Wheels on water
A head is a multicoloured container ship, stacked high like a Lego toy, and next to it the other-worldly dome of the Marchwood incineration plant.
In our wake is a 260m cruise ship, dwarfing everything in her midst. Southampton Water is packed with every vessel you can imagine – from tall ships to tugs and racing dinghies – but none has changed the lives of those on board as much as the boat we’re on.
She may only be a 17-footer but her impact is immense, for this is the 200th wheelchair-accessible powerboat launched by the Sussex-based Wheelyboat Trust.
Designed to be used with outboards of up to 100hp, the Coulam Wheelyboat V17 can exceed speeds of 25 knots. For more leisurely boating on inland waterways, there’s a tiller-driven model for outboards of up to 15hp.
But ‘leisurely’ is not on the menu today. We lift onto the plane at around 15 knots, and skipper Andy Beadsley pushes forward the throttle. As someone used to the slower pace of yachts, I find myself whooping at the lightness in my chest and the
