Now that autumn has arrived with its mists, and even the mellow fruitfulness has passed, the summer seems a long time ago. The latest edition of Water Craft magazine contains a pleasant reminder of the trip the HBBR stalwarts took down the River Thames during five days in June.
We gathered at the Beale Park Boat Show where the Friday and Saturday were lovely sunny summer's days, however Sunday the day of our departure dawned damp and misty and got steadily wetter and windier as the day went on. There was talk of mutiny in the ranks, a postponement perhaps, or even a triumphal departure followed by a sneaky return under the fence and into the beer tent to wait for better weather, but schedules, camp-site bookings, and an appointment with a mini bus at the other end to get us back to the start and our cars meant it was now or never.
So while visitors huddled under umbrellas and exhibitors started to pack up, we set off. Thankfully the weather did improve during the week, and we all had a splendid time, although its a long time since I've been as wet as that first day.
Here then is a brief slide show of the trip with a suitably damp soundtrack. Some of the photos are very low res. taken on mobile phones and some are just blurred through misty lenses, but I think it all adds to the general ambiance of wetness.
