I have just finished the Natural Navigator (review to come tomorrow) and it made me think about this picture.It's a boat I saw on the Thames recently, and there is time information in this picture, and time knowledge is crucial for navigation.
So why does this boat say that Spring is here?
6 comments:
Anything to do with the Boat Race coming up soon?
Looks like the bowman may be manning a TV camera.
Is there some sort of English tradition about dunking a BBC cameraman in the Thames every spring to appease the gods?
O'Docker is of course correct: it's the "oh great god of the Thames please may my shots of the Boat Race not be out of focus" ritual.
It has a colourful past: memorably Dickens was dunked twice by mistake when he was chronicler of the results, as both the Cambridge and Oxford teams wanted to have their own ceremony for maximum luck.
Fortunately the great writer was unharmed and in fact was inspired to begin Our Mutual Friend based upon his experiences.
Sign of spring? The water is warm enough for the helmsman not to wear a lifejacket ?
PS: this is my first reply here. I sail on the Thames sometimes and really appreciate your posts.
The id who replied earlier is me, by the way...
Hi id / Eau, thanks for the comments, might see you out on the Thames some time.
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