I don't normally get too worked up about this type of post. In fact I agree that all boat owners should show respect to other users and if this means slowing right down so be it. But the original post which I've quoted has stirred up a number of inaccurate and damaging responses.

Let me give some facts. The club mentioned by a number of posters i.e. TMYC had been to St Kats last weekend. They came back up river in three flotillas. One on Saturday, of which I was part. There were three boats in total, two of which are 30ft displacement craft and one larger vessel. The second and third flotillas came back on Sunday The first of these arrived at Hammersmith Bridge at 1330, therefore they could not have been the offending craft. The second flotilla consisted of two TMYC boats and a number of none TMYC boats. None of the TMYC boats has a dark blue or black hull. The two TMYC boats did not cause any adverse wash as they passed through Putney. However they were followed by three other craft, note that they were not TMYC, one of these boats was a very large craft with a high fly bridge, perhaps he was trying to get to Hammersmith before he lost the headroom. But that is not the responsibility of the TMYC. Byron keeps referring to an incident which occurred at the ATYC rally some years ago. What a memory he must have. I too was at that Rally as a member of another club, but that was about seventeen years ago and three boats ago. Does he think that it was the same boaters on Sunday as those who attended the ATYC rally all that time ago?

It should be remembered that the laws of defamation and libel apply equally to the internet. Before slinging mud one should ensure that ones allegations are accurate, with the facts not in dispute. I quote a piece I Googled before writing this post.
1. What are defamation and libel?

Defamation is any published material that damages the reputation of an individual or an organisation. This covers material on the internet as well as radio and television broadcasts - so even drama and fiction can be defamatory if they damage someone�s reputation. You can only publish defamatory material if it comes within one of the recognised legal defences. If it doesn�t, the publication will amount to libel and you may have to pay substantial damages.

Libel online

Slander is 'defamation by word of mouth'
Internet sites are not exempt from any libel laws. If you are publishing on the internet you are bound by the same libel laws as print publishers.

In a significant ruling in 2002, the Australian high court ruled that mining magnate Joseph Gutnick could sue publisher Dow Jones under Australian law for alleged libel online. The judge deemed that the web was no different from newspapers or television.

In the UK, internet service providers are coming under increasing pressure to close sites containing defamatory allegations. You also have to be careful about the comments others post on your site. There have been cases where individuals have sued online publishers for libel over customer book reviews published on their sites.

BTW, the hull of my boat is dark blue, but I returned on Saturday not Sunday.

Oh! and while I'm thinking of it. There is a photo of a very pretty red ensign and a jackstaff with a rooster on top published on Thames Thread. Is that a large wash I spy behind the ensign?