So who else is leaving the Thames?

[boatone]

Other threads tell us that thejonesey and Wavey are both off to the south coast - is anyone else contemplating leaving the Thames in the near future?

Not in any way a criticism of their decision to move off the river, but, together, they probably represent a loss of some £1500 or so in licence fees, not to mention the money they have been spending with Thames marinas and support service companies etc.

I know licence fees are only a relatively small part of the total annual cost of keeping a boat on the river, but next week I, and other user representatives, will be attending a Customer Charter sub-group meeting at Reading Towers where the EA will present us with their service offering for this coming season. I have no doubt that it will be offering a reduced level of service compared to last year - even though we have yet again been asked to pay an above inflation increase for 2014 licence fees. It has already been stated that there will be no Summer Assistants this year.

I have no doubt the EA will simply tell us that they will endeavour to provide the best service they can within the resources allotted to them and, as long as they are operating efficiently, that is probably the best we can expect. However, the Customer Charter is nothing more than an aspiration and there are no sanctions or penalties if its objectives are not met.

So, do we continue to whinge and pay up, even though all the evidence is that service levels will continue to decline, or do we say "ENUF is ENUF" ?

 

[Actionmat]

My licence fee is 25% of my annual running costs, so not a small percentage for me. I'm not going anywhere as leaving the thames would mean a journey to the boat, less last minute days out and nights away and above all else I love being on the river.

BUT...more for even less? I agree that enough is enough.

 

[ianc1200]

Tony

My long term plan certainly is; hardly went Thames boating last year, mostly weekends & holidays spent east coast sailing. Intend moving my sailing boat to Holland, our Thames boat to the East Coast.

I can put up with floods, higher licence payments, etc etc, but the inability to go out for a weekend or holiday and moor in the fields or town moorings because of liveaboards or the farmers renting moorings like Medmenham, (our favourite) means we just don't use the boat, a great pity as we've had the same boat on the Thames since 1956. Perhaps it's not anything the EA can do, but my feeling is pleasure boating on the Thames is slowly being destroyed by liveaboards & those not keeping theirs boats on proper permanent moorings.

Our EA fee paid recently about £550.

 

[apollo]

Eventually we will leave too, the time is getting nearer and nearer though.

While I am working and the boat is 20mins away, and more importantly while I can afford it -I will but everyone has a relative limit.

I just would not be able to afford this in retirement - I cannot see how others do and I am very privileged to be on a good whack building a good pension.

It would not take much to make us leave earlier though.

Unlike you I wouldn't pay more. My limit is £1000 - that's my limit beyond which I would not go. No particular reason but everyone has a threshold and I am already up to £800.

With the mooring and the licence I am already in for £6K a year, that is more than enough while rowers pay £19 a boat.
I could get a mooring on the East Coast near my aged parents (two birds with one stone) for half that and no boat safety, no rowers, no floods so full "all" year chances to use it.

Hopefully that's a polite and courteous answer from one of the characters!

 

[neale]

Just to add some balance, I am thinking about coming back for a season.

While the licence fee is a few bob, you don't half save some money on fuel while on the Thames. All season for half a tank last time I was there, and that was from Tedddington to Oxford and back plus loads of weekend jaunts. On the briny it's at least half a tank every time I go out :-0

 

[Chris_d]

Can't imagine not having a boat on the river, if the license goes up I will buy a smaller boat, if the lockies disappear I will just do it myself, there is lot of whinging but its still the same river and its hard to beat.

The coast is great but its more expensive and just not as easy to just turn up and go out on the spur of the moment.

 

[boatone]

SO are the customer/ usergroups wasting their time trying to arrest the decline in services ? Should we just leave the EA to do what they can and not worry about rising licence fees?

 

[Chris_d]

SO are the customer/ usergroups wasting their time trying to arrest the decline in services ? Should we just leave the EA to do what they can and not worry about rising licence fees?

Thats a hard one, people either want to be on the river or they don't, all leisure pursuits are more expensive and regulated than it used to be.
But we can hardly threaten the EA by saying we are going to leave can we, it would probably make their job easier

 

[boatone]

Thats a hard one, people either want to be on the river or they don't, all leisure pursuits are more expensive and regulated than it used to be.
But we can hardly threaten the EA by saying we are going to leave can we, it would probably make their job easier

Not suggesting we should threaten anybody but I do feel there should be reasonable effort to hold the EA to account against a declared service standard. I actually want to see the lock keepers friendly faces and with the onset of old age can fully appreciate the assistance they provide, particularly to older boaters and hirers that wish to enjoy a stress free holiday on the river.
It is our use of the assisted passage provided by lockies that sets us apart from other river users. If they disappear then expecting power boaters to carry the lions share of the financing burden just to maintain the fabric of the waterway becomes quite unreasonable.

 

[Chris_d]

Not suggesting we should threaten anybody but I do feel there should be reasonable effort to hold the EA to account against a declared service standard. I actually want to see the lock keepers friendly faces and with the onset of old age can fully appreciate the assistance they provide, particularly to older boaters and hirers that wish to enjoy a stress free holiday on the river.

I agree but we don't have any power or leverage if they fail.

 

[boatone]

I agree but we don't have any power or leverage if they fail.

Unfortunately every year they dilute the offering and, as its only an aspirational "charter" its impossible for them to fail. I have no objection to paying my licence fee but I would like some clear understanding as to what I/we should expect to receive in exchange.

 

[No Regrets]

If I leave the thames, because of silly EA charges, it'll be to go onto another River, or perhaps sell the boat altogether.

Going to the coast isn't due to money saving, moorings tend to be dearer, and as OP's mentioned, fuel is way more.

EA licence fee is a small amount in the total as we all know...

 

[Wavey]

EA licence fee is a small amount in the total as we all know...

Not sure that's entirely true. Biggest cost by far was mooring fees at about £4.6k. EA licence £1k. Insurance is about £1.2k. Still makes the licence a fair chunk of the annual cost.

 

[Ramage]

What to do if the Thames declines further? Holland looks nice, or move down to Teddington (closer to home) or sell the boat. Currently £3700 per annum for berthing and over £650 for the licence. Mooring is becoming difficult when out for a weekend...

 

[tamarix]

I am aware of 3 boats from penton hook leaving for the coast 2 of them going by truck because of Shepperton lock being shut/ time getting round. Several people seem to be seriously considering a move with the MDL freedom berthing deal.

 

[No Regrets]

Transporting a Boat to the South coast is not a lot different cost wise to cruising round I wouldn't think!

 

[Chris_d]

The biggest cost for anyone is the mooring, I'm lucky in that my license exceeds the mooring cost but you have make compromises.

My personel opinion is that boating generally has become too expensive and the river has become less accessable at the lower end of the scale, hence the lack of boats
and inevitable lack of money and drop in standards due to reduced demand.

Its difficult, I can rememeber being on the river in the 70's 80's and it was very different, no out of hours power, impossible to find moorings as everywhere was packed, boats speeding at 8knts and causing carnage, 2-3 hours waits at locks. Its actually much better now and its because there is... err less boats

 

[tamarix]

Transporting a Boat to the South coast is not a lot different cost wise to cruising round I wouldn't think!

No your right ,It's about £500 plus the lift out/in so not much change from a grand. But as I said its a time factor for some people and Shepperton lock is still shut.

 

[No Regrets]

The River is on Reds anyway!?

At this moment, irrelevant....LOL

 

[No Regrets]

The biggest cost for anyone is the mooring, I'm lucky in that my license exceeds the mooring cost but you have make compromises.

My personel opinion is that boating generally has become too expensive and the river has become less accessable at the lower end of the scale, hence the lack of boats
and inevitable lack of money and drop in standards due to reduced demand.

Its difficult, I can rememeber being on the river in the 70's 80's and it was very different, no out of hours power, impossible to find moorings as everywhere was packed, boats speeding at 8knts and causing carnage, 2-3 hours waits at locks. Its actually much better now and its because there is... err less boats

I like your thinking...