Punting the Cam

‘Taking a weekend off from pitching the businesses: it’s been a full week and sometimes it’s important to just slow things down a bit.  Cambridge has lots of traditions from earlier times that are made for that, and I always enjoy a push down the Backs.

Punts are flat-bottomed wooden boats that are pushed along the river with a 12-foot wooden pole.  They don’t move fast, and they are hell in a headwind, but once you get the hang of balancing on the stern, twisting the pole free of the mud, and dodging the tourists, it’s a relaxing afternoon.  I always enjoy pushing past the iconic colleges and among the flowers and trees that line the shores.

Some folks know exactly what they are doing on the river, but others don’t…

 

Usually you can tell when disaster is coming because people in the boats start to point and focus their cameras in anticipation of a collision or a dunking.

Occasional rain made the trip soggy in spots, but the sun was out towards the end.  Wrap things up with a slow cup of coffee and a long exploration of the bookshops, and life feels restored.