This my final Riverwatch column. After more than seven years and over 300 editions, this wonderful little newspaper is about to close and rather than cling on grimly until the last moment, I’ve decided to bow out gracefully ahead of time.

Two local sailors are to be presented with one of the Royal Yachting Association’s most prestigious awards – the outstanding contribution award to sailing - by HRH the Princess Royal, President of the RYA.

I've often mentioned the activities of the waterways charity Thames21 in this column but I thought it might be helpful to take a closer look at the organisation’s background.

F YOU don’t own a boat, then for many people their only experience of getting out on the Thames is by taking a trip on a passenger launch. The heyday of the Thames passenger launches…

I've been contacted by an old friend - Doug Myers - with concerns about the proposed River Thames Scheme to reduce flooding risks.

You probably wouldn’t think a small shellfish would be much to worry about in the great scheme of things – but then you might not ever have heard of the quagga mussel and the impact it can have when it gets into a waterway.

VE spent most of my life on, in or around the River Thames and it has never ceased to fascinate me – and occasionally I find myself pondering the question: Why? Sometimes I’ve heard people…

VE ALWAYS loved the pleasure boats that carry passengers up and down the Thames and I wrote in a recent column that as a youngster in the 1950s I used to enjoy watching the…

I suppose it’s not surprising that someone like me who loves messing about in boats – either on the river or at sea – has a corresponding interest in the workings of the Corporation of Trinity House.

The royal barge Gloriana, presented to the Queen as a gift to mark her Diamond Jubillee by Lord Sterling and others, has been seeking a permanent home ever since she led the river pageant during the jubilee celebrations in 2012.