The Great River Race on the Thames

We left the Tate Britain and headed back along the Thames towards the Houses of Parliament.  As we walked we heard sounds of chanting and drumming, and the sounds seemed to be coming from the river.  

It turned out that the Great River Race was being run.

Might be a little hard to make out over the traffic noises, the wind, and a bit of rain, but this video shows some of the racers and includes at least hints of the drumming:

We saw a variety of boats in the race, and some of the teams seemed to be in it especially for the fun.  We also ran into a few groups of spectators who either ran along Millbank or who had arranged to get dropped off by cars at certain points along the route so that they could cheer on their friends.

Good fun, even if it did start to rain.

A more serious looking crew,
with another boat's "Party Time" flag in the foreground.

I think this boat is called Holo Nui.

I do believe that boat #110 is Llangwym Skiff.
The hats these rowers wore made me think
of the people you sometimes see in a Monet or Renoir painting.

This yellow boat features some Batman flags.

The Naiads on the Sheila Lewis.

Dragon boat.

I quite liked this view with the greenish buildings in the background.

The view as we got closer to the London Eye.

Passing underneath Lambeth Bridge

A piratical flag on the boat called 2-6 Heave.

The Great River Race

Thames River

London, England

September 2011

Official site for The Great River Race - http://www.greatriverrace.co.uk/