18th May: Tohatsu O/b – motoring up Itchen (~4nm)

The new outboard needs running in so lowered the masts and went up the river to Woodmill (end of the tidal river). Even on low power Seatern was making nearly 4 knots – it’s hard to imagine using full power. Coming back I got to the University boat hard at the same time as a rowing eight and a couple of rowing fours. They were queued up on the western side of the river forcing me to the left side of the channel at which point the Alison Macgregor came round the bend and had to put her engines in reverse to avoid me. The Alison Macgregor takes disabled people and “senior citizens” on river trips from her base in Hythe marina. The photo (above) was taken on a previous occasion; she looks a lot bigger when bow on and only a few metres away!

I carried on down the river and under Northam Bridge but then remembered I was running on the internal fuel tank so returned to the jetty. The tank proved to be quite low but not empty!
[Distance 4.3nm; duration 2hrs 32min]