Rafting

[boatone]

So, after my experience last weekend (see Windsor thread) I'm inclined to ask what can be done to encourage/cajole/require people to raft up alongside each other when its busy.

The complete absence of any 'Welcome To Moor Alongside' stickers seems to suggest that this Environment Agency initiative is just not working and more needs to be done to get the message across.

Lock keepers and Inspectors handing out the stickers and requesting boaters co-operation might help.

How about a paragraph in the licence stating that boaters are expected to assist in alleviating mooring problems by rafting during busy periods? Come to that lets be really radical and consider embedding the licence disc as part of the 'Welcome To Moor' sticker!

On the coast, particularly in the Solent, it is a normal everday way of life. In some places such as Yarmouth it is virtually impossible not to raft.

In a similar vein, what can be done to increase mooring availability. How can the EA and local authorities be encouraged to do some creative thinking, dredging, tree clearance etc?

Whats happened to the short lived idea (tail end of last year) to permit overnight mooring in lock laybyes?

Its costing me over £400 for my licence this year but a fat lot of good it is being able to cruise up and down if I can't actually stop anywhere!

 

[apollo]

Best way to make moorings available, is ensure the councils/landowners charge for them by the length as is done on the coast.

Abingdon and Pangbourne prove that free moorings = LiveaboardsVille

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

[ QUOTE ]
Best way to make moorings available, is ensure the councils/landowners charge for them by the length as is done on the coast.

Abingdon and Pangbourne prove that free moorings = LiveaboardsVille

[/ QUOTE ]

Problem can be that some antiboater in the Council starts to see it as a money source, rather than a charge in return for a service. I don't especially begrudge the fiver in Windsor in return for a hard bank, water, rings if you get lucky and the swimming pool. The Brocas fiver seems to be more dubious in terms of return on payment. Marlow's fee, again, isn't too dreadful given that there is a respectable park with swings for kiddies. Henley should be forbidden to charge (or indeed pay each boat £7.50 per night) to atone for the silly charge, lack of anything in return and robbery during the regatta.

Far better that EA or other landowner specify 24 or 48 or 72 or whatever hours and police that, together with signs actually stating "please be prepared to raft"

 

[boatone]

[ QUOTE ]
The Brocas fiver seems to be more dubious in terms of return on payment.

[/ QUOTE ]

Latest word at the Brocas is that mooring is now free as there is no-one to collect the fees. The big problem with the Brocas is that it is so shallow and it only needs the river level to drop a few inches and even shallow draft boats can find themselves stuck.

 

[Steve Clayton]

[ QUOTE ]
Henley should be forbidden to charge (or indeed pay each boat £7.50 per night) to atone for the silly charge, lack of anything in return and robbery during the regatta.

[/ QUOTE ]
Someone wil correct me if I'm wrong but it ain't Henley (town Council) or similar. The land is owned and the charges set by Copas - an independent business. When we used to go to the Regatta then the price for the week was about £150; this covered personal mooring area for the week; us taking a car in every day with 4 people, a guest car park pass for every day, water pipes and bucket and chuckit latrine. - Has it changed??

 

[boatone]

I think Andrew is referring to the moorings alongside the park above the bridge on the town side which are Henley council 'managed', not the moorings downstream in the regatta stretch.

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

Quite right Tony, although last time I moored there (and paid) it was on the Leander side of both river and bridge, the fellow demanding money showed council id as a council worker.

There is a spot just upstream of The Angel (10 yards or so) where a 30' Seamaster can just get in if you are careful with depth, managed last summer so depth can't be too crucial. Free for 2 hours, or overnight if you rock up late. Might be extracting the Michael rafting 2 boats there but we did, ner ner ner ner ner

 

[TrueBlue]

LiveAboardsVille

Can't wholly agree with you; my impression is that the semi-permanent occupiers are in the minority and most of those moor well back from the popular end. Certainly at Abingdon.

I have no axe to grind on their behalf, but a balance must be kept. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that long-thin-bits-of-tin are most suitable for living on, and of course they take up more space than cruisers.