The Medway. Yet more Good News.

Chris_d

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If you Thames lads need any hints or tips on managing a river we are here for you.


Well done to all concerned including in order of importance
Chris Murr and companions. :)
MSBA
Peel Ports
More debris clearance

Not sure the Thames needs that kind of help!

EA cuts down trees but dumps them on riparian owners land.
Riparian owners ignore it
Floods on non tidal then wash all debris downstream on to tideway where it becomes some body else's problem.
Constant lobbying by local boaters finally gets token effort to clear some of it.

But well done anyway(y)
 

oldgit

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EA also dredge various bits of the river but the stuff removed has to be put back on the river bank .
Where it stays until the next flood etc etc .
Not sure if this is because the dredged material belongs to somebody or to dispose of it elsewhere demands tests for contamination etc before it can be dumped.
 

Chris_d

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Always understood its because its contaminated so they can't dispose of it, now they don't actually remove it at all just move it somewhere else in the river I believe.
 

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Its probably just me but i looked at that picture and saw in it a nice little retirement job chugging around the river playing with a grabber. As long as there's a nice little wheelhouse on the boat with a heater.

IMG_20210113_133754.jpg
 

Capt Popeye

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ea good ideas back in the 70s there were Dumb Barges moored up at various buoys along the Tidal reaches of the Thames where various driftwood, garbage, etc etc was dumped by an Authority of sorts these Barges were then taken away for garbage disposal somewhere Down River Does this still happen ?
 

oldgit

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Its probably just me but i looked at that picture and saw in it a nice little retirement job chugging around the river playing with a grabber. As long as there's a nice little wheelhouse on the boat with a heater.

IMG_20210113_133754.jpg

It is just you .
"a nice little retirement job "

The chap who took this picture works part time on this boat.
He works on and around the Medway for various companies,basically anybody who can offer him work .
Recently invested time and money to get various RYA qualifications to help get his skippers certificate.
If at any time you need professional and skilled assistance to move a boat (assuming you have one :)) can recommend his services.



Where do you keep your boat is it on the Thames or the Medway ?
 

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It is just you .
"a nice little retirement job "

The chap who took this picture works part time on this boat.
He works on and around the Medway for various companies,basically anybody who can offer him work .
Recently invested time and money to get various RYA qualifications to help get his skippers certificate.
If at any time you need professional and skilled assistance to move a boat (assuming you have one :)) can recommend his services.



Where do you keep your boat is it on the Thames or the Medway ?
I'm not on the east coast any more. Used to be based on the Deben and then lived aboard in London for a number of years. Enjoyed the Medway a good number of times including all the way up to Tonbridge on my first little boat.

But why wouldn't it be a nice little retirement job? Not rushed, nice views, fresh air, I expect there's no money in it more for the fun and satisfaction of it.
 

oldgit

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" more for the fun and satisfaction of it. "

..... not on a freezing cold day in the middle of January with the rain running down yer neck and yer fingers starting to turn blue. :)

2 hour run just to get up there from Sheerness.
 
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..... not on a freezing cold day in the middle of January with the rain running down yer neck and yer fingers starting to turn blue. :)

2 hour run just to get up there from Sheerness.
well no thats why the boat needed to include a wheelhouse with a heater for my dream job. Have you got other pictures of the operation?
 

Pump-Out

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ea good ideas back in the 70s there were Dumb Barges moored up at various buoys along the Tidal reaches of the Thames where various driftwood, garbage, etc etc was dumped by an Authority of sorts these Barges were then taken away for garbage disposal somewhere Down River Does this still happen ?
PLA now have these, they turn with the tide to collect the flotsam. Being U shaped the waste remains trapped until emptied by grabber much like in the photo in @Athomson s post.

1610788947640.png
 

Capt Popeye

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PLA now have these, they turn with the tide to collect the flotsam. Being U shaped the waste remains trapped until emptied by grabber much like in the photo in @Athomson s post.

View attachment 107182

Hi there MR P_O thank you everso much for that info and photo; yep using technology to collect the floating Scum and Drift 24hrs a day what a good idea ; in my days on the Tidal Thames it was them 80ft lighters being used as collection points ; we used to board them when matters were quiet and see if any thing unusuall was dumped in there ; mind you many years ago, (well before my time on the Thames ) it was found that London Gangsters used the Thames as a depository for those bumped off , or dumped them there, probably with a Bucket of Cement on each leg; yea that Thames has many stories to tell over many ,any years ; thanks again Mr P O
 

oldgit

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Always worth a look.

Medway and Swale Boating Association
04/11/2020.
1610873718462.png

Not lot of visable debris today other than one neatly sawn but substantional log twixt a boat and pontoon.
Tree jammed under one boat.
Impossible to dislodge due to ebbing tide , this looked to have been washed out of river bank. Complete with roots at one end and branches at the other.


A bit of previous.
admiral on 24th October 2017 at 10:03 said:
1610874554896.png

"The ubiquitous sawn logs have always been a puzzle. There doesn’t seem to be an obvious source for them along the banks of the tidal Medway. At MRUA meetings (at Allington Lock) I have been assured that they could not have come from upstream, but I wonder…"
 

Murv

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Murv

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All sounds like a great way to productively pass the time. Do you have a little heater in the wheelhouse?

There's a tiny fan heater to take the edge off it, but 99% of the time the windows are open to try and reduce the window fogging.
 

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There's a tiny fan heater to take the edge off it, but 99% of the time the windows are open to try and reduce the window fogging.
I can imagine that. I've got one of these Japanese paraffin heaters and while you'll need the window open still they kick out a lot of heat. Wick type paraffin heater | Toyotomi They still use them a lot in Japan so kept developing them over the years, consequently they are much better than the old Aladin and Valor ones you see for sale.

This might be a chinese copy not sure but they come up on ebay like this Paraffin Heater | eBay
 

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the delivery trip from Liverpool to Sheerness
I've only just registered what you said there! Nice! What a trip on something like that. What did you do for sleeping? Pitch a tent on deck? :D Not sure it looks like there is space for any accommodation under the deck but guess not.
 

Murv

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I've only just registered what you said there! Nice! What a trip on something like that. What did you do for sleeping? Pitch a tent on deck? :D Not sure it looks like there is space for any accommodation under the deck but guess not.

No, there is no accommodation on board. We stayed in a variety of hotels, guest houses, B&B's and even a large survey vessel at the various stops around the coast. It was made especially challenging by lockdown!
 

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No, there is no accommodation on board. We stayed in a variety of hotels, guest houses, B&B's and even a large survey vessel at the various stops around the coast. It was made especially challenging by lockdown!
Brilliant stuff. How long did it take? Hit any weather? I can imagine waves reaching the wheelhouse quite easily!
 
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