TIME AND TIDE

When Shaun Wall decided to tackle a river challenge in a Springer, there was always time to plant his spriner in the mud and put the kettle on for a brew...

Among many adventures undertaken by Pentargon during her seven-year English odyssey, one was to take tides down estuaries and use water flow to haul her bulk up unsuspecting rivers, going with the flow and – sometimes – against the odds. The serious side of this game began with an initial visit to Dartford during the spring of 2015, which involved going down the Thames to Crayford Ness and blundering up Dartford Creek to a safe haven and stay over. In an article on the potential of Dartford Creek, for the August 2018 issue of Canal Boat referencing the 2018 Dartford Nautical Festival, Martin Ludgate reported that “a first waterborne visitor, narrowboat Pentargon Springer, was followed by others”. For some time I’ve wondered whether Canal Boat readers might find the real story interesting.

Incidentally, Pentargon missed the 2018 Dartford Nautical Festival. As it got under way, she was ‘resting’ 50 miles upstream in Nauticalia’s yard at Shepperton. She had recently completed her greatest adventure of all: what is believed to be the biggest British Waterways ring ever completed solo and which just might be chronicled here at a future date. In June 2017, Pentargon was clocked on the Staff& Worcs at Gailey Wharf being modified by Jamie Ferguson to comply with Class D inland waterways use.

All of the tidal Thames between Teddington and Gravesend or further is Class C and, unbelievably, all of the Bristol Channel inside Portishead is also! In August 2017, Pentargon would take the tide from Sharpness to Bristol using the Dartford Technique, solo and overnighting on the tide outside Portishead.