Punt Wars!

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away....

No, I tell a lie, it was in Cambridge earlier this month. This weekend was due to visit friends in Cambridge and go punting but alas was unable to make it. Luckily Griff Rhys Jones was punting his way down the backs (above) for the last of his TV programs about Rivers.

But maybe it's just as well didn't visit Cambridge this time, as it turns out the idylic looking drift through the centre of that city is less plain song and more like The Sopranos.

The competition between punt operators has reached epic levels, with fights between touts, knives used, hips broken, punts cut loose and now even cut in two lengthwise by an electric saw!

The problem is that the river ain't big enough for all of them, what economists call "the tragedy of the commons".

Basically that theory says that if something is of value and free everyone will try and get some and the net result is over exploitation and no one gets anything. There is a lot of money to be made selling punt trips down the Cam, but its turning it into a traffic jam.

There is a documentary film being made of this story, and the trailer ends with lots of talk of regulation required - but what form should it take?

Clearly numbers of punts on the Cam must be limited, but how are the lucky ones with permits going to get them - should it be beauty contests, first come first serve or a yearly auction?

Well I know what the economists would say - auction the rights and then the council gets a bit of lovely money and the punting rights go to the organisation that can utilise the resource the most efficiently.

Already those with auction theory experience will possibly be muttering about simultaneous multi round ascending auctions or combinatory clock auctions with second stage assignment of landing rights and maximum holdings to ensure competition - no doubt earning their company huge consultancy fees.

But lets not stop there - consider the needs of a business to plan ahead. A single year's licence isn't that useful, as there's be a risk that the price of a punt slot would increase the following year to a level not covered by the business plan. And what happens if a company goes bust.

Yes thats right - what we'll have to do is create a market to trade punt rights, and to protect against future price rises a futures market.

So there you go, the solution to the Cam wars: punt futures.

You read it here first!

Navionics Charts V3.0

Oh, the excitment, its another full point release of the Navionics iPhone Mediterranian charts going up to V3. And that is a number full of geeky significance, as it is usually the third release that finally an application hits its stride.

But, oh no! What is this? Are there the waypoint editors? Is there SOG or VMG?

Alas no, none of those features can be found: all can see that is new is the little padlock on the bottom left of the screen that can be used to lock the screen, so it updates but has battery friendly lower screen brightness.

I am underwelmed, and really must post my ideas on to add lots of lovely new features while at the same time cleaning up a user interface.

Another time...

Would you want one?

Today this mini hovercraft was zooming up and down the Thames.

It looked rather cool as it was at home on the mud flats as well as the water, was seriously moving and a neat two person craft.

At first there was this Top Gear more speed! "I want one" moment, but on second thoughts it was a "no thanks" as its just too noisy.

One of the joys of paddling or sailing is the peace, to be gliding across mirror like water, and you don't get that with a craft that roars so loud that head phones are required.

Two Group Writing Projects

I've been wondering if its time to set one of those oh-so-fun blog group writing projects.

But how? I checked Blogger and WordPress online help, and there was nothing. So in the immortal words of a certain shoe making company, I guess the secret is to just do it.

And in this case not just once, but twice!

1) Celebrate World Rivers Day

This is one for your diaries: on 27th September it is World Rivers Day, so prepare for then a post about a river. It can be any river, from the little Piddle to the mighty Mississippi, the choice is yours. Just say why you've selected it, what it means to you, and why it should be celebrated.

2) The YourBlog Experience!

And this is one for now. It goes back to the debate previously about how the internet in general and bloggers specifically are harming the poor old newspaper industry. All that free news online means fewer and fewer are paying for good old ink and paper.

I'm pretty convinced the answer must be an open standard of micropayments that allows all news (and other) sites to charge a few cents or pennies per page.

But in this article in the Guardian newspaper they suggest another - create the Newspaper Experience.

The idea comes from the music industry, where income from music sales is threatened by illegal pirate downloads (boo! hiss! etc) and the one source of income that seems unthreatened is the live performance. As more and more is digitised and virtualised the real becomes more and more attractive.

And why stop at music, why not create the newspaper experience? The Guardian reader can hug a tree, the FT reader can attend Make Me A Millionaire! seminars, and the current bun can host wet t-shirt competitions. The key point is that the brand means they can charge for these experiences, which connect to what the paper stands for.

So, finally, the writing project. Imagine you had to create the ultimate YourBlog Experience! that captures the essence of what your blog is about and which your audience might possibly be convinced to pay to do.

Alas the last bit is the inner businessman in me coming out. Think of it as a Dragon Den's pitch, but without the awkward questions.

Write it up and post a comment here when done.

Paddling again

It's been a bad summer for getting out on the water. If it hasn't been broken toes or sea urchin spines its been work committments or horrid weather.

But yesterday was a good day, with two working feet, and was able to get out the office just in time to yell out "don't lock up yet!" as biked at full speed to our store of kayaks.

It was a lovely evening, sun twinkling on the water which was noticably warmer than it was last time was out - way back in spring.

But already the evenings are getting darker and the way back was seriously thinking about putting those head lights on. And the bike ride back the lights were vital and dodging in between the trees were a pair of bats.

Autumn is coming.

Power to the Paddlers - part 2

After the previous post "Power to the Paddlers!!" Bonnie asked the very good question what does the British Canoe Union have to say about the issue of gaining access to rivers in England that are currently inaccessible as privately owned?

The answer is that of course they feel very strongly about it and are part of the River Acccess campaign, which have their web site here.

At this point Scottish paddlers feel smug as the law there permits kayakers and canoeists access to all navigatable rivers. And it is interesting to note that the River Access campaign is formally funded by Canoe England, one of the constituent bodies of the BCU.

We seem to get back to the strange fact that the United Kingdom is not always as united as some might like. It reminds me of the strange tale of how the UK's football team at the next Olympics - held of course in London - will be an English team without representation from the other constituent "nations".

The 2012 games are however one reason I will accept for denying access to our waterways. Apparently parts of the River Lea, which feeds into the Thames in docklands opposite the Dome, go through the Olympic site, and so for security reason are closed to all traffic from now until 3 years hence.

Except of course Gryff Rhys Jones who with the power of the BBC behind him got a guided tour (above), though he wasn't allowed to take his canoe or even his faithful friendly dog, Cadbury.

Another thing I learnt at the River Access site was that September 27th is World Rivers Day!

Put it in your blog post diary now.

I want one.....

ps: note to Yachting World - the video is from Lake Geneva not Valencia! There is a clue in the intro titles.

Power to the Paddlers!!

While the TV program "Rivers" (as in yesterdays post) is itself a mild drift down Britain's pleasant rivers, it hasn't stopped its presenter Griff Rhys Jones from getting angry again. And you know I think he does have a point.

For while in Scotland there are rights that allow canoers and kayakers to use rivers as long as they are navigatable, in England the vast majority of rivers are privately owned and hence out of bounds.

Indeed the statistic he quotes is that 97% of rivers over 3m wide are closed off so that navigation is not permitted, and that does seem pretty outrageous.

The argument that land owners apparently give is that canoeists and kayakers disturb the fish - and given that a short stretch of river bank can earn a million pounds from eager salmon fishermen that can result in quite a loss.

However the one part of Britain that is famous for its salmon is Scotland, where of course paddling is not restricted.

The angry sailor canoeist (below, with his faithful dog Cadbury) at this point started a bit of a rumpus by calling on canoeists to "disturb as many fishermen as possible".

That does seem a bit undiplomatic to say the least, but his heart is in the right place.

There are wide ranging rights for walkers (hikers) to roam across the countryside and those rights should be extended to paddlers.

Angry Sailor goes Down River with a Paddle

It's Sunday evening here, and for once the weather gods have smiled on London.

The afternoon has been warm and sunny, and Londoners everywhere have been out in the fresh air, kayaking, sailing, walking and biking along the river Thames.

And before the angst of Monday morning we have the Sunday evening, when the TV schedules traditionally give us something undemanding yet well shot to close the weekend.

Recently the Beeb has filled this slot with Rivers with Griff Rys Jones, in which he travels down some of Britain's great rivers by various forms of transport.

Previously Rys Jones has been on the screen sailing, and on at least one occaision getting pretty angy when his classic yacht comes 2nd (which in this case meant last) in a race around the cans off Cowes.

This time its a lot more mellow, with Griff kayaking, canoeing, sailing, and even swimming his way down the likes of the Tay, Derwent, Wye, and Severn, all shot with the most beautiful photography that licence payers money can buy.

The picture below was from two weeks ago and shows him sailing the classic yacht that won gold in the 1920 Olympics.

In all episodes apart from this one Gryff was accompanied by his labrador Cadbury (after the dog's milk chocolate colouring). Which was a shame, as the animal shamelessly stole most scenes - but why the exclusion?

Apparently there was a dispute with the BBC about whether dog food could be billed. Fortunately the conflict has been resolved and Man and Dog will be paddling down the Lee and Thames tonight.

Two days in Ankara

I rather liked Ankara - or at least the little of it I saw.

It was a very last minute type of journey. My client was unable to get UK visas from our Foreign Office and so we offered to come to him, as Brits can get into Turkey by simply paying £10.

I was hoping to see more of the country but unfortunately the flight from Expedia turned out to be one of those no changes what so ever under any circumstances, tough, that's how it is, sort of tickets.

So moon-like Cappodocia will have to wait.

However my client did take me to a fantastically good sea food restaurant called Trilye, where palettes were cleansed between starter and main by lemon sorbet, produced at the table with a steaming bowel of liquid nitrogen, and we ended with a lemon tree brought to the table to waft its pungent scent over us.

The owner came over to say hello and when he heard I was a Brit he got one of the waiters to bring out a photo of him and someone I recognised - our Foreign Secretary David Miliband. Someone should have taken the opportunity to take him to task about our visa policy!

The professionalism and high quality of the restaurant was a good example of how Turkey has shown how a modern, secular, market based, democratic and Islamic country can work and thrive.

Watch this...

I'm off travelling so until back blogging as per normal suggest have a watch of the Fastnet race on the excellent web site instead.

At Lands End

I am very much enjoying following the Fastnet on the web. If you haven't played around with the fab-tastic fleet tracker go on over and check it out by clicking here.

Partly its thrill the overwelming flood of little boat symbols as they pop out of the Solent like a cork. Then of course they ground to a halt, most just before Portland Bill, as the wind died last night.

The tracker means you can try to fathom the various tactics used. For example in the IRC 1 class one of the leading boats is Philippe Falle's Puma Logic, who was one of our class rivals when I did it and who gave tactics talk at a local sailing club. He went offshore after Portland and then back in for Start Head. Aha! thinks I, there was a plan there. But then the boats either side went right close in by Portland so its not a clear picture. Some seem to have gone all over the place - Quokka VII headed 90 degrees to the rhumb line for half the night.

But now they are getting on their way again and the big crush is about to get to Land's End which is where the picture above was taken. Actually its just before looking along the coast by Penzance, and in the distance you can see St. Michael's Mount emerging from the mist.

Tillerman and the rug salesman

Last week Tillerman posted the picture above of two Star sailors for a caption competition. Oh yes, thinks I, what would really work would be bla bla bla.

Fortunately before hitting the "Publish" button realised that no one would get why that caption made sense apart from me and (maybe) one other.

It was the result of one of those random chances. Waking up one Sunday morning with the usual pre coffee more asleep than awake brain, without thinking I grabbed the first t-shirt that came to hand.

What was important and worth thinking about over that first and most important latte was how I was to get to a rug shop by bike. This years big flat purchase is a rug for my living room and as they cost about the same as a decent dinghy it's worth spending some time looking for the right one.

This particular rug shop is in a very posh part of west London and while doable by bike meant a smart bit of navigation around the black hole known as Earls Court. However I made it and was soon helping the young salesman to go through a pile of 3 metre by 2 metre rugs.

All of a sudden he asked "So which Fastnet did you do then?"

For a moment I was amazed - they talk about knowing your customer but this was ridiculous! However then I noticed that the random t-shirt picked out that morning was indeed my Fastnet t-shirt, which sort of gave the game away.

We got chatting and it turned out my rug salesman was a bit more than your average weekend sailor, and had done not just a Fastnet but several. Indeed he had done a season or two of the Star sailing circuit, and when I got home I Googled his name, and yup there he was (and no, he wasn't one of those in the photo).

So when I saw Tillerman's picture my suggestion for a caption was going to have been: "Would you buy a new rug from this sailor?"

Hopefully you now know why it (sort of) would have made sense.

But also why that particular comment was never posted.

The 2009 Fastnet

Tomorrow is the start of the 2009 Fastnet race, and I'm going to sit this one out.

Not by choice - there was a very tempting last minute offer but my next week is already looking very busy. But if I could, I would be out there.

This surprised a friend of mine, who had just seen the video below and associated blog on Channel 4 News about the horrific events of 30 years ago when a storm blew through the fleet leading to many deaths.

If you want to know more then recommend reading the excellent Fastnet Force 10.

One thing I am looking forward to is following the fleet on the great RORC site. Last Fastnet it was fantastic to see where all the boats were - even though most of them were in port, sheltering from yet another blast of bad weather.

But the last couple of months been suffering a weird web anxiety. After I've checked the usual news sites and blogs there's this feeling that something is missing. Have I forgotten to check the status of the Volvo or Vende Globe fleet maybe?

Then I remember that both have finished, and with a sigh its been back to work. May next week I'll find a few gaps between meetings to see where the boats I recognise have got to.

Wrecked on the Isles of Scilly

The picture above is the figure head of an old sailing ship. I don't know much about her except one thing - while she survives her ship was lost.

For this figure head and many others can be found in a corner of the Tresco Abbey Gardens called Valhalla after the old Norse mythical hall for slain warriors. In it are mementos of some of the many, many boats that have foundered off the Isles of Scilly.

Some of the wrecks that were lost in these treacherous waters can be found in this Wikipedia article. While there will have others that have been forgotten in years gone by, the list includes some wrecks of historical note.

One such was the loss of Admiral Sir Clowdisley Shovell's fleet on the 22nd October, 1707. As graphically re-told in Dava Sobel's Longitude, the Admiral had been warned of the danger by an unnamed seaman. Unfortunately for all Admiral Shovell rather than taking the man's advice had him hung for mutiny on the spot.

Sir Clowdisley nearly made it to safety, being one of just two washed ashore. But it really wasn't to be his day, as he was found and drowned by a local woman who took a fancy to his emerald ring.

From this disaster the Board of Longitude was formed, to solve once and for the tricky question of calculating the other coordinate in addition to Latitude that is required to fix the position of a boat.

With so many wrecks there are many possible stories to tell, but in this post will give just one more, the loss of the greatest ever pure sailing ship.

The Thomas W Lawson was a seven masted steel hulled schooner built in 1902 and was powered purely by the wind, having no auxiliary engine. While there were other sailing ships that were larger, they all had an engine.

Alas the Thomas W Lawson only sailed the seas for five years as it was wrecked on the Isles of Scilly in 1907. Amongst the relics in Valhalla on the island of Tresco is this, one of its lifebelts. The seas were so rough and rocks so perilous that even some of the sailors with them drowned.

We forget the dangers of the sea at our peril.

Wildlife in the Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly are a good place to go for wild-life.

Its been designated an area of outstanding natural beauty, home to seals and lots of birds including puffins.

Coming back from sailing the wayfarer the instructors at the sailing school (Australian of course, said "guys" a lot) asked if we had seen the seal?

Alas the answer was no.

In the evening as we discussed the events of our days my eldest niece was thrilled to report that she too had seen a seal.

Alas again, must have been looking in the wrong direction.

From this point on of course kept a good look out but was not to be rewarded by anything more exciting than one of the huge and hungry sea gulls (above).

Maybe it was the wrong time of year as October is meant to be peak for twitchers or maybe should have gone to another of the many islands.

No, I'm wrong, did see something else! A rabbit!

.... ok, maybe that isn't exactly ground breaking. Next time maybe.

Sailing in the Scillies

While over in the Scilly Isles we hired a Wayfarer for a day, and it was a lovely place to sail.

On the more sheltered north-east side of the islands you are protected from the Atlantic swell that can be seen breaking on the reefs further out. And on the Saturday the weather was just right - a gentle 15 knots of wind under blue skies turning the sea a translucent turquoise.

In the picture above you can see the "we're on holiday we'll de-rig the boat later" approach we took around lunch time. In fact there was a half a plan to sail again in the afternoon but was put off having soaked one set of clothes diving for a missing shackle and the key crewing nephew had other plans.

But in the morning we had a lot of fun!

Stuck on the Isles of Scilly

I've just got back from a long weekend in the Scilly Isles that ended up being a bit longer than expected.

It was a family get together on Tresco, one of the main islands in the archipelago, and we were due to fly back Monday lunch time. Alas conditions at the destination airport of Land's End were far from ideal, in fact best described as a thick pea-souper (see above)

So after many hours waiting in a very crowded and rather small airport on St Mary's we were sent back down to the harbour to get the ferry to Penzance.

Alas it got us there about an hour and a half after the last train to London, so my return home was delayed until today. However a lucky few were packed onto the helicopter that also goes to Penzance - but getting there a lot quicker.

It's a shame was unable to add my first trip on a 'copter to the long list of forms of transport for what was otherwise a rather good weekend!

Many ways to travel

Only a short post and might be a gap before the next one as off on a long weekend.

So far have travelled by walking, tube, train, car, plane, bus, ferry boat, tractor and am hoping to add bike and dinghy!

However even after all that travel haven't escaped the rain.

Oh the joys of a British summer!

Update - yup, now list is: walking, tube, train, car, plane, bus, ferry boat, tractor, dinghy (Wayfarer) and bike.

Scenes through a Sunsail Window

The comment from Navionics about suggestions and ideas for updates to their iPhone charting application has got all sorts of mental cogs wizzing away, with sketches of screens, interactions, fields, parameters, etc etc to make it just what any offshore sailor would want, but alas these are still at the moment scribbles in a day book.

So today will just post these three pictures, which I'm calling Scenes through a Sunsail Window.

Basically while on holiday in Greece I'd look out of the little window each morning, and sometimes like the picture above we'd be moored all by ourselves and so just see the sea.

Other times we'd be moored stern too with other boats so could see them:

While at Skopelos was woken at dawn by this great big ferrry!

Seeing a Man about Not Sailing

I have been getting these emails, tempting me.

No, not those sorts of emails. They come from one of the clubs I'm a member of announcing opportunities to sail, journeys coming up, races entered etc.

And today there was this one announcing there is a last minute drop-out by someone who was to do the Fastnet this year and hence there is a crew place available. And there was another email about the Mid Sea race later on, in October.

They would both be fab!

Alas by a sad misfortune for both weeks I have work commitments that can not be re-arranged (visitors from outside the EU, visas, letters to embassies etc).

But this evening felt had to go drop to say hello and sorry wish could go off racing and maybe next time.....

On the way back spotted the Bateaux London trying to could squeeze itself under Hammersmith Bridge. It inched its way upstream, but it was just that bit too high, so it was back up river for it and its dining passengers.

Navionics Charts V2.2.1

There's been another update to the Navionics charting software from V2.1 to V2.2. Just as had got round to updating my iPhone there was another to V2.2.1

Traditionally versions of the form a.b.1 are a bug fix of the a.b release, so hopefully only need to do a single post.

So whats new.....er... ah.... I'll find it in a moment .... yes - there it is!!

There is a new button to upload routes to Facebook: hmm... that would be very useful if I ever needed to upload a route to Facebook. But I don't so to be honest thats not such a big deal.

Not entirely sure where Navionics are going with their updates. I mean there's so much that should be done with waypoints and working out COG etc for sailors and racers, but it seems like they have someone else in mind.

Someone who has a motor yacht, potters around the Med, spot of fishing, likes to brag about their exploits to their mates, posting pics and routes on Facebook and probably is impressed rather than put off by the latest scandal from Italian PM Berlusconi.

I guess the rest of us will have to keep waiting......

Book Review: Captain Peg-Leg's War

When I picked up Peg-Leg at a local second hand book stall I was worried it would be another "Treasure Trove of the Southern Seas". After all both were from the inter-war period, in the last days of British Empire when the worst form of jingoistic prejudices were on display.

And it ruined Treasure Trove which, as reviewed here, was found to be ridden with blatant, transparent, race and class prejudice. Peg-Leg might be free of such flaws - but would that make it any good?

The book tells the story of Captain Peg-Leg of the British Merchant Marine and his attempts to bring much needed food and supplies to the desperate people of Savonia. This imaginary country is suffering a civil war in which out side powers are attempting to over turn the elected government - a thinly disguised Spain of the late 1930s. His adventures are hampered by various gangsters and ruthless foreign agents while supported by a cast of youngish men.

It was written by James Lennox Kerr under the pseudo name Peter Dawlish and a nice biography of him can be found here. He came from a working class background, a butcher's boy who ran away to sea aged 15 pretending to be 18. His voyages were interrupted by times ashore, where he lived as a tramp (in Australia) and hobo (in the US).

And there are passages of rough and tumble that reflect this more gritty background. The fights are particularly well written - so realistic that it seems likely the author was drawing on personal experience. The scenes in London's old docklands (as in the picture above) seem similarly based on reality, even if spun a bit for excitement. There is a mix of classes and no inevitability of one being better than the other, unlike alas Treasure Trove.

The bio by Dr Bigger referenced earlier describes him as between Arthur Ransome and Malcolm Saville, and concludes that it is a shame that his works are now forgotten.

I'm not so sure, as there are aspects of the book that wouldn't work on a modern audience. It is not the plot, as the story of a boat bringing much needed supplies to deprived and suffering civilians is as relevant today as it was in the time Peg-Leg was written. You could easily re-write the story to be in 2009 onboard the ship the "Spirit of Humanity" as it attempted to break the blockade of Gaza, and whose capture could be called an act of piracy (see the video here).

But the characters in the book just don't work. There is the upper class son of a judge who goes into action singing chorus tunes out loud. Peg-Leg is so irascible and plain rude that its hard to see that anyone would ship with him. And none of them have any back-story or what any creative writing course would recognise as depth.

So not a bad book, but then again not an undiscovered treasure. While I hope there were those that were cheered by its simple tale in the dark days of the war, it is not one I will be giving to my nephews and nieces.

There was one character however did spark some recognition. There was the engineer, who was a Scot, and had lines like: "They engines were made on the Clyde or they couldna hae stood what they did".

Now who does that remind you of?

Left on the Shelf: Fifty Places to Sail before you Die

I picked up this book in a local shop and then put it back on the shelves, not tempted to buy it.

The main thing that put me off is that it had several entries for the UK, including sailing locations as disparate as The Solent and South Georgia, and a separate one for Scotland, namely The Clyde.

Sorry, that is just plain ignorance, and inexcusable in a book that should be written by someone reasonably good at geography. The lack of charts of each of the places also put me off.

Having checked on Amazon here in the UK seems like I'm not the only one. One reviewer, who gave it only one star, said:

"Bought this on impulse (to top up to free postage!) without reading reviews. A mistake.

All you need to know is:

1) The author's previous books were Fifty Places to .... Play Golf / Go Birding / Fly Fish etc .... before you die

2) The USA based research is so exhaustive that the British Virgin Islands and South Georgia Islands are listed under UK, but Scotland is not (meanwhile each USA state is treated as a nation)

3) Different rent a contributer provides each section - so the author probably never even visited the locations

4) Pictures are few and mostly could be anywhere"

There are a lot of good sailing books out there, like the "Over the Edge of the World" reviewed yesterday, and my pile of unread books is too high already.

Might have been a lucky escape.

Book Review: Over the Edge of The World

This is a great read.

"Over the Edge of the World" by Laurence Bergreen tells the story of the first circumnavigation of the world by a fleet led by Ferdinand Magellan. In the end he was not one of those circumnavigators, being cut down and killed in an inglorious battle in the Philippines.

It is a fantastic story, starting with a devious power battles in the Spanish Court and leading on to storms at sea, mutiny, strange foreign lands, discoveries, desertion, hardships, orgies, death, and finally triumph.

The first chapter tells of this triumph as the handful of survivors, as thin as skeletons, drifted along in a boat whose hull had rotted and sails were torn and bleached by the sun. Just 18 of the original 260 men that left in a fleet of five boats made it home in that, the Victoria. Its hull was packed with a fortune of spices - the driving motivation behind the expedition.

We know a lot about the voyage from first hand accounts by those that sailed with Magellan, most importantly Antonio Pigafetta.

Pigafetta was 28 when he left Spain, and his writing has a young man's enthusiasms in it, including graphic and detailed descriptions of anything relating to sexual customs of the cultures he encountered or practices of the crew upon encountering uninhibited women on tropical islands.

The voyage was quite an achievement given the relative small sizes of the boats and how little they knew, such as the causes of scurvy that caused the death of many of the sailors (though not the officers who had a supply of quince).

You can imagine the amazement and wonder of these Europeans so far from home, meeting peoples and cultures so different from their own. Funnily enough it made me think of Star Trek - "to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before!"

There were also parallels to modern day problems, in that Magellan kept on getting involved in local politics, taking sides, stirring things up, and then having to fight wars such as the one that led to his death.

Well written and structured it is a good holiday read and informative on this, the first circumnavigation and one of the greatest of all voyages of discovery.

Cloud Collecting

A few weeks back I posted on Asparagus clouds and wondered how and why one would start a "Cloud Collection"?

Well that question was answered by this rather nice little interactive description of some of cloud collector Gavin Prector-Pinney's favourite clouds.

I was pretty impressed by his arguments that cloud watching is very democratic, as everyone has an equal seat, and also very personal, as cloud formations never exactly repeat.

So here are some of mine:

Celebrate Ocean Day by Protecting Bluefin Tuna

Today is one of Japan's national holidays: it is Marine or Ocean Day, which is meant to be a day of gratitude for the blessings of the ocean.

And yet it is Japan's love of one of the seas greatest blessing, the bluefin tuna, that has the potential to lead to a catestropic collapse of their numbers, potentially even to extinction. The World Wildlife Fund for Nature estimates that unless fishing is halted, breeding stock of the bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean will be wiped out by 2012.

In London, the Fisheries Minister has joined British activists, writers, actors and artists in calling on the Japanese fish restaurant chain Nobu to stop serving endangered bluefin tuna. He joins celebraties like Sienna Miller, Charlize Theron and Sting who are saying they will boycott the chain until it removes bluefin from its menus.

So come on Japan: make this Ocean Day special by joining the UK and France in listing bluefin tuna as an endangered species and so making it illegal to sell.

Escaping London, in London

After yesterday's list of points of interest along the Thames walk from Westminster to Tower Bridge, time for a change. As promised its time for the "I don't want to be a tourist, tell me about something different" post.

As with the last post this was a real question asked by a friend coming through London who had headaches from spending too long looking at laptop screens in meeting rooms and sore feet from treading along the absurdly long walk suggested by ... er ... someone, and wandering around museums and art galleries: "What I want is some exercise and fresh air - any suggestions?"

Yes! - and here it is:

Take the tube to Putney Bridge - its on the District line (thats the green one) but make sure you take the right line as after Earl's Court they head in all directions: you might have to change there.

At Putney Bridge tube walk over the bridge (no prizes for guessing its name) until you get to Putney Cycles marked with an "A" in the map above. Here you can hire a bike costing £5 per hour or £ 30 per day, and that includes helmet and lock (though check the lock as the one we were given was jammed locked).

You will need photo ID and they lend out bikes on a first come first serve basis, so worth being a bit prompt.

Then you are free to explore the wonderful Thames Path, 294 km from source to sea, and heading upriver from Putney it is almost entirely car free, apart alas from the first 100m.

Once on Putney Embankment the bike route is very simple: keep the river on your right and don't fall in! (this is not a joke: at high tide there are places where the Thames Path is deep under water). At the moment Barnes Bridge is under repair so you will have to go on the road for a 100 m or so.

The simplest route is just to head out and return along the same route, but there are lots of options as to how far to go and when to stop, including:

- The Duke's Head, Putney: this is too soon! You haven't got started! Leave it till later after you have returned the bikes!

- The Wetland Centre: this is also a bit soon as its just after Putney before you've got to Hammersmith Bridge. But it is an amazing place for wildlife, in particular migrating birds

- One of the many farmer's markets along the way. Just up river from Putney is Barnes which has a market on Saturday. On Sunday you'd have to cross the river at Hammersmith Bridge to get to Chiswick. Details of various markets available here.

- Have a picnic! Having stocked up with lovely food and drink at the farmer's market then of course you'll want to lighten the load by actually eating it. There's lots of nice places to rest your bike and lie out on the green grass or even sit on one of the benches

- No farmer's market? You then have a great excuse to stop at a pub on the way - and there should be plenty of choice in the villages of south west London such as Barnes, Mortlake, Kew, and Richmond

- Explore Kew Gardens - superb, wonderful gardens, though you'd have to pay to get in and it would mean more walking. Nice place for bread and soup or cake and tea.

- Stop at Richmond - nice restaurants and places to hire rowing boats.

.... you want to go further? Wow, impressed!

But remember that bike has to be back in Putney, and as noted earlier, there's a good pub by the river where you can drink your pint and think about your day while watching the river flow by.

Hopefully you'll enjoy your day out of London, without ever leaving this great city!

Updated: An alternative source of bikes in Putney are the newly expanded Boris Bikes (technically the Barclay bikes) which are now available near Putney Bridge and Putney Railway station. Check the web site for the latest location.

The Ultimate London Walk by the Thames

I have business colleagues that come to London and ask for advice about what to see. Typically they only have a short time, maybe in the evening after the meeting, and want to get a feel for the city. And the suggestion is always the same - walk by the Thames from Westminster to Tower Bridge.

This route goes along side the River Thames and on the way you can see a large chunk of central London's sights in one go. It's mostly pedestrianised (apart from some of the bridges) and there are tube stations at either end.

So here is the route in detail, and 50 top things to see on the way, including monuments, buildings, art centres, shops, eating places, and great views. The walk is about 5 km long, though with diversions that probably creeps up to 6 km. If there's isn't enough time then a shorter route is from Embankment to London Bridge, which is about 3 km straight, 4 km with diversions. You can of course do it the other way round!

Westminster Tube

Coming out here you'll be surrounded by crowds of tourists and with good reason, as this is one of the hearts of not just London but Britain. Stand in the centre of Parliament Square and look around and you'll see:

1. Westminster Abbey: Every sovereign but two (both Edwards) has been crowned here since William the Conqueror in 1066. It is also choc-a-block with burials and memorials of Britain's great and good from Dickens to Darwin (full list here). Rather annoyingly you have to pay to get in - there should be a discount at least for Londoners!

2. Houses of Parliament: this comprises the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and technically is called the Palace of Westminster, but that term isn't used much. Most of what you see is the gothic work of Sir Charles Parry in the early days of Queen Victoria, after a fire destroyed much of the old building, though parts like the Westminster Hall survived. You can queue up to go to the Visitors Gallery, though if its anything interesting being debated (e.g. the Iraq War) the queue will be very long!

3. Big Ben: this is the name of the bell not the tower, though in practice (again) everyone calls it Big Ben not "The Clock Tower". The clock and tower are one of the icons of London, but the lovely chimes well worth listening out for too.

4. Statue of Churchill: there are lots of statues all over London and in Parliament Square there is one of the most famous: Sir Winston Churchill.

5. Protests: there's almost always a protest outside Parliament so it's worth catching a flavour of the political issues here

Ok, that's enough gauping, time to move on. Next head south till you get to:

Westminster Bridge

Almost all of London's bridges have fine views and this is no exception. As well as all the Westminster stuff look out for:

6. Statue of Boudica: Queen of the ancient Britons, you won't be able to miss her riding on a chariot at the north end of the Bridge

7. Westminster Pier: a good place to get river boats to other destinations, including upriver to Kew or downriver to Greenwich.

On the other side of the bridge you start the south bank part of this walk.

London Eye and Around

8. County Hall: this isn't the most glamorous of buildings but once was the home of the Greater London Council. In the '80s it was a hot bed of socialism led by newt enthusiast Ken Livingston, who got under the skin of Margaret Thatcher on the other side of the river in Westminster. Maggie was so incensed she disbanded the GLC, and London went without a governing body for 14 years until a new one was created, this time further down river by Tower Bridge so not to be too close to Parliament. However Ken Livingston had the last laugh by becoming the first Mayor of London.

9. London Aquarium: this is in the old County Hall and has around 400 varieties of fish. I've never been and those that have been come back saying "its ok....", so probably one of those things to save for a rainy day.

10. Dali Exhibition: this too is in the old County Hall (there's also a hotel there). I've never been and don't know anyone who has, so maybe its another rainy day project unless you're a Dali fan. There are apparently 500 exhibits so should be enough for a really surreal experience.

10. Updated: alas Dali has gone to Venice and not been replaced so instead I'll mention the Barclay's bike scheme aka Boris bikes which are a great way to get around London. Registering to get an access key makes it even better.

11. The London Eye: This is the biggest Ferris wheel in Europe and is just brilliant. Even Londoner's do this - and more than once. There are great views both during the day and at night, though rain does make it less interesting. Don't worry if you don't like heights as the movement is very slow (it takes half an hour to go round) so the pods feel very stable almost like standing in a building. However the queue can be very long, so it's a good idea to book in advance and not for (say) 3 pm in summer when it will be packed.

Ok, time to move on to the next section:

Embankment and Around

This is an alternative starting point from Embankment tube station. The north and south banks of the Thames are connected here by a railway bridge and on either side of that (i.e. upriver and downriver) by pedestrian bridges, called the:

12. Golden Jubilee Bridges: These have great views upriver to the Wheel and Westminster and downriver to St Paul's. So you can cross firstly on the west side and then again on the east side.

13. Ocean Leisure: on the north side underneath the railway arches is a shop for all things water related, from sailing to scuba diving. Bit pricy but if you really want that glossy book about the Volvo Ocean Race, this is the place in London to go.

14. Snack bars: you're going to need sustenance for this walk, and this is the first place to stop. Just outside Embankment tube in Villiers Street which heads up to The Strand. Here you can find lots of places where you can get sandwiches: my favourite is Wasabi which does interesting sushi like smoked eel (of course you can't do tuna anymore).

15. Embankment Gardens: if you want somewhere to sit and eat your snack, next to Villiers Street / Embankment tube is this little garden. As well as being a nice quiet green spot, it is useful to mark how much wider the Thames used to be before the Thames Embankment was built, constraining the river into a much narrower space.

16. Cleopatra's Needle: time to walk south again across the other side of the Golden Jubilee Bridge. As you do you'll get a good view of Cleopatra's Needle. It is very unlikely to have had anything to do with Cleopatra but was a gift from Egypt after Nelson's victory at the Battle of the Nile. It's had a perilous history as it almost sank on its way to London and during the First World War one of it's associated sphinx suffered bomb damage - the shrapnel marks can still be seen.

On the southern side of the bridge you will find:

The South Bank Centre

The South Bank Centre was built after the Second World War using modernist principles out of concrete, which does eventually grow on one. It's a good place to get a dollop of culture what ever your tastes, and there are often buskers or organised free concerts. It comprises:

17. Royal Festival Hall: largest of the halls used for big orchestral works like symphonies etc but also has been used by Motorhead and Jarvis Crocker.

18. Queen Elizabeth Hall: middle sized hall which makes it very flexible so can have chamber or orchestral music there, plus of course many other things such as the last ever performance by the legendary Ivor Cutlor (which was sublime and surreal).

19. Purcell Room: the baby of the three, used for smaller performances including chamber music, poetry and jazz.

20. Hayward Gallery: a good place to go for modern art. They have had some notable exhibitions - my favourite was the magnificent Gormley show that spread out of the building into the roof tops all around - superb! At the top is a kinetic light sculpture.

21. Eating at the South Bank: lots of choice here from sandwiches to chains to upmarket restaurants. The best there is "Skylon" (used to be called The People's Palace) which can get crowded so its worth booking ahead. More of a special occasion place than quick snack.

Nearby the South Bank Centre

In the vicinity of the South Bank Centre you will find:

22. The London IMAX: you know the score, huge screen, immersion experience. Again can be good for wet days.

23. Second hand books: under Waterloo Bridge you'll find many stalls selling second hand books which is a great way to spend many happy minutes browsing away

24. The National Theatre: one of London's top theatre going destinations, where many, many award winning plays have been shown. Worth checking out what's currently available.

Across Waterloo Bridge

25. Waterloo Bridge itself is arguably the point to get the best view of London - its from where the picture above was taken. For some reason it is even better if you are in a black taxi cab crossing Waterloo Bridge.

26. Somerset House: On the other side of Waterloo Bridge is the lovely Somerset House where you will find the Courtauld Art Gallery. The central courtyard has a water fountain display in summer and ice rink in winter. The courtyard has also been used to stage concerts for the likes of Goldfrapp and C4 films use it as an open air cinema. On the river side there is also a very nice restaurant called The Admiralty in recognition of the previous usage of the building.

Beyond the South Bank

Continuing along the south bank of the Thames you there is a stretch of walk between the National Theatre and the Tate. Along this section you will find:

27. Gabriel's Wharf: this is a collection of restaurants and arts & crafts shops if you're into that sort of thing.

28. Sand art: by Gabriel's Wharf at low tide there is some sand which makes a nice beach area. This is sometimes used by artists to make very short term art - it will all be washed away as the tide comes in. In fact all along the South Bank walk you are likely to encounter random buskers and street artists.

29. Oxo Tower: run by Harvy Nicks, this is home to one of the best restaurants in London. To be honest there are those that are underwhelmed by the actual food but the stunningly lovely view always makes up for it. A place to pop the question or entertain your favourite friends and family. There are two parts - the "real" restaurant or the brasserie, which has the same kitchen and view but is a lot cheaper.

30. Blackfriars Bridge: stop for a moment by this bridge and remember the lurid tale of how in 1982 "God's Banker" Roberto Calvi was found dead, hanging underneath this bridge. While officially considered murder, no one has been found guilty though suspects include the Mafia, the Vatican, and the P2 Masonic Lodge.

With that thought its time to move on to:

The Tate Modern and Around:

31. The Tate Modern art gallery is brilliant. The re-developed power station sits at one end of the Millennium Bridge facing St. Paul's Cathedral. A lot of it can be seen for free including whatever is currently in the Turbine Hall plus the permanent galleries, though the exhibitions typically have a charge. There is a good restaurant at the top, though you can't book, just take pot luck. There are also snack bars, a comprehensive art shop, and great views towards St. Paul's.

32. Millennium Bridge: also called the wobbly bridge as it's original design was flawed and heavy movement dampeners had to be fixed. Now boringly solid it lives up to its other nick-name of blade of light, as it uses remarkably minimal supports.

33. St Paul's Cathedral: the Millennium Bridge is aligned with a impressive view up to Sir Christopher Wren's great St. Paul's Cathedral. Its a bit further off than it looks so I wouldn't recommend heading off towards it unless you've had enough of the Thames bank walk as its an either / or. Development regulations limits the size of buildings nearby so its dome does still stand high on the skyline.

34. Boat to Tate Britain: There is a neat way of getting to the other part of the Tate Museums, namely Tate Britain, which is a dedicated river boat that shuttles between the two, though there is a minimal charge. The pier is just downriver of the Millennium Bridge, near the Globe.

35. Shakespeare's Globe: This is a reconstruction of the original Globe Theatre that opened in 1599. It isn't actually on exactly the same site, but it was nearby also on the south bank. It is a great way to see the best ever playwright's work as it was originally devised - though you are taking a bit of pot luck as it is open to the elements (except for some of the seating area which is covered).

Southwark

Next along from the Tate / Globe you'll go under Southwark Bridge to Southwark, where you'll find:

36: The Anchor Bankside: This pub isn't that brilliant but is on the site of the old pub where Samuel Pepys watched the Great Fire of London in "a little ale house by the river". It's a good spot to stop for a pint and watch the world go by.

37. The Clink: this is the original prison from which comes the term being "in the clink". There's a tourist attraction there which have never been in, but its the place to remember that the south bank was traditionally the seedier side of the river, where the gambling houses and brothels were to be found.

38: Winchester Palace: just passed The Clink you'll see some ruins, flint walls and a rose shaped window. This is what remains of the Winchester Palace, built in 1109 by the Bishop of that name.

39. The Golden Hind: this is a re-construction of the boat in which Sir Francis Drake sailed around the world between 1577 and 1580. You can go on board and there are special events for kids such as sleepovers with pirates, that sort of thing.

40. Borough Market: foodie heaven! You can wander the stalls and shops and delight your taste buds. Try interesting cheeses, sushi, fresh fruit, and lots of take away snacks from chicken sati to scallops with lime. Yummy!! The market is quite historic, probably going back to Roman times.

41. More restaurants and wine bars: good places to stop for a bite here - just wander around Stoney's Street or up above the market to the Roast Restaurant.

42. Southwark Cathedral: one of London's oldest churches, going back to at least 1220, though the site itself has probably been used for much longer. A nice place to sit down, take the weight off your feet, and reflect on life. If you lucky you might catch a concert.

If you want this is a possible place to stop and catch the tube at London Bridge. If you're still up for it keep going and cross:

London Bridge and the City

43. London Bridge. Today this isn't that exciting a bridge, packed with traffic and commuters heading off into the City along the A3 road. But its history is linked to London's as a whole. In times passed London was clustered around this, at the time the one and only bridge across the river. There have been many bridges on this spot over the years, including one that was burnt down as a way of protecting London from a Viking invasion - hence "London Bridge is falling down, falling down". Nice views down river to Tower Bridge.

44. The City. Ok, it just looks like a concrete jungle, but this is worth a second look. Firstly the City is London, the old London before it expanded west to Westminster. Secondly its banks and finance houses comprise a huge part of Britain's economy, where the currency exchanges transactions can hit a trillion dollars a day. Of course the credit crunch etc has slightly put a damper on the party.

Having crossed back to the north bank of the river, continue the walk down river towards Tower Bridge

London Bridge to Tower Bridge

45. The Monument: just on the north side is the column called the Monument which marks the spot where the terrible Great Fire of London started in 1666. Until recently it was covered in scaffolding as it was renovated but now it is open and you can climb the narrow staircase to the top.

46. HMS Belfast: on the other side of the river you'll see the great battleship HMS Belfast. It saw action in WW2 including the engagement and sinking of the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst and bombarding Normandy during the invasion. You can go on board for tours.

47. Custom House: its easy to forget that London was once home to the world's greatest port, with boats in their hundreds packed along the shores of the Thames or the docks further down river. A reminder of those days is the impressive Custom House just beside the Tower. On the other side of the Custom House is the Old Billingsgate Market - look out for the lovely details such as the two fish weathervanes!

48. The Tower of London: another icon of London, this is where traitors were held before execution, and the crown jewels are kept safe by the Beefeaters. Lots of gory details and wow amazing stones for kids to be impressed by.

49. Tower Bridge: the final icon of London on this walk is this bridge with two castle like towers, a lifting lower level and upper walk way. You can explore inside to see the mechanisms. Recently a motocross champion leapt across the opening - see the amazing video here.

50. Haagen Dazs: and enough is enough, time for a break. I once took one of my nieces to Tower Bridge on a winter day where enthusiasm disappeared like our misty breath into the freezing cold air. Smiles were restored by a stop over in this nearby ice ream parlour. Yummy!

50. Oh no! That particular Haagen Dazs has closed and its now a cafe. Instead, why not go a little bit beyond Tower Bridge to see the "Girl with dolphin" sculpture, as in this photo here.

Ok, that's the tourist trail for today - find the nearby Tower Hill tube and make your way home.

Tomorrow there'll be the "I don't want to be a tourist, tell me about something different" post.

When you're tired of London...

Another suggestion of a group writing project from Carol Anne over at Five O'Clock Somewhere. This time its travel related.

Here's the challenge, to: "Tell about activities that can be done close to your local sailing venue, besides sailing".

Well, I live, sail, and kayak in London, and that means there's quite a lot of things open to do! I love this city, am proud of it, and happy to babble on about all the many different things one can do.

But it is a good question, and one that I've been asked before. Of course there is a huge depends - are you into Musicals? The Arts? Roman History? Medieval History? Royalty? Shopping? Activities? Museums? Concerts? Pop? Films? Drama? Architecture? Boats? Trains? Dinosaurs? Harry Potter? Shakespeare? ... well you get the picture.

While there are the obvious ones of the British Museum, The Wheel, Parliament etc (see above), there are two things that spring to mind as recently I did have a friend coming through London and this very question came up.

So over the next two posts I'll give two different answers to that question.