Easter on the Thames from Windsor

[Detling]

One thing you need to remember if you go downriver, is it takes a hell of a lot longer going back against the current. It can easily take 50% more, so 8 hours becomes 12, a totally different type of day, you are on holiday not a mission.

[Thinkingallowed]

On 29/02/2020 at 19:07, Detling said:

One thing you need to remember if you go downriver, is it takes a hell of a lot longer going back against the current. It can easily take 50% more, so 8 hours becomes 12, a totally different type of day, you are on holiday not a mission.

Thanks for that info.

[Thinkingallowed]

In the mean time I'm machining a small reduction gearbox today

 

 

 

Output shaft earlier in thread will go in here.

Edited March 3, 2020 by Thinkingallowed

[Thinkingallowed]

With five weeks to go the Environment Agency website shows red boards on every single stretch of the Thames.

 

Of course there's time for these to disappear but I did wonder what my position would be if they don't. Within a couple of hours I got this reply from Kris Cruisers...

 

 

If the river was in flood and you couldn’t start your holiday this is what would be offered to you-

 

 

1 Come down and be piloted (3-4 hours a day)

 

 

2 Use boat as house boat and receive a 25% discount on days the boat does

not leave the boat yard

 

 

3 Postpone the holiday – leave the money with us and receive a 15% discount

off a future holiday

 

 

4 Customer cancel holiday – Refund less £70 cancellation fee Receive a 5% discount voucher off a holiday within 12 months

 

The river is starting to slow down and you can of course get in touch with us at any time for an update it is not unusual at this time of year to have a fast flow

 

 

Option 4 I think would be my choice.

 

[davem399]

Back in 2018. our share boat was relocating from the K & A to Wigrams Turn Marina. Due to flows on the Kennet and Thames, we didn't get onto the Thames until May 1st.  I can't remember exactly what that winter was like, but this one has definitely been worse up till now.  Here's hoping for a spell of drier weather.

Edited March 9, 2020 by davem399

[Thinkingallowed]

Unfortunately due to the dreaded virus my Hungarian friends have had to pull out of the trip to England. 

 

Presently I'll be under 14 days self quarantine when I return to Norway but by Easter I won't have had a day off for eight weeks so can put up with that.

 

It is a little difficult finding a replacement crew when I can't promise them it will actually happen due to river levels. To be honest I'm praying for more rain and the money I'll get back from the boat and flights will pay for a long haul ticket to somewhere warm in business class.

[Onewheeler]

The water level in Oxford is going down quite fast. I suspect that the EA is flushing as much water downstream as they can as the upper reaches are heading towards normal. Not a lot of rain forecast for the next two weeks so. We may end up boating at Easter as Vietnam won't let us in for our planned trip.

[OldGoat]

1 hour ago, Onewheeler said:

The water level in Oxford is going down quite fast. I suspect that the EA is flushing as much water downstream as they can as the upper reaches are heading towards normal. Not a lot of rain forecast for the next two weeks so. We may end up boating at Easter as Vietnam won't let us in for our planned trip.

Verbal message from my marina received today is tha all Thames weirs are fully open (that's what the 'Red' boards mean) and there's  still a huge / large amount of water stored in  flooded water meadows further upstream plus whatever CaRT passes on from the canal system. Local recors show that the River has been on Red boards continuously since 16th October 2019 and that's probably a record!

Given that Easter is not all that far away, 'it doesn't look good'.

Apart from a certain amount of winter work, which I guess hasn't been done, there's a very large willow blocking the upstream layby and gates preventing any passage.

 

At least i's currently dry and warming up....

[magnetman]

1 hour ago, OldGoat said:

Local records show that the River has been on Red boards continuously since 16th October 2019 ...

Which local records are they? 

 

I've moved my boat several times between Henley and Staines up stream and downstream since last October . Each time was in yellow boards not reds as I don't move in red boards unless it is necessary.

 

It has been a wet winter, much wetter than the previous one but there have been a few yellow boards windows. Hoping for another one soon !

 

Quite intrigued by the claim that the River has been on red boards continuously since October because it is incorrect. 

 

 

Edited March 14, 2020 by magnetman

[Thinkingallowed]

38 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Which local records are they? 

 

I've moved my boat several times between Henley and Staines up stream and downstream since last October . Each time was in yellow boards not reds as I don't move in red boards unless it is necessary.

 

It has been a wet winter, much wetter than the previous one but there have been a few yellow boards windows. Hoping for another one soon !

 

Quite intrigued by the claim that the River has been on red boards continuously since October because it is incorrect. 

 

 

I keep getting confused about this claim that the river has been on red boards for a long time because I came across this information...

 

 

[Onewheeler]

Osney has certainly been on red boards since at least early November.

[Thinkingallowed]

11 hours ago, Onewheeler said:

Osney has certainly been on red boards since at least early November.

I'm sure that it has but this is really confusing to me...

 

 

These screen shots are from an app called RiverThamesLite and while I think I've seen them elsewhere I can't find them again so maybe I'm wrong.

 

Fingers crossed that the river goes down and the dreaded disease disappears but to be honest I'm not so confident as usual.  With the clampdown on people moving in and out of Norway I feel like a bit of a prisoner here. 

I'm the last British contractor left on a small island. Both pubs are closed and I only really went to the sports bar to watch the football anyway. Of course the occasional pub crawl would lighten up my life. One of the bonuses of the job was an air ticket each month out of here but alas that has gone for the time being.

 

Apologies for the self-pitying ramble.

[OldGoat]

13 hours ago, Thinkingallowed said:

I'm sure that it has but this is really confusing to me...

 

 

These screen shots are from an app called RiverThamesLite and while I think I've seen them elsewhere I can't find them again so maybe I'm wrong.

 

Fingers crossed that the river goes down and the dreaded disease disappears but to be honest I'm not so confident as usual.  With the clampdown on people moving in and out of Norway I feel like a bit of a prisoner here. 

I'm the last British contractor left on a small island. Both pubs are closed and I only really went to the sports bar to watch the football anyway. Of course the occasional pub crawl would lighten up my life. One of the bonuses of the job was an air ticket each month out of here but alas that has gone for the time being.

 

Apologies for the self-pitying ramble.

This is the official site:-

www.Riverconditions.environment-agency.gov.uk/

 

and it wasn't working when I posted this - perhaps it's being updated.

The Thames has been on 'red boards' continuously since 16. October las year!

The site just shows you the current conditions, not only of the water flow but of other 'hazards' as well.

Currently thetre are still some winter works not completed and that means some obstructions to passage until the end of March at least - as EA hasn't been able to work on them fo many months....

 

ps: the conditions site is now working (11:35)

Edited March 16, 2020 by OldGoat

[max's son]

There wont be the normal canoeist / kayakers about as the Devizes to Westminster race has been cancelled

[Thinkingallowed]

Red boards begin to disappear from both ends of the non tidal Thames.

 

 

 

Edited March 17, 2020 by Thinkingallowed