My dad, the Macmillan fundraiser!

[Tony Wonfor]

Good points Richard.

 

Maybe once John has completed his quest he'll get the recognition he deserves. All the same, a commentary along the way would have raised awareness and in the process raised the donations too.

Thats precisely what I was trying to do. I didn't even get replies. The good thing with the coverage would be that more people would know he's on the way and he'd probably raise more. When he's at the end of the journey, I imagine the donations will dry up

[Barry]

This is his latest blog. Not good. He's taking in water and he's a bit worried about having a back up engine. He originally took an electric engine as he was told he could find lots of charging stations. He's hardly found any so that was a waste of time! He passed near to Honda the other day and popped in to tell him what he was doing and asked if they could donate an outboard. You can guess what the answer was!

 

So if anyone has a small outboard that dad could even "borrow" as a backup, he'd be most grateful.

 

 

Yes

 

I have a 4HP outboard sitting in my garage doing nothing. It hasn't been used much and is in good condition

 

Yer Dad is welcome to borrow it

 

PM me and we can sort it out

 

I might not be able to travel till Friday but if you want to call in near Lincoln and take it to him today or tomorrow you are more than welcome

 

If you want it let me know and I'll give it a test run to make sure its good

Edited May 22, 2013 by Bazza2

[Tony Wonfor]

Thanks very much for the very kind offer Barry. I'm trying to get my head around how I'm now going to get it from Lincoln to Godalming. I've just emailed a pal that owns a temping agency that recruit HGV drivers to see if anyone is passing your way in the near future.

[Tony Wonfor]

Dads latest blog,

 

wed.
woke up at two in a cold sweat , male menapause or food poisoning , i dont know but i went for a walk to shrug it off , back into bed , i am woken by what was probably a chinook helicopter , i am in the market for a ground to air missile .
back on the river , after weybridge things open out a bit and the country side is quite pleasant , i see an old couple on a tandem riding over bumps and all sorts , i shouted to them that they were as mad as me , he replied " yeh great innit ", i am not alone .
later a couple flagged me down, shirley and basil on board the ajax, a cup of tea , a donation and i unload all my woes onto them, thanks .
also thanks for the donations from mark, his mum and friends, i met them in guildford.
i arrive at my third port of call , godalming , a nice little town with a witherspoons , plus a keep fit place called the new fitness express , i am ok to get a shower there in the morning ,i dont recall the last one i had , soapy or what.
today was quiet, no rain, no hassle and a few donations , maybe i should retract what i said yesterday about southerners being tight.
godalming done , so now i am off to thetford in norfolk, as yet i have never looked at a map to see where i am going , i just ask , thetford is my last point , and to do this i am going onto the tidal thames , i am not backtracking to napton, no way.
wheres my life jacket again.
night all , did have some boat names but i forgot them, one of my sons says that if brains were petrol i would not get out of the forecourt , sarky sod.

[Doorman]

 

 

Yes

 

I have a 4HP outboard sitting in my garage doing nothing. It hasn't been used much and is in good condition

 

Yer Dad is welcome to borrow it

 

PM me and we can sort it out

 

I might not be able to travel till Friday but if you want to call in near Lincoln and take it to him today or tomorrow you are more than welcome

 

If you want it let me know and I'll give it a test run to make sure its good

Good man!

 

You know what Tony, your dad has probably covered more of the system in such a short time than most of us might do in a lifetime. Due to Mrs Doorman's medication regime, we are sadly limited to where we can cruise and this frustrates the two of us as we bought the boat to see the system.

 

His progress is quite astounding.

[Tony Wonfor]

I'm gobsmacked to be honest. It seems like only yesterday I was talking to him in Llangollen!! Oh, and he finally managed to get a shower this morning in a very nice Leisure Centre. AFTER 10 DAYS!!!!

[ditchcrawler]

I'm gobsmacked to be honest. It seems like only yesterday I was talking to him in Llangollen!! Oh, and he finally managed to get a shower this morning in a very nice Leisure Centre. AFTER 10 DAYS!!!!

Was it Marlow

[Thorfast]

Managed at last to get my daughter working at Macmillan to post something on one of their facebook pages - one of their PR problems has been that they never know where he is going to be at any specific time - he certainly seems to be wizzing round the system far more quickly than we imagined

 

https://www.facebook.com/MilesforMacmillan/posts/621362551224354

 

Please get people to share this link

Edited May 23, 2013 by Thorfast

[Alanji]

Oh, and he finally managed to get a shower this morning in a very nice Leisure Centre. AFTER 10 DAYS!!!!

Once every 10 days seems a bit excessive

[Doorman]

Once every 10 days seems a bit excessive:D

Yes, we normally shower once a month whether we need to or not.

[Leo No2]

Just sighted passing Byfleet Boat Club heading for New Haw Lock and the Thames about 5 minutes ago.

[ditchcrawler]

Just sighted passing Byfleet Boat Club heading for New Haw Lock and the Thames about 5 minutes ago.

I hope you waved

[Leo No2]

I hope you waved

Of course but I doubt the poor man saw much - it was raining cats and dogs at the time. Must say he is making very good progress.

[Dyertribe]

Managed at last to get my daughter working at Macmillan to post something on one of their facebook pages - one of their PR problems has been that they never know where he is going to be at any specific time - he certainly seems to be wizzing round the system far more quickly than we imagined

 

https://www.facebook.com/MilesforMacmillan/posts/621362551224354

 

Please get people to share this link

Done!

[valrene9600]

In the last half hour he has moored at Brentford after coming off the Thames.

Well done.

[Dekazer]

Wow! What time's he heading up Hanwell Flight tomorrow?

 

Wow! What time's he heading up Hanwell Flight tomorrow?

[Tony Wonfor]

He has my brother and his grandchildren there today and tomorrow so not sure if he'll go anywhere.

[tillergirl]

We are heading down that way. Will keep and eye open for him

[Tony Wonfor]

We are heading down that way. Will keep and eye open for him

Shouldn't be too hard to spot. He probably looks like Robinson Crusoe by now!

Edited May 25, 2013 by Tony Wonfor

[Tony Wonfor]

Just spoke to dad. He's at Brentford with his grandkids but shall be heading north tomorrow up the Grand Union canal. He has asked me to ask if anyone knows a quicker way of heading east towards Thetford on a "short draft" boat i.e. is there a small river to cut across where long/narrow boats can't go? Not quite sure why he's asked this as surely funds will ry up as he's not likely to pass many people. I'll pick his brains tomorrow as I'm going to see him.

[ditchcrawler]

GU, Nothampton Branch, River Nene, Middle Level, Great Ouse and Little Ouse. Why is Thetford so important?

[Hair Bear Bunch]

'Why is Thetford so important?'

 

PortaPotti? Been travelling for a while so could be getting desperate!

[Tony Wonfor]

a catch up on hi blog,

 

thursday.
today is the day , i am off to the gym for a shower , clean again , i make for waitrose in godalming, the only place i could find that would change the coinage into paper money , sainsburys , wanted eight pence in the pound , theiving bas**rds , language timothy.
next up i buy a large can of expanding foam , so that i can try to fix my leaks, both hulls leak now, i drill a small hole , shove in the pipe and squirt , foam comes out below the water line , holes every where , both sides done , did it work , i will find out in the morning .
weather , it was nice , it rained, it was nice , and then hailstones , back to getting wet again , and i have just got a shower this morning , am i bothered , no .
i arrive back at the anchor pub in wisley , near weybridge , what a nice bunch , they set me up with a spot so that i can update in style, thanks .
then the nicest event of the day , a chap in lincoln has heard on a canal forum that i needed a spare engine , due to the electric one having no regular power supply , so what does he do , he upsticks from lincoln , with a 4hp suzuki , meets me at the anchor , my new home, and swaps his engine for all the bits that go with the electric set up , two batteries the outboard , speed controller , etc, for no other reason than to keep me on the river and finish the course, thank you barry and girl friend , i bought them dinner , but i owe them both , big time , i may need two working engines for this thames thing, thanks again.
as a result of all this my boat is a lot lighter and sit on the water ok .
i have come to the conclusion that the days are less eventful because i may be getting the hang of things , quite likely , i dont knock the boat about so much lately .
tip for the day , dont help germans , i was waiting for a german guy and his family to vacate the lock , so i suggested that i open the sluice for him , he nodded, i cranked away , he screamed for me to stop , he shit his self when too much water came into the chamber , so i had to close it to his requirements , half an hour later he went , dozy hun.
donations , £1 , oops, but i have the last weeks to put in after this update.
tomorrow i should make teddington , then the grand union in order to try to get to thetford at a later date , due to encouragement from various people i feel easier about the tidal bit of the thames , i am not a person that bottles it but sometimes my enthusiasm has caused me grief , as my late wife would tell you , if she could , bless her socks.
i dont often realise that so many people have taken an interest in this trip , to all of you , thanks , if i dont raise another cent it would not be the end of the world , i am doing it for my late wife carol , i dont mention her as often as i woukd like to because our time together was another story , and some.
i am going to read my self a bed time story tonight, i will bore myself to sleep.
night .

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

friday. out of the wey .
what a sh*t day , a desperate day , a dark day, it began with another bottle bank job , five in the morning this time , followed by the bin men an hour later ,i think there is a conspiracy going on, up at seven thirty , and down came the rain.
then it hit me , one of my hulls is full of water, if i had not tied it up on that side i would have sunk, does not make for a good nights kip.
one hour to pump out the hull and limp over to the pyrford marina , they let me use their slipway to effect a repair , you try a glass fibre repair in the rain, it dont work, the rain stopped for a breif time , slap bang whallop , job done , hopefully it holds up , because tomorrow i am back on the thames.
how do you express how pissed of you are,i want someone to say " john , scuttle the boat and go home " , but at four the rain stops again , i upsticks and go for it , two locks later and down it comes again, i cant seem to get off of this bloody river wey ,i may never be seen again.
i seek refuge in a shit pub, full of bragging , bullshi**ing numpties ,but its dry and warm.
i am jaded and feeling sorry for myself today, a guy said to me " its going to be seventeen degrees tomorrow " i should have pushed the pillock in the river .
its stopped raining yet again , one lock and i am back on the thames , half way down the lock the heavens open , i dont give a sh*t , i am now " FREE" , f**k you river wey , i felt like humphrey bogarde when he comes out of the swamp and into the lake in the african queen
no tips , no boat names , but one thing , in the night i heard from time to time something in the river was trying to catch the ducks, pike otters , beavers i dont know, any ideas.
i am in a pub , one last thing , since i have been doing this trip , i must relate that the boating community is the nicest bunch of odds and sods i have ever met , snobs , drop outs, old ens , young ens ,all sorts , i am honoured to have met a lot of them , long may they reign.
another pint and i may retire early , another last thing , these posts may be getting long but i am off loading my woes , so tough, night night.

 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

sat=sun.
i was totally knackered after escaping the clutches of the river wey , so as soon as i left the thames lock i parked up , right opposite the biggest weir i have seen to date , what a noise , but sod it .
i make for the pub , i have a choice , right or left , i choose right , after about a mile i ask for directions , back the way i came , shit , i was about two hundred yards away at the outset .
saturday morning i set off for teddington lock , in order to catch the tide at three twenty , i am told that quite a few narrow boats are expected , so i can tag along behind , thats the plan .
when its time to go the only person to turn up is a nice guy from cyprus who did not know the way either , i followed him anyway.
life jacket on, prayers said , where off , whats all the fuss about , one mile on and i am cruising .
tits up is a term thats applicable , the yarmouth belle , was first to attempt to sink me , at twice the speed limit my skills of getting in close and occupying his wake was not going to work , a rock and a hard place was where i was , f**k it i am going down , i thought it had to take a dive , but it rode it better than i did , four or five more episodes like this and we have arrived at brentford lock , amen .
i was too busy shi**ing myself to be scared , would i do it again , only if you come with me .
at brentford my son sam and his family are waiting at the lock for me , sam points out that the nearside pontoon is barely out of the water , but " listen " made it .
i spend the rest of the day with my family , i am a lucky man.
sunday morning , i get another shower , i dont even smell yet but i make hay while the sun shines .
breakfast in brentford high street , better than you could imagine it was great , there is a little market on sunday morning with a nice atmosphere .
off they go . so off i go , this boating lark may be getting to me , i am glad to be under way .
a five rise lock does not phase me any longer , but what happened half way up did phase me, i was doing two locks at a time , i left my boat rising on its own , it looked ok but while i was gone it went diagonal and lodged one corner into the ladder, i got back to see " listen " going down as the water rose , i put the lock into reverse quicker than any one could imagine , stuff had bailed itself out, including two thousand macmillan leaflets in a box , but they did not sink , i retrieved them , a miracle i think.
i am now a wreck , back to the bad old ways .
the shit in the canal is back , where there are people there is crap , shame on us.
i must find a pub to drown my sorrows, before this fu**ing canal does .
upto date again .
what of my health , i have lost about two stone in weight , i had arthritis when i left , but it has almost gone , my hands were splitting but they are slowly getting better , and my feet ache most days , mental health , up one day and down the next ,
one more john smiths , and bed , see ya,

[Tony Wonfor]

Some piccies from todays visit. We met dad at Black Jack lock in Uxbridge and had lunch at the Coy Carp pub in Harefield.

 

 

 

 

 

Grandson number 2 struggling with his first lock

 

Grandson number 1 on his first ever lock!

 

 

 

 

Moored up at "The Coy Carp" pub in Harefield for lunch

 

 

 

 

[shipsbiscuit]

'Why is Thetford so important?'

The furthest east he can go on the 'connected' inland waterways perhaps?

I'm enjoying this splendid adventure so thank you for the pics and blog updates.

I hesitate to suggest any obstacle for a man who is clearly achieving great things and going where people who bother with maps and cabins and beds and stuff may fear to tread, but actual central Thetford may be a bit of a challenge in any case.

Unfortunately your dad is moving much faster than the campaign to put the locks back in above Brandon and there are two weirs as well as some shallow and rubble-strewn sections below Thetford. I doubt he'll get up the weirs though he may be able to go around them... if the raft didn't mind the indignity of being hauled out, carried and re-launched and there were enough people on hand willing to have a go.

Just past Brandon bridge (and several pubs) is the normal end of the line for boats with engines but the raft should make it to the St Helen's picnic site, just past the charming Santon Downham bridge deep in Thetford forest, where there is a useful loo and an ice cream van but no pub.

I hope his hull problems get sorted and the rain stays away more...