Speeding by Queen's Eyot near Bray Marina

[PaulTG]

Having already called to complain about French Brother's bombing through and knocking us off our own pins, we have just finished rescuing a narrow boat that had been knocked off one pin by a reckless privately-owned boat. Said boat must have been flying along at 12-15kph to have generated a wave that lapped up on to the deck of a Kris Krusers rental that was in the process of mooring behind us. We didn't catch the name of the boat but it was heading towards Boveney around 7.15pm and on the way to tucking the kids in I happened to notice the narrow boat diagonally across the river.

At least I got to use my new tender!

Poor Kris Krusers rental, half an hour in to their hols; I felt embarrassed on behalf of boaters!!

Narrow boat will get a shock to find their boat has done a 180 whilst they were at dinner!

Can't think of any way of tracing the boat now...

 

[Capt Popeye]

Humm well, the usual way of detecting any wayward boater is to monitor and record all boats passing through the locks etc, boat name and time etc, in that way it indicates which boat it is.

 

[Brightside]

I was out on that stretch of the river yesterday - somewhat earlier in the day and noted a few boats moving at what I calculated was easily 10kmph+ by the speed at which they passed me and the wake they were leaving. Also concur that the commercial boats regularly "bomb through" and it is not just the French Bros boats. Have thought about complaining more than once!

 

[Viking23]

I use my GPS to give accurate speed over ground, and note that quite a few boaters exceed the limit. Especially coming out of Cookham lock into Clivedon reach.

Call me old fashioned, but I measure my speed in knots, definitely stay away from km/h! Mind you signs at locks tell you to keep left or right of obstructions! Had anyone actually seen the new EA speed cameras? I've never seen one.

 

[Leighb]

Surely if you measure your speed in knots and stick to the limit - say 6 - then as that is set as 6 km/hr you will be exceeding it? Most GPS sets can be set to use various units so set it to read km/hr and you will know exactly where you are without doing mental arithmetic?

 

[boatone]

Humm well, the usual way of detecting any wayward boater is to monitor and record all boats passing through the locks etc, boat name and time etc, in that way it indicates which boat it is.

Been a long time since that was the case ! Now all they do is record number of craft locked through - and that's only if there is someone there to record it !
I am considering approaching Apple to see if they would be prepared to sponsor the Thames - or should I say iThames ? !
Just think, a discrete Apple logo at every lock and mooring site, free wifi maintained and working, river wide communications and information systems. They wouldn't even notice the annual contribution we would need. Must write to Jonny Ives, chief design guru who is a Brit !

 

[oldgit]

When last moored at Lady Wotsits Lawn, problem mostly seemed caused by small sports cruisers in hurry to get back to base, presumably before nightfall ?