The demise of TVR

pheran

pheran

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 Sep 2002
Messages
12,713
Location
The glorious South
Visit site
I have just heard that plans for next (and presumably any subsequent) year's TVR have been abandoned. Is this old news and I am, as usual, just a bit slow catching up? I know the TVR has had its problems and critics but it seems a shame that this traditional May get-togther is to be no more. There are precious few of them.
 
I believe that you are correct and I don't think that I am talking out of turn when I say that there is nobody that wants to organise it so it doesn't get organised...............:(

E
 
This is news to me but doesn't surprise me. I know they have had problems finding peeps to organise.
It's a shame because it used to be, in my view, the premier event of the year and always got the season off with a bang.
As regards the Silverware I guess who ever is holding now will continue to hold because there's no one to pass it on to.
I suspect their may be a fair amount of money to share out between the clubs if it is to be abandoned completely.
 
boatone said:
So which club should be organising it next year and who gets to keep the silverware?
Click to expand...

Winners keepers:p

Seriously though, I'm sure Brayman will correct me if i'm wrong but HYC were next in line but declined then ODCC who also declined, the problem being that the organising club would have to put up a Chairman and entire committee. Compounded also with finding an alternative venue and increasing costs.
A real shame as we had only attended this year for the first time and really enjoyed it.
 
byron said:
I suspect their may be a fair amount of money to share out between the clubs if it is to be abandoned completely.
Click to expand...

Already on its way to being done - I for one will miss the weekend as it was one of my favourites :(
 
I believe (and please somebody correct me if I'm wrong) that it was Harleyford's turn to provide a chairperson for next year. With Oxford Ditch and then Bray having their turns on the following years.

Neither of the first two were able to provide a chairperson, Bray was reluctant to do so, having chaired the previous year and Windsor who provided the current chairperson wanted a break.

Note that it is not organised by any one particular club but by a committee made up of members from all four clubs. There simply were not enough people willing to make up this committee.

Last I heard, the trophies were to be returned to the club that donated them. I thought they should stay with the last winner myself.
 
Darren is correct, the organising club only needs to provide a chairman, the rest of the committee is made up from members of other clubs so that responsibilities and experience can be shared.

The original idea was to return silverware to the donating clubs but that may prove difficult as some of those clubs no longer exist. The commodores of the sponsoring clubs will have to decide.

After 27 years it is a shame to see it go but all sorts of things were against it continuing in its usual form.

Maybe we'll all turn up in Henley next May out of habit and have a great spontaneous time!!
 
Same malady down here with our river festival at Maidstone,Fortunately,Maidstone Council took up some of the load and the event went ahead as good as ever.Considering the amount of trade(for better or worse) this bought to the town,would have thought they would have joined in much earlier.My thanks to the folks who put themselves out in the previous 30 odd years to keep the event going.now feeling a bit guilty about not offering to do something. :(
 
As current holder of the Top Boat (Respect to Mike and Darren, the Top crew!) trophy, I can only say, it's going to be hard to return, as it was donated by Navigators and General insurance!!

I would suggest it stays with Bray CC if I do have a say in things...

The TVR died as a result of the age and energy of it's committee, which is both unavoidable, and a very sad thing, as the committee members are probably some of the finest Boaters the Thames has seen in recent years.

Three hearty cheers...

However...looking to the future:

With clubs other than Bray being unable to effectively field enough staff to recreate a TVR style event, it seems the closest we will get is a club event, with invited guests.

Over the last three or four years, I have changed from 'Boat club doubter' to boat club fan'

The demise of these events will slowly erode the good that traditional events do to keep up standards of boating on the Thames IMHO. We need these events to keep the mystique and thus desirability of our favourite activity.

Otherwise, we will die with the Dogs!
 
I have to admit to some responsibility for introducing No Regrets to club boating.... In fact, correct me if I am wrong John but it was the TVR that you attended in the Birchwood 25?


I too am very sad at the demise of the TVR...and yes, I did attend the meeting where ODCC and Harleyford said they were unable to supply a chairman.

Perhaps we can thrash out on this forum what could take it's place in the boating calendar. Maybe it was a little too early in the season for some folks? Perhaps too much time spent on the boat handling? Wrong venue? Should we run a Forum based replacement? Is Byron's splendid establishment too far up river? (If Byron would be prepared to host it, my apologies for volunteering you Byron, this is only throwing ideas around at present!)

The TVR is over... The ATYC may be next. What do we really want?
 
My own opinion:

Perhaps a boating event for boating people, but ensuring plenty of newbies are sucked in to enjoy a taste of the traditional life!

Boat handling should be mandatory! Once experienced, never forgotten.

Pomp and ceremony? Well, sure. It can't die for no good reason.

However, the event should be publicised out of the club scene, perhaps within Marina members, to encourage the benefits of Club membership.

I remember a few years ago, Honda, the car company, were losing their customers to the undertaker, and had to revamp their whole range to avoid bankruptcy.

We might need to do the same!
 
Ramage said:
(If Byron would be prepared to host it, ?
Click to expand...

It was mooted 27 years ago that it was hosted here. However it soon became clear that I don't have the room. In those days there were over 100 boats attending. The most I have ever had here is 32 or 34 and they were banked out. Further to this I am far to far up river, Henley is nicely situated mid way.
 
I fully agree Byron, but since TVR is now a thing of the past, I was trying to drum up ideas! I don't think an infant TVR replacement could afford Remenham, but as you say, Ashmount is a little far for most. Kingston is unpopular. Perhaps Windsor/Bray with a deal from Mr Gates? Come on guys, someone must have some ideas....
 
Just a small point:

I always wondered what stopped people from travelling a day for a decent rally.

Isn't that one of the good things, you know, getting there and back? LOL
 
Ramage said:
I fully agree Byron, but since TVR is now a thing of the past, I was trying to drum up ideas! I don't think an infant TVR replacement could afford Remenham, but as you say, Ashmount is a little far for most. Kingston is unpopular. Perhaps Windsor/Bray with a deal from Mr Gates? Come on guys, someone must have some ideas....
Click to expand...

Windsor would be appealing, the forum meet there a couple of years ago was excellent. I was never sure if the TVR was a private "do" for the four clubs swapping the Chair about, or open to ATYC club members.If the latter one of the issues for us was clashing with a club event.

We could have fender lifting contests!
 
No Regrets said:
Just a small point:

I always wondered what stopped people from travelling a day for a decent rally.

Isn't that one of the good things, you know, getting there and back? LOL
Click to expand...

I would agree at least for the skipper, however "crew" often see the journey as the chore to get to the fun, very weather dependant of course.

Location is the key, Henley is nice and central and a good destination in itself but Windsor, Bray are more than day away for us upriver dwellers and so it becomes more than just a weekend jaunt. We could only do the TVR with friday off work and because the Monday was a bank holiday, its difficult to take kids out of school etc...

Perhaps however a Forum lead do around the same date on the Henley reach, Fawley meadow must be possible.
 
TVR

TVR finished becouse people liked to attend but did not want to help, it took many meetings most in the cold winter months to organize and it was always the same old faces that turned out. Despite asking for new committee members to help very few if anyone came forward, and the committee just got a bit jaded at the lack of surport, also many of us had been serving the TVR for many years, and felt that maybe new blood was needed, this did not happen so TVR finished, It would be good if an event could take place on a much smaller scale. A bank side social no food provided, bbqs at the ready own clubs gazzebo's ect.
 
The trouble with the 1st Bank Holiday in May is that the weather can be dreadful. It was freezing cold, windy and lashing it down with rain at the last TVR.

Without the (heated) marquee it would be very grim indeed. And the venue and marquee were VERY expensive.

The forum do held at Windsor Marina was a great success thanks to the hospitality of Mike Gates of MDL and The Windsor Yacht Club.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top