Teddington Lock ?

[oldgit]

Don’t be so downbeat and negative Fred. Much could be done to move towards the lock-centric approach within current budgets and resources. I’m working on it !

and more power to your elbow.

fully appreciate the observation above...and it was all a bit tongue in cheek.
But again you could get the impression that the entire shebang now only exists for the personal and private enjoyment of small handful of boatowners of a certain type ( no fishermen/swimmers/BC club members / narrowboaters/ walkers/ bikers, campers/ livaboards and heaven help rowers or commercial users and that the taxpayer should be jolly well grateful that some boaters are prepared to use their boats so that the general public have got something to look at.

If the EA needs somebody to cruise up and down the lock pounds and harrass the long list of miscreants on the Thames, might just know somebody prepared to step up to the plate, would need details of which lock cottage, renumeration and pension details of course. !
Some sort of official hat with lots of scrambled egg would be a bonus.

 

[boatone]

and more power to your elbow.

fully appreciate the observation above...and it was all a bit tongue in cheek.
But again you could get the impression that the entire shebang now only exists for the personal and private enjoyment of small handful of boatowners of a certain type ( no fishermen/swimmers/BC club members / narrowboaters/ walkers/ bikers, campers/ livaboards and heaven help us rowers or commercial users and that the taxpayer should be jolly well grateful that some boaters are prepared to use their boats so that the general public have got something to look at.

If the EA needs somebody to cruise up and down the lock pounds and harrass the long list of miscreants on the Thames, might just know somebody prepared to step up to the plate, would need details of which lock cottage, renumeration and pension details of course. !
Some sort of official hat with lots of scrambled egg would be a bonus.

Para 1 - thank you
Para 2 - total and unmitigated balderdash
Para 3 - in your dreams

have a nice day .

 

[Old Crusty]

I have the cap with the scrambled egg ...

 

[Outinthedinghy]

where my cynicism Comes into play Could this be far more to do with the fact that they cannot collect REVENUE from Boats that do not have a license entering the upper Thames from the Tidal without making physical contact . Just saying

I think it's exactly that.

I call that realism not cynicism.

I'm taking a small launch out of Brentford inward bound for Teddington tomorrow morning.

Will be interesting to see what happens. It's a bit heavy for the rollers but might be doable.

In 25 years of Thames boating I have always been registered except one occasion in about 2002 when I arrived off the K&A with a dinghy no license I was on way to Sonning to buy license patrol boat Paul Smith did me for no license despite the fact I was unable to buy one other than at Caversham or Sonning...

Not having a printer I am unsure how to buy a V20 plate at this point but will find out tomorrow at Teddington I guess

 

[normskib]

BINGO finally worked it out the reason Teddington Lock is only open by request is so that the EA Can collect REVENUE from boats leaving the tidal Thames and entering the upper Thames ! What other logical reason could there be ? Excuses like safeguarding staff with social distancing ! Anyone that passes through Teddington Lock frequently Will know that you certainly do not come anything like 2 meters Close to the lock keeper and lock keeper operates the power from either end of the lock so no need for any contact with Boaters .If indeed their is a problem of health and safety and the well-being of the lock keepers why is it that on almost every lock on the tidal Thames is manned by lock keepers ? So If you want to come through from the Tidal Thames to the Upper Thames show me the money !!!

 

[Old Crusty]

I've thought often that the skills in courteous encouragement to pay by the likes of Barry the Baptist would be well received on the Thames.

 

[oldgit]

Have always been treated with courtesy and politeness when entering GOR @ Teddington.
Always a welcome and an offer to take ropes with a polite a request to transit lock promptly, moor up somewhere and pop back to lock office when convenient , perhaps after a chance to recover with a cup of tea.
Sometimes we can have 15 + boats in our little RCC flotillas.
Always accepted my account of boat Cu M and always worked out the registration fee to my best advantage if at all possible.
Never once has there ever been anything agressive or over bearing about collecting any fees.
Considering just how much river you get and how many locks you could use..a bargain.

 

[Outinthedinghy]

It is a real bargain.

EA are quite a long way behind CaRT in internetty terms.

CRT you can buy a license just like that.

Must admit I have not tried it but I don't think registering a boat as a visitor for the Thames is so easy on the EA website. There is usually quite a lot of form filling (which is understandable) and the form has the serial number of the hologrammed V20 plate and the V20 plate has the serial number of the register form both hand written by the lock keeper. To keep the scammers at bay.

Human interaction is good at the end of the day.

Most people do internet these days.

 

[boatone]

It is a real bargain.
EA are quite a long way behind CaRT in internetty terms.
CRT you can buy a license just like that.
Must admit I have not tried it but I don't think registering a boat as a visitor for the Thames is so easy on the EA website. There is usually quite a lot of form filling (which is understandable) and the form has the serial number of the hologrammed V20 plate and the V20 plate has the serial number of the register form both hand written by the lock keeper. To keep the scammers at bay.
Human interaction is good at the end of the day.
Most people do internet these days.

Believe me, there are no cohorts of evil EA managers gathering in dark corners and plotting ways to extract every last penny from unsuspecting innocents (?) entering through Teddington. The fact is that the EA data systems are archaic and simply not suited to online registration and collection of charges and a butty full of dosh would be needed to put such systems in place. The current review of registration charges (well, currently stalled due to Covid-19) might, just might, lead to winds of change but that remains to be seen. In the meantime the new 5 year plan which was supposed to be in place in time for 2021 to 2026 is delayed so there will no doubt need to be another interim decision re charges for 2021 at least.

I do tire of all the conspiracy theories that abound on this forum - truth is that, in the absence of any informative communications from the horses mouth, some here love making it up to fill the vacuum - and fiction is usually a good few nautical miles away from the reality.

 

[oldgit]

Did once fill in the form online along time ago.......
..................on arrival the form was gently dropped into the waste bin.
Normally fill in a few of the less challenging questions ie. name of boat and home postcode, sign a couple of times , hand over cash for registration / a nights mooring and wander back up to boat.
Get all fenders out of storage carefully spacing them all round boat, find couple of bits of masking tape to cover boat name, remove all club indentification burgees and then ready for Molesey and the (t)errors beyond.

 

[normskib]

And Now The Good News I have just received an email from a very nice gentleman at the EA assuring me that the final touches to the safety precautions at Teddington Lock are being put in place and will be open to general boating from the hours of 6 am until 22pm Coming into force any day now so fingers crossed one small step for mankind

 

[oldgit]

just that no overnighting rubbish to go ?

 

[Time Out]

And Now The Good News I have just received an email from a very nice gentleman at the EA assuring me that the final touches to the safety precautions at Teddington Lock are being put in place and will be open to general boating from the hours of 6 am until 22pm Coming into force any day now so fingers crossed one small step for mankind

Think you better go back to your man.

I’ve been told it’s a little while off yet ..

 

[normskib]

The final part of the email reads as follows please bear with us we are nearly there and will be looking to open the site from 06:00 hours until 22:00 hours every day I will be on site today putting the final control measures in place and we will be looking to sign off risk assessments and systems of work over the next few days and that message is from the organ grinder .

 

[oldgit]

Have been told , several times, No point going round to the Thames ? , as nothing , pubs, resturants etc , will be open.
My idea of heaven.

No trudge to some dreadful "Wonderloaf" cafe for breakfast, some outrageously over priced resturant for lunch ,or a 2 mile hike to a highly recommended pub in the evening which flogs generic pre chilled grub and charges you £8.50 for a tiny weeny glass of warm Pino and £8.50 for Apple Crumble afters.As for the coffee !

There are so many ways to enjoy baked beans on ones travels , use paper plates and plastic cutlery.
....and best of all you sit on board in the evenining counting the money you have saved and repairing all the bits on your boat that have stopped functioning on that particiular day.
Whats not to like ?

 

[boatone]

Think you better go back to your man.

I’ve been told it’s a little while off yet ..

Always possible that you might both be wrong ?

 

[Old Crusty]

Have been told , several times, No point going round to the Thames ? , as nothing , pubs, resturants etc , will be open.
My idea of heaven.

No trudge to some dreadful "Wonderloaf" cafe for breakfast, some outrageously over priced resturant for lunch ,or a 2 mile hike to a highly recommended pub in the evening which flogs generic pre chilled grub and charges you £8.50 for a tiny weeny glass of warm Pino and £8.50 for Apple Crumble afters.As for the coffee !

There are so many ways to enjoy baked beans on ones travels , use paper plates and plastic cutlery.
....and best of all you sit on board in the evenining counting the money you have saved and repairing all the bits on your boat that have stopped functioning on that particiular day.
Whats not to like ?

You forgot to mention the rain beating down on the cabin top every night and the stench of freshly sprayed slurry in the field by your overnight mooring. On the up side, the cheery wave of warm greeting from the smiling, ruddy cheeked lockie from behind the new Heras fencing.

 

[oldgit]

You forgot to mention the rain beating down on the cabin top every night and the stench of freshly sprayed slurry in the field by your overnight mooring. On the up side, the cheery wave of warm greeting from the smiling, ruddy cheeked lockie from behind the new Heras fencing.

The smile on his face because yet another boater has is going to tell him how hard life is running a £100K boat and what with the £6.000 pounds the marina demand for his mooring and the outrageous few hundred quid the EA is demanding for running 120 miles of river and 45 locks , most of which is probably squandered on thousands and thousands of office staff.
...and the wifes RANGE ROVER has done nearly 10,000 miles and will need changing next month when she comes back from the villa in Tuscony.

 

[Parabordi]

 

[Outinthedinghy]

I came through Teddington out of Brentford today no problems but the very nice lady lock keeper did mention if I was intending to go back onto the tideway it would have to be within the next hour.

Boat on way to Henley so no worries but it was nice of her to mention it as I may have appeared clueless and disorganised.