Bonnie goes to London – Kings Lock (Oxford) to Days Lock (Dorchester)
1st day on the Thames.
Snuck on last night and overnighted at the moorings at Kings Lock.
The rain started just after I left Decathlon last night. By the time I cycled back to the boat, I was soaked, so another night drying my clothes out on the fire.
So what…. The boat felt really snug in the rain.
Had a shower with all the hot water, and went to bed.
Woke up around 5.
EA River Cruising Licence
Got things rolling about 9. By about half past, I was looking at setting off.
Just as I popped out to set the locks, the lock keeper arrived,
When you move from the canals onto the rivers in the UK, you move within a different jurisdiction. All powered vessels have to register with the EA (environment agency).
This isn’t a long process. I did it with my lock-keeper this morning. Took about 10 mins.
You just need to give some details of the
- Length of vessel
- Home address
- Phone number
- Number of nights staying on the Thames
For this and the fee, they issue you with a little sticker which you can put in your window. It’s got the expiry date and the number of nights you’re valid on the Thames for.
If you don’t get this, it’s likely you’ll make it to the next manned lock before you’ll have to get one.
Like the buoyancy aid, it’s one of the requirements of navigating on the Thames.
They also issue you with a paper licence, like the one below.
