And Just Been...
PLA Public Meeting
Jan and Leslie Ferber represented the club at the PLA public meeting on 26th February. Sewage matters came up several times ! There is to be a new by-law from January 2015, making it an offence to discharge any sewage into the river (not clear whether this will cover all waste water discharges, or only toilet waste).
There were complaints to PLA about the extended periods of draw-down in the Richmond area in recent years - they do not envisage these being longer than 4 weeks per year in the foreseeable future.
Adverse reactions were given to Richmond Council's proposed by-law preventing any boats stopping in a wide local area - this is apparently intended to discourage 'water gypsies', boats squatting on odd bits of riverbank - but it could lead to problems for boats in trouble needing to moor in emergencies etc. The PLA spokesmen seemed to think that this by-law will turn out to be largely unenforceable, particularly as the Council do not own large segments of the land involved
Any boat skippers getting into trouble on the tideway were urged to report their situation to London VTS, in the interests of safety. The PLA people emphasised several times that one of their prime concerns/objectives is the safety of navigation on the Thames.
A Curry Social
Members headed to the Cinnamon Lounge in Isleworth for a curry on 27th February. Great company and a good curry and fortunately nobody was in a hurry!
Marina News
Brentford Marina has been busy gearing up for the summer. To ensure that there is always somebody to man the lock, even when Steve and Andy are away, two relief lock keepers are joining the team. We are pleased to welcome back Derek Jones, who looked after the marina for a number of years before retiring in 2011 and Ian Proberts who will also be helping out.
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Ian Proberts will be manning the locks when Steve and Andy are away
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Jan and Charles have been hard at work turning the beer cellar below the former Residents Bar into a clubroom for berth holders. With a dividing wall now demolished and a large picture window created, the room is taking shape nicely. It still needs a coat or two of paint, but will be be a fantastic addition to the marina when complete.
Meanwhile, Steve has just ordered a huge skip so that he and Andy can start to clear the warehouse to create usable storage space for dingys, trailers etc, which will be available to rent from Brentford Dock. Please contact the lock keepers for further details.
The outside pontoon has been taken away to MSO Marine for repairs this week. All being well it should be back in place in a couple of weeks.
If you want to avoid the sailing club regatta's when you take to the water this summer, they are listed on the PLA's Annual Sailing Event Calender published on Notice to Mariners M3 of 2013
