Something boaty in the depths of winter

Well almost! I have just spent a couple of days, so far, at the London Boat Show, the first setting the stand up, and the second manning it on the press, pre-view day.

The first day, was all officaldom, hustle and bustle, and uncertainty, with passes needed for everything from parking, entry to decking out the stand, even buying a Burger. When I left at around 19-00 Tired out and foot sore, the undercover, exhibition acreage still had unfinished stands and no carpet in the aisles. On the press day, I arrived at 08-30 and all was finished.

Our stand is opposite the Royal National Lifeboat Institute stand, and as you can imagine, they attract quite a few visitors. I have been a Govenor of the RNLI since I can remember and have used their services twice so far in my boating life (of fifty years) once in a diving incident, when the small boat I was diving from, sank passed me, as I and a buddy ascended to the surface, and the latest was to pull a disabled delivery vessesl to a deep water berth, after it attracted a fourty foot by three inch diameter rope around its props, irretreivably stopping the engines and breaking the installed rope cutters (load of Cr*p). we made it safely to a mooring spot, with the dextrous use of the bow thruster only and thats another episode in itself) but the depth sounder told me it was going to dry out within thirty minutes Which would meant that, the vessels prop configuration, shafts and "P" brackets alone would have taken approximately 50% of the whole weight of the vessel (not good). We called and as we put the phone down (mobile phone) the sirens could be heard and in minutes they spun around, their Class E Lifeboat? A large twin Jet driven ridgid inflatable boat, just upstream of Hammersmith bridge where we were now briefly moored, at the small Dove pier. As the Skipper turned dramatically mid river, to adjust his "into the tide" and controlled ferry-glide approach to us, a member of the crew who was sitting on the side of the R.i.b was taken anawares and was projected into the cold waters of the now quite fast flowing Thames.

They arrived alongside, having pulled the crew member back inboard, attached their lines quickly, and whilst pulling us safely away from the drying temporary refuge, one of their engines too failed, I quickly went forward, and checked the anchor securing pin was clear and switched on the main power to the windlass awaiting the possibly that their other engine might too fail (at least there would have been no red faces should it have happened, as we both had drifted through the traffic crossing the Bridge at the time!)

Fortunately it didn`t and the blockage, a suitably sized flower pot, was removed, via the inspection hatch, specifically designed for the job, after arriving at the RNLI berth.

The RNLI do a great Job and are extremly efficient, the Thames station at Kew is less than five years old and the most used of their thousands around the coast. Incidently the first Call and rescue of all the stations this year, was a "shout" at Brighton (early new years morning) my home station, I guess that figures with my record, most people go through their boating life without having ever used their brilliant services.

The Boat show wasn`t very crowded on the press day as it never is, but our services were of plenty of interest to those who attended, with request for quotes and much time spent talking to potential customers with indepth explanations of our services during the day.

I left at 17-30 as I had a lift arranged and duly walked to the arranged pickup point (the front of the hotel at the Main entrance of the Excel Centre, where the boatshow is being held, the rain was heavy and the temperature quite low.

Rather, tired, wet and bedraggled, I duly arrived at the hotel entrance. My communicating phone call saying that my lift would be 15 minutes late, was not a problem, as I was now sheltering from the rain, what was of some concern was that there is another Main entrance to the Excell? and it was the Hotel there that was meant to be the collection point, over a mile away! Doh!!!!! I had got the wrong hotel.

I think perhaps I may nave a chat with the "Institute of Navigation" (the stand next to us) about some lessons :o)) I duly arrived home absolutely "Knackered" and very gratefull for my lift. I`m back again on Monday "Suited and Booted" and looking forward to whatever it may bring! Sore feet and exhaustion here I come, and I havent even had a look around the show as yet, not sure that I may either, who knows?