On The River

Come January each year one of the first dates in my diary is the London Boat Show and the YJA Yachtsman and Young Sailor of the Year awards ceremony.
From the south coast that often involved a frustrating journey across London from Waterloo that I dreaded. That was until I decided to take the bus — the Thames River Bus.
Which I did again today between the London Eye, close to Waterloo station and the Tower Pier by the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and Trinity House, venue for the awards this year.
First time I switched from the Underground was for a journey to Greenwich, just a shade further down river from Tower Pier, when for a few years the awards were made at the old Royal Naval College.
I think it much more relaxing making the journey on the river with no traffic jams, and a world away from the hustle and bustle of city streets in the capital, and I always feel that London takes on a fresh perspective from mid Thames, especially at night.
Most of my sailing chums and fellow journalists still stick to the tube or cab from mainline rail stations, it seems.   For me, this particular journey is best by far by the Clipper river bus and I cannot see me willingly switching back to fighting my way through city streets in the back of a cab, or beneath the streets by Underground.

In my book it’s also more fitting to the occasion to make the journey to either sailing awards or the Boat Show on the water.