The End of recreational boating on the Thames

[vjmehra]

I received this today from the PLA, to summarise (I only read through this very quickly, so hopefully I'm mistaken), in order to exceed the 12 knots speed limit you will have to:

-Submit a passage plan
-Have RYA Advanced Powerboat Certification
-Have someone onboard with RYA Powerboat Level 2 Certification
-Have a flashing Yellow Light
-Have a fully functioning AIS system
-Have to wear lifejackets

There is a lot more than this, but those are the highlights.

Some of the suggestions are in fact quite sensible, however they don't all take into account the fact that leisure boaters are not professionals.

Any thoughts?

(Sorry I had to attach as plain text, as even when zipped the files were too big, I have the original e-mail should anyone wish to see it/respond).

 

[No Regrets]

Not a problem to many owners who cannot exceed ten, let alone twelve knots!

 

[teddington_lock]

Can't see it will make a big difference to be honest.

90% of people who go down do less than 12 knots anyway through London. No real need to go any faster.

Why do you need to travel at high speed through London ?

 

[Captain Coochie]

Every time i have been through Richmond lock they have asked what i am up too . Just diddling about and back on the tide is always the reply so thats the passage plan covered .
Flashing lights ... Skip lights ?
Life jackets , yup but only kids ones , my mates like to jump overboard at will It keeps me on my toes i suppose
My Ais is pumping out some good tunes right now but the cat is giving me funny looks .
RYA trained , no need i'm a qualified Ninja .

 

[sailorman]

Can't see it will make a big difference to be honest.

90% of people who go down do less than 12 knots anyway through London. No real need to go any faster.

Why do you need to travel at high speed through London ?

those skip barges do & kick-up one hellva wash to boot

 

[dash300]

Can't see it will make a big difference to be honest.

90% of people who go down do less than 12 knots anyway through London. No real need to go any faster.

Why do you need to travel at high speed through London ?

Exactly. Correct me if I am wrong here but as it stands at the moment anyone can blat down from below Wandsworth Bridge to the Barrier (and beyond if you wish) and back at breakneck speed as long as you do not endanger any other river user. My son has being doing so with his friends in an assortment of ribs for many years from Putney hard. I have always resisted all invites, preferring to enjoy the Thames at more appropriate displacement speeds. Even at these speeds there is enough to keep your eye on (major flotsam and Clippers to name but two). At planing speeds you are living on luck. Fortunately my son has seen the light and has diverted to the coast.
The tidal Thames is a busy and narrow comercial highway and not a playground.
I have no problem with leisure boaters being confined to displacement speeds its just plain common sence.

 

[No Regrets]

I agree. The damage a piece of tree can do to an outdrive is rather disturbing...

 

[Richard Shead]

Can't see it will make a big difference to be honest.

90% of people who go down do less than 12 knots anyway through London. No real need to go any faster.

Why do you need to travel at high speed through London ?

To keep out of the way of the police targas....

 

[vjmehra]

If you enjoy cruising along the tidal Thames at 6-8 knots thats great, but that doesn't suit everyone, those of us that have slightly faster boats bought them for a reason. Now I fully agree that shooting through Central London at 30 knots is not safe, but then again its not even possible, being realistic, there is far too much traffic.

As I've said from the start I'm not in any way opposed to a speed limit, however I feel it should be managed in a way that is fair to the recreational user. A 15 knot limit between Waterloo and Tower Bridge would seem fairly logical to me, but outside this area of heavy traffic, especially Tower Bridge to the Barrier and beyond, when its safe to do so, I can't see why there are objections to boaters going quicker.

I can even understand a lot of the safety measures mentioned, however to ask leisure boaters to bring them in immediately is unpractical, apart from anything else, to do the Intermediate and Advanced Powerboat course takes time. So potentially from day x I may not be able to use my RIB for an unspecified amount of time until I've upgraded the boat (and myself).

Personally, I am not against higher standards, but I'd like to see a lengthly time period for them to come in, not a big bang approach from a random day next week (for example, I appreciate that is not the case).

So arguably my chosen title for this thread was a bit overly dramatic, but due to the additional cost...it may well be the case for a lot of people and (hopefully not, but potentially) a few RYA training schools.

 

[No Regrets]

So you reckon the cost of training exceeds the long term fuel consumption differences and potential damage from flotsam liable from hammering along at high speed?

 

[vjmehra]

Anyone who has a quick boat has already factored fuel costs in and so these new measures do not affect that in any way.

As for potential damage, if you keep a good look out and ensure you avoid obstacles, act in a timely manner, then I can't see why you should hit anything, if you do, then it was not safe to go at the speed you were going and you shouldn't have been going so quickly, or should have been paying more attention. However I don't feel that should mean its never possible to go above 12 knots, I feel most people are more than capable on a clear day, if there is no traffic, on a wide stretch of river, of going quicker safely.

As for training, well this clearly can't be a bad thing, I'm doing my Day Skipper later on this year and may well have done my Intermediate and Advanced Powerboat courses after this anyway, however I can't possible do them in a hurry, this is my key gripe (of course, I am making an assumption about the timescale here).

 

[lenseman]

. . . . As for training, well this clearly can't be a bad thing, I'm doing my Day Skipper later on this year and may well have done my Intermediate and Advanced Powerboat courses after this anyway, however I can't possible do them in a hurry, this is my key gripe (of course, I am making an assumption about the timescale here).

Well, the answer is very easy. Stick to a maximum of less than 12 knots until you are fully qualified and have installed an AIS transmitter plus yellow flashing light and then you can exceed the 12 knot limit.

As an aside, how do you drive inside a built-up area where there is a 20mph limit? Do you think the speed limit is wrong because you would, of course, be keeping a good look out for children and old age pensioners?

 

[oldgit]

"I can't see why there are objections to boaters going quicker."

Most restricted water ways have some sort of speed limit in enclosed waters.When you are blatting down the river however carefull your lookout you might just miss someone going ashore from a moored vessel in a small dinghy or may even cause damage to moored small craft.
25 knots is fine below Gravesend and into Sea reach but in the upper reaches can well understand the requirement to ease down.

The owners of larger faster craft sometimes appear to have absolutely no conception of the problems that their high speed craft can cause for other users.

A classic case was with me at the rear of a line of smallish displacement stuff passing the barrier.
A large fast flybridge boat out of Essex Boatyards came past us about 50 or so feet to port.The hole he left in water caused considerable disruption to most of the boats,we mainly heard the crockery going walkabout,but an injury was caused on one the other boats.
Barrier Control saw the while incident,but failed to raise the offending boat on the radio.
Boat concerned was later heard to enter St Kats.

Ps.The stuff that you can see is not the stuff that costs,its the heavy stuff floating just under the surface like an iceberg which bashes your props n sterngear.

 

[vjmehra]

Well obviously if it becomes law, there is no choice, I'm not suggesting breaking the law, merely saying that I don't think the proposal should become law.

As for your analogy, there aren't many kids crossing the Thames (well definitely not the Tidal bit!), if motorways suddenly had their speed limits dropped to 20mph it would be annoying!

 

[Captain Coochie]

Ive been on the tidal long enough and think its great fun . So things go fast and i probably dont . A bit like playing on the M1 and just get on the hard shoulder if things get a bit to much for you . No need for new rules i think .

 

[CJL]

Just need to buy an AIS set then I'm sorted!!!



To those that question why people want to travel faster than 12 knots on the Thames.....lets just say its obvious you've never done it! It is by far the best way to see London and a truly magical experience. Don't knock it till you've tried it yourself on a small boat!!

At night its an even better experience!

CJL

 

[oldgit]

Hurrumph.....

"To those that question why people want to travel faster than 12 knots on the Thames.....lets just say its obvious you've never done it! "

Yea been there done that...you will grow out of it...trust me.


Now you may find this hard to believe,but,years and years and years ago in the pre dawn of history most of us started out with some small and nippy dug out canoe with some sort of ginnourmous outboard on the back,so we are well aware of the "fun" of going fast and ......... have the spinal injuries to prove it.

Have no problem with with some uncomfortable overgrown balloon flying past me,however a 50 ft Broom or Fairline is a different matter.

 

[boatone]

When I saw the title of this thread I was affeared that I had missed something humungous and the EA had decided to shut down the waterway !

Come on now, "The End of recreational boating on the Thames" - bit dramatic and VERY sensational/overstated dontcha think?

 

[Brayman]

When I saw the title of this thread I was affeared that I had missed something humungous and the EA had decided to shut down the waterway !

Come on now, "The End of recreational boating on the Thames" - bit dramatic and VERY sensational/overstated dontcha think?[/QUOTE]

Depends which newspapers you are used to reading!

 

[TrueBlue]

I've kept quiet until now

because my tub is not capable of any speed. and don't wish to be accused of willy envy.

However, it appals me that folk(s) buy high speed craft and expect to be allowed as of right to crash about in a narrow waterway. Out of sea in clear water and away from other small craft - fine; great fun.

It may well be that said OP is considerate, and capable, but I do have my doubts. In any event it's not so much about the current personalities but folks must bear in mind that there are an awful lot of small planing boats that would love to go for a burn but have no idea how to manage their craft.

The Current ethos is Me, Me, Me I'll do what I want and (politely put), the devil take the hindmost.

For heavens sake the Tideway is a commercial waterway run by the PLA and they want to keep it that way (I don't like that, but there it is).

Enough.