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Mort's Riverwatch

An occasional look at the ebb and flow of the Thames

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Month: April 2013

Events

Jumble sail – and don’t we just love it

25/04/201324/11/2013Mort SmithComment(0)

Most boat owners would agree that having a vessel of any kind – sailing dinghy, rowing boat, canoe, sailing yacht, cabin cruiser, you name it – means that over time you acquire ‘stuff’.

Recent developments

Fair weather sailors? Not at Desborough.

18/04/201329/12/2013Mort SmithComment(0)

We’re a hardy lot, us sailors, you know – especially when we’ve been denied access to our favourite sport for any length of time.

Thames lock
Recent developments

Lock keeper cost cuts in the spotlight

11/04/201329/12/2013Mort SmithComment(0)

I was rather encouraged to see that a London MP had put down an Early Day Motion to bring the vexed question of the future of resident lock keepers on the non-tidal Thames into the public spotlight.

Books

Ties that bind man and boat

04/04/201329/12/2013Mort SmithComment(0)

One of the things I’ve always loved about boating is the fascinating array of skills that it has engendered. That includes everything from basic seamanship to weather prediction, from understanding how a diesel engine works to finding the correct technique for sculling.

Archives

Get in touch

To contact Mort, email him at mortsmith32@gmail.com or call him on 01787 226974. He’s always pleased to hear from old friends who provided such a wealth of information and great stories for Riverwatch.

These columns appeared in the Surrey Herald.

Tags

Association of Dunkirk Little Ships Beaulieu boat jumble birds boats book review Canal and River Trust crab Desborough Island Desborough Sailing Club Doug Myers Dunkirk D’Oyly Carte Island Environment Agency fish fishing Floods historic boats Jenny Beagle lock keepers London International Boat Show paintings Project Kraken Queen Mary Sailing Club Richmond Venturer River Thames Boat Project river users groups rowing Royal Yachting Association safety sailing Second World War Shepperton Shepperton Marina Sunbury and Shepperton Local History Society Surrey Police swimming Terra Nova Thames21 Thames islands Walton Bridge Walton Yacht Company Weather Weybridge Ladies Rowing Club Weybridge Sailing Club wildlife
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