Last year in this column, I wrote that I thought the authorities should introduce a mandatory test and a licence of competence before anyone was allowed to take a boat out on the water – and several people jumped down my throat, berating me for proposing to introduce more bureaucracy into our leisure time.
I love this time of year on the river. It doesn’t really matter whether it’s a bright, crisp autumn day or a dull, misty morning, the Thames has its own very special moods.
