Ok first things first ! I’ve sold Dawn Treader – though I sometimes forget I have, because it’s been such a long time -2008 !

More importantly I’ve sold her to people who would enjoy her and are very much like myself at their age – and I think that’s important. The world cannot be just about money: Ask two prominent members of society who fell from grace, if they thought it was worth it!

I think it’s like so many things in life; you gradually grow apart and familiarity keeps you together. Deep down I am a sailor, Atlantic winner, Royal ocean racing club kind of thing and I miss sailing – I miss the sense of power of wind and tide. And I still have a sailing Dinghy which seldom gets used.

Then there are the costs which are turning a hobby into an expensive past time – ok you can’t just divide the hours you spend on a boat with the annual cost of running it, but neither can you ignore rising mooring fees, licence, fuel, gas, - you name it. It all just keeps rising.

Whereas the Dinghy goes on a car roof and can be kept in the shed.

I’ve enjoyed every minute of canals and will (do) miss my adventures in an old Dawncraft my children grew up with – which was "home", escape pod - you name it, and kept me amused and doing something for years. But it’s time, as it seems it is from the adverts for so many other hobby-boaters.

All I can say is thank you for reading my articles. I hope they inspired some of you.

All the best,

Simon Woollen

spring blossom

Spring has arrived and it’s the season of foraging as all those bulbs and roots produce their young green shoots after the sleepy winter months. Wild garlic is the most popular and my absolute favourite!

The boat roof garden herbs are showing new growth, probably the earliest being the chives and mint which pair perfectly with Spring recipes. Leafy greens, cauliflower, broccoli and forced rhubarb are also in season, my favourite ways of cooking tender stem broccoli and Spring cabbage are to steam, pan fry or roast and then add some lemon butter or tahini dressing.

It’s also Spring onion and radish season!

This year, in addition to the usual herb roof garden I’m growing some sprouting seeds for micro greens. They can be grown pretty much all year round and include alfalfa, pea shoots, radish and fenugreek, to name a few. Mustard and cress are of course nice and easy to grow without compost or maintenance, just over a few damp pieces of kitchen roll, and just as delicious to add to any light meal.

Sometimes less is more with ingredients and simple pasta dishes can often be thrown together and made delicious by adding combinations using fresh herbs or foraged greens. Tagliatelle tossed in wild garlic, lemon juice, black pepper and good quality oil or a knob of butter is one of these. Add a few chopped walnuts or chilli for an extra twist.

Roasted veg to include cauliflower and beetroot are delicious when made with a spice rub using cumin seeds or ground cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, lemon and oil; or a harissa spice blend such as rose harissa, distinctive for it’s hot and smoky flavours with a floral sweetness. Serve with hummus, greens or a flatbread for a delicious feast.

Both Tahini and Miso make amazing additions to any dressing to complete any crunchy salad or roasted vegetables. These for me are such useful store cupboard ingredients, just a little jar of paste, bursting with flavour. Tahini, made from ground sesame seeds, gives that nutty and earthy flavour. Miso is made from slow fermented soya beans and grains and gives that intense level of umami to savoury dishes, like a sweet and creamy savoury hit.

PAN FRIED PEPPERS WITH CHICK PEAS AND TAHINI DRESSING
Simply chop red onion and peppers, add 2 tsp rose harissa paste and pan fry, add the chick peas towards the end. Serve over a bed of salad greens and finish with the dressing made from 1 tbsp tahini, 2 tbsp cider vinegar, 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil, pinch sea salt flakes and black pepper, loosen with water.

MISO ROASTED CAULIFLOWER
For the paste:
2 tbsp each of miso, soy sauce, honey or agave syrup,
1 tsp garlic crushed,
splash olive oil,
pinch salt and pepper.
Combine all the ingredients together.

The cauliflower can be left whole, cut into steaks or florets. Cooking time depends on the size.
Coat with the paste and roast in the oven, or pan fry, turning to ensure all sides are equally browned.
Serve with a simple dressing of natural yoghurt, squeeze lemon or cider vinegar, olive oil and
black pepper.

Here’s a twist on a fish pie with a miso twist.

MISO MUSTARD FISH PIE

250g white fish such as Hake, Cod or Haddock
100g greens such as French beans or sprouting broccoli
175g crème fraiche
2 tbsp miso paste
1 tbsp English mustard
2 tsp capers, chopped or 30g gherkins from a jar, finely chopped
small handful fresh chives, chopped, plus extra to garnish
2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
juice of ½ lemon
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
generous pinch sea salt flakes
Finely sliced and boiled new potatoes (about 500g) with butter to top
Pre-heat the oven to 180 fan.
Par boil the potatoes to just cooked and set aside, using the same water blanch the beans or
broccoli for just a couple of minutes. Make sure they drain well to reduce moisture in the
bottom of the dish when baking.
Line the base of an ovenproof dish with a few potatoes (save the rest for the top) and the drained
cooked greens, lay the uncooked fish on top.
In a separate bowl whisk together all the remaining ingredients and spoon over the fish, covering
completely in a thick layer.
Place the rest of the cooked potatoes over the top, dot with butter and bake in the oven for
about 20 minutes until golden on top.
Perfectly pairs with charred cabbage. Simply cut the cabbage into wedges and char in hot pan
with a little butter, if you prefer a less crunchy version, drop in a pan of hot water first, drain well
and pan fry to char.

Scones are quick and easy to make and most basic scone recipes can be adapted to create different versions. The best one by far has to be the cheese and wild garlic one! Another favourite is a lemon and blueberry, but instead I’m sharing a gluten-free and fat free lemon and blueberry muffin recipe.

CHEESE AND WILD GARLIC SCONES

225g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
50g butter, finely cubed
100g finely grated cheese, mature or smoked Cheddar, Shropshire red works really well
Small handful wild garlic leaves, about 30g, finely chopped
1 tsp cayenne pepper Generous pinch of black pepper
1 egg, beaten
Milk
Extra cheese to top, about 20g
Rub the butter into the flour and baking powder for a crumb consistency, stir in the cheese, cayenne and pepper along with the finely chopped wild garlic leaves. Then add the beaten egg and just enough milk to bring the mixture together.
Turn onto a floured worktop and firm into a round about 2cm thick, then cut into scones.
Dust the cutter in flour to help make a clean cut and work straight down instead of twisting, this keeps a better shape when baking.
Place the scones onto a greased, lined tray and scatter the extra cheese on top.
Bake in a preheated 220 fan oven for about 12 to 15 minutes.
Best eaten warm, sliced and buttered.

BLUEBERRY LEMON MUFFINS

Dry ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
1 cup oat flour or rolled oats, I use rolled oats blitzed to a coarse flour in the mini chopper
½ tsp bicarb of soda
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon

Wet ingredients:
1 large egg (substitute with flax egg for vegan version)
1 banana mashed (about ½ cup measure)
1/3 cup maple or agave syrup
¼ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
finely grated zest of ½ lemon and 2 tsp juice
2 tbsp milk or oat milk
1 cup blueberries, if using frozen dust them in flour first.

Mix together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another. Then combine the two. Gently fold in the blueberries. Spoon into the muffin cases and bake at 175 fan for 20 to 25 mins. Can also be made as a tray bake and cut into squares.

It’s a little early for dandelion season but it won’t be long. So here’s my dandelion honey recipe. It’s perfect for adding to hot drinks, morning porridge, muesli, smoothies, baking recipes such as flapjacks, salad dressings, roasted veg, sticky bbq glaze, salad dressings, the list is endless!

DANDELION HONEY

Pick the dandelion heads when fully open, give each one a gentle shake to let any insects escape and patiently pull the petals from each head for optimum sweetness, the base of the f lower head can have a bitter taste.
Place in a large bowl along with a couple of slices of lemon and just cover with cold water. Leave to steep overnight.
The next day strain all the liquid into a saucepan, it’s best to use a sieve lined with kitchen roll. You’ll be amazed how it already smells like honey.
Measure your liquid and weigh out an equal ratio of sugar, for every ml of liquid use 1g sugar. Bring the liquid to the boil, add the sugar and boil rapidly for a few minutes.
Test for setting point on a cold plate by dropping a little syrup off the end of a teaspoon, tip the plate and if it doesn’t run off it’s ready to jar.
Pour into sterilised jars.
Don’t worry if for any reason your honey doesn’t reach setting point, dandelion syrup is just as good.

Lots more seasonal recipes can be discovered by looking back at previous editions of CanalsOnline magazine, just click on previous articles and four whole years’ worth can be found. More can be found on my Canal Cuisine Facebook page. Have a great Spring and I’ll have more for you in the Summer.

After Lois had completed what was referred to as her epic voyage to the little wharf that once served the land around Bank Top farm, the celebratory evening went on until the early hours. Eventually Astra who had curled up in the window seat, stirred as Lois, who had been sitting next to her, moved to head back to spend the rest of the night on her boat.

 “I should keep you company,” Astra said sleepily. “It's not fair for you to be all alone.”

“I'm fine,” Lois replied.

“So am I,” Miranda, added. “She’s right, and she'll only fret if she doesn't keep you company. Mind you look after her won't you Astra.”

“I will,” the 10 year old daughter of two of the founders smiled. “I'll get a hurricane lamp and we can go off across the meadow.”

“It's very kind of you,” Lois said as the pair walked across Bank Top land, over a stile and across another meadow to the little wharf area where the 17 ft Glass fibre boat was moored. “But I don't really need looking after.”

“I said you looked sort of sad, but not sad sad though,” Astra replied, her face illuminated by the soft glow of the lamp. “Mum thought you might get lonely all the way down here.”

“Well, we'd better get aboard and sort the cabin out, or you might end up sleeping on my typewriter” Lois smiled. “I keep some of my stuff on the bunk I don't sleep on.”

“It's very tidy,” Astra said as she helped Lois rearrange things. “And really cosy,” she added.

“I always think of your Auntie Linda when I get back here. It was so kind of her to just give me her boat when she headed back to Bank Top.”

Lois smiled.

“You call her your Fairy Godmother,” Astra laughed.

“Everyone has one I think, and if they don't then they should do,” Lois smiled. “Now, how about we get that sleeping bag rolled out and turn in. Mind you brush your teeth though. There's a little washbasin under the cover on the starboard side and the bog is on the other side. It's all fresh and clean so don't worry. There's some spare toothbrushes in the locker above the sink.”

When both had done their ablutions, Lois turned the light off and both got into their sleeping bags, after which Astra was very soon sound asleep as her unofficial Auntie sat and watched the pattern of the moonlight reflected from the canal and onto the curtains. Soon she too was asleep.

Lois was the first to wake the following morning, and sat quietly reading her book as her guest snored lightly in her bunk. The story seemed so real to her in its descriptions that it took her mind into the age when the country was still at war. She imagined herself putting on assemblages of sweaters to keep the cold out as she carried cargo along the waterways as a substitute for the folk that had been called up to be killed and wounded for their country.

“What are you thinking?” Astra said sleepily.

“Not much,” Lois smiled brightly, the kind of brightness that the young girl could see straight through. “I was just having a read.”

“You were, about ten minutes ago,” Astra replied, with a directness that could only come from a child. “Then you closed your eyes. I thought you were going to cry but you didn't.”

“Not much gets past you does it,” Lois smiled, ruffling Astra's hair. “If you want the truth, which you always do don't you. Well I was thinking about all those boater families. The ones that were born to it and would live their lives in that world. Like it was different to anywhere.”

“You're going to say something like then something bad happened,” Astra frowned. “It was the war wasn't it. Mum Dad and Mad Dave talk about it sometimes. Like when they think I'm not listening.”

“I won't lie,” Lois smiled. “There wouldn't be any point. Yes, the book is about three women around my age, younger perhaps. They were doing war work on the canals. I was just thinking of all those people that went off to fight. The ones that came back to work on the boats again. Sorry Astra but they just got shat on. I remember writing something like that in an essay for uni. I used a bit more of an academic term for ‘shat on’ though.”

“You say funny things like Auntie Linda, but I get it,” Astra replied. “They came back from the war and found that someone wanted to close the canals that they relied on for just about everything. There's some people that just like to make a big mess up and it isn't fair.”

“And there's others like you and your lot here that really do care, and make a difference, so that's good. You're like a little beacon yourself, a little Diya in a dark night,” Lois said with a warm smile.

“We do Diwali here,” Astra said as Lois lit the stove. “We have a lot of festivals and stuff, we invent a few more or combine them. There's a lot of people at school think we're weird, you know, the Freak Farm kids. Even the teachers try and get us to tell them how horrible the place really is. Some of the others though, they really get it and think we're really lucky.”

“One light, light that is one though the lamps may be many,” Lois replied.

“Dad's got the record that song's on,” Astra smiled. “Mad Dave and Linda have played it on the banjos. “She's got a really good singing voice.”

“People don't always understand,” Lois said. “Not this, you know, here. Most people understand some good toast and a mug of hot chocolate though,” she added, handing Astra a plate and setting the two drinks on a small pull out table.”

There was one problem that we needed to overcome before we could cruise the Thames: we needed a licence from the Environment Agency, the government department responsible for policing the non-tidal Thames. The problem was that once we had submitted the application on line, the licence would be posted out to us, but our postal address was back in Sheffield, one hundred and fifty miles away. I called them and explained our dilemma and surprisingly, for a government department, they were extremely helpful and said they would send the licence to the lock keeper at Teddington, marked for the attention of Art Deco and we could pick it up as we passed through.

With that little problem sorted we headed down the Lea navigation, re-tracing the journey we had made over a year ago on our way to Roydon and on towards the Olympic park, an area we were fond of and had come to know well. Around Hackney Wick, just before Old Ford lock, a turn to the right would take us on to the Hertford Union Canal, (known as Ducketts) and past Victoria park to its end at the junction with the Regents canal. There is a cast iron foot bridge over the canal at the junction and the canal narrows considerably, making the turn to the right extremely difficult. For a craft the size of Art Deco it’s impossible to make it in one go and requires a lot of forward and reverse to get her round. The Regents Canal has its challenges, as we know from our previous journey, but fore warned is fore armed and this time we were prepared for the Islington and Maida tunnels.

Safely through the two obstacles, we arrive in the wonderful Little Venice, where surprise, surprise, we find a mooring spot, so we take advantage of our good luck and spend a couple of nights there as previously we’ve never been able to get a mooring. We can’t linger too long though as our CRT licence expires at the end of the month so it’s onwards and upwards, as they say. We have a long stretch now before we meet the Grand Union canal around Hayes where we turn to the left and head towards Brentford, our entry point on to the river Thames. We are entering into unchartered territory now as we have not cruised this stretch of canal before, so it should make the journey more interesting.

According to the Nicolson Guide we have the Hanwell flight of six locks to negotiate and as we approach the first one someone begins to open the gates for us. It’s getting late in the day and we had planned to wait until the morning before we tackled them so I shout to him and he ceases his task and walks over and helps us moor up. He’s a CRT volunteer and we offer him a coffee, which he gladly accepts, but I have an ulterior motive, a little local knowledge I think is always handy. His advice is invaluable and he explains that due to repeated vandalism the lock is usually manned all the time and is locked when they leave at 4pm. He advises us to get into Brentford as early as possible because although there are good visitor moorings near the town centre they do fill up quickly. He tells us that the volunteers will be back at 10am in the morning which seems a good time to start as there are still three more locks after these six before we reach Brentford.

We are ready for the off when two CRT volunteers arrive at the lock around 10am and one of them asks if we are going down the whole flight. When I tell him that’s our plan he replies, oh good, we like an early workout first thing in the morning and we don’t know if he’s telling the truth or simply being ironic. Due credit to them though, they get on their bikes and proceed to work the locks as we travel down the flight and what we thought would be a very tough morning turns out to be very pleasant one.

We pass a place called Three Bridges, a rare intersection of canal, road and railway with the three bridges stacked on top of one another like children’s building blocks. At lock 94 the volunteer explains that the large building on the canal side used to be a lunatic asylum. Back in the day that was the name given to what we now call a secure hospital. He points out an unusual feature, a series of purpose built holes in the wall where the firemen put their hose, included because the inmates were constantly setting fire to the building! There’s even a bricked up portico leading from the canal for goods and inmates to be delivered directly into the facility. Ealing hospital has taken over the site but the section near the canal is still a secure unit and boasts it’s own farm, brewery and bakery.

The volunteers leave us at the bottom of the flight and we thank them for helping us negotiate the flight, leaving us with just three more locks to go before we reach Brentford. The next lock, Osterley, needs a BW key to open two of the four paddles and I didn’t realise so I had to go and find it and after we are through I keep hold of it, needless to say at the next lock Clitheroe’s, it’s not required. Never mind. We finally make it into Brentford dock and on first sight, it doesn’t look as though there are any free moorings, but a guy on a moored boat shouts over to us and directs us to a fourteen day leisure mooring, complete with a water point near by. What a day it turned out too be! The gods must have been smiling down on us, not only did we have help with the Hanwell locks but we’ve filled up with water and managed to get a fourteen day mooring in Brentford marina. It’s the little things in life that count!

Once we are moored we take a walk around the marina and agree that it’s very similar to Limehouse Basin, both are small tranquil havens amongst the hustle and bustle of a modern city. We come upon the marina office and chat to the lock keeper about the Thames and our passage on to it. We only need to book a time slot twenty four hours in advance, he tells us and as we still have two weeks left on our CRT licence we can relax and spend a few days here. Kew Gardens are just a short walk away, across the river so we will certainly spend a day there and from Brentford rail station we can get a train direct to Waterloo and spend some time in central London.

We meet the guy who pointed out the mooring as we are returning to Art Deco and he invites us on to his boat for a coffee, he has something unusual to show us he says, how can we refuse an invitation like that? We descend the rear steps into the main cabin and immediately see why he was so keen for us to come aboard, for dominating the space is a piano, now that’s something you don’t see every day on a canal boat! Ok his boat is a ‘mini wide beam craft at ten foot wide and the piano is an upright one, but even so it’s still surprising. He’s a northern lad from Manchester and has lived on his boat for the last ten years and moves every fourteen days to keep within the CRT regulations. He knows the area like the back of his hand and we spend a pleasant few hours with him as he passes on his knowledge. He knows the best local pubs too and we agree to meet him tomorrow lunch time for a few pints. Back on Art Deco, enjoying a glass of wine in the evening, we reflect on the day and how lucky we’ve been and hope that it’s a portent of what’s to come in the future.

We did take advantage of the full fourteen day mooring and enjoyed exploring the local area and discovered two museums in Brentford, the Musical Museum and the London Museum of Water and Steam. Guess which one we visited? It’s no contest, steam wins every time for me. We visited central London a couple of times and enjoyed a day exploring Kew Gardens too, so we certainly got our money's worth out of the mooring. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the marina but it was time to move on, the river Thames was calling!

It was a bright and sunny spring day when we left the comfort of the marina and made the short cruise down to the Thames lock reaching it at 10.20, over an hour early but there was already a narrow boat waiting. Chatting, as we waited, we learn that the couple live in Berkhamsted and are planning to cruise up to Oxford. They have two boats but they haven’t taken this one on the Thames before and are a little apprehensive because it’s so low in the water. Looking at it, I think that I’d be uneasy too. They tell us they have seen our boat in Berkhamsted. We seem to be very memorable: everyone it seems remembers Art Deco, a case of once seen, never forgotten. They tell us that getting diesel on the Thames can be a problem because many of the marinas are gated and not open to the general public. There is a small marina at Reading which they use, just below Caversham lock with easy access from the river and I make a mental note. We were due to leave the lock at 11.30 but we don’t leave until 11.45am, apparently due to the tide, which seems like a lame excuse to me as tides can be predicted years in advance. Another narrowboat has joined us and they go into the lock before us and sit alongside our new friends and we follow them in. The lock is massive and our little convoy looks lost in the vast space but all goes well and we are cruising the Thames by midday.

The wide expanse of the river spreads out before us and looks quite daunting after the confined waters of the canal, but the going is easy and we are helped along by the incoming tide. We have cruised on rivers before, the Lea and Stort but they are little more than drains compared with the tidal Thames. When you think about the tide you associate it with the sea but the coast is miles away, yet the tide still has an effect on the river at this point. We are actually travelling up river, going against the natural flow but it doesn’t feel like that because the incoming tide is more powerful than the natural flow and in fact overcomes it and pushes us along. It’s also the sheer width of the river that’s the problem for me, I’m not use to being so far from dry land! But it’s strange how quickly you adjust to the different conditions and surroundings and soon our anxiety turns to enjoyment as we settle in.

We pass Kew Gardens and Syon House, the seat of the Duke of Northumberland and I have read that this stretch of river, between Kew and Hampton Court is called The Arcadian Thames because of its unique landscape, richly ornamented buildings and designed parkland. We cruise under Twickenham bridge and we are looking out for Richmond lock but we don’t need to use it because it’s only used at low water. Richmond lives up to its name, definitely top end real estate here and this is the theme of our cruise and you would expect no more from the most important river in the country. We have been cruising the river for a little over an hour when we see Teddington lock in the distance, the tidal lock. Once through the lock we are on the non-tidal section, the lock acting as a barrier to the ebb and flow of the tide. We have been following the two narrow boats that we shared Brentford lock with and enter Teddington lock in the same formation, the two narrow boats side by side and Art Deco behind them. They take off up river when the lock gates open but the keeper calls out, I’ve been expecting you, but your licence hasn’t turned up yet. Moor up at the end of the pontoon on the visitor moorings, he tells me and when you're ready come and see me and we’ll sort you out.

When we’re securely tied up I walk down to the lock and find the keeper in the hut, filling out paper work. He tells me it normally costs £8.50 a night to moor at the lock and it’s limited to no more than three nights but because we are waiting on the Environment Agency he will waver the fee until our licence arrives, which is a great deal for us, as we are in no rush to move on.

The mooring is across from the long and dramatic weir that stretches down to the bridge leading to Teddington town centre, and it is here that the flow of the River Thames is monitored and that can be up to 15,000 million gallons per day in times of flood. Teddington lock is the lowest and largest on the non-tidal Thames and is well known as the place where the river changes colour, signifying it’s the highest point to which the tide flows. Before the lock was built in 1810 the tide flowed eleven miles further upstream, as far as Staines before its effect was lost. The spring sunshine, it seems, had woken the good people of Teddington from their winter hibernation and the towpath is quite busy, it’s amazing how a little bit of sun cheers everyone up.

Quite a few people stop and talk, interested in the pros and cons of life aboard a boat, so I am intrigued when one gentleman doesn’t ask the usual questions but says; I like what you’ve done with the graphics, nodding to the logo on the side of the boat; it’s a modern take on the roses and castles that adorn traditional canal boats, he says. I’m shocked, he’s the first person to mention the graphics, so I ask him to explain his thinking, wondering if he really understands. Well, he says the stylised Mackintosh rose represents the roses and the squares represent the battlements of a castle… roses and castles. He’s right and I’m so pleased that someone has finally noticed it, but my euphoria is short lived when he says; The design's not Art Deco though, it’s more in the style of the Arts and Crafts movement, and walks away without further comment.

We take a stroll into Teddington and are pleased to see that the high street is similar to the ones in the towns and villages we visited on our trip up the Grand Union, holding the corporates at bay and keeping their independent shops, something that cannot be said for our Northern towns. After a pleasant stroll we return to the boat and spend a lazy afternoon on board because tomorrow we start phase two of TLC on Art Deco, we are going to polish the roof. We cleaned and polished most of the boat while we were in Brentford but didn’t get round to the roof. This short statement doesn’t convey the hard work that it entails and after three and a half hours on our hands and knees we are both knackered! We are now waiting for it to rain, the satisfaction of a job well done is to see the rain drops standing proud of the paintwork.

While we are working the lock keeper comes by and says our licence has arrived so I walk back with him and pick up the paperwork. He says that we can stay for three more nights if we like but we would have to pay £8.50 per night. We want to visit Strawberry Hill House which is nearby so I pay him for two more nights and we will make the visit tomorrow.

Strawberry Hill House was built in the early 18th century by Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford who was an English Whig politician, writer, historian and antiquarian. The house itself is a large and quirky Gothic mansion and is filled with Walpole’s eccentric collection of gothic items and a décor that can best be described as gloomy. It’s set in 46 acres of land and when we visited there was an exhibition of strange human/animal shaped sculptures and they looked perfectly at home in the landscape of this eccentric place. We enjoyed the visit and spent a full day there looking round the house and exploring the vast gardens.

It was time to move on though, we had been moored at Teddington for five days and the power in batteries was down to 55%. I had been advised not to let the charge fall below 50% so we were in need of a long cruise to get them back up to scratch and we were desperate to start our adventure on the Thames. We had a website designed and ready to go live but we thought we should hold fire and familiarise ourselves with our new surroundings and get to know the river a little better before we started taking on any guests.