The Hanwell

This was a bit different. Normally we move boats from point to point, just so they'll be in the place where they will be easily used. This time we were going to be actually USING the boat (gasp!)

RE and myself picked up Hanwell from Bow Free Wharf (near Bow roundabout) where P, the engineer, had just finished work on her generator, which had shorted due to an eaten-through cable. Then he patched up her exhaust. Then he put the water pipes for her (Italian?!) toilet back in place.

Some wags have suggested that "The Unwell" might be a better name for this craft, but P assured me that most of the work boats share similar problems.

We took her up through Old Ford Locks to meet with the volunteers from Thames21 who were preparing to launch some floating weed-beds. We tied a weed-bed pontoon to each side of the Hanwell and puttered up to Mabley Green, where some gentle manoeuvring had us put two volunteers ashore and the first weed-beds in place.

Then we returned and did a second run, this time with three and a half weed-beds secured around the boat, turning a 10' wide workboat into a 19' wide assemblage for the mile long run past the moored boats at East Wick.

We squeezed gently through.

Then we finished off by turning West towards Bow and slotted The Hanwell nicely into the operational mooring at Bow Wharf.

4 hours.