Monday, March 24, 2014

Rowing on a choppy Thames

I've a work deadline end of this week so little time for blogging except to post this picture.

5 comments:

Baydog said...

What's the position before the cox? Photographer?

Tillerman said...

Bailer

Chris Partridge said...

That is CITO, the Thames Waterman's Cutter owned by the Company of Information Technologists, a City livery company dating back to...ooh...pre-Internet at least...

JP said...

I was wondering if that position must be holder of the communal hip flask for when the wind picks up. However it is traditional in some rowing events have one space for a "passenger" so maybe that's what its for - part of the waterman tradition.

Chris, I saw them come out of Limehouse Basin then head off downriver.

Chris Partridge said...

TWCs were designed both to race and to recreate some of the atmosphere of the Livery Company barges of the 18th century. For racing they can be rowed by six oars. For occasions like The Lord Mayor's Show the sternmost pair of oars are removed and an awning rigged for VIP passengers. They also bolt on fancy carved bits like figureheads and fly a flag or two. The crew wears ye olde clobber on such occasions and the boats look dead posh.