1,000 BOAT PAGEANT
BOAT NAME OR TYPE LADY GENEVIEVE ISLAY
BIBI
KNIGHT ERRANT ONES TO WATCH FOR
THAMES TRADITIONAL River of reminiscence
The Thames has its own traditions when it comes to boats and boating, and many of the craft taking part in the historic section of the Pageant will reflect these.
Some will be familiar to patrons of the annual Thames Traditional Boat Rally, held at Henley just after the famous Regatta, and a haven for restored representatives of an era (several eras, actually) of bygone elegance. A classic example is Lady Genevieve, shown above, ‘a beaver-sterned gentleman’s launch’ built by Taylor Bates of Chertsey around 1926. She has a royal connection, having carried Princess Elizabeth and
Princess Margaret to the Henley Royal Regatta in 1947. The firm of Bates went on to develop a distinctive style of motor-cruiser under the brand Star Craft in the 1950s – several are in the Pageant. There is a thriving culture of heritage and restoration on the river (talking here of the non-tidal Upper Thames), headed by the Thames Vintage Boat Club (TVBC) and sustained by boatyards such as the legendary Peter Freebody of Hurley, Henwood and Dean of Henley, Stanley and Thomas of Windsor and Dennetts of Laleham, all of whom have examples of their work taking part in the Pageant.
LARGE-SIZE SLIPPER A quintessential Thames craft is the slipper-sterned open launch of the between-the-wars era. Knight Errant is unusual in that it is large, at 50ft (15.2m), and has an enclosed cabin. Built by Meakes of Marlow in 1934, she was restored by Colin Messer.
RIVA REVIVED The Thames plays host to many a ‘foreign’ boat, like the classic Italian-built Riva Bibi, built in the 1960s and immaculately restored by Peter Freebody’s yard, which specialises in such craft.
J-CLASS TENDER Another ‘foreigner’, though only from the Solent, is the J-Class tender Islay. Long and thin, they were built for the owners of those superyachts to ferry guests, crew and sails. Islay is owned by TVBC Commodore Adam Toop and was restored by Alastair Garland
GALLEY STAR New Venture, a 40ft (12.2m) Bates Star Craft, has recently become a cookery school – create and consume a gourmet meal while cruising the Thames.
CLASSIC BOAT JUNE 2012 23
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