A short time ago, the Ooh team recruited London RIB Voyages to the ranks listed on Ooh.com. We were childishly excited when they offered us the chance to experience a RIB Thames tour first hand.
A time was duly set and skipper Joe collected us from Cadogan pier, by Albert Bridge, before jetting us East to Southbank’s Millennium Wheel to collect 5 more intrepid RIB adventurers. Warm jackets and buoyancy aids fitted, we pulled off the millennium peer and motored West against the ebbing tide towards M16.
After a brief allusion to the famous James Bond scene where the boat launches from an M16 window into the river, Ben, our cheerful guide, turned to Joe and invited him to let us have it…
Joe pointed our RIB across the river at the landmark Aztec style building, only acknowledged by the government in 2004 as the home of its Secret Intelligence Service. Surreally, and totally unexpected, the classic Bond theme twanged into life over the RIB’s loudspeakers and we felt a surge of power through the giant twin Johnson 225 engines.
The bow rose out of the water and the hull crashed and skidded across the Thames as we charged towards the building. Next, Joe swung the RIB to the right, carving across the river in front of Vauxhall bridge and swooping back towards MI6 within 15 feet of the colossal bridge columns. With each turn, the sidewall of the RIB dug deep into the water, lifting the outside edge into the air like a twisting rollercoaster.
Laughs, screams and whoops faded with the Bond music and we straightened up to head East with the tide. The onward journey was an electric mix of unbelievable speed and illuminating details narrated by Ben, bringing the historic landscape to life as we passed.
After we’d nipped out of the busiest part of the Thames, beyond Tower Bridge, Joe took our speed up another notch, making use of the 400 horsepower to reach speeds of 35 knots.
As we cut from one side of the river to the other, past London’s financial centre in Canary Wharf, we experienced another highlight: the weightless sensation of the hull bursting clean out of the water as we popped off a wake.
The return upriver gave us the chance to gawk at all the sites again, with a few more snippets of London history thrown in. We were also given a great photo opportunity when Joe lined the boat up with Tower Bridge looming in the background.
Basically, whether you live in London, or you’re just visiting, you should book one of these tours. It’s a no brainer, because there is simply no other way to see so many of London’s landmarks, from such a unique perspective and at such electrifying speed. Thank you London RIB Voyages. We salute you!
Tags: london, London RIB Voyages, RIB, Thames, tour
