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 Tom Gray, owner of a Whitehall Spirit 17 double slide seat model, sends his short version of a rowing holiday he took with a good friend of his this May. His goal was to reach the uppermost head of the Thames River, starting from the salty end.  At 07.30 on Saturday 27th May, James, a rowing buddy from University and I set off from Minster on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, headed westward, upstream along the River Thames. Minster is on the south side of the Thames Estuary, approximately 40 miles east of London in England. The morning was overcast but the air was still and the water flat, perfect for rowing my Whitehall 17 - "Wascana", laden with tent, sleeping bags, cooker, spare clothes and food for the journey to the source. We had 9 days to complete the task, against the stream.  The tide was just on the flood when we set off, helping us on our way and our first destination was Gravesend, approximately 22 land miles away. We hugged the Kent shore along the way passing huge container ships that were coming out of Tilbury Docks headed out into the North Sea. We felt pretty small next to them! At Gravesend we were kindly hoisted out with a small crane by a member of Gravesend Sailing Club and here we had the luxury of our first night staying with my parents who live in a small village nearby. Sunday, an early start from Gravesend and headed for St. Katherine's Docks which is located a few metres downstream of Tower Bridge in London. We had to pass via the Thames Flood Barrier, Millenium Dome and the high towers of Canary Wharf where many large organisations now have offices.  St. Katherine's Dock welcomed us in amongst the huge spangly yachts that averaged about 50 feet in length. Again we felt rather tiny next to them. Many tourists lined the lock side and took interest in the boat and our voyage! After we found our berth for the night, James and I headed back to our flats as we both live in London. Another good nights sleep before the camping begins. Monday, we locked out of St. Katherine's and rowed amongst the sight seeing boats. We were headed for Kingston in Surrey. The water was very rough with all the wash from the motor boats. However, my boat ploughed on through with no troubles and in no time we were passing through Putney and Hammersmith and onto Richmond. Between Richmond and Kingston is Teddington where the first of 46 locks on the Thames is located. Here the salt water meets the fresh and there are no tides to worry about. From now on the journey will be flat water and the countryside will open out away from the City of London.  We found a great pitch for the tent that eve with 'Wascana' moored up alongside. We knew this part of the river well as we both went to university in Kingston and belonged to the rowing club here. The following days were great fun and we averaged approximately 18 miles per day. We never got going until about 10am and always stopped for a lazy pub lunch in one of the many waterside inns along the route. Then continued to row until about 8pm where we stopped and pitched up for the night. The evening rowing was probably the best as the heat from the sun had gone and lots of wildlife came out to play. With regards to camping, we used the designated campsites along the route. The Environment Agency has a good guide available on where to find them.  Passing through Windsor we saw the castle dominating the skyline and onto Henley, which was full of bustle as it was gearing up ready for the annual Royal Regatta the following week. I took 'Wascana' to the regatta last year, which was a good day out. Oxford came along before we knew it after rowing through the most amazing countryside. We passed through and carried on westward towards Lechlade which is at this time of the year the highest navigable part of the Thames due to the water levels. The Thames does continue to Cricklade and from there a small stream to a field containing a spring. However, due to having to be back at work on the Monday, we made it approximately 20 miles short of Lechlade to a small village called Eynsham. Bit of a shame but will just have to go back and complete it another time! All I can say is that the Whitehall Spirit 17 was the perfect boat for the trip. Lots of room for our tents and bags, plenty of power with the sliding seats and a hull that tracks very well through the different conditions we had. I definitely made a good purchase.  Best Regards, Tom Gray, 'Wascana' - United Kingdom |
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