There was a new Yacht in London for the boat show, and after it had finished the builders for various reasons decided to put it in St Katherines Dock for a couple of weeks.
I got the job of piloting the shift, along with a crew from the builders.
A bit outside my price range, I first saw it In the King George Lock as I went past on another ship,
looking a little small in the lock, when I got closer it grew.
A Sunseeker 40 (40metres long) it had all the rich mans toys, and was a delight to drive.
We went through the barrier,
and up towards Tower Bridge.
On the north side of the river, just before the bridge is St Katherines Dock, and as the captain and I put the vessel in the lock, I felt the weight of the history of the place on my shoulders.
After all, it's been a haven for ships for over 900 years; here was the home of the tea clippers, of rum and tobacco and all manner of the worlds riches. You can feel it in the buildings and I guess I felt all the old salts watching my manoeuvre, hopefully they were nodding their appreciation of a job well done.
No comments:
Post a Comment