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Services: Towage, Crane, Passenger Boat, Camping & Bus Tickets

The 2012 Race is not yet accepting orders for these services.

Towage and Crane Services:

A tow-down service from Ham, Richmond and Putney to the Start is being run from early Race day morning and timed to have your boat available for collection when you arrive at Registration. To take advantage of this service, boats must be launched by 18.00 on Friday and the cost is £70.00 per boat.

This year, the crane at Ham, for which there is no charge, will be positioned on the riverside in the Ham Street car park, immediately after the Finish line. On Friday, it will be in operation from 14:00 to 18:00 hours to enable boats to be towed to the Start (extra charge; please request tow). On Saturday, it will be available from 16:30 hours.

Another crane service, designed to appeal to entrants travelling from the Continent and east of London, will operate from South Dock Marina, Calypso Way (off Plough Way) SE16 7UX, immediately opposite the Start. Boats will be craned into the dock between 14:00 – 17:00 hours on Friday, September 16th, locked out, moored up and towed across on Saturday morning. Make sure your boat is equipped with a tow rope and fenders. There will be a fee of £25.00 covering lift, lock and tow, but this will represent a substantial saving on towing from Ham and be much more convenient.

If required, Towage and Crane Assistance must be requested via the entry maintenance facility; we will be in touch with full details on receipt of a request.

There are also a number of ways to enjoy the Race without necessarily getting into a sweat; click on the images below to get a taste of alternative ways of being involved with the action.

There are a number of ways to enjoy the Race without necessarily getting into a sweat; click on the images below to get a taste of alternative ways of being involved with the action.

Camping/BBQ	Bus	Passenger BoatS

Camping/Hogroast BBQ/Party:

As usual, we will be operating our very successful campsite at Thames Young Mariners in Riverside Drive, Ham, TW10 7RX in conjunction with The 14th Richmond Sea Scouts. The site is a few minutes walk from the Race Finish and has showers and toilets. The price is per person and demand is always very high so please do book early to avoid disappointment. Due to the large numbers of competitors wishing to use this facility, no cars are allowed on site; however, there is ample parking on Riverside Drive. Motorhomes and campervans only by prior arrangement, please email us for further information.

The Friday night BBQ party will include a delicious hog roast (tickets must be purchased in advance) and the entertainment will be provided by our regular blues band.

Please do take advantage of our early registration facility and register your crew on the Friday evening in order to avoid queues on Race Day.

On Saturday evening the bar will be open.

Bus:

The Bus service has become an integral part of Race Day. In the morning of this year’s Race, it will take crews and spectator boat passengers from the Lensbury Hotel in Teddington, the campsite and Finish area to the Start in time for registration and boarding. This year, the morning service runs at 09:00 hours. In the evening at 22:30 hours, we will be running buses from the party area at the Finish (Ham Street car park) back to the Start, calling at Waterloo and Liverpool Street stations.

Follow the Race in TBA passenger boat:

With its good visibility, low freeboard, licensed bar and friendly cooperative crew, TBA makes the ideal viewing platform for The Great River Race. The boat will be leaving TBA promptly at TBA hours with boarding starting from TBA hours. Light lunches will be available on board.

TBA is a short ten minute walk from the Start. Just walk along Westferry Road (away from Canary Wharf), turn right on Napier Ave and then right onto Maritime Quay. Mudchute Docklands Light Rail Station is also nearby and the D3 and D7 buses both stop on Westferry Road close to Napier Avenue.

To maximise the Race viewing opportunities for passenger boat spectators we will follow the course as far as Hammersmith Bridge before anchoring up and waiting until most of the Race has passed. Then we will steam through the fleet to beyond the Finish line, turn round and cruise back through the rest of the field before tying up at Richmond Landing Stage to watch the last boats finish. Having seen the vast majority of competing boats once and many two or three times, you can disembark and enjoy a stroll upriver to join the crowds around the Great River Race bar or, if you prefer, stay on board and take the return journey back to central London.

Note: The trip will last approximately 3.5 hours. There will be a return to TBA leaving the Finish at TBA hours.

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