Category Archives: photos

Great River Race

I found out the other day that something called the Great River Race was setting off from the Millwall Slipway which is only walking distance from my house. So on Saturday afternoon I wandered over shortly before the start to see what was going on.
When I first got there teams were still ferrying their boats across Westferry Road to slipway.
Boat Crossing
The staging area above the slipway was packed with teams and boats of all different kinds.
P1010028
These Hawaiian Outriggers are some of the fastest boats in the race according to last years results.
P1010032
Lots of boats beach on the tiny shoreline while they are waiting for their start time. Different classes of boats start in different batches.
Beached
Although getting up and down to the shore is quite a fearsome climb.
Climbing
I knew very little about the race before I turned up so I was surprised by the variety of boats and crews on display. For example, apparently this is a Cornish Pilot Gig:
Young Bristol
and this is a Dragonboat.
Fearsome Creature
There were crews from abroad like these chaps from Rotterdam,
Port of Rotterdam
and local crews like Sisterhood from Hounslow.
Sisterhood
And even some heavy metal fans.
Heavy Metal Fans
By the time I left the only crew still waiting to launch were the Row2Recovery crew in their Transatlantic Four.
P1010064
You can find the rest of my photos from the afternoon on my flickr account.

Exploding Barrels are Red

If video games have taught me anything it’s that explosive barrels are red, and that all buildings have a liberal supply of them to use as impromptu ammunition against ones enemies. The heating at work has been broken all week, resulting in the following scene.
Exploding Barrels are Red
Well at least we are well stocked for the impending zombie invasion/rift in space-time/teleporter accident.