The time our boat ran out of gas on the River Thames

It was a beautiful Sunday in Marlow.  The sun was out and the temperature was about 25C (80F -ish).  As we were strolling through Higginson Park we finally decided to hire one of the small power boats for a cruise around the Thames.  

The directions were easy.  Press the button that says "go", cruise downstream to the Temple Lock, turn around and come back upstream.  What could go wrong??!!??

All smiles 

 

The fearless captain of the mighty vessel.

Bisham Abbey.  The abbey was built around 1260 for the Knights of Templar, a very powerful order of Knights in the Middle Ages.

Beth, Oliver and Henry taking in the sights.

 These canal boats cruise up and down the Thames all summer long.  Mobile homes on water.

 A speck of an island with a tiny pavilion.  

Just before disaster struck!  

About thirty minutes into our cruise the engine conked out.  Despite all my best efforts, I could not get the boat to restart.   All of our calls to the emergency phone number went straight to voice mail! We think it ran out of gas.

With one oar all I could really do was keep the boat straight and try to get out to the way of other boats while we drifted.

Finally, a good samaritan took pity on the Bowers family, threw a line to Beth which she tied to the bow like an experienced sailor and towed us back upstream to safety.

Here we are getting towed

After that debacle, we all agreed that we all deserved an ice cream.  While in line for some soft serve at the Mr. Whippy truck we bumped into friends Stephen and Deb that we made in Austria.  What a small world.

You may recall from the last blog my history lesson about the Little Ships of Dunkirk.  Well, our friends own one of the last few remaining ships.  They were sailing down the Thames (with Deb's mother) and decided to stop in Marlow for some ice cream.

They invited us on board for a cruise and moments later we back on the water but this time on something a bit more sea-worthy.

Here she is, the Mada (the boat, not Deb's mother holding the flag).

Beth relaxing.

That my friends is the story of the time our boat ran out of gas on the River Thames

P.S. Here is a picture of some chaps playing cricket.