser, where we discovered that we had lived in the same town in previous years, they now live about thirty miles away from us, we she had worked in the same hospital and the very same department that I had, David had played at their golf club and vice versa.
Small world or what?

Zonking great trip boats tat go too fast close to moored boats and don't give way.

This rower was brave, he shot across the path of the Umpire's Launch  to get to our half of the river where the regular boating traffic was making its way past.  He had a Boater Hat on and the girls had pretty dresses, how British!

The finishing line, a bit hard to see but thats an Umpire's Launch pulling in to give their results after they follow down the competitors boats.

I was a bit nervous taking this selfie shot, leaning out over the water as far  as I could 

After lots of nibbles and Pimms with Brenda and Mike, supper was a quiet affair of paté on toast.