Getting started

Yesterday went according to plan, I’m happy to say. Making our early start at seven, we boated down to Reading, passing Mapledurham and Caversham Locks before the lockies came on duty at nine. A good shop at Tesco, and we were ready to return.

By now, there was a fair bit of traffic around, complicated by flotillas of kayaks with kids in them and leaders trying to herd them about. It was particularly fraught below Mapledurham; one bunch were hovering around the downstream layby, and another lot came out of the lock, following the five larger boats that had been in there.

There wasn’t room for Sanity Again, or indeed the boat in front of her to get onto the layby, but when the lockie started packing the lock, he signalled that we would all get in. Unfortunately, the boat in front got into terrible trouble trying to manoeuvre in, and ended up broadside on across the tail of the lock.

Her poor steerer suffered the ultimate humiliation of being told by the lockie to go round and rejoin the back of the queue. Heart in mouth, I eased Sanity Again into the chamber, fortunately making a half decent job of it for once.

There was another queue at the head, with Guelrose waiting to use the pump out that we also needed. The lockie asked me to go beyond the boats waiting, as he would get all of them into one penning. I took Sanity Again up river as asked, then winded her and came back to wind again, thus performing a 360º turn, finally tying ahead of Guelrose, who was by this time pumping out.

It’s a new and very effective machine, so Mike finished in record time. In fact, when he’d gone and we pulled back to within reach of the hoses, there was still enough time on his card to do us as well. I owe Mike a pint, I reckon, and we’ll have to find a buyer for our spare EA pump out card.

Arriving at Beale Park, we found a fleet of workers boats tied around the entrance, and breasted up to Tom Tug. We’ll be here for a few days, until the pontoons on the lake are ready for us.

We’ve made contact with Mitch Gozna, leader of the WRG camp, and spent the rest of the day on what will be the WRG compound, chatting and giving a hand with putting up the temporary coking shelter.

The site looks pretty empty at the moment, but that’s scheduled to change over the next two weeks.

Looking across the show field towards the WRG compound and Tardis* in the distance

The empty lake

This will be the last post on the Living in Sanity blog until after the Festival; I’ll be posting on the Beale Park Blog until then.

*The Tardis is the name of the blue painted artic trailer which contains most of the kit needed to rig the Festival. So-called because of the amazing amount of stuff that's in there.