The RIB's ride of a lifetime

2:48pm Friday 5th September 2008

'YOU may want to brace yourselves, and if anyone is uncomfortable just raise your hand and we’ll ease the throttle down.' said Chris Bradshaw, Thames Rib Experience (TRB) guide, as the boat prepared to pick up speed.

The engine roared and the craft started to cut through the choppy waters. When the steep right turn came I may have been tempted to take up the offer if I hadn’t been gripping the seat in front, and son Aidan, even tighter.

Before setting off, Dean McGlinchey, Wanstead resident, TRB boss and pilot on the trip, described it as the 'newest white-knuckle ride in London'. He wasn’t wrong.

RIB stands for 'rigid hull inflatable boat' and the TRB vessel is the newest and fastest on the Thames. Even the police and fire service have been said to cast admiring glances its way.

Dean and his partner Charlotte Thompson launched TRB this summer from a base on Embankment Pier, opposite Embankment Tube.

A keen sailor, he caught sight of a RIB boat while working as an air conditioning engineer near the river one day and decided to give it a go. After looking at possibilities abroad they eventually set up on the Thames I’m not a great lover of water, speed or generally anything too scary, but sometimes you have do things outside of your comfort zone so I readily volunteered for the trip.

To my relief the life jackets were expandable with room to spare. The waterproofs supplied cope with dart players’ physique as well. The RIB boat can carry 12 passengers and the distinctive yellow craft easily attracts waves from passers-by and other river users as the trip sets off at a fairly sedate pace. Chris sits at the front of the craft giving information about the various sites along the Thames, including Big Ben (it’s actually the name of the bell, not the tower) and we get as close to the Houses of Parliament as you’re allowed to without sparking a security alert.

Next it’s off past City Hall, HMS Belfast (the first ship to open fire during the D Day landings in 1944), under Tower Bridge on towards Canary Wharf.

Then came the fast bit. Feeling the sheer power of the RIB boat as the engines kicked in was exhilarating - even to a speed-aphobe like me.

This trip (adults £29/children £16 ) takes just under an hour which crams in a lot of sights – and thrills – into a short space of time. A longer route via Greenwich and the Thames Barrier (adult £45/child £27) is also offered. The boat is available for private charter as well.

Despite being a self-confessed big girls blouse when it comes to things like this, I can honestly say I stepped off the boat feeling like I’d really experienced something different.

The Thames Rib Experience is something that you really should experience for yourself.

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