DW 7

I was up pretty early (4:30) filling flasks & reorganising the car. Craig was a little while later (6:00) and the girls half way through the day (7:30). The incorrect finish meant no individual timed start for stage 2, but the starter very kindly let Craig go just before the first of the timed ones. The timekeepers assured us that they would continue to investigate the accuracy of the time to Newbury and were very patient considering that we kept popping up and asking if it was sorted out yet. They had over 90 time corrections to do for other crews for the tunnel alone.

Craig headed into Day 2 with a time of 6:16 still standing and a promise to try and work it out from the timers. During the day there were 2 phone calls from them, but both came while I was driving and finding time to ring them back between driving and running was not easy.

The parking at some of the locks was more scary than the driving or running. While half way over the bridge to Marsh Lock, Beth phoned to say that a police woman wanted the car moved. I ran back the quarter mile towards the car, but just before I got there met the police woman and gasping for breath asked if I had parked on the yellow lines, apologising. She asked which my car was and she confirmed that I was one of the few in the half mile melee who was not, but said it was obstructing traffic! Then she looked me up and down and completely changed, asking if there was an event on! I swallowed my urge to laugh, cry or yell hysterically and told her what it was and what I was hoping to do. And ... she said OK, leave it there. I could have kissed her, but realised that would probably get me arrested and ran off back to the lock. Craig's dad had rung me from foreign parts to enquire how he was doing and wish him luck, and I mentioned it to Craig as he was half way over the bridge on his run. This clearly cheered him up. I didn't mention my blossoming relationship with a WPC.

There were more misunderstandings between me & the SatNav during the day and it was lucky not to get thrown in the river. Yet again it was reassuring to have Beth as human navigator. Why I bother with the electronic one with her there I'm not sure. Shob was also there when needed, complete with banana chunks, go juice bottles & jam sandwiches. Craig was fortunate to have their support. I was even luckier or I would be sedated with stress right now.

Craig continued to make very good progress, close to the 20 hour schedule I'd come up with. We actually saw him at the last place on our list, but at a distance, as the traffic in Henley meant we were moving slower than he was and it was a long run to the lock.

At the finish, we had some time to spare, despite having to park a quarter of a mile from Longridge, between the 2 hairpin bends up the hill! We lugged his giant kit bag with us and still with time to spare went in search of the timekeepers who had posted notes for us to contact them. They needed evidence that Craig (No 217) had finished about when I thought. I told them all I could remember. Unfortunately the paddler mistaken for 217 (211) had given similar details. Then ... then ... Beth said that she had videoed the finish and thought that the crew before Craig was also on the video to back our claim! For the 2nd time it the day I was tempted to throw my arms round a woman and give her a kiss. (Stress gets me this way I suppose - or at least the relief does.) I handed my DVCam over and they took a copy from it. I didn't learn until later, that this resulted in a time correction for Craig of about 13 minutes. I think Craig owes Beth a hug too!

He finished the 2nd day in 6 hours 15 minutes and while he set up camp, I handed over to Jane & Ricky, emptying the car of about half the kit. That was it for us, we followed Craig's progress via the internet and texts & phone call to & from Jane. (See DW 8)