It’s was a wet start this morning, leaving Gulls Islands and cruising to Cookham Lock. We availed ourselves of the services and found Penny moored up in Iris around the corner. We decided to travel together with the promise of finer weather. Indeed by the time we reached Marlow the sun was out. Time for a cuppa and decide on a plan of action..

The elephant in the room was HENLEY, specifically Henley Regatta. The heats are running all week, with the finals this weekend. We’d been thru during Regatta week, and swore not to do it again…..But it would waste 2 days if we didn’t go thru now.

The executive decision was made, give it a go unless the weather turned nasty again. We had a couple more locks and potential mooring spots still available.

We started to sense a buzz in the air, more boats, helicopters and lots of notices for approved mooring spots. Sure enough upon exiting Hambleden Lock bedlam broke loose ! Boats everywhere, and none of them obeying the instruction sheet just given to us.

A little boat zipped up inside of us, did a spin and waved some long canes ? Ah, they are the professional geese wranglers, trying to keep the flocks of Canada geese off the course !

Oh yes, let’s add a huge paddle steamer, old fashioned rowing barges, overhead cranes with camera operators and very fashionable things being driven up and down the course whilst scoffing numerous G&T’s and Champers ! Plus the shore party tents, dining tents and pop up pubs ! Talk about crazy ! One sign at a lock said “ Please wait….silly season still loading. It had 6 lockies on duty ! At one stage another boat nipped in and waved, where’s the police when you need them ? It IS the police ! Out on the water having fun with a little boat and large blue beacon !

Thank goodness we got off the course and under the bridge…..more mayhem…everybody on boats trying to wave to friends in the pub onshore or find somewhere to moor. The river rumour was its £600 per mooring spot ! We moved on……

The lock keepers at Marsh Lock congratulated us on getting thru, and normal service was resumed, along with the rain. It started to fall heavily, so we moored up above Sonning Lock. Once we get thru Reading tomorrow it’s onto Pangbourne, Goring and Wallingford. Lovely Thames valley towns fondly remembered from childhood days.