Sailing[edit]

Main article: Sailing on the River Thames

Thames Raters at Raven's Ait, Surbiton

Sailing is practised on both the tidal and non-tidal reaches of the river. The highest club upstream
is at Oxford. The most popular sailing craft used on the Thames
are lasers, GP14s and Wayfarers. One sailing boat unique to the Thames is the Thames Rater,
which is sailed around Raven's Ait.

Skiffing[edit]
Skiffing has dwindled in favour of private motor boat ownership but is competed on the river in
the summer months. Six clubs and a similar number of skiff regattas exist from the Skiff
Club, Teddington upstream.

Punting[edit]
Unlike the "pleasure punting" common on the Cherwell in Oxford and the Cam in Cambridge,
punting on the Thames is competitive as well as recreational and uses narrower craft, typically
based at the few skiff clubs.

Kayaking and canoeing[edit]

Main article: Kayaking and canoeing on the River Thames
Kayaking and canoeing are common, with sea kayakers using the tidal stretch for touring.
Kayakers and canoeists use the tidal and non-tidal sections for training, racing and
trips. Whitewater playboaters and slalom paddlers are catered for at weirs like those at Hurley
Lock, Sunbury Lock and Boulter's Lock. At Teddington just before the tidal section of the river
starts is Royal Canoe Club, said to be the oldest in the world and founded in 1866. Since 1950,
almost every year at Easter, long distance canoeists have been competing in what is now known
as the Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race,[76] which follows the course of
the Kennet and Avon Canal, joins the River Thames at Reading and runs right up to a grand
finish at Westminster Bridge.

Swimming[edit]
In 2006 British swimmer and environmental campaigner Lewis Pugh became the first person to
swim the full length of the Thames from outside Kemble to Southend-on-Sea to draw attention to
the severe drought in England which saw record temperatures indicative of a degree of global
warming. The 202 miles (325 km) swim took him 21 days to complete. The official headwater of
the river had stopped flowing due to the drought forcing Pugh to run the first 26 miles (42 km).[77]
Since June 2012 the Port of London Authority has made and enforces a by-law that bans
swimming between Putney Bridge and Crossness, Thamesmead (thus including all of central
London) without obtaining prior permission, on the grounds that swimmers in that area of the
river endanger not only themselves, due to the strong current of the river, but also other river
users.[78]
Organised swimming events take place at various points generally upstream of Hampton Court,
including Windsor, Marlow and Henley.[79][80][81] In 2011 comedian David Walliams swam the 140
miles (230 km) from Lechlade to Westminster Bridge and raised over £1 million for charity.[82]
In non-tidal stretches swimming was, and still is, a leisure and fitness activity among experienced
swimmers where safe, deeper outer channels are used in times of low stream. [83]

Meanders[edit]
A Thames meander is a long-distance journey over all or part of the Thames by running,
swimming or using any of the above means. It is often carried out as an athletic challenge in a
competition or for a record attempt.

The Thames in the arts[edit]

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unrelated references to popular culture. Please reorganize this
content to explain the subject's impact on popular culture, providing
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 The Thames in the arts

 Houses of Parliament Sunlight Effect (Le Parlement effet de soleil) – Claude Monet
 
 The first Westminster Bridg