#AD Visit ABC Leisure at www.abclg.com or call 0330 333 0590 for everything to do with canal boats. This is Part 2 (of now 3 parts) of the cruise I was pleased to be invited on by the St Pancras Cruising Club. We'd started at SPCC HQ and come down to Limehouse on the Regent's Canal (see prior video) and then went out onto the River Thames and east towards and through the Thames Flood Barrier, in a convoy of 16 narrowboats. Part 3 is "coming soon". Ish. Part 1 th-cam.com/video/Y7jTEndUiQ0/w-d-xo.html Start point goo.gl/maps/yFZEdwAqKys6cAt86 End point goo.gl/maps/3vBrFDoup5up7gNf7 St Pancras Cruising Club www.stpancrascc.co.uk
Love that despite the fact you no longer (at least for now) own a narrowboat, the quality and content of the channel has not suffered at all. Thanks for bringing us more stories from the cut!
I may add: David has been finding opportunities to report interesting events or topics to us. ("Interesting": matter of opinion.) Interesting on another level than for instance his boat maintenance or the beauty of the surroundings.
In the seventies, I was a security guard on the flood barrier. You wouldn't want to go over overboard. The undertow would pull you straight down. You get a different perspective sitting in the Thames barrier all night. In a security hut.
The Barking Creek barrier is so high because there are two wharfs up there that are used by commercial shipping, and the ship's masts have to get under the top of the lifted gate.
David, it’s really something: I’m in San Jose, California, born and raised and I have moved 28 times during my lifetime but I am back in San Jose again. Watching your videos I have learned volumes about canal boating. I’ve watched every one of them, faithfully. With all my moving around I’m sure I will never even see the canals, much less go boating on them, but it’s so much fun watching all these and I just wanted to throw that out there to you. Thanks for all you do, for all of us. It’s just loads of fun!
Absolutely fascinating video with excellent commentary. Back in the COVID days, these videos were a key part of what helped keep me sane during the lockdown. I'm forever grateful!
Letting you all know i was a asst cook at the thames barrier when it was being built it was dutch men that built it i cook for the divers there and work there 3years i got news papper on it all as well i got a bit of rock from there.
Little fact in case you're interested. Each of the individual gates at the Thames Barrier can in fact be individually hand winched closed/open so the barrier can still operate in case of a power failure. I'm told the staff do indeed practice this hand winching process as part of their drills. The barrier has a dedicated power grid connection as well as backup diesel motors for each gate. Lots of redundancy built in, fantastic design.
Thanks David for another top notch canal boat video, I too am one of the armada... Of viewers who also survived lockdown (by the grace of God) to enjoy the peace and serenity of your journeys via you tube 🙏🙏 So a very big thank you, from sunny, Somerset 🌞
David, you really should do an interview with Simon, he’s ‘been everywhere, man’ and I truly believe that nothing ever fazes him. Great vid, so looking forward to seeing the next one
Yikes! 10 metres? That's comfortably over 30 feet. Very deep when you are sailing in a narrowboat I reckon! "Thank you Father Ted" made me chuckle.😂 Looking forward to the third instalment!
I saw a narrowboat sink just above greenland pier a few years back. Came out of southdock marina heading upriver sprung a leak and the two crew helped off by a passing rib who pushed the canal boat ashore and she sank next to the river wall. Refloated on the next tide
Thank you for a calming video. I can feel my blood pressure dropping to a more healthy level after a bit of a day. You've lost non of your filming skills or story telling prowess. Looking forward to the next episode. Cheers!👋
David, I followed up your question about the Barking Creek Barrier's height by asking the Bing AI. This is what it discovered for me from 4 sources: (wikipedia, Ianvisits, historicengland and virtualglobetrotting). "The Barking Creek Barrier is a tidal flood barrier that was constructed in the 1980s as part of the Thames flood defense system, opening in 1983 (wikipedia). Like all of the subsidiary gates, it is normally closed before, and opened after, the main Thames Barrier (wikipedia). The barrier is 38 meters wide and held aloft by two 40-meter towers to allow boats to pass at high tide (wikipedia). The massive gate is lowered by gravity and raised by motors so that even in the event of a power failure, they can always close the gate, if maybe not necessarily open it again afterwards (ianvisits). It would take something pretty dire to cut the power off though, as there are three power supplies - one from the National Grid, one from Beckton sewage plant next door, and a diesel backup generator on site (ianvisits)." I hope this helps. Loving the convoy, an amazing look at the Thames from a POV that many of us will never be able to see from.
I think the simple answer is that most canal locks can be low, because all canal boats are low to pass under low canal bridges - but a lock opening onto an estuary needs to deal with fairly tall boats.
David, your videos just get better! Clever filming near the end made it look like those narrowboats would be swallowed by the wash of that "gargantuan" ship 😮 Can't wait for the narrowboat stampeed west.
I would like to pass on this high praise that once in a blue moon I would get from my father - " I suppose it's OK if you like that sort of thing" - Keep it up.
Oh wow, that was really exciting and fabulously photographed David. I did get rather anxious on the journey down river but the amazing buildings and the Thames barrier won me over, and the gentle bobbing in tickover at the end was calming and of course anticipatory for your next vlog! Brilliant stuff! X
Re: Barking Creek, according to the website "Ian Visits": The two massive concrete towers are not chosen for aesthetic reasons, but mainly because the enormous deadweight provided by the concrete was needed to help the barrier resist movement caused by storm surges.
Ahhh reminds me of the time a group of us kayaked from Erith on the outgoing tide to Sheppey then up the Medway to Rochester on the flood tide. That was a long day.
Epic ❤ fab trip and it's not over yet. Looked mental size of those ships to the little narrow boats 😊 Incredible how well these flat bottom boats surge onwards on a river so huge and such a lot of bobbing about on a calm tide. Well done no anchors dropped😅 Have fun see you next time in the next part. Kev the Brinklow kayaker😅
The Barking Creek barrier is that tall to allow ships in at the Roding river at high tides. Nowadays there aren't many vessels going on to the industries behind the barrier but back in the 1980's when the barrier was build there were coastal vessels going in on/out the river at high tide. As there are almost no ships going up the Roding River and also very little maintenance on the flow, the river is pretty much silted up and shallow so the barrier looks funny.
I have seen a scrap metal ship up there. The A13 bridge, built since the barrier I think , has a much lower headroom and would restrict access to some of the old wharves..
Another beautifully filmed and narrated episode. Having worked in Canary Wharf for 20yrs before retiring I got very familiar with that part of London and regularly used the River Taxis (now Uber Taxis), particularly when there were tube strikes or closures. A terrific video, from a terrific channel!
A nice little video. Myself working as a Thames waterman and lighterman (captain) on the river it amused me to hear "you cant mistake which span to go through" as you filmed Delta span but took bravo span for smaller vessels. You wouldn't believe the amount of private boats who get told to take bravo but keep aiming for delta and get a telling off. VTS often turn off green arrows on the bigger spans to try and encourage them over to the right one at least 😅
I also find that quite a few leisure boats cut the corner on the approach to the barrier. A gentle left hand bend and it is very easy to get 50 metres out of position and end up in the middle of the deep water channel, rather than staying as far to the right as is sensible.
@CruisingTheCut commercial captains on the river have five yearly local knowledge exams from margretness to putney so having basic local knowledge skills as a private boater and passage plan is helpful. Usually vts will say to leisure boaters "between gates 8 and 9" to help but obviously until you are closer seeing those numbers isn't always easy so knowing the barrier is lettered from south to north when they give you Bravo span for example you instantly know where to aim for as often they will have multiple green light bravo charlie and delta.
@@ScholarGypsyOx and cut the corner inwardbound at Blackwall point on the wrong side completely! Interesting when you are approaching at 30knots at a thames clipper😅
@@liquidhighway Yes, we do brief the skippers pretty firmly on this. I think inland boaters new to the tideway find it quite hard to orient and position themselves. By contrast on most canals if you are five feet out of position you will run aground.
I tried it once in London but it was too bloody dangerous. PS I have driven in many countries around the world and there's no difference. Great fun jumping from a LHD to a RHD after a short flight, Denmark to UK once a month.
Worth mentioning that the glass domed building next to the Cutty Sark is the entrance to the Greenwich foot tunnel under the Thames. Not many people are aware in my experience
There's another tunnel at Woolwich. Not too far from the ferry. Once had a day out with my granddaughter, walk through the tunnel and 10 trips back and forth on the ferry. Sadly, no duty free on board.
Walked that tunnel many times when working on the DLR Bank station tunnels and staying at the Ibis hotel Greenwich. The section of the walkway tunnel that is smaller, is where the lining was damaged by a WWII bomb and lined with smaller dia cast segments.
Beside the Greenwich foot tunnel, LUL power station. Opened in about 1905 feeding trolley busses and trams in London, coal being delivered by river. Now, as you say, emergency power supply for the Underground, and even exporting on occasions to the National Grid. Do we get to see the other 1905 RAILWAY Powerstation, Lots Road Chelsea, now replaced by a connection to the National Grid,later?
Like a group of bike riders meeting up and deciding (after a thorough briefing of course) to pedal around the M25 with wing commander Simon on the lead bike.
Interesting seeing from the river. Last weekend thirty of us from the London Brompton Club rode along the south bank Thames path from Woolwich to Greenwich. I live in Lea bridge road and love riding the canal path down to Limehouse cut basin and along to Tower bridge 😊
Phew that was stressful. Narrow boating on the cut is so peaceful and relaxing, but on the Thames, it seems it would become quite the nightmare if things went pear shape.
When I was a teenager in the early 60s I put together a model of the Cutty Sark complete with waxed threads for rigging. Thank you for the pleasant cruise "downstream"
All the Viking ocean cruise ships are the same size @ 930 guests. It is certainly considered small these days compared to other major lines with many of those ships in the 4000-5500 guest range - but I'm guessing none of them could fit there on the Thames! Certainly still a major contrast to a narrowboat!
Nice video and, as always, very good technically. I thought the FX, actuality, VO mix at the top worked really well. Gosh how incongruous the little narrow boats looked as they emerged onto the wide waters of the Thames at Limehouse!
Such a fine jaunt, CTC, captured most admirably. Felt I was part of the action. Your eye for composing camera shots/subjects is impressive and most appreciated. Can't wait for part 3 of this St. Pancras series. Well done sir! Cheers.
Wow…what a great, if seasickness inducing,Thames canal boat voyage. The dangling cable cars look quite the scary ride. Good thing I’m stuck on land in the Arizona desert! Another great video, David 😊😊
I remember David being on the tidal section of the Thames before. (With Lorna and others in two narrowboats, as I remember it.) However, a greater challenge may be: crossing the Ribble estuary. As I remember it, Foxes Afloat did that, maybe 3 years ago, more or less together with another narrowboat.
Great vlog David. They just keep getting better... but don't think I will be taking my boat on such a vast river, well not that far down stream. Maybe the upper reaches. Just can't wait for part two.. keep them coming great stuff. Cheers David and keep safe Pal..
Enjoyed every moment of this wonderful flotilla of narrowboats. David you are a superb narrator and editor, the standard of these videos is excellent in every respect…….I could watch them for hours…..and I do! Thank you.
8:09 - how random! We too have a very similar statue by Antony Gormley in the Avon River here in my home city of Christchurch, New Zealand. To many locals it's the "Gormley-o-meter" and is used to guage how flooded the river is in a heavy rain... also useful for collecting detritus around it in such times! No doubt you would have seen it on your abandoned NZ trip back in 2020 at the start of you-know-what global event!
It's a Dutch-dual-purpose-ship. It is a dredger but can also lay materials on the seabed (as rock, sand, etc. for i.e. wind farms or oil platforms). At the moment of filming it was unloading a shipment of sand from dredging at the Tarmac Charlton Concrete Plant.
P.S. to my just sent comment -took a screen shot of boat (bow) with narrowboats in background - OMG - should be entered into a competition...fantastic ( and scary) Jan
Truly a beautiful day upon the water...always extremely relaxing hearing the water lap along the side of the boat... quite the adventure today..looking forward to seeing the continuation of your voyage back. Appreciate you sharing your amazing adventure with us 😊😎😉
Enjoying this 3-part(?) series. Really looking forward to the trip up through London, though I suppose the Thames is wide enough that not much will be seen on the far side. Thankfully the massive amount of effluent has been treated. Imagine living back in "the good old days" when the raw sewage (human and animal) washed straight from the gutters into the rivers, not just in London but from large cities all over the world.
River Roding - which is what the Barking Creek turns into - is still held navigable, which in this case also include sail boats. Originally a barrier with gates like a lock was intended, but the wet land around would have required huge structures to make stand against a tide. By making it a guillotine gate both towers would withstand the forces calculated by sheer weight. Thus two towers instead of filling up half the area with concrete.
@hollaraedulioe I'd be interested if you could point me to any any reference sources on this. It's a bit surprising as the Barking (and Dartford) barriers were built as part of the Thames Barrier project, and the barrier itself obviously has no provision for navigation when it is shut. Was the intention to impound the water upstream all the time? That has now been done in Barking itself of course, with the construction of the barrage in the town centre (not to be confused with the barrier!).
“Suitably deafened …”. Wonderful narration. Routinely watch (listen) to your postings several times so as to minimize the chance of missing any such “gems” …
These videos are like a slick BBC production. They don't seem like a TH-cam video at all. They are made so professionally, like there is a whole BBC production crew working on it. This is what TH-cam is supposed to be. The videos are always excellent. One thing. I seem to have not been subscribed anymore and had to re-subscribe. Does anybody know what that is about?
@@CruisingTheCut I will have to see if I missed any videos. There are a lot of us in the colonies that just adore English documentary style videos like you make. There is something about the accent, and that Monty Python style comedy. I expect to you to start narrating Novel writing at any moment, or attempt to purchase cheese!
Brilliant as usual, David. Well done everyone - it must have been quite a day! I loved the contrast between you and the cruise ship! I had visions of 7,570 cheese sandwiches needed for lunch John, Ontaro, Canada!
That Ferry used to be part of my regular commute as I worked very close to Tate and Lyle at a now demolished Satellite Earth Station. You could see the antennae as you crossed the river. Might be a short crossing but at rush hour the queues were huge. Had to be at the south side car park by 0700 to be sure of disembarking north side before 07.50. Still much less frustrating than queuing for the Blackwall Tunnel and you could shave, eat a cheese sandwich breakfast or read a book. btw Father Ted not a cow in sight🤣
David, this was absolutely a fascinating video . And that HUGE, HUGE ship there at the last. Oh my gosh. I've never seen anything like it. Looking forward to part 3. Can hardly wait. Travel safe.
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#AD Visit ABC Leisure at www.abclg.com or call 0330 333 0590 for everything to do with canal boats.
This is Part 2 (of now 3 parts) of the cruise I was pleased to be invited on by the St Pancras Cruising Club. We'd started at SPCC HQ and come down to Limehouse on the Regent's Canal (see prior video) and then went out onto the River Thames and east towards and through the Thames Flood Barrier, in a convoy of 16 narrowboats. Part 3 is "coming soon". Ish.
Part 1 th-cam.com/video/Y7jTEndUiQ0/w-d-xo.html
Start point goo.gl/maps/yFZEdwAqKys6cAt86
End point goo.gl/maps/3vBrFDoup5up7gNf7
St Pancras Cruising Club www.stpancrascc.co.uk
Love that despite the fact you no longer (at least for now) own a narrowboat, the quality and content of the channel has not suffered at all. Thanks for bringing us more stories from the cut!
Much appreciated!
Amazing what you can get done when you're not spending all your time maintaining a boat! His content is much improved.
I may add: David has been finding opportunities to report interesting events or topics to us. ("Interesting": matter of opinion.) Interesting on another level than for instance his boat maintenance or the beauty of the surroundings.
In the seventies, I was a security guard on the flood barrier.
You wouldn't want to go over overboard. The undertow would pull you straight down.
You get a different perspective sitting in the Thames barrier all night. In a security hut.
I've watched you from the beginning and really appreciate how they relax me when I'm stressed. Thanks eh :)
Happy to hear that!
The Barking Creek barrier is so high because there are two wharfs up there that are used by commercial shipping, and the ship's masts have to get under the top of the lifted gate.
The lucky ones can get under the bottom of the lifted gate 😉
That zoomed in clip of the big boat crossing infront of the narrowboat as was AMAZING!! 👏🏻 we are nerding out.
Looking forward to part 3!
The dry delivery of "because they dangle" is just perfection.
David, it’s really something: I’m in San Jose, California, born and raised and I have moved 28 times during my lifetime but I am back in San Jose again. Watching your videos I have learned volumes about canal boating. I’ve watched every one of them, faithfully. With all my moving around I’m sure I will never even see the canals, much less go boating on them, but it’s so much fun watching all these and I just wanted to throw that out there to you. Thanks for all you do, for all of us. It’s just loads of fun!
You are most kind, cheers
So on the road you drive wrong, but in a boat you drive "right". ;)
That tickled my sense of humor, as an American. LOL
Absolutely fascinating video with excellent commentary. Back in the COVID days, these videos were a key part of what helped keep me sane during the lockdown. I'm forever grateful!
Glad it was helpful! 😀
So you've learned the power of the "cliffhanger ending". I almost heard the theme tune from Eastenders play at the finish.
Fantastic video, David.
Certainly an apt location for it!!
Letting you all know i was a asst cook at the thames barrier when it was being built it was dutch men that built it i cook for the divers there and work there 3years i got news papper on it all as well i got a bit of rock from there.
I worked with a guy who was a chippy working on it, he came from Liverpool.
Little fact in case you're interested. Each of the individual gates at the Thames Barrier can in fact be individually hand winched closed/open so the barrier can still operate in case of a power failure.
I'm told the staff do indeed practice this hand winching process as part of their drills.
The barrier has a dedicated power grid connection as well as backup diesel motors for each gate. Lots of redundancy built in, fantastic design.
Ooof that's a lot of winding
Thanks David for another top notch canal boat video, I too am one of the armada... Of viewers who also survived lockdown (by the grace of God) to enjoy the peace and serenity of your journeys via you tube 🙏🙏
So a very big thank you, from sunny, Somerset 🌞
Ah, thank you. Glad they helped.
Been looking forward to this video since the last vlog. Your videos are always so enjoyable.
David, you really should do an interview with Simon, he’s ‘been everywhere, man’ and I truly believe that nothing ever fazes him. Great vid, so looking forward to seeing the next one
Nooooooooo ......
Yikes! 10 metres? That's comfortably over 30 feet. Very deep when you are sailing in a narrowboat I reckon! "Thank you Father Ted" made me chuckle.😂 Looking forward to the third instalment!
I saw a narrowboat sink just above greenland pier a few years back. Came out of southdock marina heading upriver sprung a leak and the two crew helped off by a passing rib who pushed the canal boat ashore and she sank next to the river wall. Refloated on the next tide
Fantastic. Really enjoyed that.
Many thanks!
Loved seeing all the sights of London again, and from the River. Remember visiting the Thames Barrier when I was quite young and it was very new.
Thank you for a calming video. I can feel my blood pressure dropping to a more healthy level after a bit of a day. You've lost non of your filming skills or story telling prowess. Looking forward to the next episode. Cheers!👋
David, I followed up your question about the Barking Creek Barrier's height by asking the Bing AI. This is what it discovered for me from 4 sources:
(wikipedia, Ianvisits, historicengland and virtualglobetrotting).
"The Barking Creek Barrier is a tidal flood barrier that was constructed in the 1980s as part of the Thames flood defense system, opening in 1983 (wikipedia). Like all of the subsidiary gates, it is normally closed before, and opened after, the main Thames Barrier (wikipedia). The barrier is 38 meters wide and held aloft by two 40-meter towers to allow boats to pass at high tide (wikipedia). The massive gate is lowered by gravity and raised by motors so that even in the event of a power failure, they can always close the gate, if maybe not necessarily open it again afterwards (ianvisits). It would take something pretty dire to cut the power off though, as there are three power supplies - one from the National Grid, one from Beckton sewage plant next door, and a diesel backup generator on site (ianvisits)."
I hope this helps.
Loving the convoy, an amazing look at the Thames from a POV that many of us will never be able to see from.
😀😀
I think the simple answer is that most canal locks can be low, because all canal boats are low to pass under low canal bridges - but a lock opening onto an estuary needs to deal with fairly tall boats.
Fantastic really scary even watching from home lol ❤
David, your videos just get better! Clever filming near the end made it look like those narrowboats would be swallowed by the wash of that "gargantuan" ship 😮 Can't wait for the narrowboat stampeed west.
I would like to pass on this high praise that once in a blue moon I would get from my father - " I suppose it's OK if you like that sort of thing" - Keep it up.
😀😀🤣
This trip on the Thames is a wonderful journey.
WOW!! Many months since I last saw the narrow boats on big water; looked a bit nerve racking to me :) Excellent narration as usual and awesome views!
Many thanks!
Oh wow, that was really exciting and fabulously photographed David. I did get rather anxious on the journey down river but the amazing buildings and the Thames barrier won me over, and the gentle bobbing in tickover at the end was calming and of course anticipatory for your next vlog! Brilliant stuff! X
Re: Barking Creek, according to the website "Ian Visits":
The two massive concrete towers are not chosen for aesthetic reasons, but mainly because the enormous deadweight provided by the concrete was needed to help the barrier resist movement caused by storm surges.
And to provide adequate headroom for the ships that use the creek.
20:09 the "money shot". Well done David.
Ahhh reminds me of the time a group of us kayaked from Erith on the outgoing tide to Sheppey then up the Medway to Rochester on the flood tide. That was a long day.
Nothing like the Thames to put narrowboats into perspective. They looked so tiny!
Epic ❤ fab trip and it's not over yet.
Looked mental size of those ships to the little narrow boats 😊
Incredible how well these flat bottom boats surge onwards on a river so huge and such a lot of bobbing about on a calm tide.
Well done no anchors dropped😅
Have fun see you next time in the next part.
Kev the Brinklow kayaker😅
The Barking Creek barrier is that tall to allow ships in at the Roding river at high tides. Nowadays there aren't many vessels going on to the industries behind the barrier but back in the 1980's when the barrier was build there were coastal vessels going in on/out the river at high tide. As there are almost no ships going up the Roding River and also very little maintenance on the flow, the river is pretty much silted up and shallow so the barrier looks funny.
I have seen a scrap metal ship up there. The A13 bridge, built since the barrier I think , has a much lower headroom and would restrict access to some of the old wharves..
Another beautifully filmed and narrated episode. Having worked in Canary Wharf for 20yrs before retiring I got very familiar with that part of London and regularly used the River Taxis (now Uber Taxis), particularly when there were tube strikes or closures. A terrific video, from a terrific channel!
Many thanks indeed :-)
Loved the Father Ted reference 😂❤
I’ve never been so upset to see an episode end!.. and so excited for the next!
Something so great about seeing narrowboats on open water.
A nice little video. Myself working as a Thames waterman and lighterman (captain) on the river it amused me to hear "you cant mistake which span to go through" as you filmed Delta span but took bravo span for smaller vessels. You wouldn't believe the amount of private boats who get told to take bravo but keep aiming for delta and get a telling off. VTS often turn off green arrows on the bigger spans to try and encourage them over to the right one at least 😅
I also find that quite a few leisure boats cut the corner on the approach to the barrier. A gentle left hand bend and it is very easy to get 50 metres out of position and end up in the middle of the deep water channel, rather than staying as far to the right as is sensible.
Yeah at the angle we were at, the greens on the big span were very clear but not on the little one we went through!
@CruisingTheCut commercial captains on the river have five yearly local knowledge exams from margretness to putney so having basic local knowledge skills as a private boater and passage plan is helpful. Usually vts will say to leisure boaters "between gates 8 and 9" to help but obviously until you are closer seeing those numbers isn't always easy so knowing the barrier is lettered from south to north when they give you Bravo span for example you instantly know where to aim for as often they will have multiple green light bravo charlie and delta.
@@ScholarGypsyOx and cut the corner inwardbound at Blackwall point on the wrong side completely! Interesting when you are approaching at 30knots at a thames clipper😅
@@liquidhighway Yes, we do brief the skippers pretty firmly on this. I think inland boaters new to the tideway find it quite hard to orient and position themselves. By contrast on most canals if you are five feet out of position you will run aground.
Fascinating. The romance of the river still lives.
"This being boating we drive on the right." As it should be. On land too...Love from the USA.
I tried it once in London but it was too bloody dangerous.
PS I have driven in many countries around the world and there's no difference. Great fun jumping from a LHD to a RHD after a short flight, Denmark to UK once a month.
What fun. Thank you for taking us on this trip. Amazing what is on and near the waters of the River Thames.
Looking forward to Part 3--thanks, David!
This video proved to me I'm still not ready for big river journey's in Narrow Boats. My legs were like jelly.
Worth mentioning that the glass domed building next to the Cutty Sark is the entrance to the Greenwich foot tunnel under the Thames. Not many people are aware in my experience
There's another tunnel at Woolwich. Not too far from the ferry. Once had a day out with my granddaughter, walk through the tunnel and 10 trips back and forth on the ferry. Sadly, no duty free on board.
Walked that tunnel many times when working on the DLR Bank station tunnels and staying at the Ibis hotel Greenwich. The section of the walkway tunnel that is smaller, is where the lining was damaged by a WWII bomb and lined with smaller dia cast segments.
Beside the Greenwich foot tunnel, LUL power station. Opened in about 1905 feeding trolley busses and trams in London, coal being delivered by river. Now, as you say, emergency power supply for the Underground, and even exporting on occasions to the National Grid. Do we get to see the other 1905 RAILWAY Powerstation, Lots Road Chelsea, now replaced by a connection to the National Grid,later?
Like a group of bike riders meeting up and deciding (after a thorough briefing of course) to pedal around the M25 with wing commander Simon on the lead bike.
So exciting. What a fabulous cruise in the big water. Looking forward to next instalment
I love these types of videos from your good self. I miss the day to day love aboard videos, but this is just as good.
More to come!
Interesting seeing from the river. Last weekend thirty of us from the London Brompton Club rode along the south bank Thames path from Woolwich to Greenwich. I live in Lea bridge road and love riding the canal path down to Limehouse cut basin and along to Tower bridge 😊
Interesting squadron of narrowboats, in an interesting vlog. Awaiting the second installment.
Your commentary is priceless. So funny and enjoyable.
🤣🤣cheers
Cheers Dave looks like a military operation getting all the boats together have a top week 🙂🎤🎥✌️
There were certainly several spreadsheets involved...
That's as close to the Thames as I will ever get. Thank you for having me along.🙂🙂
You’re welcome 😊
Lovely trip! (Even the sewage made a beautiful waterfall. 😂) Thank you, David! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰😎
Great video of a memorable day. Thanks David
Thank you! 😀😀😀
Proper exciting!!! Thanks David
Outstanding video! Very informative and some great views from the river.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video. I have happy memories of several trips with my dad on Sun tugs operating out of Gravesend, not far from where you were.
Phew that was stressful. Narrow boating on the cut is so peaceful and relaxing, but on the Thames, it seems it would become quite the nightmare if things went pear shape.
The dredger looks like it has a huge battering ram on the front, a Mad Max ship.😊
When I was a teenager in the early 60s I put together a model of the Cutty Sark complete with waxed threads for rigging. Thank you for the pleasant cruise "downstream"
good vid thanks lee
All the Viking ocean cruise ships are the same size @ 930 guests. It is certainly considered small these days compared to other major lines with many of those ships in the 4000-5500 guest range - but I'm guessing none of them could fit there on the Thames! Certainly still a major contrast to a narrowboat!
Nice video and, as always, very good technically. I thought the FX, actuality, VO mix at the top worked really well. Gosh how incongruous the little narrow boats looked as they emerged onto the wide waters of the Thames at Limehouse!
Such a fine jaunt, CTC, captured most admirably. Felt I was part of the action. Your eye for composing camera shots/subjects is impressive and most appreciated. Can't wait for part 3 of this St. Pancras series. Well done sir! Cheers.
Thank you so much 😀
David, a nice video for Sunday afternoon. Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it
What fun to see my old apartment near the Convoy
Wow…what a great, if seasickness inducing,Thames canal boat voyage. The dangling cable cars look quite the scary ride. Good thing I’m stuck on land in the Arizona desert! Another great video, David 😊😊
I remember David being on the tidal section of the Thames before. (With Lorna and others in two narrowboats, as I remember it.) However, a greater challenge may be: crossing the Ribble estuary. As I remember it, Foxes Afloat did that, maybe 3 years ago, more or less together with another narrowboat.
there's an uploader who filmed his trip on it (stevemarsh). i've seen him looking happier!
Many thanks!
Great vlog David. They just keep getting better... but don't think I will be taking my boat on such a vast river, well not that far down stream. Maybe the upper reaches. Just can't wait for part two.. keep them coming great stuff. Cheers David and keep safe Pal..
Thanks 👍
Enjoyed every moment of this wonderful flotilla of narrowboats. David you are a superb narrator and editor, the standard of these videos is excellent in every respect…….I could watch them for hours…..and I do! Thank you.
Ah that is so kind, thank you! 😊
Thank you David for this delightful journey.
That big “gargantuan ship” is likely a dredging ship by the look of the gear on the deck.
Haha, I have been saying left turn Clyde all my life knowing it is right turn Clyde from that American movie.
Well played sir.
Ha, thanks!
i didnt realise cruise ships went that far into London. Actually i wasnt aware any even went near London. Looking forward to the next installment!
There are some very small ones that tie up alongside HNS Belfast.
@@ScholarGypsyOx visiting cruise ships and naval ships
I love your videos, David. Your sense of humor makes them even more entertaining.
Cheers!
Cheers David, a most impressive travelogue. Enjoyed travelling with you and looking forward to the next leg. Take care mate.
Thanks 👍
Great to see Part 2 after last week's "serious" video
Just sat down for Sunday dinner, brilliant timing.
Enjoy your dinner!
Ooh, what are you having?
Wonderful video, as always!
Thank you! Cheers!
I can see Simon as a wing commander of a squad of spitfires
Thanks! I'm still trying to work out if this is a compliment ......
Watched this on our honeymoon. Top quality romantic stuff it was indeed!
Hahaha congratulations. Now, surely there are more pressing matters when on honeymoon!!
The effluent from that sewage treatment plant is cleaner than the water that it is flowing into.
Not sure if that is praise for the effluent or slandering the Thames
Fabulous cinematography at 20:12. Well done David.
I love how the tidal barriers resemble Knights with their shields guarding the Kingdom!
quite the adventure - and the whole flotilla waiting is a really nice view!
8:09 - how random! We too have a very similar statue by Antony Gormley in the Avon River here in my home city of Christchurch, New Zealand. To many locals it's the "Gormley-o-meter" and is used to guage how flooded the river is in a heavy rain... also useful for collecting detritus around it in such times! No doubt you would have seen it on your abandoned NZ trip back in 2020 at the start of you-know-what global event!
I would have if I’d made it to Christchurch! One day…
That Reimerswaal had a steampunk look about it, no idea what it's for. Thanks for the ride along, big change from the cut.
It's a dredger, the wheel is to empty the hold without having to reliquify the sand and without external equipment.
It's a Dutch-dual-purpose-ship. It is a dredger but can also lay materials on the seabed (as rock, sand, etc. for i.e. wind farms or oil platforms). At the moment of filming it was unloading a shipment of sand from dredging at the Tarmac Charlton Concrete Plant.
The Riemerwaal is build by Barkmeijer Shipyards in the Netherland
Your usual impeccable presentation David , thanks fot taking us along for the ride
My pleasure!
P.S. to my just sent comment -took a screen shot of boat (bow) with narrowboats in background - OMG - should be entered into a competition...fantastic ( and scary) Jan
Truly a beautiful day upon the water...always extremely relaxing hearing the water lap along the side of the boat... quite the adventure today..looking forward to seeing the continuation of your voyage back. Appreciate you sharing your amazing adventure with us 😊😎😉
Many thanks!
Enjoying this 3-part(?) series. Really looking forward to the trip up through London, though I suppose the Thames is wide enough that not much will be seen on the far side. Thankfully the massive amount of effluent has been treated. Imagine living back in "the good old days" when the raw sewage (human and animal) washed straight from the gutters into the rivers, not just in London but from large cities all over the world.
looking forward to the next part of the journey David
River Roding - which is what the Barking Creek turns into - is still held navigable, which in this case also include sail boats. Originally a barrier with gates like a lock was intended, but the wet land around would have required huge structures to make stand against a tide. By making it a guillotine gate both towers would withstand the forces calculated by sheer weight. Thus two towers instead of filling up half the area with concrete.
@hollaraedulioe I'd be interested if you could point me to any any reference sources on this. It's a bit surprising as the Barking (and Dartford) barriers were built as part of the Thames Barrier project, and the barrier itself obviously has no provision for navigation when it is shut. Was the intention to impound the water upstream all the time? That has now been done in Barking itself of course, with the construction of the barrage in the town centre (not to be confused with the barrier!).
“Suitably deafened …”. Wonderful narration. Routinely watch (listen) to your postings several times so as to minimize the chance of missing any such “gems” …
'bliss came up between us' was my favourite on this one!
These videos are like a slick BBC production. They don't seem like a TH-cam video at all. They are made so professionally, like there is a whole BBC production crew working on it. This is what TH-cam is supposed to be. The videos are always excellent.
One thing. I seem to have not been subscribed anymore and had to re-subscribe. Does anybody know what that is about?
Thank you! TH-cam seems occasionally to unsub people, it's really annoying
@@CruisingTheCut I will have to see if I missed any videos. There are a lot of us in the colonies that just adore English documentary style videos like you make. There is something about the accent, and that Monty Python style comedy. I expect to you to start narrating Novel writing at any moment, or attempt to purchase cheese!
That’s a dream of mine. Not sure it’ll ever happen so thank u very much. Brilliant adventure.
Reimerswaal is a Hopper dredger,i see that ship sometimes in the port of Rotterdam,holding the port at depth with some other dredgers..
The turning of the barges looked like a scene from "Away All Boats".
Well on a canal cruising scale anyway.
Thank you for taking us on another fine narrow boat adventure.
Glad you enjoyed it
Brilliant as usual, David. Well done everyone - it must have been quite a day! I loved the contrast between you and the cruise ship! I had visions of 7,570 cheese sandwiches needed for lunch
John, Ontaro, Canada!
Many thanks!
That Ferry used to be part of my regular commute as I worked very close to Tate and Lyle at a now demolished Satellite Earth Station. You could see the antennae as you crossed the river. Might be a short crossing but at rush hour the queues were huge. Had to be at the south side car park by 0700 to be sure of disembarking north side before 07.50. Still much less frustrating than queuing for the Blackwall Tunnel and you could shave, eat a cheese sandwich breakfast or read a book. btw Father Ted not a cow in sight🤣
David, this was absolutely a fascinating video . And that HUGE, HUGE ship there at the last. Oh my gosh. I've never seen anything like it. Looking forward to part 3. Can hardly wait. Travel safe.
Glad you enjoyed it