Thames River Pageant..

[OldGoat]

Strewth "the boats going sideways and defying gravity"

Why havent they got some intelligent people out there??

Very poor commentry overall.

 

 

Agree - that's the way I normally come into a lock layby on the Thames; just scale it up a bit....

I have no bow thrusters either.

 

 

 

Nicely done, however!

[frangar]

It was a pageant of celebration, not a boating seminar.

Lets not forget, probably less than 1% of the population are boaters, but this event is designed to appeal to everyone, not just us boating anoraks.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching a unique and spectacular carnival on the Thames. The planning and organisation were simply fantastic and the whole show paid well-deserved honour to our queen. Its a great shame the weather put paid to the Finale fly-past though. That would have been the icing on the cake.

I do agree the commentary was cringeworthy at times, by why focus on that? The pictures and atmosphere were fabulous, and much more worthy of our attention.

Overall, I loved it and am proud of it.

 

Thats just the point....an informed commentary would have helped the non boaters understand the reasons behind the boats being there.

 

Gareth

[OldGoat]

I have switched to Sky.......just as much drivel but more shots of the boats.....

 

Gareth

 

 

 

 

Yes (being a Royalist I watched ALL of BBC), but looking at Sky News it was a lot better than the BEEB - theres an hour plus on Sky News NOW 19:30 etc.

 

The Inland Waterways Authority

 

 

Freudian slip - I'm sure the IWA would like to be "the Authority", perhaps they will when CART collapses.....

 

I think its got Azimuth props so they can be spun through 360 degress...apparently it was one of the reasons it was chosen as the Royal boat......

 

What was needed was someone like Raymond Baxter to do the commentary....at least he knew a little of what he talked about.....I'm starting to sound more like my dad everyday......

 

Gareth

 

 

Nah (although Raymond did know a lot about the Thames - wasn't L'Orage there somewhere (his old boat)).

 

On such an occasion We needed Richard Dimbleby or either of his two sons.

[stagedamager]

They should have got the bloke who commentates off the bridge at the Braunston historic boat gathering to do the boat commentary on Tower Bridge........

[PeterScott]

hats off to those who got soaked to the skin, I don't think the beeb matched this though. skin not shin edit

I have to say my shin isn't dry either :-)

(video) steering Fulbourne 'round again' waiting for West India Dock entrance lock to be available. ETA 2130

[frangar]

I have to say my shin isn't dry either :-)

(video) steering Fulbourne 'round again' waiting for West India Dock entrance lock to be available. ETA 2130

 

Great video...thanks for sharing....well done to all!!....please fill us all in with all the details when you all get back to dry land!!

 

 

 

(although Raymond did know a lot about the Thames - wasn't L'Orage there somewhere (his old boat)).

 

 

 

Yes it was....and thats the sort of information that I think peeps at home would have been keen to know.

 

Cheers

 

Gareth

Edited June 3, 2012 by frangar

[stagedamager]

I agree crackin video, really shows how the weather was!

[ditchcrawler]

Its not supposed to be a history lesson. Its a bloody great show for the mass majority of Great Britains residents not just us saddo boating faternity. Good on em I say. We av just come back from six hours cruising and in the pub having a great time, its great to see all the boats ont Thames, who cares wether or not some bloke doesnt know his arse from his elbow with regards to boats.......it dont matter...........

 

Tim

I am glad you and hopefully the other participants enjoyed it. I think the orgernsiation was great, it my have been duck syndrome with paddling like hell under the surface, but what we saw was great.

It would have been an awful lot better if they had shown a few more of the boats, after all it was the biggest river pageant for 300 years and all the boaters went to a lot of effort, personal expense and time to be there. I thing they all deserved better from the BBC.

The other thing they missed out on is that it is the only time the Thames has stopped flowing.

[Theo]

I am glad you and hopefully the other participants enjoyed it. I think the orgernsiation was great, it my have been duck syndrome with paddling like hell under the surface, but what we saw was great.

It would have been an awful lot better if they had shown a few more of the boats, after all it was the biggest river pageant for 300 years and all the boaters went to a lot of effort, personal expense and time to be there. I thing they all deserved better from the BBC.

The other thing they missed out on is that it is the only time the Thames has stopped flowing.

 

I really do think that the BBC really let themselves down over this one. They told us nothing about the boats. Each one of those boats has an interesting story. They could have

given a bit of the story of some of the boats in each. They could have had 12 knowledgeable people to to talk about each section. I am deeply disappointed in the commentary. We could not hear the bells or the music.

 

"In the old days they used horses so they didn't have the problem of manoeuvring." and "they couldn't get round some of the corners"

 

What rubbish!

 

Bah! Humbug!

 

Nick

 

 

[system 4-50]

I think of the BBC as an institution that covers state events well but not this time.

 

The commentary was poor. The information about the individual boats was minimal.

 

It was good to be told that there were about 40 narrowboats because most of the time we were only shown about three.

 

A short section telling us about the bell barge was memorable for not including the sound of the bells at any point.

 

I am sorry but in 2012 blaming rain for the large number of technical problems is unacceptable.

 

The pageant was brilliant but the BBC television coverage was dire.

 

At least HM was her reliable good self.

[bowten]

It was a pageant of celebration, not a boating seminar.

Lets not forget, probably less than 1% of the population are boaters, but this event is designed to appeal to everyone, not just us boating anoraks.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching a unique and spectacular carnival on the Thames. The planning and organisation were simply fantastic and the whole show paid well-deserved honour to our queen. Its a great shame the weather put paid to the Finale fly-past though. That would have been the icing on the cake.

I do agree the commentary was cringeworthy at times, by why focus on that? The pictures and atmosphere were fabulous, and much more worthy of our attention.

Overall, I loved it and am proud of it.

Well said that man! have a wotsit.

[Speedwheel]

They should have got the bloke who commentates off the bridge at the Braunston historic boat gathering to do the boat commentary on Tower Bridge........

 

Norm wouldn't have been interested in doing it - no hire boaters to insult!

[tillergirl]

I don't care what any of you say. It was brilliant! There was even three boats in the flotilla that I know and have been aboard which made it extra special for me. The best bit? Madge standing for the whole pageant which meant everyone else on the Royal Barge had to stand as well

[frangar]

I think we are all in agreement that the event itself was ace and a moment to treasure.....its just the TV coverage that was dire!

 

Gareth

[ditchcrawler]

Its about the Queen and our Great Britain. not a few old ditchcrawlers or anyone else. Not many countries could put on a show like this. Get a life !!

 

Tim

True Tim, unfortunately in my opinion the BBC didn't do it justice. The greatest pageant in 300 years and the BBC didn't capture it. The news reels of the 30s would have done better. They would have filmed ALL the boats going by the Royal Barge. As well as the Queen arriving and traveling on it. Not shots of its own presenters waffling.

 

Yes (being a Royalist I watched ALL of BBC), but looking at Sky News it was a lot better than the BEEB - theres an hour plus on Sky News NOW 19:30 etc.

 

 

 

 

Freudian slip - I'm sure the IWA would like to be "the Authority", perhaps they will when CART collapses.....

 

 

 

 

Nah (although Raymond did know a lot about the Thames - wasn't L'Orage there somewhere (his old boat)).

 

On such an occasion We needed Richard Dimbleby or either of his two sons.

That's my point, we don't know if it was there or not.

Edited June 3, 2012 by ditchcrawler

[blackrose]

Its not supposed to be a history lesson. Its a bloody great show for the mass majority of Great Britains residents not just us saddo boating faternity. Good on em I say. We av just come back from six hours cruising and in the pub having a great time, its great to see all the boats ont Thames, who cares wether or not some bloke doesnt know his arse from his elbow with regards to boats.......it dont matter...........

 

Tim

 

Exactly. Some people are taking it too seriously, it's just a bit of fun. I rode my motorbike up to Chelsea Wharf upstream of Battersea Bridge and climbed a high wall to get a decent view with a friend. I'm not a fan of the monarchy, but since we're all paying for them we may as well enjoy the show.

 

Watching a steamboat go past that I've been restoring for the last 18 months was a nice moment for me.

Edited June 3, 2012 by blackrose

[ditchcrawler]

I think we are all in agreement that the event itself was ace and a moment to treasure.....its just the TV coverage that was dire!

 

Gareth

True

 

I don't care what any of you say. It was brilliant! There was even three boats in the flotilla that I know and have been aboard which made it extra special for me. The best bit? Madge standing for the whole pageant which meant everyone else on the Royal Barge had to stand as well

I didn't twig that at the time. Of course they couldn't sit untill she did. And her old man seamed to genuinely enjoy it all.

[jenlyn]

Exactly. Some people are taking it too seriously, it's just a bit of fun. I rode my motorbike up to Chelsea Wharf upstream of Battersea Bridge and climbed a high wall to get a decent view with a friend. I'm not a fan of the monarchy, but since we're all paying for them we may as well enjoy the show.

 

Watching a steamboat go past that I've been restoring for the last 18 months was a nice moment for me.

I was keeping an eye out for you mike, I was expecting you to be on as crew with one of the trippers

[Québec]

As dyed in the wool republicans....we watched the whole thing on our boat. We both said during it, that the BBC coverage was dire. But it was obvious from the start - from the presenters that were chosen - that the BBC had decided to treat it as light entertainment rather than a serious state occasion/history lesson e.g.Remembrance Day, when someone like David Dimbleby fronts the programme, backed up by researchers who provide the important and often moving details etc. I ended up, iPad on lap, doing my own research on the boats whose names I could see.

 

Undoubtedly the Beeb went a bit too far down the entertainment road, and the assumption that no one would be that interested in any of the often fascinating historical and technical details...which in many cases would have undoubtedly added to the enjoyment for many viewers.

[Mac of Cygnet]

The other thing they missed out on is that it is the only time the Thames has stopped flowing.

 

You must have missed it. It was clearly explained that the Thames Barrier had been closed to minimise the current and make it easier for unpowered and smaller craft to negotiate the bridges.

 

But I do agree that the commentary was cringeworthy at times.

[blackrose]

I was keeping an eye out for you mike, I was expecting you to be on as crew with one of the trippers

 

I was expecting to be crewing too - to be honest I was a bit p*ssed off I was left out, but just made the best of it.

[ditchcrawler]

You must have missed it. It was clearly explained that the Thames Barrier had been closed to minimise the current and make it easier for unpowered and smaller craft to negotiate the bridges.

 

But I do agree that the commentary was cringeworthy at times.

I did hear the comment, but there was plenty of time at the beginning of the program to explain a bit more with even a shot of the closed barrier. How many people in this country have seen it closed, I never have and it's a masterful piece of engineering, again something we should be proud of.

[Allan(nb Albert)]

As dyed in the wool republicans....we watched the whole thing on our boat. We both said during it, that the BBC coverage was dire. But it was obvious from the start - from the presenters that were chosen - that the BBC had decided to treat it as light entertainment rather than a serious state occasion/history lesson e.g.Remembrance Day, when someone like David Dimbleby fronts the programme, backed up by researchers who provide the important and often moving details etc. I ended up, iPad on lap, doing my own research on the boats whose names I could see.

 

Undoubtedly the Beeb went a bit too far down the entertainment road, and the assumption that no one would be that interested in any of the often fascinating historical and technical details...which in many cases would have undoubtedly added to the enjoyment for many viewers.

 

Same here but for a different reason. Being severely deaf, I have to rely on subtitling but always find 'on the fly' subtitling to be dire. As such, I was sat down with laptop on lap with all the pdf's from flotilla participants loaded.

 

Had a rather irate mum (she's 88) on the phone telling me that BBC can no longer do royal events as they failed to give adequate coverage to MTB 102 and the little ships.

Edited June 4, 2012 by Allan(nb Albert)

[George94]

I have been watching the pageant for nearly an hour and I am thoroughly fed up with all the "Talking Heads" The BBc seem to have wheeled out every reporter they can find and asked them to utter about almost any inconsequential drivle rather than anything about the boats or the organizations being reprensented.

 

Unless things improve over the next hour, this will be one of the worst examples of missed opportunity that the BBC has committed in recent years.

 

I agree. Banal drivel from shallow know-nothings.

 

Bring back Richard Dimbleby.

[Black Ibis]

The other thing they missed out on is that it is the only time the Thames has stopped flowing.

 

Doesn't it do it four times a day, at slack water?