Captaining the Woolwich Ferry, the only free ferry service in London: David Watkins - Londoner #98
Вставка
- Опубліковано 1 вер 2015
- David is the Captain of the only free ferry service in London; the Woolwich Ferry. Despite making the same short journey, from the north to the south of the river thames and back again, he never gets bored as "no two journeys are the same". The camaraderie between his crew always provides entertainment, but also the tide, the cars, the people all differ on each journey, and from his viewpoint he gets to see everything. David is from a family of people who have worked on the Thames and although his Father's suffered a severe accident it hasn't put him or his son off continuing to work on the river.
1000 LONDONERS
This film is part of 1000 Londoners, a five-year digital project which aims to create a digital portrait of a city through 1000 of the people who identify themselves with it. The profile contains a 3 minute film that gives an insight into the life of the Londoner, as well as their personal photos of London and some answers to crucial questions about their views on London life. Over the course of the project we aim to reveal as many facets of the capital as possible, seeing city life from 1000 points of view.
1000londoners.com
/ 1000londoners
1000londoners
Twitter @1000_londoners
1000 Londoners is produced by South London based film production company and social enterprise, Chocolate Films. The filmmakers from Chocolate Films will be both
producing the films and providing opportunities to young people and community groups to make their own short documentaries, which will contribute to the 1000 films. Visit chocolatefilms.com
Transcript:
Everybody I meet says to me 'You must get bored, you must get absolutely bored going from North to South, South to North' I never get bored of it. No two trips are the same. I'm just easing the vessel into the terminal, nice and easy, trying not to bump along the side. The guys say we like to do it without cracking an egg. Some of us do it, some of us don't. I would have cracked a box full with that one! I play a lot of golf. I'm quite a sociable guy, and, when I'm out, if ever they see me they ask me what I do for a living. Everybody's interested in the job I'm doing, what I'm up to. Yeah, I love it. I'm very proud. You get to see all the vessels that go by, get to see some beautiful vessels. In the reach at the moment, we've got some tall ships - that's a rare sight. Obviously, looking down, I get to see all the cars, some nice cars that come on the vessel. Also you get some amorous couples. They don't think to look up and see me, you can look over some times and you might see a little bit of kissing and cuddling and canoodling, and that's quite funny sometimes. I've been a bit wicked in the past and if I see a couple having a little kiss and a cuddle I often get on the phone and call my crew mates, and tell them that the couple in a certain car need some advice and direction. It's a little bit wicked I know but I do enjoy doing that. My Dad worked on the tug, they were responsible for towing the rubbish out of London and the company he worked for put a modification on the tug which the crew of the tug, including my Dad, didn't want because they felt it was dangerous. They put a bar over the top of the towing hook. Well the day my Dad was on there, the rope slipped and it trapped my Dad's hand. Every bone in his hand it shattered. He broke his arm obviously and he was never the same after that. Part of the river where the accident happened is a place called Walbrook Dock. Every time I pass there I can't help looking over and thinking yeah that's where my dad's end of life really started, if I'm honest. I still miss him. People still talk about him. He was a bit of a character, my Dad. I like to think that I've got a bit of his sense of humour, bless him. There we are, I've cracked another egg, side egg! - Фільми й анімація
I was born in Woolwich in 1958. I lived in Woolwich and my dad worked in the docks on the north side of the river. I spent a lot of time as a child going back and forth on those ferries. I also used the foot tunnel quite a bit. I'm now living in Scotland and seeing this video brought back some great memories.
I was born in 1998 near the docks and have made the journey multiple times in my relatively short life, must have been so different to what it was like when you was growing up in the area decades ago.
@@armza9975 I made my first trip without my parents on the ferry in 1974, this was a big day because I was going to the newly opened McDonald's the only restaurant in the UK. I was 13 great days.
Great video. I will miss the old ferries but I’m looking forward to seeing the new ferries in service. I hope that they keep one of the old ferries as a spare ferry.
hi, we used to put our truck on the ferry in the 80s, then get out and go downstairs to see the Mirlees engine running, great!
I recall the "OLD" steam paddle ferries in the 1950's.
We used to ride across to North Woolwich and back until we got thrown off. Their names were "Squires", "Will Crooks" and "John Benn", after politicians who had links with Woolwich or the East End of London.
I can recall the rhthymic "thump, thump, thump" and splashing of the paddle wheels as they churned up the odoriferous Thames water. If you went "inside" under the upper car deck, you could see-the whirling machinery and smell the warm oil aroma from the engine room. It was nice and warm in the winter!
The traffic on the River then was immense, and the ferries had to "dance" their way from one bank to the other between strings of barges hauled by tugs, and sea-going ships heading up or downriver on the tides. Across the River at North Woolwich, you could see the cranes and superstructures of the ships in the "Royal" group of docks over the roofs of the terraced houses and "prefabs".
A very different scene from the almost "sterile" river of today, where instead of ships, airliners can be seen on their approach or taking off from City Airport.
What memories!
InstaBlaster...
QQ
No job you love is ever boring - and no stretch of moving water is ever the same from one minute to the next. Doing a Great job - and a rare really great service.
Just did this trip on Bank holiday Monday for the first time. I’m a born n bred Londoner and it’s taken me this long do the Woolwich Ferry, shameful..lol.. I went North to South. Good fun. Wish I had seen this skipper. What a sweet guy 😍
What a great guy
My granddad told me that HIS granddad was the first ever captain of the Woolwich Ferry. I’ve never been able to substantiate it.
It's been going for over 500 years, so that's definitely not true.
You do a great job man...use your service many times in my artic from Hull
you can find every single possible type of public transport in London, even the free ferry lol
Well done Dave hope to take the journey one day :-)
In the 1950s my old Sunbeam-Talbot was first car inline for disembarking;. wouldn't start, so had to open bonnet; brake didn't hold and gate had been opened before ferry had actually docked, so awful moment as I struggled to hold back car (with my female passenger) from going overboard. No such excitement nowadays!
When I was a kid, I remember there being two Ferrys (Ferries???) that was working at the same time and they would pass each other in the middle of the Thames. Do they still use two or just one Ferry now?
Still 2 - it hasn't changed!
How would you go about getting a job like yours?
Actually there used to be three, one being serviced or on standby. The third one was damaged by vandalism I believe and was never returned to service, but sat near the southern terminal for years.
@@bobsmith-zj2ky Yeah!
Subject: Fwd: Let alone, while residing right off hospital rd. There was a neighbor of mine boy could he run at a rate if I were to blink I'd miss him, so he started staing at me quite unusual fashion, then he and his "family" tee bone a van moving boxes ? Right around the block was a storage united, this man looked or strongly resembled a number2 fbi most wanted guy, I think this was pre-usama Pakistan capture, I rote the fbi, describing what I saw, expressing how naturally I wld dial 911 , if ... then my bathroom sink full of a black powder ? Man it was strange to hear how they put goats to sleep ... storage unit Horse block rd. This during the time hair dye warnings receipts etc Subject: We may have called police from out east to notice their vehicle also. It was a long time ago , there wasn't a known now recognizable statement but there was the "mother" she almost patted his hair he will learn to drive it one day ... more or less I want to say 3 or four other men at least 2, no 3 the man with the limp
Que?
Baladas
I am not impressed by the new ferries. You just walk straight on and straight off. No crossing from port to starboard.
i have often given the ferry skippers something to look at in my inflatable canoe. I even got shouted at once.
The good old days when 2 ferries ran a prompt and reliable service . TFL then messed it up and at best there's a one boat service captained and crewed by very incompetent people . Skilled men who had been there years and work hard were just sacked and treated utterly badly by the two incompetent managers .we need the Silvertown ASAP then hopefully this joke of a ferry service can shut down for good