A wonderful weekend on the water

Whether you braved the elements to get to Calais, or braved the elements to watch the River Pageant, the Queen's Jubilee weekend was a great one for those with an interest in boats.

The Little Ship Club had arguably one of the best seats for the River Pageant, upstream of the Avenue of Sail and the rain was still light as the Queen's barge passed by. The Commodore and officers from the University of London Royal Naval Unit (URNU) provided a guard of honour, dipped the defaced ensign and gave an organised three cheers for Her Majesty. Geoff Quentin caught the moment on camera as the Duke of Edinburgh saluted the dipped ensign and the Queen turned and waved as she passed by.

The wonderful thing about watching the Pageant with a group of seasoned sailors is that the commentary rose far above the BBC's. As the Dunkirk Little Ships passed by Chris Nicholson pointed out the one that removed the most soldiers from the beaches. Someone next to me explained that MTB stood for Motor Torpedo Boat (I suppose I should have guessed that). Sundowner came through the bridge and we were reminded she was owned by Commander Lightoller, a member of the Little Ship Club at the time. He was the senior surviving officer of the Titanic and commanded Sundowner during the evacuation of Dunkirk with his son and a sea scout as crew. She returned to Ramsgate carrying 130 men. At the age of 100, she is one of the oldest surviving Dunkirk Little Ships afloat.

The Thames Barrier was closed for the occasion in order to keep the height of water at a level which meant the bridges were navigable by the vessels. It can only be closed for a short period as the maximum differential between water levels on either side is only 4ft.

The Sea Cadets were part of the Royal Squadron in a fleet of 55 Trinity 500s flying the 54 flags of the Commonwealth countries, with the 55th flying the Commonwealth flag itself. Trinity House donated £250,000 to the Sea Cadets in their 500th year which enabled the purchase of the boats.

As the steam driven boats went past, blowing their whistles and horns, it looked like a scene from the African Queen below. Many had lowered their funnels to pass under the bridges. The narrow boats made a bold spectacle, unused as we are to seeing them on such a wide waterway. If it had been rough or windy they would have been forced to abandon the pageant as they are not designed for rough conditions. The Thames barges, with their huge leeboards and masts lowered and crossed gave way to Dutch barges with their colourful decorations.

As the flotilla continued, many of the assembled throng drifted away, we felt duty bound to keep waving and applauding the many participants until the last music barge with the London Philharmonia and by that time the extremely damp Royal College of Music Chamber Choir passed by.

And to fill in the gaps in the BBC coverage… the semaphore message from the Royal Festival Hall was "Happy Diamond Jubilee Queen Elizabeth, We Heart You".

Aboard Sheemaun in the Avenue of Sail, Dr Rodney Pell hosted the winners of the 'ballot for places'. Wolf Raymer, one of the lucky bidders, sent pictures back after the event with the words: "It was a great day." See the gallery below for pictures sent by Wolf which he says "captured the the spirit and enthusiasm of the thousands of individuals who were really physically serious about their participation."

A truly great and memorable occasion. If you have any pictures of the day to add to the gallery, email to webeditor@littleshipclub.co.uk

And here's a video clip showing the National Theatre War Horse tribute as the Queen passed by...
 

Aboard Sheemaun in the Avenue of Sail	Aboard Sheemaun, wrapped up against the elements	Sheemaun, dressed overall
The Belfry Barge with 12 newly cast bells pealing under Southwark Bridge	Young and old got into the Jubilee spirit at Bell Wharf Lane	Dunkirk Little Ship which removed the greatest number from the beaches
The Queen's Barge coming downriver towards Southwark Bridge	Dunkirk Little Ship Gay Ventures, built for racing driver Douglas Briault, 1938	What they wore: Shoes fit for the Queen
What they wore: Red White and Blue (with spots)	What they wore: a discreet flash of patriotism	What they wore: cravats too
Where did you find that hat Geoff?	What they wore: head bows	What they wore: more bows
What they wore: braces	The effort of rowing 7 miles shows as the first boats come past Tower Bridge	Many of the man-powered boats were heavy watermen's cutters
The Sea Cadets in Trinity 500s representing each of the Commonwealth nations