On the Thames

I am proud to announce that my grandmother's Hampshire punt, Snarleyow Too, is back on the water after nearly 50 years in a barn.
The elegant launch ceremony took place at the Trout at Lechlade last Sunday week, captured in this tasteful shot by Graham Neil.

She floated nicely with only a small seepage - I suspect there is a small vacancy at the top of the chine log which will be easily fixed with a dribble of epoxy.
The main problem was the rowing position - the legroom and rowlock height were totally inadequate for a person of average height such as myself. Rowing down to Beale Park for the boat show was something of a trial, involving scraping my knuckles down my knees for the next five days, but spacers on top of the rowlock sockets should make life easier. Tracking is non-existent so she needs correcting all the time, but the addition of a skeg will solve that (I hope).
But the trip, with the great guys of the Home Built Boat Rally, was fabulous fun. It rained (of course) but cleared up on Wednesday to give way to fluffy clouds and sun. The nights were cold (of course) but so was the beer.
On the way I passed the old boathouse at the former Carmel College, where I think Little Snarley was built in about 1960.