18th April 2007
Took a walk into John Lewis about 0900hrs as Hazel wanted to get another bubble machine as a present for daniels stepdaughter. Again it was a lovely sunny morning and we had plenty of time. I had allowed 2 full days to get back to Guildford. An easy trot to Shepperton and the down the Wey.
We slipped our moorings at about 1000hrs and cruised down to Teddington Lock as neither of us had been there. Turning before the lock we retraced our tracks through Kingston heading upstream.
We noticed a ferry crossing ahead of us at Hampton carryiing a cyclist. There are many of these ferries on the Thames I think they are mostly ancient rights of way. Another quaint tradition and long may they last.
As we passed Thames Ditton Marina the engine started to race and splutter, classic symptoms of running out of fuel, couldn't be though. I nursed it to Hampton Court as the moorings there are good and have vehicular access. I phoned the boatyard and as luck would have it an Engineer wsa only half an hour away by road. Gave them my mobile number and walked up to the pub, I could also watch out for the Engineers van. After 2 pints and no sign of our man, not wanting to get pissed walked back to the boat, we both laid on the bed dozing and reading. We had mooored here at 1200ish now past 1400 and no sign. Just phoning the boatyard when the van turned up. He cleaned all the filters after determing we still had half a tank of diesel. About 1500 he gave it a test run, all fine he hopped off at the moorings to return to his van, 50 metres on and the engine cut out completely, without panic, well not much, a bit like Corporal Jones maybe, we drifted on the stream where the engineer seeing our predicament came down to take a line. We then moored in the same place. Our engineer now needed spares so a wait for assistance from Guildford was next. The low pressure lift pump was the culprit and at 1730 we were clear to go with the engineer staying on board to Molesey Lock, all was well. The downside of course was the 2 day leisure cruise to Guildford had been condensed to 1. The boathouse told us not to break our necks to meet the 0900hrs deadline. Kind you might think, but the major delay on the engineers first arrival was due to the fact they had sent him to Kingston Bridge and he had walkes about 2 mile of towpath looking for us.
By the time we reached Sunbury Lock it was gone 1800 so the locky was off duty I envisaged the dreaded wheel, but no, they leave the power until 2200 so although you do it yourself it is with lectricity not handraulics.
I had had enough by now and spotted a mooring at Walton on Thames and decided to call it a day.
We looked in the 2 riverside pubs and were not impressed, walking into town we espied another more promising one, "The Old Manor Inn" alas they wre not doing food but the landlord recommended a Thai restaurant the "The Khao Sarn". The food was superb and very good value, we had a set meal for 2 and left nothing.
After the meal we returned to the pub and had a good evening with mine host and his customers.
Then back to Hascombe at the end of an eventful day, and so to bed.
