SAILING

Introduction

All forms of sailing are seen on the Tidal Thames, from dinghy racing in the Upper River to super yachts in the lower reaches and everything in between. Most yachts will find London Bridge a barrier to further navigation, but there is still much of the Tidal Thames to explore between London Bridge and the Estuary.

The tidal Thames is a unique river, running over 90 miles from the Sea to Teddington, with many varied challenges along its length. In the upper river between Putney and Teddington the channel is narrow with shallow depths, low bridges and many small recreational craft. The middle river, between Putney and the Thames Barrier, is very busy with tugs and tows, fast commuter ferries and day tripping boats all sharing the relatively narrow channel, which is tightly packed with the central London bridges. Once through the Thames Barrier the river widens and changes to a commercial port, with the vessels becoming much larger and constrained to operating within the channel. These differing challenges mean effective passage planning is vital and the information provided here should assist the recreational user in safely navigating the Tidal Thames

Sailors should be aware that local byelaws exist on the Thames that in some circumstances give priority to motor vessels, contrary to what would be normal practice at sea. The guidance on this page covers the entire river, for local information please get in touch using the contact details below.