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07.12.2018

New Thames guides are river user must-haves for 2019

Publication coincides with confirmation that sporting events on the river more than doubled in 2018

Two guides to the Thames, newly published by the Port of London Authority (PLA), (7 December) are must-have Christmas gifts for all users of the river’s tidal stretches.

  • The Recreational Users’ Guide, updated for 2019, is the definitive reference point for all things related to safety on the river’s 95-mile course, from Richmond in Surrey out to the North Sea.
  • The latest Tide Tables & Port Information is a pocket guide to the daily ebb and flow of water levels on the river over the next 12 months.

Up to six free copies of the new Recreational Users’ Guide are available by emailing: [email protected].

The tides leaflet can be ordered via the PLA Shop, (http://www.pla.co.uk/About-Us/Shop), at a cost of £3 per copy, including post and packaging.

Both documents are mailed free of charge to members of the Tidal Thames Navigators’ Club. Applications to join can be made via the website www.boatingonthethames.co.uk. There is no subscription fee.

Publication of the guides coincides with the news that in 2018 the number of sporting events staged on the river more than doubled, rising to 347 from 157 in 2017.

Darren Knight, the PLA’s harbour master with responsibility for recreation on the river from Thamesmead in the east to Teddington in the west said: “It’s been a vintage year for sporting activity on the Thames.

“Alongside long-established favourites, such as the University Boat Race in March and the world’s oldest rowing race, the Doggett’s Coat and Badge Wager, in September, it has been particularly encouraging to see a growing number of sporting enthusiasts, both amateur and professional and from all walks of life, making the most of all that the river has to offer.

“A personal highlight for me was the spectacle of more than 300 vessels from around the world competing in the biggest-ever Great River Race this autumn.

“In 2019 we will continue to work towards our Thames Vision 2035 goal of further increasing public participation in sports events on and by the river. It’s an increasingly popular resource that can make a real difference to the quality of life for Londoners and visitors alike.”

Five new case studies of clubs offering members of the public opportunities to sample water sports on the river are also now available on the PLA’s Vision website (http://www.pla.co.uk/About-Us/The-Thames-Vision):

  • The AHOY Centre (Greenwich)
  • Benfleet Yacht Club
  • The London Cornish Pilot Gig Club (Richmond)
  • Fulham Reach Boat Club
  • Westminster Boating Base

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Enquiries:

Nick Tennant (07784 208074), or Gareth Dorrian (07711 640099).

Follow us on Twitter: @LondonPort Auth

Notes for editors:

The PLA works to ensure navigational safety along the tidal Thames, sharing its marine, environmental, planning and other expertise to promote use of the river and safeguard its unique marine environment.

  • The tidal Thames is one of the UK’s busiest waterways and is home to the country’s second biggest port by tonnage of goods handled.