Mooring alongside

[boatone]

The EA initiative to encourage boaters to raft up is clearly not working.

See very few/hardly any of the 'welcome to moor alongside' stickers on NB's or Cruisers.

Should the EA persevere or is it a no-hoper?

Maybe we should start a self interest group of registered members who welcome other registered members? www.mooring-on-thames.org.uk ?

 

[DWT]

Despite the efforts of the EA (and I think the initiative last year was particularly because of the extra boats arriving for the IWA festival at Beale) it just does not seem to be the done thing on the river and it will take a lot of work to change attitudes. Generally we seem to be a bit of a snooty lot on the river. (There was a recent post which mentioned a large boat based in T&K which highlighted the point)

I have only ever done it a couple of times. I would be quite happy to see more rafting up, but on the occasions I have wanted to ask my natural English reserve has kicked in.

Perhaps we should have signs that say "Welcome to moor alongside, except hire boats, narrow boats and nutters"

 

[orizaba]

have to agree with dwt ,lived on the cut for 10 years and we would normally onl moor alongside a mates boat,
we used to do it more at festivals etc but i always felt we were all there for the same thing and were all like minded,if you know what i mean

 

[Chris_d]

I'm not sure rafting is really an option, in most of the places we like to moor, which are nice quiet out of the way bankside moorings the last thing you want to do is raft next to complete strangers. We would be happy to raft in towns etc... where all you really want is access to the bank, but other places like Cliveden or Cookham, Shiplake Islands etc.. the attraction is having your own quiet bit of bank to bbq on, play with the dog, kids etc... These spots (the free ones anyway) are increasingly becoming longterm stopping points for liveaboards and basicaly its spoiling the river experience.

 

[boatone]

There is certainly a shoretage of mooring space generally which is being exacerbated by the increasing number of NB's. I am more thinking of the EA 24 hr moorings and places like Hampton Court/Marlow/Henley/Windsor/Abingdon etc where there is more demand than can be accomodated. The NB's are certainly very suited to rafting but, in general, seem very reluctant to do so, and their extreme length really is an issue here.

On the south coast, particularly around the solent, rafting is common and everyone accepts it as normal.

It is getting very irritating on the Thames to arrive somewhere and find it impossible to moor. Even more so when peeps leave large gaps and refuse to move up to make room even when asked politely.

Thw fact is there is just not enough mooring space so something has to give somewhere.

 

[orizaba]

i'd have to be honest and admit that if i've seen a largish gap and everwhere is full i have been known to pull a couple of pins and move the offending boat,usually when they have gone to the pub.
its very annoying but i found weekend/owner boaters to be more of a problem and less likely to move when asked, than the hireboats, this may have been a local issue to us and i wouldn't want to cause any upset to members of the TBF who all behave in a very resposible mannersi i'm informed

 

[byron]

I have the answer. Forumsters should be issued with a card which authorises them to move on any boat which is taking up a mooring the Forumster wants. This should be enforceable in law and failure to comply means the culprit has to pay a statutory £1,000 fine, his pets confiscated, their children sold into slavery and their entire family sent to a concentration camp for not less than 10 years.

 

[BG1]

What about as a start every forum member buys the forum burgee and if it is flown while moored is a "welcome to other forumites" to moor alongside. Similar boat sizes must still be considered ie. no 40' alongside a 25'. Other advantages are new friendships. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[boatone]

 

[TrueBlue]

[ QUOTE ]
The EA initiative to encourage boaters to raft up is clearly not working.

See very few/hardly any of the 'welcome to moor alongside' stickers on NB's or Cruisers.

Should the EA persevere or is it a no-hoper?

Maybe we should start a self interest group of registered members who welcome other registered members? www.mooring-on-thames.org.uk ?

[/ QUOTE ]

Given that all NB's get on this forum is a constant stream of bile from "members", I can well understand why no stickers are displayed..

On the other hand most NB's are visitors and (correct me if I'm wrong) they don't get a sticker with their short term license? I'm up to King's in early September and will ask the resident what he does.

SWMBO and I gave up finding official moorings free in season, so we find out of the way moorings or tie up to a convenient tree and drop a hook as well. I certainly wouldn't invite folks alongside in that latter circumstance as my anchor isn't big enough.

"Lord, forgiveth the Narrow Boater, for he knows not what he is doing."


Your second idea is a good one - provided always folk are not bitchy.

 

[boatone]

I was given to understand that the stickers are handed out with the visiors licence and Gold Licence holders would presumably get them through the post as we do. That said, we were only ever sent one - dont they know there are two sides to a boat?
You will note that I did not single out NB's , merely that the increase in their numbers and their extra length is clearly exacerbating the problem. I also stated that stickers were not being used by NB's and cruisers alike, and I am well aware that crusier owners can be just as awkward as NB's.

This doesnt alter the fact that moorings along the river are scarce and we need everybody to be more conducive to sharing what facilities there are in a sensible way. Just shrugging shoulders will certainly not bring about change.

I agree with you that some here are overly abusive but some have had good reason to be agreived by NB behaviour on the river. I suspect very few NB's do come here and many I have spoken to when out on the river are unaware of our existence anyway. Many of the long termers have no internet access.

 

[deborahann]

NBoaters just do not understand rafting up, its just not somthing that happens on the cut, I fully agree its needed on the Thames as there are so few moorings.

Could not even get cruising club members (who know each other) to raft up the other year at a boat rally.

 

[chuckaduck]

We havnt had problems rafting up with NBs

mind you a few weeks back the occupant of a nb was as p155ed as a parrot !!

 

[deborahann]

you obviously choose the drunk ones !

 

[boatone]

Despite what some here may think I do NOT have an obsession with this topic and NB's in general.

I have no issue with NB's being on and enjoying the Thames and, the more licenced fee income there is, hopefully the better for all of us. There are nice and not so nice NB'ers just as there are nice and not so nice Cruiser owners.

There is however a definite cause and effect situation here. The EA encouraged NB's onto the Thames with attractive financial offers and the first IWA festival at Reading a few years ago really started the influx to the point where now there are days when you see more NB's than cruisers. If I owned a NB I would jump at a Gold Licence its an absolute bargain to get full use of the Thames. Unfortunately it doesnt work the other way round cos although we Thames based cruiser owners can buy a Gold Licence, in most cases our boats arent suitable for use on the canal system. So the net effect is an increase in the number of boats using the river.

With average lengths of 50feet up to 70 feet NB's inevitably use up more mooring space. Add to this the habit that many Cruiser and NB owners have of not liking to moor too close to the boats in front and behind and what little space there is rapidly gets used up.

Try arriving at Windsor or any of the other popular spots on a Friday or Saturday late afternoon and it is virtually impossible to find a slot anywhere withing reasonable walking distance of the town. Many mooring areas have less than 1 metre of water which also adds to the problems, particularly for cruisers - especially when the sluices get opened during the night so the water level drops while you sleep and you're aground in the morning. (Could there be a case here for designating some areas as particularly suitable for NB's and shallow draft vessels? Now Windsor have removed the low level island bridge they could allow mooring the whole length of that cut?)

Please consider my plaint as it is intended. Rafting IS one way in which more mooring capacity can be achieved instantly and at zero cost - infact in many places you can then share the mooring fee! I am not saying you MUST always raft but be prepared and willing to in busy periods so that everyone can enjoy the river and stop where and when they wish. And yes, I would be happy to raft alongside a friendly NB - in some places being that extra few feet away from the bank would suit my draft nicely!

Incidentally, I was told by the guy collecting fees at Cookham recently that their moorings agreement with the EA precludes rafting. Surely not???

 

[TrueBlue]

Boat One - Agreed ; I wasn't having a go at you (heaven forbid..), but just taking the opportunity to stick up for those long tinny things.

 

[DWT]

Some very well made points Boatone. The popular mooring spots are more difficult because of the increase in narrow boats and in these spots it would be good if it was accepted practice to moor alongside, whatever the type of boat. The EA has tried with their stickers (which I have seen displayed on a couple of narrow boats recently) and in their newsletters, but they seem to be fighting a losing battle.

The only way I can see is to invite other boats alongside when appropriate and the habit might then catch on.

 

[boatone]

I am considering a banner which I can drape down the relevant side of the boat which says something like:
"Can we please moor alongside -
No kids, Small friendly Dog & Free Booze"
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[byron]

[ QUOTE ]
I am considering a banner which I can drape down the relevant side of the boat which says something like:
"Can we please moor alongside -
No kids, Small friendly Dog & Free Booze"
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Liar!

 

[jcmmarine]

I, like many others, have had too many bad experiences to welcome boats alongside other than know friends.

I have returned to find 2 steel boats, both larger and heavier than mine, alongside and spent the night listening to my poor fiberglass moaning. I have had kids jumping around on our deck at 0600 and drunks falling about on decks at 0200. I have been sat on the loo and looked up to find people peering in throgh the window. I have had to straighten guardrails after people have used them to swing on and off. I have had to hide inside from people who think that if you are sat in the cockpit you want them to talk to you and, even worse, start telling you of better knots for your fenders and better ways to moor etc. - without even putting out shorelines themselves.

However, I recognise the necessity, and If they come up with a sticker saying '50+ boat owning couple with quiet habits welcomes similar alongside' I might display one.