Firstly, thanks for all the kind messages regarding my impending move to the East Coast. It’s much appreciated and I’m delighted that so many people enjoy Riverwatch – I hope I’ll be able to keep it going.

What a beautiful weekend we’ve just enjoyed. Temperatures up into the high teens, wall-to-wall sunshine and memories of that abysmal winter rapidly vanishing into a distant haze.

I've always had a real soft spot for historic ships and boats. Vessels that hark back to an era when Britain really did rule the waves and when craftsmanship was something to be proud of rather than regarded as old-fashioned.

Most of us who own and use pleasure craft on the Thames have complained over the years about the steep increases in the cost of launch licences levied by the Environment Agency and its forebears.