News / floating harbour
New cross-harbour ferry undergoes sea trials in docks
A new boat has been undergoing sea trials in the Floating Harbour, on a recent afternoon spinning around and around and around.
Its orange and white colour scheme is a clue as to its future use: as a companion cross-harbour ferry.
The name of the new vehicle is the Reckless Engineer, a nickname of Brunel, with its job carrying passengers between the SS Great Britain and the Harbour Inlet.
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One obvious difference between the new Reckless Engineer and the existing Mary Brunel is that it has a much smaller wheelhouse, with the driver having to stand up while manoeuvring it from one side of the docks to the other.
Named after Isambard’s daughter, Mary Brunel is a Rotork Seatruck co-designed by James Dyson of bagless-vacuum-cleaner fame while he was still a student at the Royal College of Art.
It is just one of the fleet of Number 7 Boats, whose owner Richard Rankin has been operating boats in the docks since 1999.
Reckless Engineer undergoing her sea trials while Mary Brunel is docked at the Harbour Inlet – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo & video: Martin Booth
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