Cathy Pamperin
The author and his wife undertook a 75-mile rowing trip on the River Thames in EALA, a 25′ traditionally crafted Thames skiff built by Tom Balm. Though the trek took them through terrain that wouldn’t have seemed out of place in the author’s native Wisconsin, dozens of arched bridges built of brick and stone lent a distinctly English charm to the surroundings.
When I contacted Tom Balm of Thames Skiff Hire to ask about renting a traditional camping skiff for a weeklong trip on the River Thames in England, he said I was in luck: although his fleet was often fully booked during the summer, there was a boat available in late July, after the finish of Swan Upping. I had no idea what Swan Upping was, but I immediately reserved a skiff for six days and started thinking about how I might convince my wife, Cathy, to join me. Her opinion of small boats aligns closely with that of playwright James Albery, whose 1876 Cassell’s Family Magazine article “Camping Out on the Thames” carries a warning for prospective boat campers.