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Non Tidal Thames Threat !

Serenity Malc

By Serenity Malc
in General Boating

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Serenity Malc Collaborator

Serenity Malc

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Yello,

 

Being that the new and tested London Borough of Richmond bylaw is coming into force this Friday the 13th of March, which states that all boats moored against the land owned or managed by the LBR will be liable to a £100 a day fine and a criminal offence after 24 hours ..... I got a call today from a friend who owns a dutch barge, who has been continuously cruising around the Chertsey / Shepperton areas. He has had a notice from The EA stuck to his barge to say that they ( the EA ) have no longer any available licence for continuous cruisers on the non tidal Thames.

Although he has not been overstaying on EA 24hr moorings, this officious and new threat to boaters on the Thames seems to be apparent. It would appear that The EA now require a home mooring for all craft ? ....

The combination of this EA notice and the LBR bylaw introduction would seem to me to be a concerted effort from the authorities here to abolish all non home berthed / marina berthed craft from the river.

I think the future for the non tidal Thames will be just the tupperware marina berthed craft taking to the water for 3 or 4 weeks a year before retiring back into their £500 a month marina berths.

 

How sick is that ?

 

Serenity Malc.

Edited by Serenity Malc
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WJM Veteran

WJM

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Having visitors moorings packed full of pretend visitors is indeed sick - for those who actually do want to cruise. The EA are not a housing authority and the Thames is not a housing estate. As someone who does have a home mooring but does also actually go cruising, I welcome these initiatives.

 

How is that for a balanced alternative view?

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Serenity Malc Collaborator

Serenity Malc

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As a licence paying, BSSC valid .... and insured boater living on the Thames ...... I rarely use any EA moorings. You are obviously fortunate enough to have a home mooring ...... therefore this conversation will not affect you in any way ........ apart from giving you the pleasure of a boat free Thames to cruise around.

Edited by Serenity Malc
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Serenity Malc Collaborator

Serenity Malc

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In addition ....... I dispise the unlicenced, non BSSC and uninsured hotel boats housing our european fellows around Teddington ....... they give us legal boat users a very bad name.

But ..... I do not feel that we should all be tarred with the same brush.

For me it will mean finding a home mooring at the expence of food and other life requirements.

 

But hey !! ......

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cereal tiller Veteran

cereal tillerDonate to Canal World

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Yello,

 

Being that the new and tested London Borough of Richmond bylaw is coming into force this Friday the 13th of March, which states that all boats moored against the land owned or managed by the LBR will be liable to a £100 a day fine and a criminal offence after 24 hours ..... I got a call today from a friend who owns a dutch barge, who has been continuously cruising around the Chertsey / Shepperton areas. He has had a notice from The EA stuck to his barge to say that they ( the EA ) have no longer any available licence for continuous cruisers on the non tidal Thames.

Although he has not been overstaying on EA 24hr moorings, this officious and new threat to boaters on the Thames seems to be apparent. It would appear that The EA now require a home mooring for all craft ? ....

The combination of this EA notice and the LBR bylaw introduction would seem to me to be a concerted effort from the authorities here to abolish all non home berthed / marina berthed craft from the river.

I think the future for the non tidal Thames will be just the tupperware marina berthed craft taking to the water for 3 or 4 weeks a year before retiring back into their £500 a month marina berths.

 

How sick is that ?

 

Serenity Malc.

Not quite sure how your Barge owning friend can be Continuously cruising around the Chertsey/Shepperton areas?

The upper Thames is 124 miles long,we travel it's whole length every summer.

 

CT

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GoodGurl Experienced

GoodGurl

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http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/council/news/press_office/older_news/february_2015/unauthorised_mooring_will_be_outlawed_from_borough.htm?viewmode=pr

The byelaw means that from 1am on Friday 13 March, if any boats moor up to Council owned or managed land it will be a criminal offence which could carry a fine and/or prison sentence. Every 24 hours the boat is moored, or attached, to the land, a new crime has been committed.

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blackrose Veteran II

blackrose

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For me it will mean finding a home mooring at the expence of food and other life requirements.

 

But hey !! ......

Well I did offer you a reasonably priced Thames mooring when I left a couple of years ago Malc, but you didn't want it...

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Tam & Di Influencer

Tam & Di

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Not quite sure how your Barge owning friend can be Continuously cruising around the Chertsey/Shepperton areas?

The upper Thames is 124 miles long,we travel it's whole length every summer.

 

CT

 

I do think it is a "good thing" for the EA to exert control over the river, but the "continuous cruising" concept is irrelevant on the Thames as the EA is not bound by the same legislation that keeps getting CRT's knickers in a twist.

 

I've not had to keep up to date with legislation affecting the river, but I can't quite see the legal basis of EA's notice. As far as I know the public right of navigation is still extant, though they obvious can control mooring to land under their jurisdiction.

Edited by Tam & Di
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GoodGurl Experienced

GoodGurl

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I do think it is a "good thing" for the EA to exert control over the river, but the "continuous cruising" concept is irrelevant on the Thames as the EA is not bound by the same legislation that keeps getting CRT's knickers in a twist.

 

I've not had to keep up to date with legislation affecting the river, but I can't quite see the legal basis of EA's notice.

if you read the link it's a notice from the council.

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Tam & Di Influencer

Tam & Di

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if you read the link it's a notice from the council.

 

The only link I see is the one about Richmond's new byelaw. I'm talking about the EA notice which apparently uses the term "continuous cruisers", not about riperian owners' rights to permit or forbid mooring to their land.

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Wanderer Vagabond Influencer

Wanderer VagabondDonate to Canal World

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Surely by mooring on Council Owned land without their permission a boat would be trespassing anyway? You cannot just go and moor in someone's marina without permission so why is there any expectation to be able to moor on someone's land without permission. All I see here is that Richmond are formalising how they are going to deal with it rather than trying to prosecute for a civil offence of Trespass (waste of time exercise if ever there was one) they have created a bylaw to deal with it. Perhaps they are a bit over dramatic in their description "...Some of these boats cause a great deal of distress for people living in and visiting the borough....." but since it their land they are talking about I don't really see what the issue is.

 

Of course being the Thames I don't suppose there is anything stopping you from lobbing your anchor over the bow to moor up, provided you don't step on council land to get ashore rolleyes.gif

Edited by Wanderer Vagabond
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MHS Experienced

MHSDonate to Canal World

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Of course being the Thames I don't suppose there is anything stopping you from lobbing your anchor over the bow to moor up, provided you don't step on council land to get ashore rolleyes.gif

Except the Riparian owner, owns to the mid line of the river. Is your anchor trespassing? Just as a fisherman cannot fish from his bank, or stand in waders a metre or two from it.

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thunderbird Contributor

thunderbird

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First they came for the Continues Moorers, and I approved.

 

Then they came for the Continues Cruisers, and I didnt care.

 

Then they came for the Home Moorers, and there was nothing we could dk about it.

For the home moored and there was nothing we could do about it? Wrong, two boaters I know of have done something, they've quit our once peaceful waterways and opted for an enforcement free venue. One without Big Brother status.

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luctor et emergo Veteran II

luctor et emergo

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For the home moored and there was nothing we could do about it? Wrong, two boaters I know of have done something, they've quit our once peaceful waterways and opted for an enforcement free venue. One without Big Brother status.

 

You miss the point I'm making, but you are also right.

 

 

This is one of the reasons why I sold my nb, and have moved.

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