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The spectacle, along a seven-mile stretch, will end six hours laterwhen the last boat passes Tower Bridge . The Thames barrier is being lowered to slow the river's flow. Some 20,000people are expected to be in the boats of the flotilla, which willtravel at 4 knots (4.6 miles) an hour. Despite cool, drizzly weather, hundreds of thousands of people areexpected to line the riverbanks between Hammersmith and TowerBridge in London, feting the British monarch whose longevity has given her the status of the nation'sfavorite grandmother. The flotilla, the largest such pageant for 350 years, will rangefrom rowing boats to military boats, including a barge carrying the Queen and othermembers of her family. The queen and members of her family willlead the river pageant aboard a flower-bedecked royal barge , accompanied by skiffs, barges, narrowboats, motor launches, rowboats and sailing vessels from around the world. Other vessels will include a contingent of Dunkirk "little ships" and tall ships such the Southampton-based Tenacious, which will besailed by a mixed crew of able-bodied and disabled people. More than 20 vessels from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) are being drafted in for the occasion to help with safetyon the river. Another vessel will take on a ceremonial role duringthe pageant in celebration of the 60,000 lives saved by the RNLIduring the Queen's reign. The 86-year-old queen, accompanied by her 90-year-old consortPrince Philip and an array of family members, was scheduled tospend two hours moving slowly down the river aboard a lavishlyadapted royal barge, the Spirit of Chartwell, that was emblazonedfor the occasion with a coat of 10,000 cut flowers. Only once before in the 1,000-year history of the British monarchyhad any reigning sovereign lived long enough to mark a diamond jubilee , and that was in 1897, when Queen Elizabeth s great-greatgrandmother, Queen Victoria, then aged 78, achieved the landmark. "We in Britain are experts at not letting the weather spoilour fun," said Adrian Evans, pageant master forSunday's flotilla. "The London Philharmonic Orchestrawill be playing ‘Singin' In The Rain' as theytravel down the river, and the crowd can sing along withthem." Hundreds of people ignored the persistent rain and camped outovernight to secure prime riverside spots. Crowds swelled into thethousands Sunday, with revelers in hats, flags, leggings and rainponchos adorned with the Union flag mixing with burger and cottoncandy vendors along the 7-mile (11-kilometer) route. "It would have been wonderful if it had been sunny like lastSunday but we have come prepared," said 57-year-old ChristineSteele. "We have got blankets, brollies (umbrellas), flagsand bunting. We even got our glittery Union Jack hats and wigs, andthe Champagne is on ice." Not everyone in Britain is celebrating. The anti-monarchist groupRepublic held a riverbank protest Sunday to oppose the wave ofjubilee-mania. "People are sick and tired of being told they must celebrate60 years of one very privileged, very remote and very uninspiringhead of state," said the group's chief executive,Graham Smith. "The hereditary system is offensive to all thedemocratic values this country has fought for in the past." Jubilee celebrations kicked off Saturday with a royal day at theraces, as the queen watched a horse with the courtly name ofCamelot win the Epsom Derby. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Linde Pumps Manufacturer , Rexroth Pumps, and more. For more , please visit Sauer Pumps today!
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