Riverwatch: There's serious racing too

Aug 11 2009 Surrey Herald

ONE of the most enjoyable community events on the river takes place this weekend - Sunbury Amateur Regatta.

This annual festival combines very serious racing on the water in skiffs, punts and dongolas with an excellent family-oriented bunch of activities on Rivermead Island.

As always, members of the organising committee have put in a huge amount of work to ensure that everyone has a great time, right from the moment the regatta begins at 9am through to the fireworks display at the end of Saturday.

Hopefully,the British summer might relent and give us some half decent weather,and I'd urge anyone who hasn't sampled the atmosphere at Sunbury regatta to head over there.

Don't forget that there's a junior event - the Edith Topsfield Junior Regatta - at the same site on Sunday.

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IT WASnice to hear from former Laleham resident David McDougall, who now lives in Colnbrook, that he enjoyed my description of the trip my brother and I made in our old Seamaster cabin cruiser down to the Medway.

It seems David and a friend made the same journey - also in a Seamaster 25 - in the early

1970s and it evoked a lot of memories for him.

He also corrects me on my claim that there are no decent pubs on the lower reaches of the Medway.

"You missed out by not going to the Old House at Home at Queenborough,"he tells me. "Wonderful food and atmosphere."

Thanks David, I'll remember that for the next trip.

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KEITH Bristow was out walking along the towpath at Walton with his grandson, eight-year-old James Knight, last Saturday when the youngster spotted a large crab sitting on top of a log at the edge of the Thames.

"It was about 6ins across the shell,"said Keith of Russell Road, "and it wasn't moving, so we both assumed it was dead. It had big claws and was a muddy green colour."

Keith then saw the picture of a mitten crab in last week's column and believes that was what young James had spotted.

I have also heard from a Sunbury lady who said she had seen one on the towpath close to Sunbury lock, so it seems mitten crabs are still pushing upstream.

Any advance on Sunbury or Walton? [2748][274a][274b]

If you have a river-related story, please email me at mortsmith@trinitysouth.co.uk.