Why so quiet?

[boatone]

Just back from a trip to Windsor...up yesterday, back today.
Couldnt believe how quiet it was on the river and no problem with moorings at Windsor, in fact space to spare. Weather was great too.....wot gives?

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[hlb]

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz............................../forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn

 

[BarryH]

They knew you were out on the river. Smoke screens bloting out the sun, engines roaring off every five mins causing massive wash and yapping dogs all night........glad I was working!

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[tcm]

Re: New Britain - new crap economy

We're all hanging about waiting to see if the taxes go up and/or the currency is swapped. An interim report is due next March, the tosspots.

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[PGD]

Sat on the showboat at Harleyford for a spot lunch today, was quiet, only a few local boats and not many holiday boaters either, been out over the last couple of weeks and noted the same.

Eton bank at Windsor used to be hell, ditto Cookham meadow, had to be there by 4pm else no mooring.

Went to the Bounty last weekend, again no trouble mooring up.

Thought boating was popular

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.mssa.org.uk>http://www.mssa.org.uk</A> Marine Service Standards Assistance

 

[BrendanS]

BSS has finally scared everyone off the river?

Boating is certainly still popular judging by Solent marinas and harbours this weekend... stuffed to overflowing.

<hr width=100% size=1>Err, let me know if Depsol enters the forum, I'll go and hide

 

[PGD]

bss isn't that bad, is it, I use a great surveyor Ian Haily in Marlow, like Byron mate he mention that chap uses common sense and is a boater.

Mine's up next year, but with a brand new installation the only thing I need to do is get the fire extinguishers checked again and move the bilge pump. Rest of the boat is fine!

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[BrendanS]

Well, it was certainly a deciding factor in driving me away, and not everyone seems to get a good common sense surveyor - not everyone is aware of this forum and the advice given here. There certainly seems to be a great deal of dislike of BSS amongst many Thames boaters (or was when I was still one)

<hr width=100% size=1>Err, let me know if Depsol enters the forum, I'll go and hide

 

[tripleace]

agree some inspectors are great. but there are a few idiots who are doing the BSS and its them that have caused the problem.


The fear of the BSS test has put a lot of people off and a few rumours about having to change large items.

In general the BSS is common sense.


Hardly see a hire boat at all.. there numbers have really dropped in teh past 2 years.



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[boatone]

Yeah, I know we've had the BSS theory and other reasons fort gradual decline of bopating on the Thames but that wouldnt account for the very specific situation this last weekend. Other weekends this year have been busy, May Bank Holiday for instance was verging on manic and we've been unable to get in at Windsor on other weekends.
This weekend had everything going for it but suddenly its deadly quiet.....is this the Henman effect, I wonder?

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[peterandjeanette]

Heard several complaints that the river level was very low this weekend. Went from Windsor to Cookham Meadow (but no bother with grounding) - loads of space for overnight mooring. One of the trip boats went aground at Bray lock. Had difficulty getting off the pile mooring. But yes, very quiet, confirmed by the lockeepers. I'm not complaining!!

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[boatone]

Ah, thats why I didnt see you....was keeping an eye out!
We will be off upriver from Chertsey starting 12th July for 2 weeks so may bump into each other?

Dont get me wrong, Im not complaining either, just thought it was strange. I didnt detect any real difference in water levels.

Tried asking a few 'folk' wot happened during week and got some wry looks and 'nobodies quite sure' but problem was apparently well upriver and Chertsey probably got the worst of it!

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[nicho]

Wimbledon tennis maybe (what on earth is this Henmania all about??)

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[h4nym]

Was quiet downriver too - I went up to Molesey to use the pump-out station there - went thru both Teddington and Molesey locks with only one other boat. That said - Kingston was busy on Saturday evening / night - we were out till about 2am.

I think we should worry a little - fewer boaters on the river will inevitably lead to a decline in facilities for us, and higher charges for, say, EA licenses as they have to recover fairly fixed costs from a smaller pool of licensees.

BSS is crap, tho! Cost me a good two thousand pounds to get Cinnamon "up" to the standard - ok - agreed it was a one-off cost (I hope!) but I maintain now as I did then that she is no "safer" as a result.

Hany

<hr width=100% size=1>Whaddya mean flog the boat and build the extension? Flog the house and our Targa would be a 52!

 

[Chris_d]

We noticed this as well, we went through our local lock Days, 4 times and the lock keeper said we had almost doubled his numbers on our own!
There certainly has been a general decline over the last 10 years, i personaly don't think its anything to do with BSS, just that people aren't prepared to rough it anymore. Most of the boats available for sale were built in the 70's and need a lot of work, so new seagoing boats based in coastal marinas with shorepower and showers, shops etc are more attractive. On the river, the opportunites to cruise between marinas are limited, in fact it would miss the point. I have met poeple who seem to think they have to book moorings ahead, even reserving the EA moorings at
locks, when right opposite there is a nice free field, but no shorepower!
Have to admit though last weekend was exceptionaly quiet, but very nice for those of us who were out.

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[theguvnor]

I went from Cookham to Windsor Sunday - easy mooring even on the Castle side !
The dwindling number of hire boats ( good news for me) may have sonething to do with the dire state of some boats out on hire. I worked as a summer assistant on the locks (Bray, Marlow, Temple & Cookham) a few years back, and some of the upset hirers using boats that were in poor condition - having paid the thick end of £1400 for the week - was quite common. Most said they would not use the Thames again but save money and go to Disneyland Florida next year! Without Chris Kruisers new and stylish hire boats I`m amazed anyone hires at all !

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[peterandjeanette]

Sorry I missed you. Only about for the odd weekend in July. Still have to go to work. It's hell when work interferes with boating. Main holiday starts Aug 2nd. Down river to tideway/south coast/Normandy harbours etc. Hope to catch up with you soon

P.

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[mike_kolling]

I think a lot of factors, each one small but together they just mount up and have pi~~ed people off.

eg
1. 8KM/hour speed limit over the ground hence downstream I have to go in reverse.
2. Rowers are exempt hence they can fly past my boat at 07:00 Sunday morning and sling me out of bed quite legally.
3. The dreaded boat safety scheme.
4. Annual flooding which means you can only use the boat 6 months of the year whereas my father on East Coast gets many good days out in Feb/March. Still have to license the boat for the whole year however.
5. Lack of dredging over last 20 years means there isnt much water left and hence cannot actually get into the bank to moor up in several places. (I reckon you could walk across below Boulters by the Islands)

I still love the river, but things need to change.



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[BarryH]

Plus the fact that every spare foot of bankside is being used to build homes for the lucky few. Well it seems like it! If I wanted to look at houses and apartments, who started using that term, I could take a walk down the road.

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