As a recent new member of the Maritime Volunteer Service based at the City of London unit near Tower Bridge, alongside Brett also, we get to practice boat handling, whether a RIB or a chance to play with their hardboat LD1.
Anyway back to the events of 18th June....
The RIB had been brought back to its Tower Bridge base earlier that day after being berthed in Putney for a few weeks. The task was to then drive the RIB back to Putney taking one of the earlier crew so he could pick up his car. Driving a RIB back up to Putney you are limited to 12 knot speed limit until you get to Wandsworth Bridge when the speed limit drops to 8 knots. Along the way you have to avoid the other much larger vessels such as the Thames Clipper or other pleasure craft.
Having successfully dropped the earlier crewman off at Putney, we turned around to head back to base, passing the various landmarks on the way.......
As we approached the Houses of Parliament, we ran out of fuel......which is not a good idea. We managed to avoid drifting into the exclusion zone outside parliament (special forces with guns are likely to be pointing them at you!), we drifted under Westminster bridge, while refuelling the tank from the gerry can......
Having then re-primed the system we tried to start the engine....NOTHING! The battery was flat?
By now, we are a hazard to the Thames Clipper who helpfully slow down to allow us to be tied on the their side and towed gently into the London Eye pontoon......
By now the word has reached the City of London unit, who thankfully had enough people to raise a crew for LD1 who came up river to tow us back......
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| The rescue from the London Eye pontoon..... |
On the return to base, it was determined that actually it was the starter motor that was f*%ked...
On the evening of the 18th June, I was messing about with boats......!
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