Visiting the Thames.

[oldgit]

RCC club boats on their way round to the Thames soon, is the river busy or quiet ?
Possibly a first timer or two as well.
Always keen to encourage folks to come round but during a recent conversation worries expressed as to if the trip was worth it for those with lots of fixed top hamper.
For those of us who can drop radar arches etc virtually all of the navigation is available and the visitor registration fee is good value for the amount of river you can use.
However we do have vessels with fixed arches and canopies and somewhere at PH would possibly be the limit of navigation. ?
For some some folks this will never been a problem and they happily accept the limitation. One skipper with a Fairline Corniche 31 for instance .
One club member even unbolted and removed the arch (Princess 330 )en rounte to be able to go further up, then bolted it back on after coming back down.
No minor job.
Personally think that even if limited to the lower section , its well worth the trouble for everything the river has to offer for a relaxing holiday.

On the Mudway last weekend virtually nothing moving apart from man/ and increasingly woman powered stuff despite all that glorious weather.

 

[Time Out]

RCC club boats on their way round to the Thames soon, is the river busy or quiet ?
Possibly a first timer or two as well.
Always keen to encourage folks to come round but during a recent conversation worries expressed as to if the trip was worth it for those with lots of fixed top hamper.
For those of us who can drop radar arches etc virtually all of the navigation is available and the visitor registration fee is good value for the amount of river you can use.
However we do have vessels with fixed arches and canopies and somewhere at PH would possibly be the limit of navigation. ?
For some some folks this will never been a problem and they happily accept the limitation. A skipper with a Fairline Corniche 31 for instance .
One club member even removed the arch (Princess 330 )en rounte to be able to go further up, then bolted it back on after coming back down.
No minor job.
Personally think that even if limited to the lower section , its well worth the trouble for everything the river has to offer for a relaxing holiday.

On the Mudway last weekend virtually nothing moving apart from man/ and increasingly woman powered stuff despite all that glorious weather.

Personally I would turn right and enjoy the South Coast.

 

[oldgit]

Personally I would turn right and enjoy the South Coast.

H,mm........several boats set out of at the end of last week to explore various bits of the "South coast" , one or two now hiding in various East Coast rivers, two others came back today and one came back from Ramsgate a day or two early due to the weekend weather forecast.
One thing you do not miss on the Upper Thames is waking up for the 05.30 shipping forecast.

 

[Time Out]

H,mm........several boats set out of at the end of last week to explore various bits of the "South coast" , one or two now hiding in various East Coast rivers, two others came back today and one came back from Ramsgate a day or two early due to the weekend weather forecast.
One thing you do not miss on the Upper Thames is waking up for the 05.30 shipping forecast.

True but you end checking the tinterweb to see which locks are open

 

[oldgit]

True but you end checking the tinterweb to see which locks are open

Convinced that there were once on every lock pedestal a set of instructions for "even the hard of understanding like me" , of how to operate a lock manually . If memory serves , a brisk and bracing total of 480 turns of the handle for that lock at Marsh ?.

 

[Time Out]

Convinced that there were once on every lock pedestal a set of instructions for "even the hard of understanding like me" , of how to operate a lock manually . If memory serves , a brisk and bracing total of 480 turns of the handle for that lock at Marsh ?.

There still is !

 

[Neil1300r]

It was very quiet on The Thames on Sunday 29 th. Lots of canoeists, rowers paddle boarders and swimmers but few boats. In 3 out of r locks we were the only boat in it. We remarked how few boats moving. The land opposite Hampton Court Palace has just been subjet to legal action and cleared the majority of the illegal/ slum boats off. No doubt they've just moved somewhere else. Ron seal is still about, if you are operating a lock keep a watch out, he will swim in and use the lock with boats.

 

[Bran]

The boats kicked off Cigarette island opposite Hampton Court have moved down to Kingston and Teddington lock layby. We couldn’t stop at Teddington on the way back on Monday as there was no space. Hampton Court palace moorings are almost completely full of long term lurkers. There were plenty of other moorings available on our trip upto Penton Hook with very few boats moving about.

 

[Time Out]

Teddington lock closure / restricted hours had not helped at all either.

I need to go look at Teddington tow path now …it was not busy on Sunday ?

 

[oldgit]

Any vacant mooring at Teddington is a most welcome sight after the trip round from the Mudway.

 

[Time Out]

Any vacant mooring at Teddington is a most welcome sight after the trip round from the Mudway.

Go see Howard at the Boat Shop and get yourself a nice secure overnight mooring then head up next morning. Easy access to high street and away from the Ham mob ! 0208 977 9978