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batrabill

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Posts posted by batrabill

  1. 36 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

     

    There is a risk of this thread becoming a bit toxic, so I choose my words carefully.

    I think we can agree that the broads was at it's busiest from the mid 70s to the mid 90s, and by busiest I mean the most boats out at any one time.

    In that era, the delicate ecosystem (or whatever anyone cares to call it) was not destroyed. A return to the clearances of those day would cause an increase of traffic but surely not quite to the levels of those busy days.

    Does that not logically mean then, that the "delicate ecosystem" would remain equally undestroyed or even possibly even less destroyed if the clearance was restored.? (Ok, maybe I didn't choose my words so carefully there)

    The argument and documentation talking of general water levels having risen is one I will refrain from commenting on until I've read the document with more care. I'm not in denial about climate change but do wonder if some people/organisations might not use it as an excuse of convenience. "Proper dredging" of the lower Bure is without a doubt far more expensive than not dredging, and the BA's remit does mention something about "maintaining the navigation".

    If the problem is climate change alone, nobody would expect the BA to do much about it. But, if dredging the lower river as it used to be dredged minimises the effects of the rising sea levels, then I would say it would be the BA's responsibility to do so. (and that's me not making comment !!)

     

    If the mean sea level has risen by any amount, let’s say 4” for arguments sake, then to compensate the BA would have to dredge the entire system by 4” on average. 

    This is a totally different thing from dredging in an area to remove ‘humps’ that build up over relatively short periods. 

    Dredging in a small area is very unlikely to affect the river system as a whole and quite possibly will have unintended consequences. 

     

    • Like 1
  2. Isn’t there only one answer to the question of how to lower the average height under Potter Heigham bridge?

    You have to lower the water level in the whole system. That means from Yarmouth to Horsey. 

     

    In in regards to Expilots point about not raising the banks, wouldn’t the “filling in” of gaps to the previous level have a significant impact?

    Is that what you meant Marshman? Like filling a small leak in a boat. 

  3. The RNLI says it turned over £163 million in 2018.  What is an appropriate salary for the chief exec?

    If I remember rightly the BA turns over £6m and the CEO gets about £100k. 

    The RNLI chief exec was himself a volunteer and had a senior position at a bank

    I think sometimes this forum comes across as being populated by naive people who cannot accept how the world works.

    A budget in the 9 figures requires a command of finance over most other considerations. I’d do the job for £30k but they’d be idiots to hire me.  

     

    • Like 3
  4. On 16/09/2019 at 09:25, Poppy said:

    If you are genuinely angry because the RNLI have been spending a small proportion of their large income in preventing children from drowning because these were not in the UK, there s a massive void where your soul would normally be !

    It's always amazing how compassion is inversely proportional to distance. Im very proud that my contributions might have an impact in saving lives, why would I be upset if that was foreign lives that were being saved.

     

    You have to admit that if you unhappy with this money being spent, you are also happy that people die who could have been saved.

    Not a good look.

    • Like 6
  5. Oh Lordy people are in for a shock. 

    Essentially, as I understand it, all the current laws and regulations will be taken into UK law en masse   

    This is so the world doesn’t stop while new laws are written

    So on many many many levels nothing will change  

    Except of course whatever Government is in is going to have to find billions to pay for this **** show so expect life to get more expensive  

     

    • Like 5
  6. Q , nicked this picture from EastCoastIPaA

    Lots of people entered this section close to the wooden motor cruiser far right. From there I'm pretty sure the words Guard ship are invisible, so hugging the starboard side of the river they saw the guard ship as the went level with it. The Guard ship then indicated the transit line with an arm - its to where the camera is.

    I'm not complaining, just think it could be better. I've done the mark further down the river, and a mark, not transit line on this years transit line, so pretty much everyone looked confused and it was about as difficult as river sailing gets.

    IMG_2563.JPG.b55727486ae26f8be2a0ce4ddfe17aa1.JPG

  7. Technically yes Q, but technically I’m sure none of them could hear it. 

    It wasn’t a matter of rules of sailing in the narrow section at the top of the Ant. The rules of sailing assume, essentially, that there is enough water to allow all boats to pass. If there isn’t then a sensible skipper would turn round. In the narrow section at the top of the Ant you can’t turn round. We saw more than one example of two boats together going UP at speed. , three boats tacking DOWN very slowly and a hire boat in the middle. Impossible to resolve without contact  

     

    But it was the most fantastic spectacle and I have nothing but admiration for all the skippers including the hire boat skippers who even if they had been warned (and I know that at least one who picked up from Stalham wasn’t told anything) did their best in extraordinary circumstances  

     

    I have an interest as next year I will be doing it in our new boat  10 feet longer than any I’ve competed in before  

    Brown trousers anyone?

     

    • Like 2
  8. I was standing right there, and it was carnage.

    The boats going up the Ant like A-raters were doing what? 7 or 8 knots? The boats going down were tacking in a width of 4 boat widths. The A-rater arrived to find a hirer on the right hand side of the river (the hirers right hand side) who had just turned the corner to find what must have been his worst nightmare, he slowed to a crawl sensibly. The A-rater saw 2 competitor boats coming towards him out side the motor boat, so he took the only line he could, between the motor boat and the left bank. There was just enough room but he didn't or couldn't  sheet in enough and his boom remained with the motor boat, taking a chunk of his very expensive sail, and then went straight to the bottom of the river.

     

    Just a note for Q since you are a wise and trusted member of the Horning team, and I expect will read this, if you look in the pictures you can see the Guard ship is clearly marked, but, this was invisible as you entered the basin before the bridge. The other end on the transit lime was a pole with a round red thing on the top about the size of a bagel. We stood on the corner and after hearing pretty much every boat shout "where's the line???" we called out directions. The Guard ship could have been much more visible and the end of the transit line could hardly have been LESS visible. At one point 3 large hire boats were queuing across the transit line and the biggest cheer of the day went to a half-decker who had to steer a very tricky course between all of them. 

    It's worth also noting that the Guardship also calls out at that moment, "Race number please"

    I would have been very sympathetic to anyone who replied "Go forth and multiply, I'm trying not to crash"

    Since we saw about 20 crashes in the hour we were there I think for safety reasons it would be helpful to have the Guardship clearly visible from the turn and the transit line indicated by something about 3 foot wide? 

    • Like 2
  9. Just a reminder that Ludham Open Gardens is just 18 days away. Sunday 23rd June

    There really is such a lot to do. Three new gardens this year, so 18 in all.

    A huge Classic Car show.

    Boats galore! A Wherry (perhaps 2)

    Ferries running everywhere on Womack.

    Llamas, giant tortoises, Artists painting, Hog roast, Pies, BBQ, Cream Teas, stalls, Tiger Moth flights.

    A brilliant day out. Boaters can moor either in Womack Dyke or on the public Staithe, but better get there early, it will be popular.

    • Like 1
  10. Q, am I right in thinking that going to Hickling first only worked for the very fastest boats - punts and A-raters?

    Looks like a number of fast boats got stuck past Acle having gone to Hickling first???

     

    BTW was fantastic viewing this year. Ludham bridge was carnage. Last years winners lost their boom and a chunk of their sail right in front of us. 

  11. 1 minute ago, MauriceMynah said:

    I don't live on the broads (sadly) so how the merry whatsits could I know for whom I should vote (assuming I don't have Peter telling me who!)

    Ah... that is a scary outcome. 

  12. 54 minutes ago, Poppy said:

    Simple. One vote for each Broads registered boar owner. New to the broads adds the right to vote, whilst leaving the Broads or giving up Broads boating immediately disenfranchises the individual.

    So, if I register a canoe I get a vote, but if I own a house on the river, but don't own a boat, I don't get a vote???? 

    There is no possible way of having elections to the Broads Authority which resolve these issues with it in its present form.

    You could have boaters representation on the Nav committee elected but I have never seen an explanation of who the electorate is for the wider authority.

    Lots of calls for an elected body, but much like another thorny issue we are all struggling with that begins with B, it's easy to say you want something, but then you have to make it work.

    42 minutes ago, EastCoastIPA said:

    You own a boat, you get a vote, it doesn't matter where you live because the BA (or as it should be, Navigation Authority) only manages the navigation and not the land around it.

    A slimmed down Broads Authority does seem possible, but are you saying ONLY boaters get a say? What about everyone else?

    There is more to the remit than just the right of navigation. Anglers, walkers, bird watchers, kite flyers, swimmers, dog owners, cat owners, businesses, everyone - but they don't get a vote???

    Lots of powerful voices there who are never going to let that happen.

    On 21/04/2019 at 10:00, JennyMorgan said:

    Bill, a toll payer is a toll payer where ever they live. People who live here are, by definition, resident in the catchment area. As a local I might have two votes, one for a representative for me as a toll payer and another for a representative as me being a resident. Nothing can ever be perfect although I suppose my address could be used to limit me to just one vote. The principle of a democratic input to the Authority is only right and proper, how we go about it is probably not going to be so easy. 

    This seems the most plausible - but I can't think of any system where someone gets 2 votes, so 1 vote for either residents, OR boaters, just one vote each.

    But if you leave the planning function with the BA, I have that pesky canoe owner having influence on my planning application on my house through his/her vote. Sounds a bit odd, no?

    If you remove the planning function then the house owner is simply in a County Council. Since the river isn't just the bank, doesn't my neighbour who doesn't have river access have no rights even though he is only 50 years from the river?

    Complicated innit?

     

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