The lack of reciprocal licencing for the Thames is an expensive and complicated pain, so having to make the journey from Reading to Oxford in two days takes much of the fun out of things. We were certainly the slowest pair of all the craft on the Thames, actually being overtaken one day by a couple in a small wooden dinghy with a tiny outboard!. This gave Andy some thought as to the need for a different prop, as although he was quite happy with the cruising revs of his engine, he was less happy with the boat's speed through the water.
HW, being much lighter, was even faster in "neutral" than his tick-over speed which meant at times we had to hang-on for him to catch us up.!
HW at speed!
We found a pleasant mooring one night, even if the next day showed a notice saying "No Mooring"!
A quiet Read!
After hunting for the junction with the Oxford Canal, the sign for which was buried in the bushes(!), meaning we both only made the turn at the very last moment, slid under the railway station and crept into Isis Lock, our first narrow lock for many, many years - one boat at a time - no more travelling together again until we hit the Grand Union! In Oxford, a trip on an open-topped bus gave a very interesting view of the town and its colleges.
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