A Family Affair

My sister, her husband and their 9 year old son came on board for the day on Sunday - and it was fantastic. They met us in Henley and we headed down the river to Hurley where we moored up, lit a BBQ and had bacon and sausage rolls for lunch. (We bought one of those £2.99 trays of coal and I have to say it was fantastic: small, easy to use and - most important of all when you have a small boat with no storage space - disposable!) Delicious food in an idyllic setting: boats coming and going through the lock, people milling around, glorious sunshine and lots of ducklings & goslings to feed. After a quick ice-cream from the local shop we went for a short walk through the village and along the river and then headed back to Henley for tea & biscuits and another walk: this time up to Marsh Lock and along the riverbank above it. Sunshine, good food, fresh air and brisk walks. A most perfect day.

We have a name!

We were going to keep part of her original name - Lady - but we've changed our mind. We've decided to call her Happy Chance, which I think is lovely.

You don't have to go far to have fun: Henley

Although it was raining on Friday night, we decided we'd spend the weekend on the boat regardless. And I'm glad we did because Saturday was absolutely glorious. We didn't go very far - just down the river to Henley - but we had a lovely time. Moored up past the bridge on the right, had lunch, read the papers in the sunshine (I even got the sun block out!), went for a walk around town and then had dinner at The Little Angel (not to be confused with The Angel just beside the bridge), which was superb: great food, great atmosphere and great service. The perfect end to a great day. And this morning we were treated to a display of fit & disciplined athletes: rowers on the river and runners (the Henley Half Marathon) on the towpath. So all in all a superb weekend.

You can tell we're new to this!

As gale force winds were forecast for yesterday, we decided we wouldn't go out on the river. Instead, we'd go to the boat, drop off all our latest purchases - plates, lump hammer, wind up torch, kettle, cups, etc - and give her a good clean. So we packed up all our bits and pieces, including the hoover (I wanted to hoover all the upholstery) and set off along the M4. At about exit 6 (and our exit is 8/9) we suddenly remembered we'd forgotten to pack the most important item: the boat key! Luckily we didn't have to drive back through all the traffic and roadworks because when we bought the boat it was suggested we leave a spare set of keys at the Marina. Which we did. Phew!

Naming the boat

As the previous owners are retaining her name - Ambient Lady - we have to come up with a new one. We thought we'd keep part of her original name - Lady - because it means she's graceful, gracious, sophisticated, elegant, etc. But what do we add to 'Lady' to describe her/how we feel about her? Dutch Lady (she was built in Holland)? Lady of Leisure? Lovely Lady? Joyful Lady? Serene Lady? The search goes on.

Introducing our lovely boat

As the boat (name still tbc) is going to have a fairly major role in all my boating stories, I thought I'd introduce you to her. She's a Dutch made, Antaris 720 Family. Just over 8 metres long, with enough room to sleep 6 people (but you'd have to know them VERY well because there aren't any cabins). There isn't a shower or any hot water on board either but, like camping, you can make do with wet wipes. That obviously works for short, overnight stays. If you're planning to spend a week aboard, you'd have to use the showers (and hairdryers!) at the riverside Marinas. So pretty basic, but lovely nevertheless!

Maiden Voyage: Wargrave to Sonning Lock (26/09/09)

Our first lock was a bit stressful but we made it through without damaging our boat - or any of the other boats - and moored up just below Sonning Lock at around 5pm. The sun was setting, the man on the boat moored opposite us was fly fishing and, to top it all, a multi-coloured hot air balloon was gliding through the blue sky above us. It was idyllic. Dinner was at the riverside pub/hotel (must remember the names of these places) and after a glass of wine aboard we crashed out in our v-shaped bed. I was expecting to fall asleep to the sound of lapping waves (or the river equivalent) but instead I fell asleep to the sound of loud rock music: Queen, Kings of Leon, Dire Straits, etc. You see, there was a wedding at the aforementioned pub/hotel and they'd hired a live band. This morning - feeling rather scruffy (no shower on board) - we headed back to Wargrave passing swans, ducks, cows and rowers along the way. And it was so warm that I pulled out a sleeveless t-shirt and slapped on the sun factor! A truly great start to our boating weekends.