Speedboat on the Thames

Having the summer off last year, I enjoyed doing loads of stuff in London that you never have time to do when you’re working. Top things on my list included visiting the Houses of Parliament, the Royal Academy of Arts summer exhibition and Tracey Emin’s Those Who Suffer Love exhibition, and seeing a play at the National Theatre on the South Bank.

The very top thing to do in London, I’ve now discovered, is a speedboat ride on the Thames. I wanted to do something a bit different to celebrate my birthday this year so chartered a speedboat through RIB Voyages.

The Sunday Times calls this one of “the best things to do in the whole of the UK”. And they’re not wrong.

Setting sail under dark skies

The sky was black in every direction as twelve of us prepared to ‘set sail’ yesterday afternoon. We’d put on waterproofs just in case, and they were needed. We’d barely set off when the skies opened and it rained heavily. Somehow it made the experience more exhilarating as we all got thoroughly drenched. At some points, we had to cover all of our faces as the rain was so hard and cold it actually hurt if part of your face was exposed.

The trip took 80 minutes, round-trip from Embankment to the Thames Flood Barrier in the borough of Greenwich, and went surprisingly quickly. On the return leg, the sky was incredible after the storm.

Calm after the storm

I’d definitely do this again. It’s a must-do.

More speedboat video-clips:

1. Setting off under dark skies

2. Starting to rain just as we get going

3. Speedboat in the rain

4. Drenched on a speedboat

5. Calm after the storm