It is really quite daunting when you hit the open water after the lock. It feels like you are at sea and when you are in a boat that has the seaworthiness of a brick, you feel a little vulnerable. Hence, when we hit some choppy water between bridges and the stern was out of the water so you could hear the propellor whining, a bit of a panic ensued! Thankfully this didn't last long and the rest was plain sailing. The only other awkward moment was when we went through the wrong arch of a bridge and was flagged down by the river patrol for a telling off. Oh and we didn't realise you had to book your passage through Brentford lock but the kindly lock keeper let us through anyway. (After a bit of banter when he pretended he wasn't going to let us in!)
The weather was chilly and drizzly to start but actually this was a bit of a blessing as it meant that there were not too many big tourist boats on the river and we practically had it to ourselves. We passed a few of the high speed catamaran shuttle services but after a while they dropped off and the river was ours apart from the odd rowers practising around Putney bridge.
At Brentford we caught up with Richard on Tin Tin who we met in July in Camden After a glass of champagne and a cream cake we were on our way again. Love this life!!
Completed the last leg of the journey into Uxbridge in total darkness. 11 hours and 13 locks and about 30 miles. Not a bad day:)
