Born to float

“My family’s Thames watermen lineage began with James Livett, from Rotherhithe, in 1749.

“I was born in Dartford, sixty years ago, but spent much of my childhood in New Zealand, before moving back to Erith in 1969.

“I can still recall the smell of coal and industry, on the river, on moorings, working wharves and in the enclosed docks, when I would tag along with my grandfather, as he went to work, towing a variety of ships and barges for JP Knight and Gaslee & Sons.

“My father worked for Westminster Dredging as a coastal tug master.

“My main memory of school is wanting to leave and get afloat on the river.

“Prior to setting up Livett’s Launches, I served as a journeyman on the river, for Sargent Brothers, delivering fuel for Conoco and also helping my father.

“I also spent 18 months travelling Europe as a merchant seaman.

“There were spells as a kitchen porter, window cleaner and butcher’s boy too.  I have delivered newspapers in my time as well.”

Movie-maker

“No Time To Die is the fifth Bond production we have been involved with.

“I can’t go into details – you’ll have to watch the film.

“But the scenes we worked on show a very different side of the river’s character, compared to The World Is Not Enough, which featured the longest opening sequence of any Bond film, requiring numerous locations and stunts on the river.

“It kept us busy for nine months. For Spectre, in which I had a small cameo appearance in front of camera, it was eight weeks.

"We also worked on For Your Eyes Only and Skyfall.

“Our other big-name credits include The Bill, two of the Harry Potter movies and Guy Richie’s Sherlock Holmes.

“Our first foray into the world of TV and movies was with Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun, back in 1987.

“It’s now a significant part of the business.”

River-nomics

“But we do much else besides.  

“Established in October 1983, we now have 50 direct employees.

“Counting indirect employees, the tally doubles to 100.

“The heart of the business is supporting the delivery of infrastructure projects along the tidal river, large or small, including the construction of the Thames Barrier in Woolwich and the refurbishment of Blackfriars Bridge.”

Tunnel vision

“I am particularly proud of our work on the Thames Tideway Tunnel, right from the planning stage.

“We have transported over one million tonnes of freight for the project, in purpose-built barges. This is equivalent to 68 lorry movements per barge.

“It’s all been achieved without any major health and safety incidents.

“That means a lot to me.

“The completion of the tunnel in 2025 will have a transformation effect on the health of the river.

“It’s vital legacy of jobs and skills training will endure for many years too. That’s equally important in my book.

“It is my motivation for serving on the board of the Thames Skills Academy, working to raise the quality of training standards and improve safety for all the tidal Thames workforce.”

Olympic memories

“Over-seeing the marine aspects for the London 2012 opening ceremony was an unforgettable experience.

“Working with true professionals, like Tracey Seaward, Stephen Daldry and Danny Boyle, was a joy.

“Almost a decade on, I still can’t quite believe I managed to keep the Queen’s “arrival” by helicopter a secret for over a year.

“In return for me teaching him how to steer a boat for the last leg of the torch relay by river, Sir David Beckham tried to improve my soccer skills. He failed.

“Operationally, highlights included managing the installation of the Olympic rings on Tower Bridge and laying the longest cable camera across the river at Greenwich.”

Culture matters

“I am keen to promote the river to a wider, younger audience.

“I have been a trustee of the Totally Thames Festival since 2013.

“It’s 25th anniversary programme this year has been as diverse as ever, with over 80 superb events.

“The classic boats display at St Katherine’s Dock is always a personal highlight for me."

Ever-expanding fleet

“I love boats! They have played a very special part in my life.

“The first one I bought was Hooligan in the mid 1980s, when I started Tidy Thames Refuse Service. She was an open steel workboat.

“I have a particular affection for the Elizabethan, often moored at Butler’s Wharf in Bermondsey, where she, without a doubt, offers the best view of London.

“This year we expanded the fleet further, acquiring a high-speed, environmentally-friendly, 12-seater landing craft, to support our growing light-freight and film work.  

“The oldest member of the fleet is a 1950’s River Lee barge.”

Changing times

“The river has changed beyond recognition since I was a boy.

“Over the last four decades, the business has constantly had to adapt.

“Safety, training, reliability and customer service are fundamental to how we now operate.

“The pandemic has hit passenger numbers on the river badly, but our tugs were kept busy, with tunnelling for the western section of the ‘supersewer’ continuing throughout lockdown.

“Our event and film work also kept going."

A family affair

“Quite simply without my wife, Belinda, Livett’s Launches would not exist.

“Her father was also a waterman, and she is a boat owner in her own right.

“She is one of a number of amazing ladies that have lived and worked on the river all their lives, allowing their other halves to take all the glory.

“My son, Ed, is also very hands on.

“Currently, he’s leading our pilot initiative with CEVA Logistics, delivering NHS supplies to central London by boat twice a day from Dartford.

“I am naturally pleased to see Ed following in my footsteps.

“My advice to him - and anyone else working on the river - has always been: Respect its natural force and never assume.”

Quick fire

• Career highlight? Being appointed barge master to HM The Queen. Being involved in her Diamond Jubilee pageant was an honour I will never forget.
• Best Bond? Pierce Brosnan. He always did his own stunts.
• Favourite spot on the Thames? It’s all wonderful.
• Sources of relaxation? Sailing, golf, my grandchildren, music.

The Port of London Authority (PLA) will be conducting a training exercise on the Thames in London on the morning of 17 September, testing how it would respond to an oil spill in the river.

The exercise will be conducted around Millwall Slipway and Limehouse Reach, off Westferry Road, Isle of Dogs (close to the Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre).

“We are running this live exercise to test all aspects of our response to an oil spill on the Thames,” explained chief harbour master, Bob Baker.

“This includes the rapid deployment of the oil spill containment equipment we operate through the Thames Oil Spill Clearance Association and operational coordination through our harbour masters team and port control centres.

“It is likely that local residents will see a number of unusual vessels arriving in the area through the morning. Please don’t be alarmed by this.

“The exercise will allow us to test the equipment and systems, identifying how to improve them so that, should we need them in future, we’ll be well placed to respond.”

The Port of London Authority's (PLA) harbour masters are asking river users to pay attention to their vessel’s wash and draw-off.

Over the past six months, the PLA has received 55 wash complaints regarding vessels passing piers, jetties and moorings.

Deputy harbour master, Darren Knight, said: "We're asking all mariners to practise good seamanship when afloat to protect other river users. While speed has an impact, mariners should always be aware of the wash their vessel is producing."

It is a principle of good seamanship that when passing items of river infrastructure, mariners should pay particular care to their vessel’s wash & draw-off, even when ‘speed reductions’ or ‘pass with cautions’ are not in place.

Mariners should ensure that any reduction of speed to reduce the effects is made at ample distance prior to passing, in order for it to dissipate sufficiently. Care should also be taken to allow sufficient distance past any infrastructure, before increasing speed again.

Around high-water, the wash generated from vessels in the Thames can be amplified and reflect off the river walls several times before dissipating. Equally, during the period approximately one hour either side of low water, the draw-off effect from passing vessels can have an even greater impact on berthed vessels, when they are at their closest point to the riverbed.

It is important to note that speed, is not the only factor linked to wash and draw-off. In addition, the type of the vessel’s propulsion and the design of the hull all have a part to play in the wash generated from a vessel.

Our incident investigation findings have indicated that some mariners do not fully appreciate the majority of AIS or GPS units display speed as: “speed over the ground”, which does not take account of the effect of the tide. Therefore, speed adjustments are required when utilising these types of aids to navigation.

"We'd also like to remind river users that incidents, near misses and safety observations should be reported to London VTS as soon as possible after the event, enabling us to deploy assets to investigate the issue and gather evidence. This should be followed up with a written report, submitted to the Harbour Master, which can be done via the marine report form on the PLA website or within the PLA app,” added Darren.

Houseboat wash complaints are also handled by the Harbour Master’s team and should be reported as soon as possible.

PLA Harbour Service Launches will be conducting enhanced compliance monitoring throughout the port, with a particular focus on wash monitoring at strategic locations and any concerns raised will lead to appropriate enforcement action being taken.

The publication of a second book about mudlarking on the Thames, an exhibition at Southwark Cathedral and TideFest (12 September) mean a busy end to summer for Lara Maiklem.

Road to the river

“I grew up on a farm in Surrey, only about 30 miles as the crow flies from central London.

“It was a green oasis in a sea of suburbia, bounded on one side by the London to Brighton railway line.

“My first memory of the river is feeding and being chased by geese at Thames Ditton, where my grandparents lived, when I was about three.

“I moved to London in the early 1990’s and discovered the river as a place I could go to escape the chaos of the city.

“For years I walked the river paths and spent hours staring at it until one day, about 20 years ago, I found myself at the top of a set of old wooden river stairs looking down onto the foreshore at low tide and decided to go down and get muddy…. “

Lost and found

“The first time I went onto the foreshore I found a clay pipe stem. It made sense to me that there was probably more to find, so I went back again and again. Every time I found something different.

“The foreshore is a huge historical lucky dip. You never know what the tide will wash up next. That’s what fascinates me.

“The objects I find are mostly just rubbish, the things that ordinary people threw away and lost, but each one is unique and tells a different story about the river and the people that worked on it and lived beside it.

“Bending down to pick something up that hasn’t been touched since the last person lost or dropped it, sometimes over 2,000 years ago, is just magical.

“It’s the best feeling in the world."

Special finds

“I’ve found gold and coins dating back to Roman times, but my passion is for the ordinary, everyday personal objects that were part daily life: pins, thimbles, dress clasps, buttons, children’s toys, the type of things you don’t see in most museums and that tell the most intimate stories of the past.

“Anything with initials, names or dates scratched onto them are particularly special, because they are links to actual individuals from the past.

“I have a 17th Century bodkin, with the initials S.E. scratched onto it; a Roman game counter with the numeral X scratched into the back, possibly to turn it into an illegal gambling chip; and a Victorian penny turned love token with the name J Tweedy and the date 19 April 1864. Who was J Tweedy and why was the date so special…?”

A shoe story

“Probably the most personal object I have is a complete Tudor child’s shoe.

“Thames mud is anaerobic, which means there is no oxygen to degrade the objects cocooned in it.

“When I pulled the shoe out of the mud it was as perfect as the day it fell in, I could even see the soft imprint of its previous owner’s little toes and heel.

“It took me two years to find somewhere to professionally conserve it for me, now it has pride of place in my collection.”

Wildlife haven

"The river is such a wonderful natural artery through the city.

"I once saw one of the peregrine falcons that roosts on top of the Tate Modern swoop down and catch a pigeon mid-air, above the river in front of me.

"There was a lot of squawking, a puff of feathers and it was gone.

"I’ve also seen foxes slink down to drink at the water’s edge at dawn; eels have slithered over my boots, seals have turned their dewy eyes on me and once found a seahorse (sadly dead) on the foreshore in front of the Globe at Bankside."

Reluctant writer?

“Oddly enough, I never really wanted to write a book.

“I’ve spent my entire career working in publishing, but I’ve never been a frustrated author.

“Perhaps I knew too much about the process to want to put myself though it – writing a long memoir-type book is all-consuming and exhausting.

“Mudlarking, my first book, only came about because of my very lovely and persuasive agent.

“She initially contacted me through my Facebook page, which I began in 2012, to ask if I had ever thought of writing one.

“I actually almost deleted her message, but we eventually met up for a chat and before I knew it, I was writing a proposal for a book.

“It was all very fast and quite surreal, not at all like most people’s experience of trying to get published. “

Writing inspiration

“I started writing my first book, Mudlarking, in 2016. I wrote three versions and it eventually published in 2019.

“Writing my second book, A Field Guide to Larking, during Lockdown was much easier and faster, around five months from planning the contents to sending the final files off to the printer.

“My background is in illustrated non-fiction publishing, so I was in my comfort zone and I had the most amazing team to work with, including foreshore archaeologist Mike Webber and the wonderful artist Johnny Mudlark.

“It was a dream project for me.”

Putting pen to paper

“All books start with an initial idea that you develop into a structure around which you can weave a story.

“I try to be disciplined when I’m writing and to get at least something down every day, even if it’s rubbish.

“I write best early in the morning, so I get up before everyone else, make cup of strong coffee and lock myself away in my lair, surrounded by my special river things.

“I have nine-year-old twins (they were only four when I began writing Mudlarking), so starting early also means I can get a few hours in before school chaos starts.

“If I don’t have any other work, I go back to my writing desk once everyone is out of the house and usually carry on writing for as long as the words flow."

Global reaction

“The feedback from Mudlarking has been incredible, mostly from the UK, but people write to me from all over the world.

“They are fascinated by what can be found in the Thames, but Mudlarking also seems to have struck a deeper note.

“I get messages from people who have lived in London or grew up along the Thames and moved away from it.

“The book seems to have reconnected them with the river and in many cases reminded them of their childhoods, picking up interesting things with their parents along the foreshore.

“For many it also became a ‘lockdown book’, a way to escape COVID confinement."

Media star

“I’ve had a lot of media interest over the last two years.

“Mudlarking was BBC Radio Four’s Book of the Week and was reviewed in newspapers and magazines all over the world, including all the major UK newspapers.

“I’ve also done features for the Telegraph, New York Times, Financial Times, Reuters, the Washington Post, the Spectator and the Guardian.

“I’ve been on TV and radio with it too, including a short series for BBC Radio Three, the Smithsonian Channel, the Travel Channel, and Michael Buerk’s How the Victorians Built Britain.

“The Field Guide has only just come out, but it’s getting some great reviews and there’s more features coming throughout September."

Festival plans

“For the last five years or so I’ve done foreshore walks at Thames Tidefest.

“It’s a really lovely little river festival at Strand-on-the-Green. This year (12 September), I’m also signing books.

“It’s great for families and they always have loads going on, including river dipping for mini-beasts, kayaking, paddle boarding and history tours and walks.

“Greenwich is my part of London, so I’ll definitely be popping into the Totally Thames Rivers of the World exhibition at the National Maritime Museum too.”

Advice for would-be mudlarkers?

“First and foremost, make sure you get a PLA permit, and mudlark responsibly.

“The foreshore is a fragile environment, both historically and ecologically, so treat it with care and respect.

“I’d also ask people to only take what they need. There are a lot of bits of pottery and clay pipe stems down there, but just because they are there you don’t need to take them all.

“The objects you do keep need to be recorded,  if they are archaeologically important and over 300 years with the Portable Antiquities Scheme (www.finds.org.uk), otherwise their provenance and story will be forgotten.

“It’s also important to share what you find, show other people, post them on social media, shout about them!  They tell the story of us, it’s our shared history. It should be just that - shared.

“I should also mention that I don’t use a metal detector, or dig, or scrape the foreshore. I take a gentle, and non-invasive approach, everything I find is delivered by the river and left for me on the surface by the retreating tide.

“And, of course, for the practical side of things - where, when and how - buy my new book!”

Quick Fire

If you could time travel, what period of history would you go back to?

The reign of Elizabeth I. The river would have been such a vibrant and busy place, filled with wherries and ships, sumptuous river pageants to watch, theatres and riverside taverns to visit, fabulous riverside palaces and, of course, Old London Bridge for a bit of rapid shooting.

Person you’d most like to meet

King Cnut, who is believed to have built the first palace at Westminster, which was then called Thorny Island. I’d sit with him in his palace, look out over the wide-spreading, marshy-banked Thames and ask him if he really did try to hold its incoming tide back.

Favourite Thames walk?

St Katherine’s to Limehouse. You can do much of it on the foreshore at low tide and there are some good pubs along the way for rehydration. My mother’s family were ship builders on the Thames from the 1840s and they lived in Wapping and Limehouse, so there are family ghosts on this stretch.

More information:

• Instagram: @london.mudlark
• Facebook: @londonmudlark
• Twitter: @londonmudlark

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has today (18 August 2021) started its formal consultation on a draft Port of London Authority (PLA) Harbour Revision Order (HRO).

HROs amend the existing legislative basis of a port and are consented under the Harbours Act 1964. The MMO has, since 2010, undertaken this process on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Department of Transport.

The HRO is intended to modernise the Port of London Act 1968, under which the PLA operates. It takes into account the nature of modern operations and technology in use on the river today and the continued evolution of the PLA as a modern, transparent organisation.

The PLA HRO can be found on the GOV.UK website (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/port-of-london-authority-harbour-revision-order), it is also on PLA website. The PLA HRO reflects revisions made after an informal, pre-submission consultation in autumn 2019. More than 50 stakeholders contributed through the informal consultation phase.

“The tidal Thames and the PLA have changed radically since the Port of London Act under which we operate was last updated,” explained Robin Mortimer, chief executive of the PLA. “The draft HRO on which the MMO is consulting has been developed through engagement with our many stakeholders over the last eighteen months.

“With the draft reviewed and cleared for formal consultation, we encourage anyone who has an interest in the PLA and the Thames to have a look and share any views. All comments need to go to the MMO.”

The formal consultation will last for an extended 56-day period, closing on 12 October 2021. An HRO consultation normally lasts 42 days; the PLA has requested the extension to allow as many people as possible opportunity to engage and comment.

Comments on the PLA HRO application should be sent to the MMO Marine Licensing Team by email [email protected], or by post at the address below:

Marine Licensing Team
Marine Management Organisation
Lancaster House
Hampshire Court
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE4 7YH

To be considered, representations need to:

• be received before the expiry of a period of 56-days consultation period;
• be made in writing and quoting reference HRO/2020/00005;
• state the grounds of the objection or representation;
• indicate who is making the objection or representation; and
• give an address to which correspondence relating to the objection or representation may be sent.

Major new Museum of London Docklands exhibition reveals the immense ‘hidden’ port we live and work alongside.

London: Port City
Museum of London Docklands
22 October 2021 – 8 May 2022
FREE

• Exhibition, in partnership with the Port of London Authority, unpacks the sheer scale of the international port that we live and work alongside, fully, for the first time.
• How the Port of London has changed and shaped the city, its people, places and language, over centuries.
  A live shipping tracker shows the extent of Thames traffic today – the port handles over 50m tonnes of cargo and receives over 12,000 commercial vessels each year, connecting with over 50 countries worldwide.
• Exhibition explores the truths around Empire that underpin the Port’s prosperity.
• Entry is free, book tickets here: https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london-docklands/whats-on/exhibitions/london-port-city
• A new major exhibition, opening later this year, will reveal the ongoing impact of the Port of London on our capital city, its people, design, culture, prosperity and global position. The exhibition will trace more than 200 years of extraordinary experiences and intense activity on a river whose continued importance in the 21st century may come as a surprise to the millions of people who live and work alongside it.

London: Port City runs from 22 October 2021 to 8 May 2022 at the Museum of London Docklands, itself originally part of West India Docks, London’s first enclosed dock system and a hive of activity packed with valuable cargoes from around the world from 1802 until its closure in 1980.

The exhibition will draw upon the extensive archives of the Port of London Authority (PLA) to present a nuanced picture of the complex operations that have enabled the Port to connect London to the rest of the world, from the final days of the 18th century to the creation of the huge London Gateway ‘mega port’ at Thurrock in the Thames Estuary. The exhibition will be peppered with stories, incidents, major operations, absorbing characters, technological advances, pivotal moments, surprising details and little-known facts. London: Port City will also critically explore the port from many perspectives including the legacies, results and reminders of the British Empire.

Claire Dobbin, exhibition curator, said:

“The port and its impact on London is massive - not just historically, but today. Handling over 50 million tons of cargo a year, from our morning coffee to the clothes we wear and materials for buildings we live and work in, the port plays a vital role in our daily lives and national economy. It’s moved down river – and for many of us out of sight – but the port is still very much part of London. Our riverside cityscapes are also peppered with echoes of the port’s history - in its architecture and street names. Our cultural landscape too has been shaped by centuries of global exchange – by people, products and ideas passing through the port. This influenced and enriched language, diversity and communities that underpin the city we know today.”

Robin Mortimer, PLA chief executive, said:

“The importance of the trade on the Thames has been pivotal to London’s development and will be crucial to its future success. As life gradually returns to something like normal, post the pandemic, this exhibition is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for the public to explore how the commercial river shapes all our lives. It covers all aspects of the port’s past, present and future – from the contribution of immigrants over many decades to the latest technology we use to keep river users safe. Coinciding with our refresh of the Thames Vision strategy, to make sure it remains relevant in a fast- changing world, it’s a great way to focus on how we learn from the past and make the most of future opportunities to make full use of the river’s potential.”

Exhibition highlights include:

• Revealing the stories behind 80 words and expressions that entered the English language and the place names of streets and pubs as a result of the docks including ‘crack on’, ‘aloof’ and ‘Mudchute’.
• An impressive audio visual display that will transport visitors into the PLA control room, using large-scale projections to create a day in the life of the Port of London, with multiple spectacular views of the river and all of the activity happening 24 hours a day.
• An interactive timeline reveals stories from the docks since 1800, using 222 objects from the PLAs vast and eclectic archive. Material ranges from sandals with hollowed out soles to smuggle opium, seized in the 1870s, to original plans for the world’s most innovative purpose-built dock complexes.
• Many of the dockers whose voices feature throughout the exhibition recall being hit by a heady aroma as a new cargo was unloaded or as they made their way through different areas of the docks. Visitors will experience a suite of distinct scents, carefully blended to capture the original pungency of the port.
• Trade Winds: London, a new artwork by contemporary artist Susan Stockwell, using archive material and international currency to explore themes of international trade, economies, migration and empire. Elsewhere, a new artwork by Hilary Powell uses experimental photographic techniques and film to explore the container shipping industry and the people who keep it going.
• Importantly, the exhibition will address the wider global context of London’s seaborne trade, most notably its historical dependence on the sugar trade and slavery. A document commemorating the original unveiling of the statue of merchant and slave owner Robert Milligan, which was removed from outside the museum in 2020, is displayed alongside original plans for docks. It serves as a reminder of the full truth behind the economic prosperity that made the building of West India Docks possible.

Cancelled by the pandemic in 2020, the historic Thames Barge Sailing Race breezes back into Gravesend on 14 August. Skipper of entrant Blue Mermaid, and co-founder of the Sea-Change Sailing Trust, Richard Titchener, from Maldon, Essex, casts light on his life on the estuary.

A seaside childhood

“I grew up in Brightlingsea, rushing for the school bus to the tune of the shipyard whistle, or ships blowing horns to call a pilot.

“I started sailing at the age of eight in eight-foot pram dinghies on the boating lake with cotton lugsails.

“I graduated to tidal water with Brightlingsea Sailing Club whilst at junior school.

“I have always been fascinated by the simplicity of working boats.

“Even at an early age, I liked it that you could walk wide decks, or make a cup of tea on board.  

“Denied the opportunity of trainspotting by Dr Beeching removing our railway, I instead donned anorak and watched the comings and goings of the early charter barges, most of them then sailed without engines, crewed by ex-trading bargemen.

“I remember being let loose with a group of friends in an engine-less sailing smack, armed with a hand pump, oil lights, a couple of anchors, rowboat and a lead line.

“It all seemed perfectly normal, because it was.

“The adults were usually just out of sight. We felt like kings of the world, getting into enough scrapes to learn a lot, but not enough to come to a sticky end.”

Changing times

“There was a healthy fishing fleet back then.

“By the seventies, enthusiasts were taking the engines out of motor smacks and returning them to sail as yachts, advised by retired fishermen, wearing jerseys with names like Britannia, White Heather or Westward.

“We thought these yachts were consigned to history, but many are now restored and in the Mediterranean.”

London bound

“In 1972, an oyster smack race from Gravesend to Cherry Garden Pier took me to the capital, ending with a reception at the Old Billingsgate, reached via a vertiginous ladder, in pouring rain.

“A few years later, a gap year gave me the chance to work on a motor barge in the last years of the docks, with ships discharged into lighters and barges alongside.

“Standing on the forecastle head of a ship in the Royal Albert Dock and looking west, you felt you could reach out and touch St Paul’s! Cathedral.

“It was a privilege to witness a way of life that had been unchanged for generations, although during that year there was a strike about containerization. It was obvious where things were heading."

Career choices

“So off I went to get a degree in something I enjoyed and a began a career in what is now called HR; back then we called it Personnel Management.

“My timing was not brilliant, joining British Steel, just as Margaret Thatcher got into gear; but what an experience!

“If you get a chance to visit a cast house floor when a blast furnace is tapping, do so, while you still can.

“After fifteen years and when GEC Marconi closed the factory I worked at in Chelmsford, I was fortunate to turn sailing from a hobby into a career and became a barge mate, working with young people.

“That is now twenty-seven years ago.”

Life-changing charity

“We set up the Sea-Change Sailing Trust in 2007, to allow us to keep working with young people on Thames barges.

“Why? Because they are fantastic.

“If you divide the amount of fun to be had by the number needed to have it, you cannot beat a sailing barge.

“Two people can sail a ninety-foot vessel carrying 150 tons of cargo, or a group of trainees can sail intensively and learn seamanship hands on.  They see immediately what they get out for what they put in.

“In sail-training, learning skills and working together is a vehicle for people to learn about themselves:

“For us, it is also important to be in harmony with nature, with wind and tide.

“We work with people from age seven, to those living with dementia.

“A typical day might involve: an early start to catch the tide, young people working the anchor windlass, with breakfast underway, anchoring in a sheltered creek for seal spotting, then an evening teaching rowing, or how to sail one of our toppers to the beach.”

Hands-on restoration

“After several years hiring, the trust was able to build our own barge, Blue Mermaid, a replica of one of the last Thames barges built in 1930.

“When we started the project, with the help of many, including the PLA, we were ahead of the sail-cargo curve.

“Now it has caught us up.

“Excitingly, current thinking commits to carbon targets ahead of the technology to achieve them, but an engine-less sailing barge already operates with low emissions, and we offset the little we do produce.

“Blue Mermaid is built to cargo rules, and we are working with the Maritime & Coastguard Agency to enable her to carry it soon.

“The original Blue Mermaid was lost to a mine on 9 July 1941."

Turning the COVID corner

“Our Blue Mermaid was commissioned in May 2019.

“We had been looking forward to a bumper first full season, when COVID-19 intervened.

“Fortunately, with the help of furlough emergency funding and all our supporters, the charity has survived.

“I am very grateful to everyone who has helped us make it through.”

Racing certainty

“It is good to see the matches restarting again. We are all looking forward to Saturday.

“Established by Henry Dodd, who made his fortune moving London's rubbish by sailing barge, the Thames Match ranks second only to the America's Cup, as the oldest sailing event in the world.

“We first took part in a barge called Xylonite.

“Over the years we have been regularly joined by PLA friends.

“This year there should be nine barges taking part.

“It will be so good to get out on the water, enjoy the river and catch up with friends after the long months of lockdown.”

Quickfire

• Person you'd most like to meet? Winston Churchill
• Favourite place on the Thames? Anchoring in the Lower Hope, near where Joseph Conrad lived at Stanford Le Hope and where his narrator Marlow started several of his tales.  
• Best Thames-side restaurant or pub? The Town of Ramsgate in Wapping.

Find out more about Richard's work with the Sea Change Sailing Trust.

Photo: Ken and Kate Dwan in their boatyard on Eel Pie Island.

With family links to the river stretching back five centuries, the Thames will always be home for rower, Queen’s waterman, Olympian, Doggett’s Race champion and boatbuilder Ken Dwan – and his two sons and five grandchildren.

Rowing roots

“One of my earliest memories is playing on the beach at Rotherhithe, where I was born. My grandparents ran The Torbay pub in Elephant Lane.

“We lived in Greenwich for a while, before moving out to Swanley in Kent.

“Living so close to the river, it was a very happy childhood.

“It’s fair to say I wasn’t a natural scholar – for me, getting out on the river always took priority over studying.

“I learnt to row at Poplar Blackwall & District Rowing Club, aged 12.

“It was the start of a life-long love for the sport.”

Olympic memories

“Competing in both the Mexico and Munich Olympics was a privilege I will never forget.

“My prediction is that Team GB will win 25 medals in Tokyo, including one of each colour for the rowers. Anything else will be a bonus.”

Doggett’s dynasty

“It’s now 50 years since I won the Doggett’ s Coat & Badge Race.

“I am proud to say I have I have not missed one since.

“Competing in the race is a matter of honour for Thames families like ours.

“It’s a source of real pride, that passes from one generation to the next.

“My brother, John, two sons, Nick and Robert, and nephew, Merlin, have also had the honour of competing.

“I fully expect my grandchildren to follow suit. I try to take them out on the river as much as possible. We constantly talk about the river as a family.

“I am sure the race will survive for many years to come. It’s part of the fabric of the river.

“Competing means a lot to all recently-qualified river apprentices eligible to take part.

“It showcases their knowledge of the river, with all its twists and turns.

“Physical strength and power are important, obviously, but understanding the river and its currents is also a major factor.

“This year we are enjoying a double helping of Doggett’s.

“James Berry was a worthy winner in the delayed 2020 race in June.

“Max Carter-Miller, the runner up, has to be the hot tip for the 2021 race on 8 September.

“Perhaps I should declare an interest – he works for my sons, Nick and Robert, who run fuel supply business Thames Marine Services.

COVID battle

“I caught COVID in March 2020 and was in intensive care for three weeks. No family visit or calls were allowed.

“Without a doubt, they were the worst days of my life. I wouldn’t wish them on anyone.

“On admission to A&E, a young doctor recognised my name and introduced herself as my brother’s neighbour. She visited me before and after every shift and would update my wife Kate and the rest of the family on my condition when she got home. I don’t know how I would have got through it without her.

“One afternoon, Kate was asked to get a mobile phone in, so I could say goodbye.

“Later that evening a young doctor came on duty and suggested they try an antimalaria drug on me.

“It had an almost immediate effect and my oxygen levels increased rapidly. I was over the worst.

“I wish the pandemic would go away once and for all.

“I am very fearful for the people who refuse to have the vaccine.”

Busier than ever

“Despite the pandemic, the boatyard I run on Eel Pie Island has never been busier.

“During the initial lockdown, we closed for 13 weeks to protect our staff and their families. Everyone came back recharged and raring to go.

“The closure of Hammersmith Bridge was an inconvenience for customers eager to get their boats surveyed for insurance renewals, but everyone was understanding. We just brought forward the jobs we could do.”

Looking back, looking forward

“I have had a good life, earning a decent living on the Thames.

“There have been hard times of course, but I emerged from them a better waterman and a stronger person.

“I have been fortunate enough to have been involved in most of the great river pageants. All were great occasions.

“In my lifetime the river has changed beyond imagination.

“I hope it can move forward and become a thriving industry once more.

“I would always encourage anyone considering a career on the Thames to give it a go.

“It’s a life full of great opportunities.”

Quick Fire

• Top spot on the river? I don’t have one particular favourite place. I’m happy anywhere between Letchlade and the sea.
• Holiday plan? We are going to Dartmouth this summer. Post the pandemic, I can’t wait to get to Turkey, where we have a boat.
• Pet hates? Things not put back in their right place.

The country’s first inland waterway continuing professional development (CPD) scheme has been launched by the Thames Skills Academy (TSA), the Company of Watermen & Lightermen (CWL) and the Port of London Authority (PLA).

Thames CPD focusses on mandatory safety courses, accredited formal training and “on the job” learning. 

Initially open to those with a Boatmaster’s Licence (BML), it will be rolled out to include everyone working afloat.

The programme has been designed to help crews employed on the capital’s river build long-term careers, with input from commercial boat operators and their employees from the 95-mile length of the tidal Thames, from Teddington to the North Sea. Partners involved include Cory, GPS Marine, Livett’s Group, Tideway, Transport for London (TfL) and Uber Boat by Thames Clippers.

Derek Mann, master of CWL, who has worked on the river for over 50 years, said: “Whether you are 17 or 70, Thames CPD is a major step forward for everyone who makes their living on the river.

“I encourage all my river colleagues to sign up to the Thames CPD programme. The world is changing fast, making it essential that river workers’ skills are up-to-date and fit for the challenges that lie ahead. “

Christopher Rodrigues, PLA chairman, said: “A well-trained, well-qualified workforce is central to maximising the river’s social, economic and environmental potential and achieving our Thames Vision 2050 goals.

“Thames CPD, designed for and by river workers, will help maintain the Thames. the beating heart of London, as one of the world’s premier waterways.”

Richard Everitt, TSA chairman, said: “Thames CPD is the result of detailed consultation with companies operating on the tidal Thames and their crews, as well as leisure users of the river.

“I would like to thank everyone who has helped us with its development. As more companies and workers sign up, I look forward to it going from strength to strength in the years ahead. It’s a vital building block in ensuring the river’s continued prosperity.

Jeremie Dousellin, who secured his BML in 2020 and recently joined the PLA from City Cruises, said: “Thames CPD is a chance for me to keep my skills and knowledge up to date.”

More information can be found on the dedicated Thames CPD site.