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FRIENDS
OF ST MICHAEL'S TAKE TO THE WATER
Words and pictures from our online reporter Ken Amery
"Friends Of St. Michael’s" take
to the Water
Twenty six of the “Friends of St. Michael’s” gathered in Hungerford on Thursday 21st October for a three hour trip along the Kennet and Avon canal. The numbers had unfortunately been depleted due to an accident involving Tony Ellison and his wife and two friends, on the way to Hungerford. They had barely left Maidenhead, when their car was involved in a collision with a goods vehicle. Thankfully, there were no injuries, although everybody was badly shaken and the car badly damaged. This was doubly unfortunate as the trip had been Tony’s idea!
However, the rest of the party boarded the motor vessel Rose of Hungerford, which had been purpose built for the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, in sunshine, however the forecast was not good. Although all the crew members are volunteers, they are all highly trained and proficient in their various task. Their skills would come in useful as the day went on.
The first task of Colin, our Captain was to go through the legal requirement of pointing out the safety provisions on board the barge, once this was completed, we were on our way. Our first manoeuvre involved turning around from our mooring. While trying to complete this we had our first encounter with the wind, which prevented us safely turning around at this point, so a small detour was made to the “winding hole” where we could turn in relative safety.
Once on our leisurely way, Gilly Blaxland produced home made tomato soup, which John Blaxland liberally laced with sherry. Those who partook of this excellent brew were left wondering if this was soup with sherry or vice versa!
We then partook of the excellent buffet produced by the ladies of the FOSM, which kept us going the whole trip, and there were still some bits left over! Wine, beer, tea and coffee were available from the small bar on the barge during the whole of the trip.
The sun continued to shine during our journey through the West Berkshire countryside. The canal is fairly high, the countryside open and the barge itself rides high in the water. Not the best combination with the high wind that accompanied us. Our crew were at times hard pushed to keep barge in a straight line and even they, on a number of occasions were defeated and the barge ended up at right angles across the canal.
Nearing the point where the barge was due to turn around, travellers were encouraged to take a walk along the towpath, which was done with varying degrees of enthusiasm! After reboarding, the rain lashed down and the wind blew, once again testing the crews skills. We appreciated the skills of the team, when a barge coming the other way with an obviously inexperienced crew were blown into the bank. Those on the barge plus some of our crew were unable to refloat the barge and it had to be left. We were told that they had decided to moor there for the night. We suspected that they had very little choice!
Due to the wind we arrived 30 to 40 minutes late at Hungerford Bridge. The crew, who do it all for the sheer fun of it, were thanked for their excellent and hard work on a very enjoyable trip. Thanks were also due to the FOSM, organisers – particularly Tony Ellison and the ladies who provided the excellent buffet.
After the trip, some travellers went straight home, while other wandered around the antique shops and arcades that litter Hungerford High Street, looking for bargains. All agreed, that this was an excellent and restful day out.
Ken Amery
21st Cctober 2004
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