Watery tales of seeing the world with Diana afloat

Watery tales of seeing the world with Diana afloat

8 October 2014

“‘HOLY Gawd, thurs a wummun in a bawsket.’ These were the words that greeted me from a crowd of children, as I paddled gently along the River Lagan.

“Some months previously I had built a coracle — the traditional, small, bowl-shaped, river craft made from willow and covered with a waterproof material. We had launched it near Shaw’s Bridge, down a slippery bank and on to a shingle beach. I opened a bottle of Guinness — champagne being far too foreign for a coracle — soused the bow, christened my craft ‘Mynewt’ and drank the rest.

“Now for the launching and boarding. This was the bit I was most anxious about — getting into the unstable boat without capsizing. However, I achieved flotation safely, and paddled into the stream.

“It was very slow. Nonetheless, it was heavenly as I gently paddled along under huge trees, beside banks covered with the invasive, but pretty, pink and white Himalayan Balsam. At one point, the river does a big loop away from the canal and tow-path, and I only had the birds for company. Then, a crowd of chattering children appeared in the woods. Suddenly one saw me and exclaimed about the ‘woman in a basket’ I laughed and laughed.”

This is just one of Diana Gleadhill’s watery memories from her new book, ‘Waterborne’, taking the reader from sailing and swimming in the author’s familiar and much-loved Strangford Lough, to some of the most remote parts of the world.

Others include sailing with friends in a 45 foot yacht from Thailand to Gibraltar, taking a dug-out canoe up the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea, swimming in the river under Argentina’s dramatic Iguassu Falls and plunging into a thermal pool in Russia’s Far East.

Always, though, shining through the perils and adventures of some of these fascinating waterways, is the author’s sense of humour and joy at being waterborne.

Diana will be giving an illustrated talk about ‘Waterborne’ in Portaferry Sailing Club this Friday at 8pm. All are welcome.

The money raised by the sale of this book, will be donated to Ten Foundations, a charity based in Northern Ireland and dedicated to the Philippine Islands, most specifically to the people of Akland Island, so many of whom were left homeless after the disaster of Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013.