![\"The](\"http:\/\/grumpybeartoo.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/tn_IMGP3145.jpg\" "\\"The")
<\/a>The BBC News breakfast team overlook our mooring<\/p><\/div>\n
Perhaps they didn’t spot any of the celebs or VIPs\u00a0aboard the recreational boats.\u00a0 As well as some well known TV faces, there were 5 Lord Lieutenants as well as the Kenyan High Commissioner\u00a0taking part on\u00a0various boats in the RMS.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Escaping the Garden for a day on the river<\/p><\/div>\n
Maybe just escaping from the East\u00a0End\u00a0\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
<\/a>Maybe just escaping<\/p><\/div>\n
However, the most important event of the morning was “Final Scrutineering”.\u00a0\u00a0 All boats had to get a final inspection from the Port of London Authority.\u00a0 This included checking the skipper and navigator were not under the influence of drink or drugs, no unauthorised crew had been sneaked on board, the emergency tow lines were in place and the anchor was ready to drop.\u00a0\u00a0 Once this was complete we were given our rather splendid Pageant Flag.\u00a0 Ours to keep for posterity.\u00a0\u00a0 Any boat seen moving on the river without a Pageant Flag would have an interesting encounter with one of the very many Met Police high speed ribs.\u00a0\u00a0 This is exactly what happened to 2 speed boat type launches that tried to join in from\u00a0 the bank at\u00a0the start.\u00a0 They lasted less than 5 minutes \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
<\/a>Our Pageant Flag<\/p><\/div>\n
Timing for the start was critical.\u00a0 Imagine lots of different groups of boats, starting at different places on the river forming up in a convoy in the right order so that by Albert Bridge the “flotilla” was formed and moving at 4 knots.\u00a0\u00a0 Mostly, it worked although there were times when it was like the M25 – mad dash at speed then all come to a complete stop.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The order to slip moorings was given over the VHF radio and I have to say that from our position on the river it all seemed to go\u00a0like clockwork.<\/p>\n
<\/a>The man-powered fleet rows past our moorings to take the lead position<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>We slip our mooring and we are off!<\/p><\/div>\n
Once we got under way, the enormity of the event became apparent.\u00a0 Even at the start there were crowds lining the bank, and as we got closer to the centre of London the noise of cheering just got louder and louder.\u00a0 We could see a multitude of large screens on the banks and in the parks showing the TV feeds of the pageant and the many parties going on.<\/p>\n
<\/a>The Crowds Line the Bank<\/p><\/div>\n
There were lots of photographers about who have uploaded their shots on Flickr.\u00a0 Thanks to Paul Seymour for this great picture of Grumpy Bear Too approaching Chelsea Bridge<\/p>\n
<\/a>Mel tweets as we approach Chelsea Bridge – photo \u00a9 Paul Seymour<\/p><\/div>\n
The highlight had to be going past the royal barge just before Tower Bridge where HM The Queen was taking the salute with many of her family, including of course the Duke of Edinburgh, with her.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Grumpy Bear Too looks up to HM The Queen<\/p><\/div>\n
Through Tower Bridge and that was it \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 Well\u00a0of course it wasn’t.\u00a0 1000 boats can’t just stop on the other side of the bridge.\u00a0\u00a0 Our mooring for the night was back in West India\u00a0Dock along with several hundred other boats.\u00a0 To\u00a0get into the dock you have to go through a lock,\u00a0which has a turn round time of around\u00a040 minutes.\u00a0 We were booked into the second lock-in.\u00a0 However, events over took us.\u00a0\u00a0 Some may\u00a0have noticed that it \u00a0was raining for some of the time.\u00a0 Well, let’s be fair; it chucked it down for much of the day.\u00a0\u00a0 By the time we got to Tower Bridge we were pretty cold and wet. But for those in open boats it was getting problematic with the rain getting heavier and the temperature dropping as the evening approached.\u00a0\u00a0 Several boats had to call for the RNLI\u00a0lifeboats to attend to passengers with hypothermia so the sensible decision was taken to get “open” boats into the locks first.\u00a0\u00a0 This meant that we were relegated to the third lock-in.\u00a0\u00a0 By now as boats continued to arrive, boats were bunching at the entrance to West India lock (opposite the O2\u00a0arena) so \u00a0the PLA again made a sensible decision taking\u00a0 the flotilla on a magical mystery tour.\u00a0\u00a0 So with the harbour master in the lead we went down to the Thames Barrier (very nice) turned around and went back up river to Greenwich, turned around and did it again.\u00a0\u00a0 Several times.\u00a0\u00a0 But eventually it was our turn to lock in.\u00a0 Now to give an idea of\u00a0 the size of\u00a0 the lock at West India, we got 50 recreational motorboats (including several 40-50 foot boats) and 40 narrowboats all in the lock together.\u00a0 Yes it’s a big lock!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So it was not until 9.30 pm that Grumpy Bear Too was safely moored up, we could relax and break open much needed gin and rum and cider.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Recreational Motor Boats pack the lock first<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The Narrowboats lock in behind us<\/p><\/div>\n
The London Ambulance Service did a fantastic job too; as all boats coming into the lock were asked if they had any crew with medical problems including hypothermia to make themselves known immediately for treatment.\u00a0\u00a0 There were 8 ambulances present and 49 people were treated for Hypothermia.<\/p>\n
But it was an absolutely brilliant day and we would not have missed it for the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
So the big day has come.\u00a0\u00a0 We had a good night’s sleep tied to our 2 mooring buoys fore and aft\u00a0alongside\/rafted to\u00a0a fellow participant using the same buoys.\u00a0 We did have plenty of time until\u00a0our start at 2.30pm.\u00a0 So we … Continue reading