Wielding a shotgun in the middle of London often implies a prison sentence is in the offing, but there is a legal way that makes for a grand day out, as Rebecca Pearson finds

Sir Winston Churchill's coffin once lay on the highly polished spot where I now rest my chilled Champagne glass. The sun is out, a gentle wind is blowing, and I am spending the day cruising and shooting on the Thames. Somehow, I think Churchill would approve. Clay Pigeon Shooting on the Thames is not something to attempt on your own. Police may well shoot back. However, provided you are part of an organised event, which has passed all the necessary checks, you can shoot clays quite merrily from the comfort of a luxury boat, with the O2 and Thames Barrier forming an unexpected backdrop. Today sees such an event, and I am one of several guests on board Havengore, built in Teddington in 1956. This is the vessel that carried Churchill's coffin from Tower Pier to Festival Pier in January 1965, watched by 350 million people worldwide. She's now been restored, and is available for hire, carrying up to 30 people on the water. We board Havengore at Canary Wharf and, amid animated chatter about the inclement skies and hearty breeze, tuck in to the mini Yorkshire puddings and Greek salad canapés. As we set off towards the Thames barrier, I eye up the shooting competition (a few dark horses mutter about having shot 'a few times') and chat to the shooting instructors on board from The Clay Shooting Company. It's not long before we drop anchor in the middle of the river, just beyond the Thames Barrier, and the instructors set up the traps at the front of the boat.

We shoot in pairs, with the instructors close at hand to help the novices and ensure it's all done above board. Shooting with houses all around is a new one for me, as is getting my stance right when the surface underfoot is moving. It's a curious case of bringing the country to the city. However, you soon get used to it. Quite a few of the other people on board (party organisers and marketing executives, mostly, who are testing the boat as a potential venue) have never shot before, but the instructors have them blasting the clays to smithereens in no time. The dark horses also prove their worth; we have two 20-for-20 shooters by the end of the day (although, sadly, I'm not one of them). When the clays are finally spent, we cruise up the Thames to the London Eye to disembark-but not before posing for pictures with the guns under the proud bulk of Tower Bridge (barrels broken, of course). Churchill would be proud. For further information on booking 'Havengore', telephone the Clay Shooting Company 08448 269 270 or visit www.clayshootingcompany.com For further information on The Havengore visit www.venues-of-distinction.com

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