tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6101490682734992710.post9081641800752899862..comments2022-11-11T13:14:52.691+00:00Comments on Chesterton Rowing Club: The MILF boat [*] goes to townJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646174143519854448noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6101490682734992710.post-23448284700024272972011-11-08T21:48:06.340+00:002011-11-08T21:48:06.340+00:00CS, who knows far more about the tideway than me, ...CS, who knows far more about the tideway than me, says:<br /><br />one bit that worried me a lot - namely your suggestion that people dont need to bother with either wellies or flip flops on the tideway. For the following reasons it is important that you do:<br /> <br />1. On thursday evening thames water dumped several thousand tonnes of untreated sewage into the thames from the sewage works. This happens every time it rains as the old works cannot meet demand but the nimby's claim that expanding the sewage works would be bad for the environment (or rather house prices...) This is not nice to have floating around your feet and potentially lethal if it gets into any cuts.<br /> <br />2. Cuts - there are often a number of discarded needles between the high and low water marks, not to mention broken glass from bottles or pint glasses thrown in from one of the many bars along the embankment (I was in several of them till 3am that morning) these can cause very nasty injuries even before you consider all the fun diseases floating about - especially from the needles.<br /> <br />3. Diseases - about a year ago a double olympic gold medalist contracted Weils disease from a water bourne source - he died. Even the cuts on your calves being exposed to contaminated water could be enough to contract this.<br /> <br />Flip flops are a bare minimum on the tideway and even then you are taking a risk. Cover up all cuts and wear wellies by preference - they do not weigh that much.<br /> <br />I was down there with work from Thursday til Sunday - we insist that they all wear wellies, cover up all cuts, have screwtop water bottles that are not re-used and kept in a watertight plastic bag during all outings, and carry disinfectant hand gel in the boat as well as getting close to the Lady Macbeth standard of handwashing post outing.William M. Connolleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05836299130680534926noreply@blogger.com