On Friday 17th October two of our Scouts and Phil travelled to Harefield, near Rickmansworth to take part in a narrowboat weekend on the Grand Union Canal. We joined scouts from Gloucestershire and London which meant there were 16 scouts and 8 leaders occupying two boats from the Hillingdon Narrowboat Association. The boats were called Pisces and Star. We met the other scouts at the boats around 7:30pm and were then told which boat we were on. Everyone from the 7th was on Pisces. The narrow boats are 72ft long and 6ft wide and can sleep up to 12 people comfortably.
Whilst we cooked the hotdogs the leaders moved the boats over to the other side of the canal.
It was an early start the next morning. At 7:00am the engines were started and Rob was the first to steer. We took turns to steer the boat and work the locks.
As we approached a lock the person steering shouted “Lock Crew!” and several volunteers made their way to the bow and jumped off to work the locks. If the lock is set for you, all you need to do is open the gates and steer in. If the lock is set against you, you need to open the relevant paddles, wait until the lock is full or empty depending on circumstance and then steer in. We all had plenty of practice at both!
Not long after setting off we moored at Tesco in Rickmansworth to buy provisions for the weekend. First we prepared our own menus and then had a competition to see who could spend the least. Our boat Pisces won.
We continued until dusk and then turned the boats ready for the return journey on Sunday. Turning the boats can be tricky. It depends on the winding hole available. (A winding hole is a large chunk which has been cut out of the bank to allow boats to turn). We found ourselves with a small winding hole to it took 20,000 attempts! After mooring the boats we prepared dinner which was Cumberland pie and vegetables followed by Smartie cake (which we made ourselves). After that we played games and had a late night!
Sunday started at 7:00am and we enjoyed an uneventful journey retracing our path. Because we were efficient working the locks we arrived back early, unpacked and cleaned the boats before setting off for home.
Everyone really enjoyed the weekend. For some people it wasn’t their first time. Some of us are hooked! Martin was awarded the Power Coxswain badge, and Rob who was on his second visit was awarded the Power Coxswain Plus.
Thanks must be given to the leaders who organised and taught us. Also thanks in particular to Phil for taking us.
You can see some pictures from the trip over on the 7th Eastleigh’s website [ http://www.7th-eastleigh-scouts.co.cc/public/photogallery/?p=narrowboats ]
This report was sent in by Rob Winn of the 7th Eastleigh.
