In 1999 punting from Lechlade to Teddington I ran into a storm west of Oxford:
This was a storm which telegraphed its coming over at least two hours. It grew grey and then darker and darker. My camera automatically switched to flash mode. On an entirely open boat alone with a reluctance to stop since I was trying for as far as possible on that day, I first paused to make sure I had my waterproofs handy. When punting you do not want waterproofs until absolutely necessary otherwise one finds that overheating is a problem.
The first heavy drops began to splash down all over the river and there ahead was an old boathouse with the doors open. As I reached it a couple in canoes overtook me and I suggested that they might like to shelter with me - but they had that macho idea that canoists are tough and do not mind a little water – when I later overtook them they showed distinct signs of having learnt a lesson! Anyway I backed into the boathouse. It was empty dry and dusty.
The rain began in earnest, enormous drops each making its own little impact and fountain in the water. Gusts of wind threatened the boathouse roof which was clearly unsafe – but it held on and so did I. Having punted twelve miles without pause I settled down for a rest and nodded off.
The storm lasted perhaps forty five minutes and then there was a distinct moment when the noise became less and the roar became a gentle pitter patter. Rapidly the light increased and suddenly all was well with the world. I let go and drifted out into the centre of the river. The silence was full of little sucking and gurgling noises and drippings from the trees, and the plants were all shaking themselves and telling each other that they had needed a drink and now the ordeal was over they could stand tall and carry on growing. The air smelt fresh and exhilerating.
I started to punt again and immediately found a problem unique to punters. The tree lined river had low branches which met over the stream so that in dry conditions one has to be aware of the possible places to raise the twenty foot pole without tangling in a branch. But it is almost impossible without touching a branch at all. And all the branches were laden with water. Each stroke touched a branch and I was soon drenched.
In 2004 punting from Lechlade to Windsor I ran into a storm west of Oxford:
As I came through King’s Lock the weather began to look seriously threatening. I was intending to stop for lunch at the Perch below Godstow Lock. But in Godstow Lock it began to rain as the water level dropped – and then as the gates opened the heavens also opened, and a cloudburst, with thunder and lighting and almost darkness, made punting an unlikely activity! The depth of water inside the punt was increasing quite visibly so I paddled straight up the bank just below the lock. As the bows grounded and lifted so a surge of water came back down the punt! I just had to sit down and bail for all I was worth. Being at the same time soaked through despite wearing full (if rather lightweight) waterproofs. I reckon that something around three inches of rain fell in less than an hour. That would be quite enough in a punt to cause instability and consequent disaster! Occasionally the gusts of wind threatened to dislodge me from the bank. I was beginning to worry about hypothermia – there was a deal of hail and the temperature had dropped very significantly – but then the storm slowly eased to light rain and bailing became unnecessary. (As I write this in the south of Wiltshire, somebody has just heard me, and there was just a great thunderclap followed by heavy hail and rain.) I decided to go to the nearest place I could dry and get warm food so I punted up the weirstream past Godstow Lock and turned left to the Trout at Godstow. I collected a change of clothing from my waterproof bag and changed in the toilets and ordered a good hot plate of something or other.
I spent the night by the boat rollers at Iffley and then, the following day, near Shillingford ran into another very threatening weather situation. There was a weird light in the sky and dark clouds were apparently in conflict with one another. I was seriously worried about punting with a wet twenty foot aluminium pole as I could feel my hair lifting with the static in the atmosphere. The one or two people I could see on the bank walking dogs were hurrying home as fast as could be. And then just when I thought I was in for an electrical storm, the clouds appeared to rush over to the north and moderate rain began without significant lightning. I sheltered under Shillingford Bridge until it eased a little – but then it appeared to be set in for the day so I punted on down to Benson Lock and spent the night there under my hooped canvas cover. Camping in the dry is (or can be) almost luxurious – but when everything is wet life begins to get challenging …
The speed with which rain can convert a gentle summer expedition into a matter of survival is frightening. Any long distance trip in an open boat should bear this in mind. Waterproofs, dry clothes, hot drinks and a survival bag are necessary even on the Thames, that most civilised of rivers, even at the height of a British summer. Efficient means of bailing are a matter of safety (enough rain can fall in a day to threaten the stability of a small open boat). In a punt, once the depth of water comes over the treads (the cross planks which separate the otherwise flat hull area) - and that is about 1.2 inches in my punt (and that is a good few gallons) – then stability begins to be compromised – the water can surge about alarmingly. I have three basic means of bailing. A plastic bailer (like a deep narrow dust tray) is the best for dealing with large quantities in a small boat. I also have dry battery operated plastic pump which copes with medium quantities – but can you rely on dry batteries in wet conditions? And then do not despise the sponge! It can cope with quite surprisingly large quantities – and of course is the only way to get out the last few puddles.
The Thames does of course flood – but it is a relatively tame river. Its floods do not often turn it into a raging torrent – though weirs and locks can become dangerous. Lock keepers will advise. For the river above say Windsor the state at Oxford is a reasonable guide – see the Oxford University Rowing site for the state at Iffley (and Godstow).
The only requirement in good weather is sun lotion! Even on a light hazy day the water will reflect the sun and double any precautions necessary on dry land. I once suffered very painful ankles from forgetting to apply sun lotion to all exposed bits. So this is the rule – on water double precautions you should take elsewhere.
Punting and wind.
Wind is the enemy of the punter! There are two problems: the hull and the pole. The sides of a long punt (24 to 30 feet) offer a sizeable sail area to the wind. When the punt is stationary this translates into a sufficiently complex moment. Obviously a directly following wind would in theory simply blow the punt in the desired direction – however the steering becomes critical. A directly head wind causes the steering problem without the bonus. A direct side wind will cause a sideways moment which is not particularly a problem – a punt being some eight times longer than it is wide has a fairly good “grip” of the water in that sense. At the height of the hull a side wind is likely to be enormously variable since banks are almost always higher than this. But as soon as the pole is used things become more complicated and the result is steering again becomes critical. The first thing a punter has to master in a wind is that the course is not the same as the orientation of the punt – in other words you will be pointing in one direction and going in another. You need to point slightly upwind of your actual course. If you are standing at the back of the punt you are likely to offer the greatest wind resistance and the punt will naturally want to point directly upwind. As you raise and lower the pole its wind resistance may become significant and that variation will require different steering throughout the stroke cycle. The art of steering by selecting the right spot on the bottom to push against becomes crucial. You will be selecting that to control your course, but steering during the rest of the cycle so as to control the orientation. These two directions can be very different. In a headwind the wind will initially assist in raising the pole. However in very high winds it will be necessary to very rapidly drop the pole before the top can be blown backwards. Equally a following wind can make it very difficult to raise a long pole at all. If you think it all sound very difficult – it is. The dilemma starts with the advice – a)avoid punting in high winds, b) get plenty of practice at it …
Punters between 1880 and say 1930 sometimes avoided the problem, when they could, by sailing. On flat water a punt is potentially an efficient sailer. The long parallel sides are helpful until of course it comes to tacking. In the links is the description of how to build a punt which also illustrates a basic sailing set up. A side keel is required and usually I think the pole was used as rudder.
As an experiment I mounted a windsurfer sail on a punt. I found that the propulsion was adequate but there was almost no steering. The movement fore and aft of the sail, on which a windsurfer relies for steering, had almost no effect on the course of a much longer punt. Add some steering with the pole and maybe the exercise becomes possible.
Incidentally the converse exercise is more fun. Punting a longboard is quite feasible and probably more efficient and safer than the canoe punting which traditional regattas sometimes promote.
My only other experience of “sailing” is that one Sunday evening after Henley Regatta – with a strong following wind (and after a fairly long and celebratory day) seated on the till (at the back being a Cambridge punter) I raised a large golf umbrella and sailed down the mile or so of the regatta course in about ten minutes overtaking several powered boats in the process. Steering was not easy with the pole under one arm and the other being pulled out of its socket by the brolly! But as soon as I began to make the turn below Temple Island towards Hambledon I found that any course more than a very broad reach was impossible. Maybe if I had had a passenger who could have held the umbrella further forward I might have been able to manage a course slightly more cross wind – but I doubt the effort is worth it!
Anyway I soon had a very different problem – I thumbed a tow from a passing boat which turned out to be a very high powered speed boat. I think we exceeded the hull speed of the punt (which I calculate at about 8mph – i.e. the speed at which the hull would begin to plane) The stern was sucked down into the water and the water immediately behind the stern heaped up probably a foot above the level of the till. The bows were well out of the water. There was a lot of wash (too much – but I had no control over that) It would not have been wise to try to tow without steering as the gentle curve of one side or the other of the punt would take control and result in the punt sheering about all over the place and I guess risk turning over. The tow point should be as far forward as possible. You should also be able to cast off a tow at your wish. The only way to do this with your rope is to use a loop secured at both ends to your boat. If the rope belongs to the towing boat then this is simpler.
A punt is the only boat which is capable of making progress against a stream of higher speed than the punt’s top speed in still water! The reason for this remarkable phenomenon is that unlike all other boats the propulsion is not against the moving water but against the unmoving bottom. The limiting factor is the point at which the steering cannot be maintained. I reckon the highest current against which a punt could theoretically move is the hull speed. In my 2’ 8” pleasure punt I have tackled (and survived) an estimated 7.5mph current (which, allowing for errors, is not far off the 8mph calculated hull speed) I certainly cannot punt faster than about 4mph in still water and a reasonable speed for a few hours is about 2.5mph. For planning purposes on long trips 2mph is a basic guide. I have a gps which gives instant speed indications. A comfortable speed is something over 3mph at the end of the stroke dropping to about 2mph before the next stroke. These speeds make a pleasure punt the slowest of all boats – we specialize in quality not quantity!