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Windsurfing Banned at Farmoor
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G.R.F. View Drop Down
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    Posted: 06 May 11 at 3:54pm
I then had this from the Press Office (Thought I'd do a bit of investigative journo stuff for the bloody column I got conned into writing for boards mag)..

Here you go Graeme, here is our statement: 

"We suspended recreational windsurfing at Farmoor for two days due to windsurfers behaving dangerously over the weekend. Following a meeting with the windsurfing club on Thursday (05/05) we have lifted this suspension as the club has agreed to remind all members of the rules. 

"One particular windsurfer spoke out of turn to a ranger and the club is pursuing its own disciplinary action against this individual. Normally, windsurfers and anglers use this site together without a problem. We were forced to take action as the safety of both the windsurfers and anglers was at risk." 
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alstorer View Drop Down
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Posts: 2899 		Post Options Post Options   Quote alstorer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 11 at 6:11pm
Good to hear that the club and commodore were firmly on the side of the windsurfers (who would presumably be members anyway)
-_
Al
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Posts: 4028 		Post Options Post Options   Quote G.R.F. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 11 at 4:19pm
This just in from the original Boards poster...


UPDATE - BAN LIFTED TODAY!

Just had a message from the Oxford Sailing Club Commodore confirming that the ban has been lifted following a meeting between the Windsurf Secretary and Thames Water.

Just to clarify - the ban was imposed by Thames Water, not the Sailing Club. The Commodore agreed with me that the ban was 'indiscriminate' and was working to get it lifted as soon as possible. Thankfully it was only a couple of days.

I was competing at Weymouth at the weekend so I don't really know what went on. There is occasional 'friction' between the various water users (fishermen, dingies, windsurfers, etc) but no real history of such serious falling out as far as I am aware.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 11 at 11:35am
Originally posted by JimC

Originally posted by GK.LaserII

There must be more to the story if all boarders have been banned

How do you find out who the individual was? Anyone know?
TW staff are not police. They can't arrest someone or even, I suspect, have the right to ask the name and address of the guilty party, even if they were likely to get a truthful answer... But I imagine they are quite happy with sending out the message that if your behaviour is unacceptable you stuff things up for everyone. That means all sailors have an incentive to encourage their peers to behave reasonably, and again, why not? Its a club after all.
 
 
 
What a dull world it would be if we all agreed Smile......I wouldn't advocate punishment of the innocent.
 
No doubt the full story will emerge.
 
 
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Posts: 2899 		Post Options Post Options   Quote alstorer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 11 at 9:42am
Water supply in England hasn't been "public sector" since Maggie turned it into privatised monopolies.
-_
Al
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G.R.F. View Drop Down
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Posts: 4028 		Post Options Post Options   Quote G.R.F. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 11 at 9:13am
Well on the face of it, it is a bit outrageous and Farmoor is hardly a windsurfing Mecca, I just found it strangely ironic that the entire sport and population of us folk when we are in our 'windsurfing mode' are banned because of a silly spat.

Frankly the Ranger could have been shot dead by a windsurfer and a ban on windsurfing would still seem patently ridiculous.

It's is just plain foolishness on behalf of  Public Sector Bureaucracy as usual.


Edited by G.R.F. - 05 May 11 at 9:15am
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JimC View Drop Down
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Posts: 6662 		Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 11 at 8:55am
Originally posted by GK.LaserII

There must be more to the story if all boarders have been banned

How do you find out who the individual was? Anyone know?
TW staff are not police. They can't arrest someone or even, I suspect, have the right to ask the name and address of the guilty party, even if they were likely to get a truthful answer... But I imagine they are quite happy with sending out the message that if your behaviour is unacceptable you stuff things up for everyone. That means all sailors have an incentive to encourage their peers to behave reasonably, and again, why not? Its a club after all.

Edited by JimC - 05 May 11 at 8:56am
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alstorer View Drop Down
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Posts: 2899 		Post Options Post Options   Quote alstorer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 11 at 6:57am

TW do get rent from the sailing clubs that use their reservoirs, but I know from having been a member at a TW member club that there's definitely an attitude amongst part of the organisation that would rather see all of their reservoirs sealed off, with no members of the public allowed to sail, fish, bird watch etc. Some of the rangers (who patrol the sites) are almost certainly part of that faction.

But even still, there HAS to be much, much more to this story.
-_
Al
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 11 at 12:15am
Do thames water make money from people using their lake for sailing?
 
I sail on salty water so I don't know what the financial arrangement would be on lakes.
 
Even if the sailors are paying then obviously they don't have a right to abuse TW staff and individuals should be banned.
 
There must be more to the story if all boarders have been banned.
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Posts: 6662 		Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 11 at 11:18pm
Like quite a few companies I think Thames Water have pretty much a zero tolerance attitude to people abusing their staff when they're doing their job, and why the hell not.
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