River Thames:Dorney

I set off this morning at 08:00 expecting there to be lots of rowers about. There were. The Regatta course has been marked out and if my understanding of the restrictions on the EA website was true I am expected to keep to the Remenem side bank.   It just didn’t feel right sneaking up the Regatta Course.  I reached Hambledon Lock just as the lock keeper came on duty, and passed Hurley and Temple.   Marlow next.  Today was going to be a long day because if I could have moored at Marlow it would have broken the journey to Windsor nicely into similarly timed segments, but I had never found that easy.   In fact it would have been if my eyes had been open, but I passed on.  Next would be Maidenhead where I have found moorings frequently, though not always.  This time it was to be NOT.  The next moorings I am familiar with are shortly before Bovere Lock, about an hour further on.   Then I saw a good mooring, behind another narrowboat, just before the sharp left corner at Dorsey and went for it.   It would have been good but for a tree and Hawthorne bush right in the middle, but eventually I found a way of sorting it out.  You see the problem was 1. Current 2. Wind 3. The bush and tree which meant that I could just get off the boat with a centre rope and walk the bank.  It all had to b done from the boat, stern and bow running up and down before either end got blown  or swept away.  Today then, just under 7 hours total, and probably only 1 hour tomorrow if I can find a mooring.