Remembering Jo Cox, MP, on the Thames

Yesterday Jo Cox would have been 42.

As part of the memorial, this dinghy was covered in roses and named in her honour the Yorkshire Rose.

It was towed from the family houseboat at Hermitage Moorings to Westminster:

In attendance were boats from the river police, PLA and the fireboat which made its own tribute:

Then the Yorkshire Rose was moored to a yellow buoy just outside the exclusion zone and the barge left, taking those on-board to the nearby Westminster Pier for the event in Trafalgar Square:

Jo's husband and two children were such a sad sight.

A tragedy.

Buff and Sassi Battle for Britain on the Thames!!

Last week saw an epic battle (pic actually from this old post) between the Brexit flotilla and the Bremain-inners right here on the Thames.

This blog has an EXCLUSIVE interview with two of those actually involved, namely Sassi on the IN-boat and Buff on the OUT-boat. Let's hear first from Sassi:

Hi Guys!

OMG, last week was just awesome. Me and Saint Bob..... poor Paula and Peaches.... breaks my heart, but we were fighting the good fight!

See, the EU is like Glastonbury. Yes it might sometimes rain and get a bit muddy but even then its fab as you're in it with your mates. All types of people dancing, laughing sharing, enjoying - TOGETHER! And those nights when the band is inspired and the moon is glowing over those fields - wow, it becomes a wonderful SHARED experience. And similarly with the EU: together we can be richer and stronger than ever!

Sure you could be totally in charge of the music, sovereign-like, alone at home with Spotify, but then you'd be a no-mates type like Buff - looser!

I want a Jo Cox type of future not a weirdo like Nigel Farage! I mean look at this picture she tweeted of her husband and two kids out on the Thames... its just .....[sniff]....its...

Ed: at this point Sassi had to take a break so its time for Buff:

G'day all, Buff Staysail here! Buff by name and Buff by nature!

Yours truly's been busy last couple of weeks. Little known fact that ol' Buff has been key adviser to the Brexit campaign. You read any Brexit press release? More than likely it was a bit of pure BS!!

So why is Buff for Brexit? Well its simple: enough is enough! At the 2012 Olympics Team GB got 65 medals and Australia only 35 - and things look like they can only get worse!

If our figures are right, should the UK remain in the EU it might become its richest, most powerful country! Yes, wealthier than Germany! This could be catastrophic for Australia's chances to humiliate you poms!

There is only one hope: if the UK exits, then it will be poorer, so less money for sport. Plus if Scotland breaks away it will be smaller, and a poor, little England will be easy to defeat!

So make England little again and vote exit!


Editorial

Should be clear by now this blog is firmly of the opinion that the way to vote is:

REMAIN

The flaws of the EU are small compared to the benefits its brings, and we will be safer, richer, stronger, more harmonious together with our European neighbours.

It is much easier to solve issues that we have if we have the resources to do so, and Brexit would leave us poorer and more alone in an uncertain world.

Science, economics, geopolitics, trade, values, arts, travel, history.... the list of the benefits and connections between Britain and Europe is endless.

Hermitage Moorings mourns Jo Cox

Such a tragedy.

A woman who showed how selfless and committed our politicians can be shot dead leaving her husband and two children behind.

Jo Cox lived on a barge on the Thames at the Hermitage Moorings which I visited on their open day back in 2014.

They paid their own tribute to her, sounding their barge's horns which mournfully echoed across the river up to Tower Bridge and beyond into the city.

Enterprise class 60th Anniversary Tideway Race

As noted in an earlier post, this year is the 60th anniversary of the Enterprise class.

To commemorate this event, a special race was held yesterday on the Thames from Putney, where Jack Holt originally designed the Enterprise.

Very impressive to see the blue sailed fleet sail down and then back up the river:

Royal flyby and flotilla

The Queen is 90.... again.

For complicated reasons (there's a complete Wikipedia page on the topic) she has two birthdays, but then again she is The Queen so I guess who's to say no.

Anyhow, one of them was today or round about now so there was a flyby over London and flotilla first up then down the Thames.

While unable to properly be at either I had a fair sight of the former whoosh over the City on its east to west track, a collection of 29 aircraft from Spitfires to Typhoons plus of course the Red Arrows (above).

During the afternoon there was a trickle of boats, classic rowing or Dunkirk Little Ships heading back up the Thames from the flotilla:

Good ol' Queen! Always get a good show from her.

Politicians sail for charity

John Kerry and Ted Heath are two politicians that have sailed, but the reactions on either side of the Atlantic to their exploits on the water were very different.

The former's windsurfing exploits were apparently "bad" for reasons I still can't fathom (though compared to the present race....) while the latter's competition in the Fastnet race was not a handicap in him reaching the highest political office in the land.

Today in the UK politicians are still open about their sailing and today did just that in full view of the public on the River Thames beside the Palace of Westminster.

It was a charity race between the House of Commons and the House of Lords, each competing in two person Enterprise dinghies, designed here in Putney 60 years ago. They were raising money for the Westminster Boating Base and Sail4Cancer.

Alas I was unable to witness this titanic political battle in person but the word on Twitter is that the Lords were victorious, hence their flag (from here) above.

Book Review: Round about the Earth by Joyce E. Chaplin

I was initially unsure how much I'd learn from this book: after all, I've read really quite a lot of books about circumnavigators, from Magellan to Dampier by way of the ship's naturalists and Slocum.

But actually it was fascinating, as its a book about something very different: human's relationship to the planet and how that has changed, as perceived by those most aware of it: those that have travelled all the way around it.

The early voyages were into the unknown and full of risks. The planet was found to be larger than many hoped and in the wastes of the Pacific sailors dropped like flies from scurvy. Survival rates of some of the early expeditions went below 10%.

Later voyages by Captain Cook learnt from those failures and ensured his crew ate antiscorbutic sauerkraut and gradually the danger and risk was replaced by confidence. In the stability between 1815 and 1914 westerners from Europe and America could traverse the globe for pleasure and interest.

State backed expeditions were replaced by private individuals. Initially just the very rich, such as the Sir and Lady Brassey's voyage on Sunbeam, but the cost barriers kept coming down and new forms of transport opened up, such as the egalitarian bicycle.

The era of Phileas Fogg style luxury was not to last. In the 20th Century wars and new technology made circumnavigations much less glamorous, packed like sardines into aircraft emitting CO2 gasses that harm the planet.

The ultimate circumnavigators are the astronauts, looping the planet every ninety something minutes. But they face new dangers of radiation, vacuum and zero-gravity with no chance of recuperation on some idyllic desert island on their way.

And our circumnavigations are also virtual: robots circling this and other planets, beaming their messages back to the home world.

But ultimately all eyes remain on this, our Earth. Like the astronauts peering down from the space station, our fascination with this planet never ends.

An excellent book, a good read full of interesting ideas.

Picture Puzzle

What is going on with this speedboat, its ...err... crew and the shark?



Updated: the clue was the words "'#putt up or shut up" on the foredeck as the speedboat and shark are part of a crazy golf course:

The Junkyard Crazy Golf Club can be found in a basement of achingly hip Shoreditch (where else)

Thames barges off Sheppey

This was the day after the Medway Barge Match so I guess they'd been racing the day before.

dpreview makes a Greenland style kayak

Regular readers will know I have a side interest in photography and one of the sites I keep track of is dpreview.

To test the video features of the new Canon EOS 80D they chose to show it in action while the presenter did something interesting, in this case make from scratch a Greenland style skin on frame kayak. Previously they'd tested the Sony A6300 by making a video about making local nettle beer.

While not tempted by the Canon (as posted earlier I can't see the point of the mirror and associated weight) that kayak does look tempting.

Alas Seattle isn't exactly on London's tube network, but its a great idea.

Thames seal and fish

It's always good to see the Thames as a living river, so much improved over the pollution of just a few decades ago.

In the stretch of the Thames between the Wandle River and Beverly Brook I've recently seen the seal above and also large fish such as one below.

Its interesting how the populations change: this year there seems to be much fewer cormorants around than last year for some reason.

Will have to keep watching those waters...

Maccabees Spinnaker

My2fish has just posted a music video and its not The National so I'm disappointed and posting one of my own.

A few weeks ago I was flying back to the UK, listening to music on my headphones, and as the plane reached the coastline of good ol' blighty the following words could just be heard above the roar of the engines:

Till he gets to the English coast

To the place he loved the most

Where the spinnakers on boats

Are filling out, filling out, out, out

Filling out, filling out, filling out

It was the song "Spit it out" by The Maccabees (above) and felt very appropriate.

Then we flew over this old lady's house, which seemed a bit rude as she'd just had her 90th birthday:

But it was good to be home, even if they are apparently burying those murals.

The many faces of the Thames

I got a bit misty eyed when watching this (isn't the Thames fab) until I switched on the generic sound-track (yawn).

They also, alas, missed out the story about the Jack Russell that swum through the Thames Barrier.

Cardboard boat sails on the Thames

Who would go afloat on a boat made of cardboard? Surely these craft would float only on the imaginary ocean that spreads across the living room floor?

But Kevin McCloud made a fully working houseboat and sailed it down the Thames to highlight what can be done with the mountain of stuff we throw away each day.

Apparently the aim is to cross the English Channel in it next year.

All images from Grand Designs via The Independent and there's also videos about it here (complete with cardboard remote controlled boat) and here.

Caption contest

This converted lifeboat was spotted on the Thames - but what is going on?

Boats taste good

Just what every family with young needs - something nice to nibble on for breakfast! Want to see the kids grow up strong and healthy!

What's this? Are there rivals out on the Thames that want to take food away from the mouths of these little 'un?

Never fear! Daddy will frighten them off!!

Job done, the family returns to the important task of the morning meal, while dad keeps an eye out for any threats:

Busy Thames

 

With summer weather finally arriving the Thames was indeed busy, boats having to manoeuvre around each other.

 Yes there were sailors too, just not when I had camera to hand.

As someone once said (a warm Sunday afternoon is making it too soporific for me to look up who exactly) "exercise is wonderful: I could watch it all day".

Sony A6000 + tinfoil = pinhole camera

The BBC posted some pictures taken using pinhole cameras, and it being a three day weekend in the UK I decided that would be a good project to try out.

So I took the lens off my Sony A6000 and replaced it with some tin-foil taped to the camera body. I then got the finest needle I could find and pierced the foil in the centre. Then I altered the settings to allow photos to be taken without a recognised lens being attached.

The first pictures were disappointing:

Very wide angle and very blurry (note have also used a sepia tone filter).

The problem is that the hole has to be very small, particularly if pinhole is close to the sensor, as noted in this Wikipedia article, so maybe further away would be better?

Therefore I attached the Commlite adapter to increase the distance from pinhole to sensor, cut a square of fresh tinfoil (top photo) and tried again. The results were indeed better:

Still not that sharp, but I guess that's why we uses lenses!

However it was an interesting effect and experiment to try out.

Through the Islington Tunnel on a Narrowboat

I decided to head out on another canal walk, after enjoying the Limehouse canal loop in January. The plan was to start at Kings Cross and head west along the Regents Canal, but it didn't work out. It was to be much better than that.

Before striding out towards Camden I thought I'd have a quick look at the entrance of the Islington Tunnel, which opened back in 1818. There were a couple of boats waiting at the entrance, presumably as the tunnel was occupied, and indeed shortly after the first of a trio of narrowboats made its appearance (above).

The waiting boats began to get ready, mostly well crewed, but one had just a single crew and maybe because he wanted company or maybe could read my mind he asked if I'd like to go through on his boat. Err.... that would be a yes.

So off we headed, heading not west as planned but east, into the dark:

The tunnel is 878m long and so it did take some time get through. It was really dark apart from two spots, literally the light at the end of the tunnel in either direction.

There was time to exchange stories, voices in the dark as nothing could be seen. My companion was a circus clown called Daniel and he was from Lisbon. He rents nights on his boat out on AirBnB if you want to stay. I told him stories of the ARC, 21 days spent sailing across the Atlantic.

Slowly the far end grew brighter until we emerged the other side of the Angel:

Daniel steered his yellow narrowboat into the next lock, which is where I said my thanks and goodbye.

I continued walking east, following the canal towards Limehouse, out in the bright sunshine.

Blog celeb advice for Tillerman

Hi Guys,

So Tillerman wants advice about how to handle celeb bloggers! Well he's come to the right place as yours truly and Buff (up next) are, like, TOTAL, experts on this topic!! I have lost count of the number of fellow social media stars I've bumped into in airports, bars and clubs!!

First up: GET A SELFIE WITH THEM!!!!

I mean, this really is social media 101. Seriously: if you don't have a selfie to post it didn't happen, its just words.

Next, VIDEO INTERVIEW!! Of course you've both got YouTube channels hungry for contents, this is, like, the ideal opportunity.

Just remember to set your phone's image stabilization on. Oh, and have a quick check with your hand mirror your hair's in place and make-up tight.

Then identify the hot topics to focus on, issues that connect your two social media brands, bring some SYNERGY to the meeting. Obv. in this case its babies - you have grandchildren, she has kids, together that means one thing:

CUTE PICS!!!!

Finally think expanding brand awareness: were you wearing your PROPER COURSE t-shirt? If not, why not? You're in an airport, could be doing social media interviews / selfies / photo-bombing MSM at any moment!! Look what Team Alison Young did at the Olympics (above).

MESSAGE RECEIVED!!

So there you go. Sassi shows she still knows her media studies course notes!

Go out there and make connections, fellow bloggers!!

Luv ya!

Sassi   ...... oops, here's Buff:




G'day all! This is Buff Staysail here! Buff by name and Buff by nature!!

Doh! Go and have a beer with them, obviously!

This is Buff Staysail, journo and media star extrordinaire, over and out!!!

Dangerous Navigation on the Thames

Obviously all of you observe the navigation rules when out on the water, all of the time.

But it appears there are some that sometimes don't, such as these two stories of RIBs on the Thames which were recently fined for dangerous navigation:

• One was found "navigating on the wrong side of the river near Canary Wharf and caused another vessel to take avoiding action"
• Another was coming "round a bend near North Greenwich Pier and collided with a cabin cruiser which had two people on board"

I'm pretty sure the police (or maybe PLA) response and language wasn't as graphic as in the image above (actually from the Boat Race, go Kevin!), but hopefully the message was clear.

Lets be safe out there.

A Fork in the Lake

Following  Tillerman's fork in road post, obviously.

Picture Puzzle

The America's Cup in Bermuda being advertised in London over the weekend.

But what TWO events in London this weekend are linked to this image? Extra points for having been involved in either or describing in a word what was to be seen underneath this banner.

Shakespeare 400 years on

To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare, here's a repost from 2010:

Master
        Boatswain!
Boatswain
        Here, master: what cheer?
Master
        Good, speak to the mariners: fall to't, yarely,
        or we run ourselves aground: bestir, bestir.
Exit
Enter Mariners
Boatswain
        Heigh, my hearts! cheerly, cheerly, my hearts!
        yare, yare! Take in the topsail. Tend to the
        master's whistle. Blow, till thou burst thy wind,
        if room enough!

Of course I might have been dreaming......

....we are such stuff as dreams are made on....

Buff spots water nymph riding a sea horse on Lake Geneva!!

G'day all! Buff Staysail here! Buff by name and Buff by nature!!

Well o'l Buff has had a bit of a shock. I've been out in Geneva to see if Alinghi have been foiling on the lake (to be honest I have absolutely no idea) and was admiring the view of the mountains when I saw this water nymph riding a sea horse:

OMG!!! Buff Scoops again!!!

I can tell you Buff was much impressed by this sight but moments later she had vanished:

I needed witnesses so went back to the bar to drag my new chums out but in the end decided it would be better to stay and tell them my story.

What a day!

This is yours truly, water nymph spotter, Buff Staysail, over and out riding on a sea horse!!

Britain's sinking maritime heritage

This video shows the moment that the historic tug Deepwater, moored in Brentford, London, starts to sink.

Built back in 1910, it was one of the last remaining riveted steel harbour tugs that gradually fell into neglect, as described in this news post.

The article blames the council that took over the Deepwater at the start of this month, but it is hard to accept this disrepair happened so quickly.

Historic old boats are wonderful, but equally expensive. There are other examples of boats on the creeks, rivers and canals around Britain slowly rotting away. I know of another tug which is rumoured to be concreted into a flooded dry dock to keep it upright.

How is their maintenance all to be funded? Some can get grants from organisations like Historic England (and the equivalent for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) while others could enter the National Maritime Museum's collections.

But some, like this, will fall between the gaps, which is huge shame.

Book Review: How to Read Water by Tristan Gooley

I can't remember not living close to water. I grew up by the little Nailbourne river, that flows and dries as the chalk hills fill and empty. I've sailed the Atlantic, learnt (and mostly forgotten) the sailing light codes and bathed in a natural hot spring in Greenland while watching icebergs glide by.

But I still learnt masses and masses from this brilliant book.

For anyone who has any connection with water - and that definitely includes all sailors and kayakers - this is a must-have book.

Learn how to navigate like a Polynesian in a pond, use the reflection of Jupiter to spot bats, discover the best beaches on the Scilly Isles, where to look for gold in a beach and much, much more - this book is packed with fascinating information.

Worth having on a boat for those "I wonder what?" moments or taken on a walk along the coastline to understand the topography of a beach, the differences between ripples, waves and swell, how to read sand ripples and avoid those deadly rip currents.

Sure to be a classic - strongly recommended.



Two other reviews here and here.

Full disclosure: Tristan is a good friend of mine and this book mentions events that happened while we were sailing together plus I got a review copy.

How Cambridge waters hurry by

Oh, is the water sweet and cool,

Gentle and brown, above the pool?

And laughs the immortal river still

Under the mill, under the mill?

Say, is there Beauty yet to find?

And Certainty? and Quiet kind?

Deep meadows yet, for to forget

The lies, and truths, and pain?… oh! yet

Stands the Church clock at ten to three?

And is there honey a chelsea bun still for tea?

Standing up on the Cam

Yes I know that on the Cam you're meant to do it standing up (calm down Buff, I mean of course punting) but this isn't the craft I had in mind.

Those wishing to test their Cambridge expertise can answer the simple question: what subject is this:

HMS Victory to be re-named!!

The huge PR success of the public naming of the polar research vessel has inspired the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard to repeat the project.

"It opened our eyes" said a PR flunky. "What coverage!! We could, like, totally do with that!!"

Given the restoration will cost an estimated £ 45m and take up to 20 years, public engagement was decided to be key.

"This is a unique opportunity. We are rebuilding Nelson's flagship - so why not rename it at the same time?"

Currently the top three names on the public poll are:

1. HMS Boaty McBoatface the Second
2. HMS Lady Hamilton's Love Boat
3. HMS Waterloo

"Clearly we had to ensure a certain level of quality in the naming process" said the PR flunky. "Not any name will do for this historic boat. So we employed the Microsoft Twitter AI to filter out the bad ideas - in particular anything to do with frog's legs. Maybe it needs a bit of historical context too - I mean, Waterloo indeed!"

Rumour has it that HMS Belfast and the SS Great Britain are also considering name changes - so watch this space!!



Update: alas, last time I checked the web site to submit names was down... will post an update when there's more information as to what's going on



Update 2: it appears that someone submitted the name "HMS Trump" to the web site, at which point the AI built its own firewall and submitted a bill to Mexico for its development. After that it began to make racist comments and had to be switched off



Updated update: and its a winner for Boaty McBoatface!!