Quote:

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what guidance can the team give on his plan....
moorings fees
availability of permanent moorings
suitable establishments for refreshments....I am on board occasionally ....
cruising grounds (ok....buy the book/guide.....yes when has decided to go he will)
Fuel....petrol....?

Doug

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Here goes:-
Mooring fees - astronomic £400 /metre /p.a. for the best places, and not much less elsewhere.

Permanent moorings. Very few, already full. buy a property with waterside frontage.

Most marinas are pretty busy. Try the Caravan Park People who are buying all the marinas they can get - and stuffing up the prices.

Eating - well, scan this forum.
Book - My recommendation is The River Thames Book by Chris Cove Smith, published by Imray. All books are always out of date but this has useful navigation data. Nicholson's Guide if you want bits of an OS map.

Now the challenges:-
Not a lot of Petrol around, Shepperton, PH?, Windsor, , Bray, then zilch until Abingdon. Plenty of garages around but may face supply problems with jerrycans (Petroleum regs) and portage challenges.
May have bridge height problems at Windsor, Cookham and certainly Abingdon.

He'll need to have lots of fenders,
Skipper and crew must be able to throw mooring lines accurately.

Class distinction (boat only) is rife, perceived order is:-

Dunkirk veterans
EA patrol launches, especially if the driver is that jolly lady one
Elderly traditional boats, but in good condition
Large White Boats
Smaller white boats
Small white boats
Ex EA launches - if wearing a huge Blue
Narrowboats
Modern "dutch barges"
day boats
eights
RWD coxed fours
FWD coxed fours
pairs
single sculls
coaching boats
French's trip boats (some)
Turks trip boats
Reading trip boats
Unlicensed boats
Liveaboards in stretched narrowboats
Forum members (well not many fly the burgee, and anyway it looks too much like the Caravan Park people's burgee)

Notes:-
The list may get modified in the light of experience and comments
Cancel all or any of the above if the skipper / crew are friendly and chat to you in a lock.
Unusual national Ensigns / unknown CY Ensigns always get comments, enquiries.

Well, if this is a troll there surely enough ammunition here!

TaRa