I last used the Woolwich Ferry around 1990.  At no point since then have I needed to do so.  However, on my exploitation of the eastern parts of the Thames (at least while still in London), I started out in North Woolwich and needed to get to Woolwich.  The foot tunnel was an option but the ferry runs frequently and is free so it was my preferred option.  From what I have read, they replaced both ferries relatively recently.  One of them has an obvious name – the Dame Vera Lynn.  The other one is named Ben Woollacott in honor of a young crewman who lost his life on duty a few years ago.  I think that is a nice touch.

The two ferries run at the same time with each loading on opposite sides of the river and then departing at the same time.  There is an odd “dance” that they do with one going upstream  and one down as they cross each other before then sliding in to the dock to unload and repeat the process.  When I boarded the ferry, I didn’t know how this worked so was quite confused as we headed up river.  However, it all became clear quite quickly.

The ferries are very maneuverable.  They was in which the crews can put them wherever they need to while operating on a river that has some strong currents is quite impressive.  They seem to slide into the berths sideways when coming from one direction while they approach the northern side in a more traditional way.  If you haven’t heard of a Voith Schneider drive, I suggest you look them up.  Very clever stuff.

I made the crossing and got some shots and video while doing so but my interest was now piqued so I ended up spending a little longer on the south bank of the river watching them repeat the process to see how it looked from the outside.  A slick operation.  As I got off, I saw the holding area for the vehicle traffic that was waiting to board.  It seemed that there was a lot more going south to north than in the other direction at that time of day.