Jump to content

Independent Thames boater survey


wandering snail

Featured Posts

Led by the Thames Motor Boaters Association (TMBA) and supported by all the organisations representing powered craft which use the non tidal Thames (including NABO) we are undertaking a survey of the views of our members about their experiences when using the Thames this year. We urge all who both moor on the Thames or visit it occasionally to help. This is very important given the various proposals presently emerging from the EA which will have serious issues for all. Please see:

http://www.tmba.org.uk/machform/view.php?id=15573

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, wandering snail said:

This is very important given the various proposals presently emerging from the EA which will have serious issues for all.

 

May I enquire what these are? 

 

Your link gives no clue.

 

Thanks!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, MtB said:

 

May I enquire what these are? 

 

Your link gives no clue.

 

Thanks!

 

It's a response to the EA Navigation Charges Consultation which was so convoluted that it attracted hardly any responses. The EA are going ahead with what they want to do anyway, and yes, I know this is always what happens, but this group wants to try to get a much wider boater's perspective.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, wandering snail said:

It's a response to the EA Navigation Charges Consultation which was so convoluted that it attracted hardly any responses. The EA are going ahead with what they want to do anyway, and yes, I know this is always what happens, but this group wants to try to get a much wider boater's perspective.

well it would be nice if you could just give us a linky so we can judge the impact of the document for ourselves, convoluted or not ...................   :unsure:

 

I would also comment that limiting the questionnaire to 2021 excludes me because personal issues kept me shore-bound until September and I have only managed short day trips since then.  I would comment that having an electrically powered boat leaves me vulnerable to finding that hook-up moorings at locks are already occupied or out of order because the "booking system" is useless mainly because IMHO only one of the lockies with hook-up facilities ever replies to his phone, and the remainder never call back despite inviting the caller to leave a message.  .............  oh. and the commitment that I understand was given by the EA to the Electric Boat Association to treat electrically powered boats as a priority has not been honoured.  In one case I found a plastic gin palace on the hook-up, and the owner told me he plans and books his trips a year in advance and always uses the hook-up points so he can do the laundry and watch telly without worrying about the state of his probably huge battery bank. Not very helpful for an electric boater who plans his trips based on the forecast of sunny weather in the hope that the solar panels will contribute to the cruising range.

Edited by Murflynn
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The questions appear to be designed to elicit a negative response. As such EA will view the whole process as biassed and something that can be safely ignored. The questions give no flavour of what the EA proposals are, so respondents cannot express their views in relation to these proposals. 

And since respondents are only asked about their experiences in 2021, all those boaters whose cruising was disrupted this year due to the pandemic, but who may have boated extensively on the Thames in the past, are excluded.

And I note that boats based permanently on the Thames can state they are continuous cruisers, an option which doesn't exist on the Thames (or any other non CRT waterway).

Edited by David Mack
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, David Mack said:

And I note that boats based permanently on the Thames can state they are continuous cruisers, an option which doesn't exist on the Thames (or any other non CRT waterway).

 

Are you sure?

When I had a Thames boat I'm pretty sure I had to state my home mooring to get a Thames license but when I bought Gold Licenses, ISTR I no longer needed to. 

 

My memory may be flawed on this point so it would be interesting if other, better informed posters can confirm or contradict this... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To all the replies on here who want the link to the now concluded EA consultation, it was widely advertised at the time with many boating groups asking for your participation but presumably you did not see it? I will take back your feed back that the survey should include Thames users from previous years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 07/10/2021 at 19:47, MtB said:

 

Are you sure?

When I had a Thames boat I'm pretty sure I had to state my home mooring to get a Thames license but when I bought Gold Licenses, ISTR I no longer needed to. 

 

My memory may be flawed on this point so it would be interesting if other, better informed posters can confirm or contradict this... 

 

I can't remember whether I had to state my home mooring or not when I lived on the Thames and applied for a licence for 3 years?

 

However, even if I didn't have to state my home mooring I don't think that necessarily implies continuous cruising was an option by default?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Midnight said:

Can't complete cos it asks where I moor on the Thames. Any survey that asks for email twice is amateur.

 

How about NABO producing an independent survey on CRT 

I'll suggest it. The Thames one came about because it seemed incredible that boaters there won't mind their licence fees going up by 10% over the next 2 years, according to the EA from the consultation results.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From our experience the Thames is worth twice the licence price. Going through one lock there was an EA man with a spring balance testing the gate. He said the gate was getting a bit heavy (bearing in mind the pole closing technique) . I suggested he come to Yorkshire where he would have at least 5 years worth of work.  The locks there were pristine and mostly staffed by friendly lockies. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, Midnight said:

From our experience the Thames is worth twice the licence price. Going through one lock there was an EA man with a spring balance testing the gate. He said the gate was getting a bit heavy (bearing in mind the pole closing technique) . I suggested he come to Yorkshire where he would have at least 5 years worth of work.  The locks there were pristine and mostly staffed by friendly lockies. 

 

We've just done up the upper Thames and it was wonderful, friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable lock keepers living in lovely houses right next to their locks, I really hope CRT never get their hands on it, at at least not till some major reforms have taken place.

...and no silly spurious signage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, dmr said:

and forgot to say, with a bit of tarmac that Thames Path would make a cracking long distance cycle racetrack.

 

You didn't stop on the Thames opposite the Oxford rowing club boathouses then, obviously! 

Or you'd have been mown down every 45 seconds.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

You didn't stop on the Thames opposite the Oxford rowing club boathouses then, obviously! 

Or you'd have been mown down every 45 seconds.....

 

I noticed that the Oxford canal towpath has been "cyclewayed" up beyond the Dukes cut turn off and past the long term moorings. There are HUGE Blue signs saying "motorcyclists will be prosecuted". Motorbikes on tarmaced towpaths, I bet nobody expected that 😀.

 

Met a rather eccentric magnet fisher today with an electric pushbike to which he had also fitted a rather neat little petrol engine. I wonder if that's a three way hybrid????

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

You didn't stop on the Thames opposite the Oxford rowing club boathouses then, obviously! 

Or you'd have been mown down every 45 seconds.....

Fat chance to moor there as it's wall to wall boats anyway...

Regardless it's only full of eights and fours in term time - which are pretty short and well out of boating season anyway. Its a shame that more boaters don't use the River. Above Oxford its quiet and the stink boats can't get under Osney bridge (mark you some NBs can't either unless they taked down the washing line and sat dishes. For many I guess it's a shortage of pubs within staggering distance that puts some off.

Never mind, it leaves more room for those that carry the booze with them.

The locks ar a dream to operate if there's no lockie around (a possible increasing occurrence).  Push buttons for the 'leccy sluice gear and girt big balance beams for the rest...

aahh if only......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, OldGoat said:

Regardless it's only full of eights and fours in term time - which are pretty short and well out of boating season anyway.

 

NooooooooOOOOO!!! I meant mown down by bikes on the towpath racetrack! 

 

Last time I moored there, there was loadsa space. I decided to adjust the chains on my bow fender and dropped a shackle in the water. Neighbouring boat was all like "you'll never get THAT back in hurry", so I dropped by Sea Searcher in and got it first dip, yay!! 

 

He was all like, you lucky bugger, I dropped a shackle in like that and spent an hour fishing for it and gave up. So I fished for his and guess what....

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.