THE boat that led the Queen's Jubilee Pageant on the Thames has crashed into Kew Bridge, doing damage to both the boat and the bridge.
The £1m Gloriana suffered engine failure yesterday (Thursday) with the wind blowing it towards the bridge, then it getting stuck underneath an arch as the tide rose, Keith Gudgin tells us, but asks did it not have an anchor?
Pulled free
The boat eventually broke free as the water lowered, with the wind taking it across to the other side of the span where it hit an upright. It was subsequently towed to Kew Pier where it is receiving attention.
When the lifeboat arrived, it attempted to get between the boat and the bridge, but was not quick enough as the boat had already become wedged.
The boat was a distance from the bridge when it lost power, but the combination of the wind and the rising tide took it to the bridge. An anchor would surely have prevented this happening. Or perhaps they should have had the oarsmen...