A week on the Thames

In 1972 my sister, Sue, three of her girlfriends and Richard, a mutual friend, went on a holiday on the River Thames, all of us aged between 19 and 22. What could possibly go wrong?

We picked up the cruiser just below Windsor Old Lock and after brief training set off west with the aim of reaching Lechlade, the farthest navigable part of the river, and returning one week later, which the marina owner said wasn’t usually achievable. Now there was a challenge!

Just before the entrance to Windsor Old Lock there was a weir stream joining the river and creating interesting currents that seemed to move the boats around in unpredictable directions. Just below the weir stream is a narrow bridge with only room for a single boat to pass through at any one time.

We were trying to hold position near the weir stream, having successfully navigated the bridge, when we heard a commotion behind us. A small cruiser had managed to get