Guidance/help/advise for friend looking to move from Gt Ouse to Thames

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D3B

D3B

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Ely, Cambs UK
www.cutting-solutions.co.uk
Friend is looking to move to the Thames as a change, possibly permanent, from the Gt Ouse in Cambs.

His boat is a Sealine Ambassador 290 with twin petrols and I know the arch is not hinged...is he /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif so he may have head room problems to consider...

He is considering a mooring somewhere around Staines as he believes this will give him lots of cruising grounds up and down the river.
he enjoys good food and wine and has a small scottie dog which would need to be included in any arrangements.

what guidance can the team give on his plan....
moorings fees
availablity of permanent moorings
suitable establishments for refreshments....I am on board occasionally /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif....
crusing grounds (ok....buy the book/guide.....yes when has decided to go he will)
Fuel....petrol....?

Thanks in advance....knowing the forum comes up with the right info...

Doug
 
[ QUOTE ]
(ok....buy the book/guide.....yes when has decided to go he will)


[/ QUOTE ]

Bloody typical....wouldn't it make sense to spend a few quid on the book/guide and be in possession of so much more information of value in making the decision?

Well I'm not going to encourage him, far too many boats on the river already, smelly petrol whatever.

And why cant he sign up to ybw and ask his own questions.......

Nah, sounds like a troll to me..... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
What have you done to upset Boat One?

OO the second post is a bit nasty, but probably correct, anyway I don't really understand the term "a troll", contentious maybe - but when are threads not contentious? Simple soul me.


[ QUOTE ]
what guidance can the team give on his plan....
moorings fees
availability of permanent moorings
suitable establishments for refreshments....I am on board occasionally /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif....
cruising grounds (ok....buy the book/guide.....yes when has decided to go he will)
Fuel....petrol....?

Doug

[/ QUOTE ]

Here goes:-
Mooring fees - astronomic £400 /metre /p.a. for the best places, and not much less elsewhere.

Permanent moorings. Very few, already full. buy a property with waterside frontage.

Most marinas are pretty busy. Try the Caravan Park People who are buying all the marinas they can get - and stuffing up the prices.

Eating - well, scan this forum.
Book - My recommendation is The River Thames Book by Chris Cove Smith, published by Imray. All books are always out of date but this has useful navigation data. Nicholson's Guide if you want bits of an OS map.

Now the challenges:-
Not a lot of Petrol around, Shepperton, PH?, Windsor, , Bray, then zilch until Abingdon. Plenty of garages around but may face supply problems with jerrycans (Petroleum regs) and portage challenges.
May have bridge height problems at Windsor, Cookham and certainly Abingdon.

He'll need to have lots of fenders,
Skipper and crew must be able to throw mooring lines accurately.

Class distinction (boat only) is rife, perceived order is:-
<ul type="square">
Dunkirk veterans
EA patrol launches, especially if the driver is that jolly lady one
Elderly traditional boats, but in good condition
Large White Boats
Smaller white boats
Small white boats
Ex EA launches - if wearing a huge Blue
Narrowboats
Modern "dutch barges"
day boats
eights
RWD coxed fours
FWD coxed fours
pairs
single sculls
coaching boats
French's trip boats (some)
Turks trip boats
Reading trip boats
Unlicensed boats
Liveaboards in stretched narrowboats
Forum members (well not many fly the burgee, and anyway it looks too much like the Caravan Park people's burgee)
[/list]

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Notes:-
The list may get modified in the light of experience and comments
Cancel all or any of the above if the skipper / crew are friendly and chat to you in a lock.
Unusual national Ensigns / unknown CY Ensigns always get comments, enquiries.

Well, if this is a troll there surely enough ammunition here!

TaRa
 
Re: What have you done to upset Boat One?

[ QUOTE ]
OO the second post is a bit nasty, but probably correct, anyway I don't really understand the term "a troll", contentious maybe - but when are threads not contentious? Simple soul me.


[/ QUOTE ]

Nasty? No, not intended at all and said with a certain amount of tongue in cheek. Usually I bite my lip but this morning the wee fella on my shoulder clicked the mouse before my usual stoicism kicked in. Result was gentle sarcasm but with a grain of truth I think?

As the 'designer' of the forum burgee I will ponder before responding to your derogatory comments re caravans etc etc......
 
I haven\'t been around these fora

- as long as you have, so I assumed your prior knowledge of the aforementioned Gentleman - with or without his beverages.

Perhaps I should have qualified my wording to echo your tongue in cheek. Either one has to put an emoticon to say "not really" or to be very exact with wording.
I'm trying, and getting better but slowly.

As to the burgees, I was not casting aspersions on your design, merely to pint out that the T&K are blue with gold as are the Forum's. Never having seen a forum burgee flown in real life, I'm unable to distinguish one from another. If I buy one and become a minority of one then my anonymity will be destroyed....
 
Re: I haven\'t been around these fora

What have I done to upset him?

well probably phoning him..... pissed.... /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif at 22.00 to ask how to post a picture on here /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

So I need to check boatone's vessel name so that he can keep clear at all times....the dog has been trained to bite on the instruction of the SWMBO. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Now to TRY and dissect the sensible bits /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Obviously very busy boating area but he comes into the small white boat category so will be quite high up the pecking order...

£400 per metre /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
true?
if thats the case you wont need to worry Tony, i suspect that would put him off.

He says he is far too busy to waste time on fora searching for things when he has a very good friend who can find out for him.

and you chaps always have all the right answers.
 
Re: What have you done to upset Boat One?

[ QUOTE ]

Class distinction (boat only) is rife, perceived order is:-
<ul type="square">
Dunkirk veterans
EA patrol launches, especially if the driver is that jolly lady one
Elderly traditional boats, but in good condition
Large White Boats
Smaller white boats
Small white boats
Ex EA launches - if wearing a huge Blue
Narrowboats
Modern "dutch barges"
day boats
eights
RWD coxed fours
FWD coxed fours
pairs
single sculls
coaching boats
French's trip boats (some)
Turks trip boats
Reading trip boats
Unlicensed boats
Liveaboards in stretched narrowboats
Forum members (well not many fly the burgee, and anyway it looks too much like the Caravan Park people's burgee)
[/list]

[/ QUOTE ]

Very funny /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: What have you done to upset Boat One?

Thats a good list, except i'd put a 30ft + slipper with oversized ensign at the top and Narrowboats at the bottom /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
How Much???

[ QUOTE ]


£400 per metre /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
true?


[/ QUOTE ]

Yup, nearly, I did round it up very slightly to make it easier for inebriated members to calculate. Actually its £395 per metre per annum. Less salubrious moorings available at £356. Naturally that include the rather grubby VAT.

A bit like owning a Royce, if you ask how much you can't afford it.

I jest not, about the only thing that spoils the Thames, together with......
 
Re: How Much???

Co'err that's £327 ish, makes my "exclusive" site a bit of a bargain (well it does in my terms).
 
Re: How Much???

Mmm... that is getting pricey and I thought this was the poor end of the river /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Still not as bad as here /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
 
Re: How Much???

Kin 'ell!!. So the Good Ship 'Pheran' would cost me 14 grand to moor at Salterns. Plus Harbour Dues. Whereas I have paid £600 to have her 'indoors' (afloat in one of the huge boat halls, out of the weather and totally secure) for the whole of the winter. And the locals thought that was expensive. UK prices are unbelievable.
 
Re: How Much???

[ QUOTE ]

to make it easier for inebriated members to calculate.

[/ QUOTE ]

thank you sir its difficult to see the keys on the lappy at this time of night and the calculator has smaller buttons.

I might comment that my enquiry is entirely serious and despite boatone thinking its a TROLL I am seeking help for a friend who is not too savvy with tinternet and as I have found on all of the various fora on here "local" information is better than any pilot book or guide.
In addition i started my boating only a short while ago on the river Ouse based in ely...

He currently pays abot 1800 quid for his mooring in Ely so quick calculation suggest double for the Thames.
I need to look at an atlas as my recollections (blue....did i manage to spell that correctly /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif) of his cruising grounds are land based...he plans mooring around staines and cruising up and down from ther.

petrol is a very big concern....would he be able to use his "small plastic boat" with petrol engines without the hazards of dockside refuelling from containers. and do the marinas add a significant premium to "pump" prices
 
Would have thought he needs to measure arch height or its £1500 quid for a hinge job.
Mate is paying £3.6K for a 37 footer at a nice MDL marina and do not forget the BSS costs .
The Thames is finest boating river in the known universe and the more using it the merrier,it does leave other locations a bit empty,but we will have to grin and bear up stoically/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: How Much???

There's no "Poor end" any more. When we decided to retreat before The Caravan Park People (hereinafter, and for always referred to as the "CPP") we joined a queue for Abingdon Marina. By the time a hole became available their rates had risen to within a gnat's whisker of downstream prices. After one factors in travelling costs, even ignoring "opportunity costs" (time and hassle to get there), it actually worked out more!

There are so many boats in marinas that never go out, nor are used as weekend cottages, and as many again which are only used for one annual holiday, that I wonder if sooner, rather than later their owners will realise it's just not worth the candle.

Then, and only then might prices fall (in real terms).
It's a matter of supply of demand, local planning NiMbYs strangle the former but lots of the latter.
 
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