The rowers srtike again

alistairedw

alistairedw

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Driving through Old Isleworth yesterday lunchtime I glanced at the river and spotted an old motor cruiser aground and leaning over at about a 20 degree angle.

I stopped and walked down the foreshore to check that they were OK. At this point it was close to low water so there was no risk of them falling over any further and they were just going to wait for the tide to refloat them.

They came to grief because a rib escorting some rowers pushed them out of the main channel and into the shallows (by the London Apprentice). Clearly the escort rib had no comprehension of the rules relating to vessels constrained by draught.

The cruiser was a Dunkirk boat dating from the 1930s.
 
I like rowing but get very perplexed by the attitiude of the support boats for the clubs around me. There is one chap who takes the supporting personal water vessel at high speed past us and creates huge wash. I shall be having a word with the club if this continues. I am very respectful of their boats when I am out.
 
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There is one chap who takes the supporting personal water vessel at high speed past us and creates huge wash. I shall be having a word with the club if this continues.

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Take a video of the prat - and especially the effect it has, and then have a word/show it to the club. (cos it WILL continue).
 
Yes, got my probs fouled at Windsor as the Army rowers decided that 7/8 of the river belonged to them, and every one else can go to hell! If it is bent, I will send them a bill!
 
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Clearly the escort rib had no comprehension of the rules relating to vessels constrained by draught.


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Out of interest; do Colregs apply on the Thames or are the rules different?
 
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Clearly the escort rib had no comprehension of the rules relating to vessels constrained by draught.


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Out of interest; do Colregs apply on the Thames or are the rules different?

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Yes the colregs do apply on the thames but unfortunatly the rowing fraternity do not even know that the colregs exist they are in my opinion generally the biggest bunch of tassrs on the river they are arrogant rude and worse they think they have the sole rights to the river and as such any other vessel is an annoyance.

Rant over
 
Btw the chances are that the rowers were the twickenham lot they are the worst behaved rowers.

And a few years back the conflict of dreams was run aground at the exact same spot in Isleworth but in fairness it was a turks pleasure cruiser that forced him off center stream it has to be said that these cruisers are a law unto themselves and dont give way to anyone
 
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Rant over

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Until next time ! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

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Absoloutly correct every time we go out there will be trouble with several robo twats and it isnt just me I was with a skipper recently going to Penton hook doing less than 3 knts and a robo had a go at him for going to fast the twat did not have a clue about colregs the vessel was not making wash etc but hey ho I am used to these idiots and expect this behaviour
 
I don't think it was the Twickenham mob. They do not use ribs.

I went down the Tideway yesterday and noticed a rowing club upstream from Chiswick bridge which uses large black ribs as support boats.

It was the Twickenham rowing regatta yesterday so a lot of downstream rowing clubs will have been coming upstream to practice on the regatta course.
 
Harumph, I would venture to suggest that even if it did, the perishing rowers wouldn't have known what it was, never mind take heed of it.
 
Yes it was and guess who got caught up in the middle of it.......

I will always slow right down for rowers in fact mostly stop and if they do moan then I make sure that I go right up to them and ask them what their problem is...But I would hate for them to get away so I make sure i get to them fast......
 
I'll bet you're right, but it was the OP who raised the question of "the rules" and it's a pound to a penny that it was the cruiser which wasn't complying. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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I'll bet you're right, but it was the OP who raised the question of "the rules" and it's a pound to a penny that it was the cruiser which wasn't complying. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

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(Quote) They came to grief because a rib escorting some rowers pushed them out of the main channel and into the shallows (by the London Apprentice). Clearly the escort rib had no comprehension of the rules relating to vessels constrained by draught.(quote)

Now as I read the above, it seems to be saying that the RIB was used to physically push the mobo out of the channel into the shallows. Now if that is indeed the case, I would say that it was disgraceful behavior, made doubley so by the fact that the crew of the mobo were elderly and probably not able to respond in a positive and assertive manner.

If the incident did occur as I have outlined above it was nothing short of bullying, and I hope that those on this forum who may have an idea who was responsible for it, do something about it.
 
If your interpretation is correct then I agree with you 110%....but I know that you also understand the point about
Colregs!

More likely though is that the rib simply didn't give way and the cruiser moved over.

This is one of those instances when Colregs and simple courtesy aren't necessarily the same.......but it was the OP who raised the question of "constrained by draught" and, as he hasn't commented, we way never know the full story!

Edited comment. On re-reading the OP I'm not sure that we do know that it was an elderly crew. The post referred to "an old motor cruiser aground", but I think that was a reference to the boat rather than the skipper!
 
I read it as if they were pushed in a figurative sense, i.e. the RIB was using the middle of the channel, no pyhsical contact was made between the boats but the cruiser was forced to give enough room for them to pass safely, but it was apparently too close to the bank.

Still poor behaviour though, not condoning it, just explaining how I read it /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Re: The rowers strike again

I think that is what they use the safety boats for to be honest . They dont give way so you have to leaving the rowers to have the mid stream or at least the line of the river that they want to take .
I have decided not to let rowers spoil my enjoyment of the river like they have in the past .
Funny thing is the sailing dingies used to annoy me untill i was told to watch them and learn where they need to go , once i understood that it became fun to try and guess where they are going . Problem is i never know if they have all gone to one side to let me past or if they are going to tack again so i just aim for the side they are all heading for /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Yes....sorry chaps, I have had a look again and I see that there is no mention of the age of the crew, regarding the "pushing" though, I wish the OP would pop back in and give a bit more detail?

Fortunately (or not depending on your outlook)..I don't have to put up with this sort of thing, I don't find sailing constrained by mother earth, as you are on the Thames and other rivers a very attractive proposition /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I do sympathise with you though, we should all be able to enjoy whatever side of our hobby we choose, without being plagued by bullies and idiots, saying that of course I do believe that it behoves us all to manage our own behavior properly.
 
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