Thames boat speed

Yes, the EA are retards.

I apologise to retards for saying this really, it's a bit like calling vicious criminals 'Animals' as both retards and animals are generally pleasant harmless things apart from wolves and tigers of course who are wholly unpleasant unless cooked...

However, the EA, headed by the chief idiot Barry Brussell Sprouts are both liars and useless. They hand out your personal details despite their GDPR statement quoting otherwise, and have no idea how to run a waterway, for example halving the staff being 'Doubling' rather than the more apt 'Halving' Blowing thousands on new uniforms for a Royal wedding is fine, as is expecting ill trained volunteer lock keepers to work for nothing, ignoring the fact they pull your boat around despite being told not to, but spending money sensibly and economically is just n ot happening. The vain fools...

I was pulled by the PLA (The other family of idiots) for speeding, which according to both my GPS and log, I was certainly not, and as I left the castigating cretin, who was most unhelpful, told I was exceeding the limit once more, yet my GPS quoted 4.6kts out of an available 8kts, clearly not breaking anything other than my bank balance by owning a boat as usual. They too are officious cretins, certainly in the upper reaches of PLA territory.

Hence another few nails in the coffin and my boat is now for sale....
 
Blackfeather said:
So we run boats that measure speed in knots. We live in the UK where other speed is measured in miles per hour, but the speed limit on the river is 8kph.

Can someone please explain this?

Thank you.
Click to expand...

Just a bit of pandering to EU waterways weights and measures rules aka CEVNI. Here's the rules off the River Conditions website:

Speed limit
The speed limit for all powered vessels on the non-tidal Thames is 8kph or 4.3kts or 5mph. Do not create wash whatever speed you are navigating at.
 
It was an EU thing some years ago to standardise inland waterways speed limits to km/h the same as continental rivers and canals, so the EA adopted it to much protest from old sea captains!
Didn't help that it was done at the same time as reducing the limit from 7knts/8mph, so some thought the limit was now 8knts!
 
Note that after we leave the EU in 3 weeks time, the EA will change the speed signs and revert to 'Cables per moon phase' because that's just so much easier to understand.
 
Our boat is capable of 40 knts but some of our most pleasant boating has been at tickover up the Thames, tidal & non,there is to much to see to go hacking it The non tidal is so relaxing we had to force ourselves to leave last time.
 
No Regrets said:
I was pulled by the PLA (The other family of idiots) for speeding, which according to both my GPS and log, I was certainly not, and as I left the castigating cretin, who was most unhelpful, told I was exceeding the limit once more, yet my GPS quoted 4.6kts out of an available 8kts, ...
Click to expand...

On the PLA controlled tideway section of the Thames the speed is TTW (Through The Water). 4.6kts on a GPS is SOG (Speed Over Ground). So 4.6kts SOG could easily exceed 8kts TTW depending on the river conditions and location.

Indeed - the Connaught and the Cockney Sparrow regularly take advantge of this to achieve very questionable SOG while on their tight schedule downstream on an ebb tide while staying within the regs. (What their excuse is when going against the current is another matter).

It would be interesting to know on what basis the PLA made their claims (RADAR, Wash, Estimation?) and what your estimated TTW speed was?
 
An annual visitor, might suggest , that in the main, speeding boats do look to be " locals" and based on the Thames.
Smaller craft being the main culprits,usually in late afternoon and in hurry to get back to their berth.
Although the wash at times has been annoying have not encountered anything,as yet, to be regarded as life threatening or likely to cause damage to boat.
 
Lower Limit 1909 said:
On the PLA controlled tideway section of the Thames the speed is TTW (Through The Water). 4.6kts on a GPS is SOG (Speed Over Ground). So 4.6kts SOG could easily exceed 8kts TTW depending on the river conditions and location.

Indeed - the Connaught and the Cockney Sparrow regularly take advantge of this to achieve very questionable SOG while on their tight schedule downstream on an ebb tide while staying within the regs. (What their excuse is when going against the current is another matter).

It would be interesting to know on what basis the PLA made their claims (RADAR, Wash, Estimation?) and what your estimated TTW speed was?
Click to expand...

I was heading upstream on an incoming tide and using the lower of my two readings (GPS and Log) so less TTW. I have no interest whatsoever how they made their assumptions, but clearly stated both my speed measuring devices were nowhere near 8kt, and there was no discernable wash either.

Cretins.
 
Old Crusty said:
Note that after we leave the EU in 3 weeks time, the EA will change the speed signs and revert to 'Cables per moon phase' because that's just so much easier to understand.
Click to expand...

Let's hope that they revert to knots ie. 1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour = approx 2000 yards per hour. Very easy to understand.
 
Knowing the EA Waterways team as I do, I am certain that nothing will change, least of all the speed limit signage.
 
AuntyRinum said:
4 would look OK.
Click to expand...

5 would be better, it was always supposed to be 5knots and then an EA secretary mistyped it as 5mph which got converted to 8KM.h
Incompetence at EA Hq has been around for longer than you think.

giphy.gif
 
Parabordi said:
5 would be better, it was always supposed to be 5knots and then an EA secretary mistyped it as 5mph which got converted to 8KM.h
Incompetence at EA Hq has been around for longer than you think.
Click to expand...

Think I've heard avery permutation of that story now, it was supposed to be 8knts but secretary changed to 8km/h to align with EU.
It was supposed to 4mph to align with other UK inland waterways as per EU but ended up with knots to km/h?
5 knts to 5 mph now!

It seems about right though, at my usual rpm for low wash I do approx 5knts downstream and 4.5knts upstream, I overtake and get overtaken about the same amount.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

geem
Atlantic crossing 2025
2
Replies
39
Views
2K
geem
geem
T
Notices to Mariners - Week 51
Replies
4
Views
706
Shaz77
S
T
Notices to Mariners - Week 50
Replies
2
Views
768
tillergirl
T
T
Notices to Mariners - Week 01 of 2026(!)
Replies
5
Views
468
tillergirl
T

Share this page

Top