Admiral Of The Port? The Fleet?
As many know, I had a vicarious frisson from the ex officio post of Admiral of the Port of London which I held in 2023 and 2024 as Lord Mayor. The post is ancient and today honorific. In trying to…
Category Sailing Through Life
Tilt Boats & Hatch Boats Of Gravesend & The London River 1555-1865
Wow! David Patient asked me to provide a foreword for his book on a pet topic of mine, commercial Thames boats, and I just received the finished product:
Watercolours From Thurso, The Thames & Tahiti
Elisabeth and I like the artist William Alister Macdonald a lot, having chosen his work to grace our invitation cards celebrating our connections with the Thames and Thames sailing barges. But there is a frisson of imposter syndrome when you’re…
Thames Day
I had long lamented that we need to celebrate the Thames’ connection with the City forcibly each year as part of the Totally Thames Festival each September. We lit upon World Rivers Day, the fourth Sunday of every September as…
Article: The Thames is a gateway to growth
“From water bailiffs to maritime finance the Thames connects London to the past” – City AM
Lord Mayor’s View Of The Thames – Sunday, 30 June 2024, Staines-upon-Thames
More smiles than stains, we held a wonderful recreation of a very old tradition. It was something long in the planning, and only possible with enormous help from a huge variety of people, not least my Water Bailiff (Chris Livett)…
Laeisz & Lean: Hydrogen Horizons & Hanseatic Discipline
The renowned Hamburg-based shipping company F. Laeisz (Reederei F. Laeisz) celebrated its 200th anniversary today. Founded originally in 1824 as a top hat shop (yes, indeed), it evolved into one of the oldest and most respected maritime enterprises in the…
Man-Groves Or Just Man-Flew
Yes, a misspelling, should just be mangroves, but got up quite early at a man-ly hour and found myself kayaking in the Abu Dhabi mangroves around 05:30 in the morning.
“Hierarchy Of Purpose”
Remarks to: the South Georgia Heritage Trust on the occasion of the return of the crow’s nest from Shackleton’s Quest after its three year tour and return to All Hallows By The Tower on Thursday, 7 September, before a dinner…
The Watery Business Of Heritage
Remarks to: the Company of Watermen & Lightermen‘s Freemen’s Lunch, Friday, 18 November 2022, Watermen’s Hall Master, Wardens, Court members, fellow Freemen: I may be our Master’s worst nightmare, a sailor with an audience who believes they might want to…