Thames rowers

[CX54WEK]

I think we may have won last weekends points score.

Minding our own business cruising down the fossdyke we where confronted by a mixed group of rowers and canoe users of various ages. They ranged from about 12 years old to about 60. The channel is very narrow where we happened across them. We had been travelling at the permitted 4mph and the wake from our boat was little more than a small ripple.

We watched the group pass over the wake and then the "leader" of the group for reasons unknown tip straight out of his canoe!!!! We where met with a barrage of abuse about watching speed limits, observing other river users, being curtious to other river users not only from the chap in question but also from other rowers further downstream who must have somehow been in either radio or phone contact. The lady giving the most abuse was suprised when we told her we had a speed log so knew exactly how fast we where travelling at the time of the incident!!!

 

[nicho]

Being in a boat with 500 HP and using it to threaten somebody in a small rowing boat and hoping to scare the **** out of them is not only a disgrace to your hobby, but your species!

Thanks for that. I repeat, I was dead in the water, and only reacted to his foul mouthed abuse. I was never closer than 200 metres to him during my full throttle turn, and would never have used my boat to cause him harm, but sincerely hope it scared him. If he continued with his arrogant, foul mouthed attacks on mobos that were genuinely attempting to keep out of his way and cause no wash at all, I'll bet he got plenty more threats thereafter..

 

[Elessar]

I have been messing around on the river for over 20 years,

- - - - - 8< - - - - - -

but have NEVER had abuse hurled at me.

I don't believe you.

 

[Elessar]

If he continued with his arrogant, foul mouthed attacks on mobos that were genuinely attempting to keep out of his way and cause no wash at all, I'll bet he got plenty more threats thereafter..

I don't doubt it at all.

 

[Chris_d]

I don't believe you.

I do, over 30years on the river and I don't have this problem, as I said I'm an ex rower so actualy know what no wash is, I don't think many mobo owners actualy understand this, just ask a raggie

 

[mjf]

I do, over 30years on the river and I don't have this problem, as I said I'm an ex rower so actualy know what no wash is, I don't think many mobo owners actualy understand this, just ask a raggie

I wish then that you would explain to the attending 'coach' tin trays and dinghies skippers what no wash is.

They are a regal PITA

 

[nicho]

I do, over 30years on the river and I don't have this problem, as I said I'm an ex rower so actualy know what no wash is, I don't think many mobo owners actualy understand this, just ask a raggie

I don't think that I could possibly have been causing any wash - I had stopped!! I gave a quick toot on the horn to warn him I was there, and his first reaction was to scream abuse at my wash!! Presume he was just conditioned to it!

 

[colingr]

Ah canoists. Where I berth, Up the Itchen in Southampton, you get swarms of them at times. The biggest pain is their support rib which charges around at any spped that he feels like, causing wash and mayhem all around. Mind you is doesn't stop them hurling abuse at any other passing boat for causing too much wash. Presumable his wash is carefully designed to not harm them

I even got abuse from one t**t for not "driving on the right" when I was crossing the channel to enter the marina! Tempted though I was I didn't mow him down. He did follow me into the marina ranting and raving like a nutter though. How I laughed when he hearly capsized trying to turn around to storm of and harass some other poor river user.

 

[Chris_d]

I don't think that I could possibly have been causing any wash - I had stopped!! I gave a quick toot on the horn to warn him I was there, and his first reaction was to scream abuse at my wash!! Presume he was just conditioned to it!

Ok don't want to argue about it I wasn't there, and some rowers are obviously unpleasent, but usualy just a bit hyped up because their pulse is high due to the exercise, so they will tend to overreact a bit, red mist and all that, you should know about that Nicho

Of course even if you have stopped your wake will continue behind you for quite sometime, even minutes especialy if you were travelling upstream.

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

An ongoing issue. Some oarsmen (and women) are courteous and conscious of the fact that there are other river users, and some are not. Over the last few days I have been thanked (by a very pretty girl) for apparently slowing down, and yelled at by a sculler for being in the way after giving him 5 toots. I used to row myself and was a keen sculler for years and was taught at school that you are a vessel using the waterway and subject to the same rules as all the other vessels, especially with regard to keeping a good lookout.

 

[mjf]

I agree some esp scullers, are very pleasant and wave thanks etc if you have shown a courtsey.

The attending craft are the big issue even amongst the clubs where one clubs boat will cause a wash that affects a rivals 4 or 8.


Saying all that - cant wait for Henley next week

 

[blueglass]

We have just came back from a great trip from Tichmarsh to Windsor met some lovely people and made some new friends.Thats what boating is all about.Just one but.We were going up river towards Richmond when i spotted a rower coming down river on the wrong with a very erratic course i just could not decide quite where he was going so i shut down and went dead in the water.He was rowing straight at us,i gave him a blast on the horn but to no avail he hit us on our starbard side.The fff & abuse from this man was unbeliveable in front of my wife & 3 year old grandson.I only kept quite as i did not want to frighten my grandson.Some time later we were stopped by a Thames patrol boat & given a 15 min lecture they just did not seem to be interested in our version of the event at all.What was i supposed to do if i tried to motor round him & he hit me more damage would have done & possibley injury it left a nasty tast & made me fill very angery.On a much happier note we went into Limehouse on the return leg i can not praise George and his staff highly enough.Thay fitted us in at the last minute gave us advise on the weather & tides,locked us out late so we could sit on the outside pontoon to catch the 3 am tide home & George even came down to see if we were ok before he went home.All on the night England played like tits.Limehouse is a boaters marina with great people.

my year on the Thames was also blighted by many such incidents. Their arrogance knows no bounds. Im sure its part of their training.

 

[GrowingLad]

I agree some esp scullers, are very pleasant and wave

Crickey, they're brave, I used to row in a four, tried a scull once, managed....ohhhh about 30 seconds and went in the drink...decided I preferred being in a team

 

[mjf]

I used to keep a hefty stack of pork pies to throw at them, they are usually so incensed they chase you to the lock then they cant get out so their efforts are wasted.

Any particular brand recommended then - or is a six pack from tesco ok ?

Thought I would try your trick at Henley next week and see what happens

 

[Richard Shead]

Ahh Henley

Any particular brand recommended then - or is a six pack from tesco ok ?

Thought I would try your trick at Henley next week and see what happens

Is a different ball game, best behaviour and all that BUT if the need arises you have to up your game, its scones or strawberries....

 

[DAKA]

A Friend once told me about an incident with a rower (not the thames)..........

An old guy rowing used to swear all the time, my friend caught up with him one day in the river without any witnesses and just carried on as if he wasnt there, held his course and speed on the stb side of the river, there wasnt room for two of them unless he pulled over from the centre, he managed to keep infront of my friend for 1/2 mile until he gave up, dripping with sweat and beetroot red it was either that or a heart attack !
He rammed himself into the bank , slumped and didnt even manage to shout abuse this time.
Thinking he was in real trouble my friend , went to the rowing club to apologise , spoke to the Chairman who was a really nice person and who extracted all incidents over a 4 year period , told him about all the aggravation the boat club had suffered and the old git was banned and was never seen rowing after that.

Just a thought but is it really all the rowers or just a few ?
They need your cooperation over wash far more than you need theirs, why not take details, times descriptions and report the offenders.
Snobs are going to hate letters of complaints about their clubs, few articles written in the local rag 'rowers river rage and swearing' will soon have the pompous old gits on the committee huffing and puffing.

 

[Keen_Ed]

Basic thing about rowing is that the training season starts in late-ish September, and then runs through the winter for the summer regatta season. So for most of the winter, the oarsmen have the river much to themselves, hence feeling all propriatorial about it when summer comes around.

And the "correct" way to shout at oarsmen to get them to look round is to shoud "Look ahead sull(1 person, 2 blades)/pair (2 people, 2 blades)/double (2 people, 4 blades) /four (4 people, 4 blades)/quad (4 people, 8 blades)/eight (8 people, 8 blades)/Octuple (8 juniors, 16 blades). "

Normally shortened to "Head scull/pair/... as appropriate".

 

[PaulGooch]

Basic thing about rowing is that the training season starts in late-ish September, and then runs through the winter for the summer regatta season. So for most of the winter, the oarsmen have the river much to themselves, hence feeling all propriatorial about it when summer comes around.

And the "correct" way to shout at oarsmen to get them to look round is to shoud "Look ahead sull(1 person, 2 blades)/pair (2 people, 2 blades)/double (2 people, 4 blades) /four (4 people, 4 blades)/quad (4 people, 8 blades)/eight (8 people, 8 blades)/Octuple (8 juniors, 16 blades). "

Normally shortened to "Head scull/pair/... as appropriate".

Doesn't "OI, look where you're going tw*t" work then

 

[Keen_Ed]

Well, that just confirms his opinion of you. Which (broadly speaking) is:

A fat, unfit, fuel guzzling, polluting, twonk, whose chosen past-time has zero redeeming features, and would would kark it if given a 2k erg test. He's done 350 hours on the water so far this season (and about the same time in the gym), so to have all these people crawl out of the woodwork and wreck the water now it's nice and sunny is, frankly, a royal pain in the ar%£.

 

[PaulGooch]

Well, that just confirms his opinion of you. Which (broadly speaking) is:

A fat, unfit, fuel guzzling, polluting, twonk, whose chosen past-time has zero redeeming features, and would would kark it if given a 2k erg test. He's done 350 hours on the water so far this season (and about the same time in the gym), so to have all these people crawl out of the woodwork and wreck the water now it's nice and sunny is, frankly, a royal pain in the ar%£.

Blimey, good job he doesn't know about the onboard lager stash