[Nothing]

1 minute ago, Jayfire said:

Someone's trying to make something out of nothing 

You can't make something out of nothing, but you can make nothing out of something!

[Congratulations]

To the Chair

[Nothing]

Off course this topic has nothing to do with the Broads, unless it's a group of people with a love of the Broads talking about nothing, but if that were the case, there'd be nothing to read!

[Nothing]

As the great philosopher Parmenides once said, "Nothing comes from nothing"

I deduce from that, that something comes from something! © ecipa

 

[Beware The Yare On The 31st May]

It's amazing how little has changed over time. A piece detailing the troubles of her arrival in Norwich!

Former Swedish Navy fast missile attack craft Vale arrived in Norwich on 1 September to begin a new career as the headquarters ship TS Lord Nelson for Norwich Sea Cadets (SCC). She replaces a historic former lightvessel that has been the cadets’ headquarters for 25 years.
Vale was built by Westermoen at Mandal in Norway in 1978, and was powered by twin MTU diesels developing 7,200bhp giving a speed of 35 knots. She served with the Swedish Navy until 1995 and was purchased by Norwich SCC in Lowestoft 2002. Plans to tow her to her new home were scuppered by Network Rail who welded shut the Trowse railway bridge over the river Wensum thus preventing vessels from passing through until it was reopened earlier this year.

[Jack Fellows And The Missing Boatyard!]

1 minute ago, Kron said:

Do they have to be read in a particular order?

Yes, from the start to the finish

No seriously they are all self contained stories based around a few core characters. I might be tempted to read Waterproof first as that introduces the characters being the first in the series, but Chris is pretty good at setting out who they are in each book without making it repetitive, so any order would be fine.

[Justice Is Done!]

17 minutes ago, Smoggy said:

Maybe Robin could mudweight independence under it and salute the bridge crew.

Just heard on The Beach Radio station that it is stuck open by three inches!!!! So closed to all I'm afraid. Might still concentrate the minds of the relevant authorities mind you!

[Justice Is Done!]

Two in two days. Somerleyton bridge was also stuck open yesterday. They implemented a rail replacement bus until it was fixed. Rumour has it they had a little trouble getting the bus service up and running as all the busses were still fitted with Winter tyres.

[Beware The Yare On The 31st May]

Looking at the story on the EDP website linked to by Islander on the 2nd June, I think they have bigger things to worry about!

The plan is for the ship to be towed from its dock on the River Wensum to Martham Ferry Boat Yard in Great Yarmouth.

Once there it will be stripped and have the hull cleaned before making its way to the banks of the River Deben.

If it can make the river Deben, then a journey down the Yare assuming there is enough depth shouldn't be a problem, BUT how on earth are they going to tow it to Martham Ferry boat yard with out some major alterations to the infrastructure of the Lower Bure

[Beware The Yare On The 31st May]

22 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

I wonder if there is still enough depth for her to be turned in the basin in the old port, near the new footbridge. If not she will have to go stern first right down to Trowse Eye. If there is still enough water there.

The Yare used to be dredged to 12 ft in the days of the sea-going coasters coming up to Norwich but I very much doubt if it has been maintained like that, ever since they built the Norwich southern bypass bridge, and so closed the port.

Luckily, I am not a betting man, or I might be offering odds against her getting any further than Postwick Grove. Or more likely Whitlingham bend, where there used to be a cattle swim and the banks are very shallow on both sides.

Looking at the following, which was last surveyed in 2009 it would appear there is anywhere from 2m to 3.5m. Take off 1m for old shopping trolleys and bikes etc and it could be a bit tight.

http://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/514364/DEPTH__Norwich-Reach.pdf

Whitlingham bend

http://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/766303/DEPTH__Thorpe-Reach.pdf

[England V Tunisia]

7 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

In fairness Jayfire, only the first point (wandering threads) was aimed in your general direction, though I accept that I might not have been clear about that.

My second point

and your reply

I rather think we're in agreement.

Now, go and enjoy your bottled Eurofizz and the game.

Now you see I thought that MM knew a thing or three about beer!! How wrong can one be!

San Miguel beer is actually a pale pilsen, a Filipino pale lager produced by the San Miguel Brewery in 1890.it is the largest selling beer in the Philipines and Hong Kong. San Miguel Beer was introduced in Spain by San Miguel Brewery on 1946. OK it is Spanish owned and also a tad popular in Spain now, so can loosely be termed as Eurofizz

[England V Tunisia]

3 minutes ago, Jayfire said:

That's got nothing to do with what I am saying.

Of course you can reply as a member if you choose to although as has been seen in a number of threads recently if sometimes people chose not to it would be a much better place 

My point is if you hate something so much and choose to try and avoid it at all costs, why choose to go onto a forum and talk about the very thing you are trying to avoid. 

Anyway I said I was stepping away so now I shall. I'm off for a beer to watch the football 

Now I have no interest in what football your going to watch but what beer are you going to be drinking  You can see where my interest lies in this thread

[England V Tunisia]

1 minute ago, Jayfire said:

So many people trying so hard to avoid football that they walk into a football related thread to talk about not wanting anything to do with football.

I hate and can't understand fishing, you all seem so weird and boring. I'm sure I saw a fishing thread though so I'm just off to have a good read and make comments in there 

I don't even know what I'm doing on this forum! I hate The Norfolk Broads and all you do is discuss it. There's more to life than water and boats...…. I think!

[Is Betty1 Due An Apology?]

I agree wholeheartedly that Betty1 deserves an apology for the way the thread got hijacked and then locked.

I wonder if rather than locking a whole thread in situations such as this, would it not be better to sin bin individual members for a number of hours to let them cool off? Leaves the thread open to those that want to contribute on topic.

[Jack Fellows And The Missing Boatyard!]

Just now, vanessan said:

They are all available in Norfolk Marine, Wroxham (sorry Hoveton!). I have seen them in Latham’s PH too. I bought my last one in Norfolk Marine, as I was paying for it Chris Crowther appeared and autographed it for me. A special copy that!

Chris actually lives in Hoveton. His property is on the banks of the main river Hoveton side. I won't say where to protect his privacy. When ordering on the website there used to be a section where you could ask him to sign and dedicate the book. Haven't checked if it's still there now.

There are six books in the Jack Fellows series. As Neil mentioned there is also Bladestrike a book about a helicopter pilot. That appears to have disappeared from the website so is perhaps out of print. I think it was his first book. No surprise really as he spent 42 years flying various aeroplanes and helicopters. He also skippered passenger boats on The Norfolk Broads for 5 years.  

[Jack Fellows And The Missing Boatyard!]

50 minutes ago, keifsmate said:

Took a bit of digging to find it, but here is Hardley Staithe as it used to be. I am afraid I don't have a date for the photo

 

Thanks keifsmate, I knew someone on the forum would have the answers. Interesting photo. Any idea when the hire yard stopped hiring?

I've moored at Langley before and cycled to Hardley, but that was some time ago and don't remember seeing anything that suggested there was ever much there.

Unusually Chris had too many correct places in this book, for there not to be some elements of truth in there being a staithe and boat yard hence my questions.

I've almost finished the book now so you can start a discussion on the plot if you want  Best not though

[Jack Fellows And The Missing Boatyard!]

30 minutes ago, Ray said:

I've never come across these books before, first one ordered for reading onboard!

You should have saved time and postage and ordered the lot  I guarantee you'll order the others anyway at some point.

[Jack Fellows And The Missing Boatyard!]

No it's not the name of a new Chris Crowther book! but I am currently reading "Dead in the water" by Chris and something in the book has prompted a question which I wonder if the Broadland historians might have the answer to? In most of his books Chris is fairly vague about where the plot is actually set and uses artistic license when it comes to the setting for the drama.

This latest book is slightly different in so far as it is a lot closer to the real Broadland scene that we all know and love. Towards the start Andy, sorry Jack Fellows  is returning the launch to its usual patrol area after its Winter refit at the dockyard. Jack is travelling downriver and goes past a pub called The Red Lion, which I deduce is The Reedcutter, formerly The Cantley Red House. He then passes the Cantley sugar factory and then moors alongside a boat at the Hardley windmill mooring and even describes the floating pontoon mooring. Apart from the name of the pub Chris has used no artistic license with any of the places or geography of The Yare. When he leaves the mooring he carries on downriver for a while and then enters a dyke, then passes a village staithe and then goes to a boat yard that used to be a hire boat yard?

Now to my mind that would be Hardley dyke? Now this is one of the very few stretches of water that I have never navigated due to the dyke being narrow and as far as I'm aware there is no public mooring and nothing down there other than the private moorings along the dyke. I know that Langley dyke has a BA 24hr mooring, but this is in the wrong place in the context of the location given in the book. I note from Google maps that there is a staithe road in Hardley, so one assumes that there was once a public staithe at Hardley Dyke? or is there still a public staithe. What has really piqued my interest is whether Chris is using artistic license? or was there ever a hire yard at the end of Hardley Dyke?

Based upon Chris's other books I would have said it is a fictional yard, but most if not all the other landmarks he mentions in this book are there, which got me wondering about the boat yard. He also mentions The Woods end pub, ok I know it is now The Waters Edge. He also mentions The Ferry Inn and the chain ferry and then further down river Reedham itself.

I am still reading the book, and there may be others who have yet to read the book, so please no discussion of the actual plot, or ending, but would appreciate it if the historians could answer whether there is, or ever was a staithe at Hardley, and whether there was ever a boat yard?

[Mud Wherry Cast Off]

Or from someone who does recovery work and has CCTV focussed on their boat and yard to protect it from errant boats racing through the Lower Bure, would be my guess.

[Mud Wherry Cast Off]

4 minutes ago, ranworthbreeze said:

If the boat belongs to the B.A. or one of their contractors no matter who interfered with it, if it has hit other boats and caused damage their insurance company will be liable for any damage.

Regards

Alan

That's exactly how I see it as well. Doesn't matter that the BA were not responsible for it being let go, it was still their insured property that caused the damage. If their policy is anything like mine, it has a due care and diligence clause. So if it could be proved that the BA or their employees had not taken proper care in securely mooring the vessel then the BA property (vessel) itself would not be covered, but damage to other vessels would still be by the BA's insurers. No third party would lose out, only the BA IF they had been negligent.

In the above I'm making no assumptions on what actually happened. 

[Mud Wherry Cast Off]

There's some assumptions being made about the use or not of a chain! I have always seen BA barges moored up with the use of chains where possible, even saw one about two weeks ago being moored at Reedham and chain was used. Is it possible that with all the other ropes off the chain couldn't hold it in the strong current? I believe there are safety chains at Marina Quays, so even if no loops etc they may have chained it to the safety chain, which gave? Was it even moored to the quayside? The dredging crane barge is a few feet out from the quay side where they are dredging and they sometimes leave a barge alongside it ready for the next days work. Would they have chained it if it was alongside their crane? Did someone jump across a gap to the crane and then let the barge go? Did someone arrive in a tender and let the barge go?

I'm sure there will be more to come out and potentially lessons learned.

With regards to insurance then it will be The BA's insurance that will pay. The public liability part of their insurance.

[Time And Tide]

6 hours ago, marshman said:

I would have stopped at GYYS but that was full and in case the guys there seem to delight in charging you £6, even if only waiting for the tide so rather than argue the toss, I just plodded on!

I had a similar situation going South at Easter. Had to wait for the tide to drop a bit and knew from previous experience we would have to pay to wait. However on a recent trip through I took a closer look at the mooring between the yacht station and the rail bridge. I cannot remember the exact wording but it says something like, for use in emergencies, de-masting or for waiting for bridge clearance. I had never noticed that before!

So bear that in mind if your in a similar situation and heading South. Off course if your heading North then you've already done the bridge, so unless your re-masting, or have an emergency then should probably just plod on against the ebb.

[Acle Bridge Vanity Project]

I feel some how very uncomfortable at the BA building a visitor centre right opposite a site where they turned down proposals by The Broadland Boating Company for glamping pods which would have accommodated visitors!!!!

Anyone been past the WRC recently and seen the way the glamping pods and yurts are proliferating there? Now obviously someone knows how to play the system and the other is very new to the game, but the BA do not need to rub the new kid on the blocks nose in it.

Perhaps the BA should go back to being the planning authority and let some one else do the building? I wonder how many people didn't even bother looking at the Acle Bridge site because they thought planning would be such a pain in the you know what and therefore not worth the bother. For the BA to come along and over develop the site would be very bad form in my eyes.

[Somerleyton Bridge Not Operational]

It is my belief that where navigation rights are established they need to be protected, in the same way as established rights of access across open countryside, public footpaths and byways all need to be protected.

I also feel that whilst not as well used as other railways lines the Wherry and Bittern lines are good for the local population as well as an interesting journey for the tourist. This facility also needs protecting but NOT at the expense of the navigation.

I could be wrong, but I don't believe that the current problems with the bridge are long standing historical problems, but are more related to the recent maintenance and refurbishment schedule. Yes the bridge has got old, but they used to be able to manage it and operate it properly a decade or so back. I'm not suggesting that essential safety maintenance is not being done correctly, but who honestly believes that preventative and refurbishment is being carried out?

We have to be very careful in what we ask for, or settle for!!! There is no doubt that the railway serves certain sections of the community very well, and that removing it would involve some very long journeys by road. But, if we stood by, or worse suggest that the rails should be welded and accept that parts of The Broads now become the preserve of those who have "suitable boats designed for The Broads" (what exactly is that by the way? separate discussion I think) then what stops someone from pointing out the obvious that The Yare would benefit from a proper river crossing somewhere around the area where The Reedham Ferry is. How high would such a crossing need to be if the navigation is already restricted by welded rail bridges? What newer and lower restrictions might be applied by a new road bridge. I'm sure the people around that area that use the ferry appreciate it's benefit, but would welcome a faster and free alternative. The inconvenience in that area is as great for some as removing the railway would be for others. Allow any form of blockage or restriction to the navigation and others are bound to follow.  

[Somerleyton Bridge Not Operational]

If you look back through the history of this forum, the initial membership was largely made up of people with boats that needed the bridges to swing and were more often than not of the sea going variety. They came here away from another forum that was not so tolerant of that style of boat.

Strange how things ebb and flow over the years. I still think though that primarily this forum's members are of the view that they would like to see the bridges operate as they were intended, and are not of the weld it shut brigade. As with everything there will be exceptions.

There was some quite vocal threads back in the day with regards to non functioning swing bridges.