Riverwatch Mort Smith - Staines and Ashford News

Riverwatch: The boat's a real terra to clean

AGEING cabin cruisers are a little bit like elderly actresses - they can still do the job for which they were originally designed but they need a good deal of make-up before they can take the stage with confidence.Read

Riverwatch: Club's reputation is second to none

There are rowing clubs up and down the length of the Thames and the sight of enthusiastic coaches putting crews through their paces is a familiar one to anyone who regularly takes a stroll beside the water.Read

Riverwatch: Eric's ritual has made him a river legend

Firstly, I'd like to say a sincere thanks to my old mate Roger Jolly who's been ably filling in during my absence - I'll pass on the libel writs as soon as I see him!Read

Riverwatch: yo,ho, ho and a nice cup of coffee...

You can't keep a good man down, they say. So, despite a smattering of requests and libel writs I've bobbed up again, like a bit of stale ship's biscuit in a tankard of rum.Read

Riverwatch: Why I'm hooked on angling

These are the dark days on the river. The close season is here, so for three months my fellow anglers can no longer whet their lines in the hope of a tug and pull.Read

Riverwatch: Who's up for Thames festival?

The Herald & News carrier pigeons have deposited several messages on my desk since my debut appearance as guest writer of this column last week. And nearly all contain the four little words: "Bring back Mort Smith!"Read

Riverwatch: Save these little gems

Ahoy me Herald hearties!Read

Riverwatch: Little tankers' vital role

I've been delighted by the response to my question about readers' memories of the Walton Yacht Company during the 1940s and 1950s.Read

Riverwatch: Spanning the centuries

As the long-running debate over a new bridge to span the Thames at Walton appears to have reached a conclusion, I thought it was about time to take a look at the history of this particular crossing as part of the series of articles focusing on the bridges spanning the river in the Herald & News area.Read

Riverwatch: Kingfisher is a rare but wonderful sight

If you're extremely lucky, you may occasionally glimpse a kingfisher on our stretch of the river – and, if so, treasure the moment because these brilliantly-coloured birds are becoming increasingly rare as more of their habitats are destroyed.Read

Riverwatch: Remembering the Walton petrol run

My articles about the activities of the Upper Thames Patrol during the 1940s seem to have stirred a few of memories with readers.Read

Riverwatch: Time for winter dreams

The reality of going back to work during the long cold winter months is starting to hit home - but, fear not, help to lift the gloom is at hand - the annual trip to the Boat Show.Read

Riverwatch: A year of highs and lows

I was amazed when I came to write this final column of 2008 to realise that I'd been doing it for nearly 12 months - firstly in our now defunct sister paper, the Leader and more recently in the Herald & News.Read

Riverwatch: When Lord Lucan dropped in

It's funny how things can spark all kinds of memories for some folk.Read

Riverwatch: Remedy for disaffected youth

At a time when youngsters are vilified for congregating on street corners and causing problems with antisocial behaviour, many people say there is not enough for them to do. Read

Riverwatch: Des's painful memories

Des Davidson from Shepperton has contacted me about my description of the activities of the Upper Thames Patrol, a branch of the Home Guard during the Second World War that was given the responsibility of defending the locks, weirs and bridges on the river.Read

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