We woke up late today – we had settled into “go slow” very quickly! Our plan is to head up to Thames Motor Yacht Club, at Hampton Court later this afternoon and stay overnight there. We were not in any hurry now, so we took a slow walk (staying in our new groove), back into the town as we needed a couple of bungee cords to secure the bikes to the back railings. I also wanted to find something to secure the cushions to the outside seating and we needed to grab some fresh produce. First stop was a small little shop that sold everything. Including a shopping-granny trolley!
The shop keeper offered to put it together for us so we could load it up with the two other small bits we had bought. After watching him struggle for almost 10 minutes to attach two wheels, I got to watch both him AND Patrick struggle for a further 5 minutes to attach two wheels and the handle. Eventually it was all done, two wheels and a collapsible handle. I was assured that it was all secure – and I hope so, as this trolley’s first task would be to carry an undisclosed number of bottles of wine back to the boat.
We had passed a chandlery on the way into town and so we stopped on the way back to buy a 3 pound hammer. Up to now we have been staying in marinas or we have tied up on a bank that has bollards or rings which we tie on to. But that is not always going to be the case. There will be times when we have to tie up on a bank where there is nothing, and so we carry pegs/pins/rods. These will need to be driven into the ground securely and then we tie up onto those. Hence a very large heavy hammer.
On the way back to the boat we passed this old church and stopped in to have a look. Old church buildings and the stained glass is something we love to look at and to learn more about the history. It was worth the stop.
Then back on the boat and Patrick did a little engine check and tightened up the stern gland. He also took the time to give me a comprehensive explanation of what this meant. All I asked was “what are you doing?”). So it seems every day IS a school day. And I learned not only all there is to learn about a stern gland, but also not to ask questions if you have other plans in the next hour or two. But at least my teacher was a bit of eye-candy!
We called up Thames Motor Yacht Club (TMYC) to ask if they could accommodate us for a night and once that was out of the way, we set off. I am always in awe of some of the properties along the river but even more amused by some of the little things. Patrick nearly slammed on brakes (imaginary ones) when he spotted a keg of Pussers Navy Rum just sitting on the edge of a pontoon.
We got to TMYC in no time and were met by the commodore who invited us up to the club where there were a few members enjoying a beer or two. Sounded like our kind of place. Turned out to be an amazing afternoon of learning more about our boat.
We have a badge attached to the “dashboard” which states that the boat is registered with Thames Vintage Boat Club, which we showed to the commodore and members. The next thing we were on a call to the secretary of the Vintage Boat Club, who knew Deux Poissons and her previous owners well. We also met a gentlemen who had done a survey on her some years ago. They were all so pleased to see that she was still “alive” and being used and were very interested on what we had done to her in terms of restoration. It was almost like she was coming home (for a visit).
We called a “fuel man” to arrange a delivery of diesel tomorrow and then went for a walk into Hampton town for a look around and dinner. We had a little poke around a vintage / junk shop and Patrick got himself a vintage, Edwardian beer tankard – will definitely be a regular feature in our lives. We had a great Italian meal and a slow walk back to the boat – you could see her all lit up from the distance. As we were able to connect to power at the mooring, we both had a lovely hot shower and into bed.
