Cruiser Sailing Without Lights, Shock Horror, Lifeboat Called!

[JennyMorgan]

I don't know the facts of this one and I rather think that neither the newspaper nor the Coast Guard does either. Apparently a cruiser was sailing in the dark, oh dear, does that really warrant a lifeboat? Illegal, arguably wrong, but it's been going on for years. Since Humberside Coastguard took over from Gorleston, so far this year, there has been a call out for a boat that had been swamped several days earlier and now for one that didn't have its lights on. Perhaps it's too easy, with a mobile, to call the Coastguard? Whoopee, I've got an excuse to dial 999!!! Without further information I do have mixed feelings about this one. Archant really don't appear to have put much effort into their report.

http://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/news/hemsby_lifeboat_responds_to_report_of_cruiser_sailing_without_lights_1_4692193

[Guest]

So they didnt find it then? Probably mudweighted by the time they got there. Who called the coastguard for that anyway?

To then go on about kids on the water. What were they in or just on cruisers on holiday? Why is a kids life more valuable than an adult or were all the adults wearing lifejackets? If you want to put a message out then put it to all boaters.

Rubbish journalism and not worth a report or a lifeboat callout. Sounds like Hemsby trying to justify being called out when they may have been needed elsewhere. They do a great job but need to deal with real emegencies and not just people caught out by official sunset times when it was still light anyway.

[ChrisB]

According to the radio they were lost!

[gareth22]

Seems to be more and more hire craft moving after they should. We were passed by a few on Saturday evening near how hill. I always remember being told by Royalls about being moored up in good time when we hired from them. 

[Chelsea14Ian]

Yes some people  push there luck boating  close to dark.As Peter  said no need for a lifeboat however

[Vaughan]

Yes.

I have just read this article on EDP24. Things have changed over the years, haven't they Peter?

Sounds as though Richardsons had a busy turn round and hadn't managed to finish all their trial runs before 6PM. I remember Easter Saturday one year when I worked there and some people were so insistent on getting away from the yard to start their holiday, we were taking them down to Sutton Staithe and mooring them up with a torch. Then a van would come to run us back to the yard. I hasten to add that this was when the Richardson family didn't own the yard!

Yes we all know this shouldn't happen, but what is the coastguard supposed to do about it? There could have been an accident but there wasn't, and no-one was hurt.

Take the number and report it to the BA if you wish, but never shine a torch at them as a form of protest. This will ruin their night vision and then they might well have an accident.

[Gracie]

Surely if someone makes a call to a lifeboat station it has to be investigated, if it was ignored and treated as just another 'stupid hirer' doing something they shouldn't and something terrible was to happen, won't the lifeboat crew's be the dregs of society then. It seems to me that Hemsby Crew can do nothing right. All life is precious whether it's an adult, child or family pet, if I thought for one minute that my family were in danger out on the water I wouldn't hesitate to call them, knowing they would attend almost immediately would give me peace of mind when I am next out on the rivers, well done Hemsby and all the brilliant work you do

Grace

 

 

[Polly]

Yes, Gracie is right, it's a call out so they go, end of. Should they have been called is a different matter.

[Wussername]

I expect that in the fullness of time there will be an incident and will involve a difficult and costly response. I expect most will struggle through. Some however will not which is gives sufficient concern for the practice to be stopped.

Andrew

 

[Vaughan]

This has brought back happy memories (perhaps to Wussername as well) of the cry that always went up at Richardsons on a Saturday, from the section leaders:

"Git em orf the yard bor!"

If they're hanging about on the quay they are finding things wrong with the boat but once they've started off, they'll be happy.

That don't matter if they break down on Barton Broad : Git em off the yard!

I am sure things are rather different now!

[Gracie]

I would have been an ideal customer back then for you Vaughan, although wandering round boat yards is one of my favourite things to do, when we hire a boat we can't get out of the yard quick enough, finding fault with a boat, never heard such a thing

Grace

[Wussername]

32 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

This has brought back happy memories (perhaps to Wussername as well) of the cry that always went up at Richardsons on a Saturday, from the section leaders:

"Git em orf the yard bor!"

If they're hanging about on the quay they are finding things wrong with the boat but once they've started off, they'll be happy.

That don't matter if they break down on Barton Broad : Git em off the yard!

I am sure things are rather different now!

The trial run in fact could be group affair, bonding would be a modern term to use. I can remember capturing up all the Magic Gem crews plus a couple of Ultimates and picking out those who seemed to possess a degree of boating awareness. Certainly not knowledge. 

After an introduction into the hidden mysteries of boating, header tanks, bilges and the lavatory system the privileged holiday maker from each crew was shown how to handle the boat by myself. They all stood behind me, with open mouth, whilst I performed what seemed to them to be a choreographed manoeuvre of turns and reverse mooring techniques. They were stunned, in a trance, by the time the boat was moored. Questions were not encouraged and "having a go was discouraged" (plenty of time for that on Barton)

Interesting to note that if the boat had eight berths, if that what it said on the tin, then that is how many people were on the thing. None of this two people on a boat nonsense. In fact it would never surprise me if other members didn't join the boat at Ludham. Boating was an intimate family occasion in those days.

Us old Norfolk boys were not too worried about that.

So they were cast off. The helm with white knuckles, gazing with intrepidation down the river Ant. Dear old granny was at the stern, in silent prayer. The rest were in the brace position.

Another change around was over. Night time cruising, they wouldn't have dared.

As for the boat yard team, we were in the pub.

Andrew.

[HemsbyPie]

Not really sure where to begin with this as there are so many inaccuracies it’s embarrassing... Fairly sure the quote from Dan is false as we didn’t see any kiddies without lifejackets on. A few adults, but no kids. Also, we did find the offending boats (there were 2 separate parties, not 1 as mentioned in the article). And why they insist on using pictures of our ILB rather than Broads Lifeboat I have no idea… And goes without saying that it was a top job done by the team as per usual 

Edited September 12, 2016 by HemsbyPie
add pictures

[Vaughan]

6 minutes ago, Wussername said:

In fact it would never surprise me if other members didn't join the boat at Ludham.

Indeed they did, but normally at Yarmouth, as the extras came by train!

[Siddy]

We left about 2pm on Friday and with no set plans except we normal stop on a fishing spot before Ludham but this time on the last morning after the bridge on the right. To be honest not a lot came passed around dusk it was more the returning ones. 

There was 2 large bathtubs a bronze and another racing last passed.

[JennyMorgan]

4 hours ago, ChrisB said:

According to the radio they were lost!

I don't suppose that we shall ever know the facts but it does seem to me that, as with the swamped sailing boat, that perhaps it is not the potential casualty that is making the call, rather that it's made by well meaning bystanders.

As for Chris's comment, heaven forbid that people call for help just because they are 'lost', bad enough that people call out the lifeboat for a sunken boat that has been on the bottom for several days. 

Perhaps Hemsby should bill Humber Coastguard for 'frivolous' call outs.

My wife and I did our best to support the Hemsby Lifeboat by having both lunch and tea at their stall at the Yarmouth Maritime Festival, those fried herrings were perfection, but even so I doubt that their funds are finite.

[JennyMorgan]

1 hour ago, Vaughan said:

Indeed they did, but normally at Yarmouth, as the extras came by train!

On Oulton Broad the extras used to join their friends off the nearby Everett Park. Six berthers might end up with ten or more for the week. Two in a single berth was, I'm sure, great fun for an hour or two but surely not for a whole week!  I am quite certain that many hirers had no idea just how narrow hire boat berths were back in the 60's & 70's.

[HemsbyPie]

11 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

My wife and I did our best to support the Hemsby Lifeboat by having both lunch and tea at their stall at the Yarmouth Maritime Festival, those fried herrings were perfection, but even so I doubt that their funds are finite.

On Saturday or Sunday? 

And when was this infamous call-out where the boat had been sunk for several days? I don't recall this one...?!

[Hylander]

I do hope on reading this that we are not going to get an element of ne'er do wells who find it funny to make false calls to the emergency services.      

[JennyMorgan]

2 minutes ago, HemsbyPie said:

On Saturday or Sunday? 

And when was this infamous call-out where the boat had been sunk for several days? I don't recall this one...?!

Saturday, whoever did the cooking did a superb job!

Re that infamous call out, see it here:

 

[JennyMorgan]

Just now, Hylander said:

I do hope on reading this that we are not going to get an element of ne'er do wells who find it funny to make false calls to the emergency services.      

I don't think that that is the case, perhaps more that people are tempted to make calls without checking the facts just because they can. I'm tempted to suggest that some folk regard their mobiles as toys and that any excuse to press a button is to be welcomed.

[Hylander]

3 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

I don't think that that is the case, perhaps more that people are tempted to make calls without checking the facts just because they can. I'm tempted to suggest that some folk regard their mobiles as toys and that any excuse to press a button is to be welcomed.

I know what you mean,  a bit like these people who rock up to A & E with a cut finger looking for a plaster.   When did we become a nation of people who have no common sense or aptitude.      Emergency services are there in case of dire emergency not at everyone's beck and call whenever they feel the whim to dial them up.

 

 

[HemsbyPie]

12 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

Saturday, whoever did the cooking did a superb job!

Re that infamous call out, see it here:

 

I believe it was for a matter of hours, not several days... 

[JennyMorgan]

6 minutes ago, HemsbyPie said:

I believe it was for a matter of hours, not several days... 

Just checked, see here:

17 hours rather than days.

[HemsbyPie]

34 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

Just checked, see here:

17 hours rather than days.

Exactly, so hours rather than “several days”. And I also don’t recall us being called to any jobs where people were just lost? I think a tiny bit of embellishment may be going on…