Notes
Devizes to Westminster. It is a long, long way. We finished. Unscheduled swim near Pewsey (funny) and Battersea power station (scary). I will update this note once I have collected my thoughts and regained feeling in my hands. Then I will return to running again, forever, forever, forever.
Some key moments from the route. The story was that we set off at 8:48, saw no-one for quite a while and then gradually overtook crews throughout the morning (some had started off from about 7am) - not something that we had ever done at the Waterside C! Quite a few of them must have missed the Teddington tide and retired later on.
The tunnel - was as long and dark as ever, but at least no-one was screaming or capsizing this time
Hungerford - looking beautiful in the sunshine
Theale (?) - lads aged about 12 on a footbridge and jumping in. Weather was like August, not like April!
Two kids by the canal who looked us up on their parents' iphone and called out our names - very nice! Aged about 8.
Arriving in Reading - the crowds were out on Jamie's Italian by the River Kennett - it was surreal to come paddling through the city centre after so many miles out on our own.
Dreadnought Reach - you climb up and over a wall (we did it the hard way and climbed a little ladder because two crews were so slow getting out) ... and it's the Thames! Lights on at Reading, pasta on Marsh Meadows at Reading.
Henley - I was looking forward to this, only sorry that my dad was not there to see it. He would have loved all ths. Dozens of cadets were out marshalling, then people standing at the Regatta HQ and shouting from the Angel on the Bridge. Very atmospheric with Temple Island illuminated and lightning over the Chilterns. Then into the weird wooded maze before Hurley, Cookham, the Maidenhead Deeps which Paul stopped enjoying, Boulters, Bray ... and on, and on, and on.