RIBing on the Tidal Thames

[taitharris]

Just moved to Richmond-upon-Thames and need somewhere to keep the boat. Need to also know about the various rules relating to river use, places I can come ashore in Central London and any other great bits of local knowledge. Would really be grateful for any help you can offer.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by taitharris

Just moved to Richmond-upon-Thames and need somewhere to keep the boat. Need to also know about the various rules relating to river use, places I can come ashore in Central London and any other great bits of local knowledge. Would really be grateful for any help you can offer.

This will get you started

[Harrys Game]

Was looking at this myself on both the tidal and non tidal. Launching does not appear to be a problem but I cannot find visitors fees anywhere. Any help gratefully received. Regards Jim

[steco1958]

Why not try phoning the PLA then, they shou;ld be able to help

Port of London Authority

[Harrys Game]

Yep that is going to be tomorrows morning job, I just thought some one on here might know some information. Regards Jim

[vjmehra]

In short the PLA make it very clear you are not welcome, personally I wouldn't bother calling them, you are better off trailing through here and the Thames forum on ybw.com.

In simple terms you can't go above 8 knots between Teddington and Wandsworth, 12 knots between Wandsworth and Margaretness. Then theoretically there is no limit down to the coast (aside from standard etiquette).

You can launch in Galleons Reach marina, although you will need to pay for the slipway and a locking fee (both ways) I believe. It may be worth trying Greenwich yacht club, although I'm not sure of the state of their slipway (it may be fine, I have no idea).

There looks to be a place right by Chas Newens marine, I'm not sure if its anything to do with them and/or whether its available to the public, but I know if you're oil light starts flashing you can beach there and run in to get some more :-)

Aside from that its mainly all common sense really, there is a lot of traffic and the currents can be quite strong, so life jackets are a must, along with a VHF if at all possible, oh and an anchor!!

I would also suggest taking spare fuel as there is basically nowhere to fill up!

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by Harrys Game

Was looking at this myself on both the tidal and non tidal. Launching does not appear to be a problem but I cannot find visitors fees anywhere. Any help gratefully received. Regards Jim

No fees on the tidal Thames. Non tidal is administered by the Environment Agency who charge based on a combination of length and beam. For a small RIB a short term licence appears to be £11 for a day, £12 for a week, £42 for a month

https://www.gov.uk/government/collec...lication-forms

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by taitharris

Just moved to Richmond-upon-Thames and need somewhere to keep the boat. Need to also know about the various rules relating to river use, places I can come ashore in Central London and any other great bits of local knowledge. Would really be grateful for any help you can offer.

As vjmehra says, the tidal Thames is not very RIB friendly with low speed limits and very few stopping places. It's worth doing once or twice for the experience, but the novelty is likely to wear off quite quickly to be honest.

You can launch a small RIB at Petersham, which is handy for Richmond River Lane Slip, Richmond London[slipway] - Boatlaunch or if you want somewhere nearer to central London then Putney is a popular choice Putney Hard London[slipway] - Boatlaunch

There are good visitor moorings at Chiswick Pier, but after that there isn't much. You'll probably get away with mooring on the inside of the pier at St Katherine Docks for a short stop while you have a rather average lunch at the Dickens Inn (or get food from Waitrose round the corner!).

If you've got the time and fuel then it's worth heading further, past the O2 and through the Thames Barrier. There's not really very much to see after that, unless you like bleak semi-industrial landscapes.

Living in Kingston, the best place to keep your RIB is probably in Portsmouth or Southampton!