AuntyRinum
Well-Known Member
Last Friday, 15th September, I moored at Weybridge Visitor Moorings, registered my arrival online and paid to moor for three days. The confirmation arrived by email and my wife and I, who are in our seventies, settled down looking forward to a pleasant weekend.
Later on Friday evening, at about 1740, a man with a club hammer banged in "No Mooring"notices along the mooring purporting to be from the Environment Agency, carryng the name Barry Russell MBE, Harbourmaster, and dated 15th Sept. This man approached me and told me that I would have to leave the mooring, but wouldn't tell me why, except that the moorings were required by others from 6.00pm on Saturday 16th to 6.00pm on Sunday 17th Sept. I asked if he was from the Environment Agency, and he said no, but wouldn't tell me who he represented. I told him that I already had permission from the EA to moor until Monday 18th September and I wouldn't be moving. His last words to me were, "Go and **** yourself", as he stalked off. I found out later that he was from Weybridge Mariners Club who were having a function on the Sunday and had decided to close the EA moorings so that their members could use them.
There had been no email or website notice by the Thames Harbourmaster that these moorings were to be suspended and no notices were posted at the moorings in advance.
My wife and I spent an uncomfortable weekend expecting Weybridge Mariners Club members to start hammering on our boat at any time to give us some more abuse, but I stuck a copy of the mooring permit in the window and they left us alone.
By Sunday morning the mooring had been emptied except for ourselves and another boat that had been there when we arrived which wasn't occupied. At about 1130, seven Weybridge Mariners Club boats arrived and they had all gone by 1500. In other words, they caused maximum disruption by posting No Mooring signs without notice, and forced a closure of the mooring for 24 hours so that 7 of their members could moor their boats for less than 4 hours.
When we travel on the Thames we obey the rules, we pay our licence fees, and we expect to be left in peace to enjoy it. I now have a very poor opinion of Webridge Mariners Club with their uncouth representatives and high handed behaviour.
Later on Friday evening, at about 1740, a man with a club hammer banged in "No Mooring"notices along the mooring purporting to be from the Environment Agency, carryng the name Barry Russell MBE, Harbourmaster, and dated 15th Sept. This man approached me and told me that I would have to leave the mooring, but wouldn't tell me why, except that the moorings were required by others from 6.00pm on Saturday 16th to 6.00pm on Sunday 17th Sept. I asked if he was from the Environment Agency, and he said no, but wouldn't tell me who he represented. I told him that I already had permission from the EA to moor until Monday 18th September and I wouldn't be moving. His last words to me were, "Go and **** yourself", as he stalked off. I found out later that he was from Weybridge Mariners Club who were having a function on the Sunday and had decided to close the EA moorings so that their members could use them.
There had been no email or website notice by the Thames Harbourmaster that these moorings were to be suspended and no notices were posted at the moorings in advance.
My wife and I spent an uncomfortable weekend expecting Weybridge Mariners Club members to start hammering on our boat at any time to give us some more abuse, but I stuck a copy of the mooring permit in the window and they left us alone.
By Sunday morning the mooring had been emptied except for ourselves and another boat that had been there when we arrived which wasn't occupied. At about 1130, seven Weybridge Mariners Club boats arrived and they had all gone by 1500. In other words, they caused maximum disruption by posting No Mooring signs without notice, and forced a closure of the mooring for 24 hours so that 7 of their members could moor their boats for less than 4 hours.
When we travel on the Thames we obey the rules, we pay our licence fees, and we expect to be left in peace to enjoy it. I now have a very poor opinion of Webridge Mariners Club with their uncouth representatives and high handed behaviour.
