Any damage

R

rr_123

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Any damage to your boat/property on the Staines reach this evening was probably caused by a 30' cruiser "racing" a 10-12' speedboat at, I would estimate, 22-25 knots.

I know Richard thinks that this is a little high jinks and they should have a sniggering tick off, but the sounds of splintering wood from my mooring made me think otherwise.

I went down to PH to watch the boat going through, quite scared actually walking across pretending to be nonchalantly walking past whilst noting the name of the boat and the appearance of the crew, but don't need to worry about commiting those to memory as a neighbour turned up (water-borne) to take a few pics.

I really am up for a laugh. I have broken the speed limit in the past (mid winter when the river is in spate, and there are very few craft still in). But these tw@s were hooning through a built up area with dozens of witnesses...

Bugger, I may have to speak to someone in a uniform...
 
Much more of this and I can see the EA installing speed and average speed cameras everywhere. That should make em a fortune.

I hope not too many of you had damage done, I remember sitting done to tea on the Medway once and an ex-military fast boat wen't through at a great rate of knots, there was tea and buns everywhere.
 
I didn't get any pictures; I'm going to speak to the guy I saw taking pictures, but I suspect there may be a prosecution for this one, so won't be posting them I'm afraid. There were a lot of witnesses, I walked up the towpath and people were coming out of their houses and the phone at the lock-keeper's house was ringing off the hook.

I detest legislation, I pray that we don't end up with speed cameras of any sort on my beloved river or need to show some kind of (revokable) "driving license" - let's face it they don't stop people speeding on the roads, but the EA (or whoever) shoule probably pull their fingers out and pursue a couple of high profile prosecutions.

And, incidentally, it isn't just chavs in planing cruisers and ebay sports boats, when I first moved here one boat that I saw behaving in this way was a very powerful semi-displacement cruiser. A very prominent member of the ADLS in fact, with about half a dozen guests all old enough to know better ...
 
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