I like traditional boat engines, and I like modern boat engines...

But which one is better? There is only one way to find out...FIGHT!

We didn't intend getting as far as Rickmansworth. We had planned to moor a mile or so before, the moorings were scarce. Lots of people we had meet along the way had asked if we were headed for Rickmansworth but I thought it was just the usual boaters being polite. Then Deb said 'yeah, someone said something about a festival'.

We dropped through the first lock and were thoroughly gongoozled! A bridge obscured the view of the Sunday afternoon mayhem. The boats were virtually bank to bank and these were people who had reserved moorings. Jazz bands played, announcers informed, children nagged and parents ignored, for miles past the aquadrome and fields of festivities. The sun was out the sky was blue, what a very British afternoon. We moored and walked back along the towpath to join in the fun.

From the canal perspective it seemed to look just like the Braunston working boats festival, but it was being run by a couple of matters who just wanted a laugh.

Oh and the modern engine won, but as the skipper was the boss of the Wyverne hire fleet judging went in favour of the boat with an old lister thumper at its heart. Oddest bout of the day was to see an engineless butty with a crew of, well punters really, having borrowed everyone's boat poles they were pitting arm power against a steam boat. The judge conceded that this would be the one and only time anyone could get away with calling a narrowboat a long boat. Rather surprisingly the steam boat lost.

All in all Rickmansworth is a great canal side festival, one for future diaries.

Deb being Gongoozled

View coming out of the lock

Gongoozled turns Gongoozler

Running out of room

The butcher, the baker...

Purple trombone, in a trad jazz band...these youngsters

Is a seventy year old engine meant to do that?

Ahh pretty aint she!

Modern hire boat vs old coal boat

Steam power vs a butty full of punts

I wonder if the fish received prior notice of the frivolities 

Hmm a bit of cheating in the final as the underdog throws a line to another boat for help.