TRASHBOAT didn’t sink and the water police didn’t pull me over. If anything, the boat that I ended up building, entirely out of London’s building waste, was too buoyant making it quite tippy in the water. The only shortcoming was the time that I had allowed to cover the 130 miles, from Cricklade, where the Thames or Isis is about a foot deep, to Parliament in central London. I ended up rowing about half the distance, with no regrets, none at all.
The building of the boat was done within the 24 hours (over 3 days) that I had originally planned. Mostly plywood, some scraps from discarded doors, copper sheet from a fireplace someone was chucking, a very twisted 2×8″ plank that was useless for building but ideal for me, and the sole purchased item of a roll of duct tape (I have some left over). These were the things other had left behind, which I turned into a boat. The design came from my head, although I wished several times whilst adjusting my course again that it hadn’t, and it was built in my workshop in London (with the help of a couple of friends, James Gloyn and Neil Joliffe).
I wanted to do something that was creative, cheap, quick and frankly absurd, and I think I achieved those goals. As I struggled through the first day with one paddle, dragging the boat over trees that had fallen across the river, ducking to escape the overhanging branches, I thought “How very apt”. How very apt that I was doing something to ostensibly raise a bit more interest in the work of What’s Driving Parkinson’s and that I was doing it on a shoestring budget and that it was extremely difficult and (probably) hadn’t been done before. Apt because that is how I feel about this unique work into Parkinson’s disease.
Once the first day was over I knew there was no way I could row the whole thing in three days. Instead of getting upset by this I decided to embrace the card that the river was dealing me and just use the van to do whatever mileage I wasn’t able to do each day. That way, myself, Antony (whose photos are being developed as I type) and the boat would all end up back in London on time. On time for me to get back to work on Monday and for Antony to catch a flight back home. With this acceptance came great fun; it was a complete antidote to cycling around the world last year with not a daily target in sight (literally), and I’d recommend similar jaunts to anyone who needs a change of perspective. I told myself not to struggle and let the river take over, which it did.
The boat is finished (as far as it goes), and I just have to make the paddles now. Here is the bulk of the build video, done with timelapse so that you don’t get too bored. Have to keep it short, so much to do (like find my lifejacket)…
The next little adventure I am planning is inspired by a man called Poppa Neutrino. Alec Wilkinson wrote a book about him called “The Happiest Man In The World” where he describes some of the things Neutrino did; caught rabies, changed his name (to Neutrino), built a boat out of rubbish, sailed it across the Atlantic to Ireland. At the end of the book he has built his second boat out of rubbish and its sitting on the beach in Mexico… he’s waiting for the right sea change to take him out across the Pacific.
My idea is more modest and much more domestic. Over the next month I am going to build a small rowing boat out of wood that I find in skips (dumpsters), within a mile of the Thames, and then I’m going to row it from the source back to London. I will do the scavenging and building on the weekends and the rowing will probably be a long weekend (its about 130 miles). There will be a few rules, although they might be somewhat nomic (it is my game after all):
I won’t take any wood that isn’t definitely in a skip. If its ownership is uncertain, I’ll ask.
I’ll do all the transport within London using my Santos Travelmaster bike.
When I’m building the only bought materials I’ll allow myself will be a box of screws, a roll of gaffer/duct tape and a maybe a bit of glue.
The rower will be built in my workshop.
I am still fundraising for the same reasons and for the same charity (What’s Driving Parkinson’s), so if you feel entertained or moved to do so you can donate here. I’ll be tweeting and using noticin.gs to record this little adventure and there might be a short film at the end of it too.
I said at the top that I was “planning” this but really I haven’t put too much thought into it. I wanted to do something that was a bit more, you know, creative… It might go wrong, it might sink, I may get pulled over for speeding by the Water Police, but it is a kind of experiment, so the definition of success is slightly different to normal.
If you live in London and want to be involved you can follow me on Twitter and send me a message if you see any useful looking wood on its sorry way to landfill.
This adventure is supported by Finisterre, a neat little company based in Cornwall UK. They supported me around the world with clothing and the relationship continues with them giving me some comfy wool undies and a jacket to keep me warm as I rummage in London’s building waste.
I wanted to do something that was creative, cheap, quick and frankly absurd, and I think I achieved those goals. As I struggled through the first day with one paddle, dragging the boat over trees that had fallen across the river, ducking to escape the overhanging branches, I thought “How very apt”. How very apt that I was doing something to ostensibly raise a bit more interest in the work of What’s Driving Parkinson’s and that I was doing it on a shoestring budget and that it was extremely difficult and (probably) hadn’t been done before. Apt because that is how I feel about this unique work into Parkinson’s disease.
