shimmering water, where is she now?

jillR · May 19, 2010

Gary Boughton-Smith is looking for "Shimmering Water" and thinks she may be on The Broads.

Here is his story...

In 1970, as a young lad, I was lucky enough to spend a week aboard a Thames hire cruiser called Shimmering Water. At 46ft long, she was the largest boat for hire on the Thames and was beautifully appointed. Consequently, Shimmering Water left a huge impression on me and I have for the past seven years been trying to locate her.

I have found out that she was sold into private hands in about 1983, possibly to the person overseeing the improvements at Pyrford Marina on the River Wey. He apparently lived some distance away and used her as accommodation near his work. However I have not been able to find his name and the Environment Agency has no such vessel registered with them.

She could have gone back to the Broads where she was built by Porter & Haylett, but they have registration numbers rather than names and she could of course have had a name change.

Does anyone have any information as to her whereabouts.

The photo is taken from the 1970 J. Timms & Sons Ltd brochure of Thames Hire Cruisers.

It was this company that owned her from 1968 to 1983 and renamed her Shimmering Water as all their boats were named something 'Water'. When originally built on the Broads she was named Hibernian.

If anyone knows of her whereabouts or fate I would like to hear from them.

My email address is abingdonmarina@tiscali.co.uk

GARY BOUGHTON-SMITH.

May 19, 2010

Hi Jill, i know what happened to this boat, unless it was one of a class, which means there may be others around. About 10 years ago, a friend of mine bought a small ex-broads cruiser and had all good intentions to do it up, but no skills to do it. Then he was offered a straight swap for a much larger boat on a residential mooring. The larger boat was in fact Shimmering water, which had been extremely badly converted into a houseboat, and was in a very poor state. He had it moored on some residential moorings on the Medway at Strood next to Rochester. I have`nt spoken to him for a few years now, but the last i heard was she had sunk several times, and was getting near the state of beyond repair. Sorry to be the bearer of sad news, but i thought you would want to know. I`l e-mail the guy at abingdon marina later, as he may be in a position to fully re-build it. He`ll certainly have his work cut out if it has`nt been destroyed or re-furbed already. Regards ............... Neil.