Hickling Broad

[Poppy]

On 06/01/2017 at 10:42 AM, Vaughan said:

Just another thing - you may see a red and white striped post and this is a "middle ground" marker which is where two channels divide, so you go either side of it. On some rivers it will indicate a channel either side of an island.

 

I thought that was where gentlemen got their hair cut - along with 'something for the week end'.

[Poppy]

23 hours ago, Vaughan said:

Just in case you ever take a boat on a river in France, watch out, as the French, being French, do it the other way round! They work out their buoyage by "going with the flow" of the current down the river (which is why it is called a "fleuve"). This is also why, in Paris, the area to the south of the Seine is called the Rive Gauche, or left bank. To us, it would be the right bank!

Luckily for us, they also paint the buoys in opposite colours so that, for them, a red buoy is a right hand mark but for us, it is still a left hand mark. 

There is nothing quite like the French. . . . .

Except, based on that the Americans....

[ExUserGone]

15 hours ago, 16E said:

I did once go up the Beaulieu River to Buckler's Hard and the lateral markers were big twigs called 'withies'.

The ore/alde is good fun up to snape maltings, Mmmmm now is it port or starboard that has the plastic milk bottle on the top of the twig???? Local rules can be far more confusing.

[Timbo]

Here's an idea that might also stop folks whittling on about diesel pollution, dredging and the like. We convert The Broads to a vast solar powered tow boat fairground ride just like the Story Book Canal Boat ride at Disneyland Paris.

Each boat is hooked up to an underwater drive cable system that defines where the boat travels and at what speed. There would be no more complaints about after hours cruising as the system, being solar powered, would shut down after dark. No need to dredge as the boats run in six inches of water. No one would have to think, Pluto Packman from the Fairy Towers could put up info boards on all the latest fantasy cobblers coming from the Broadsland Yarmouth Park. They could put the word 'experience' after everything..we could do the St.Benets Experience, the run down Broads Pub Experience...I'm writing to Packman as he's gonna love it, the affinity he has with Mickey Mouse and all that!

[Arthur]

Careful Tim,

Many a true word spoken in jest.

JP may just take the suggestion and run with it.

 

[riyadhcrew]

BUT I CAN'T DRIVE THE WRONG WAY.

[Poppy]

56 minutes ago, riyadhcrew said:

BUT I CAN'T DRIVE THE WRONG WAY.

AND I CAN'T ZIG ZAG ALL OVER THE BL***Y RIVER !

[Gracie]

I BET I RUDDY COULD!  Especially on the Ant on a Saturday afternoon

Grace

 

[Baggywrinkle]

10 hours ago, Broads01 said:

Yes,  but the clearest,  most useful signs on the road are the ones so obvious you don't need the Highway Code to look them up. 

I see no harm in having some signs on the first set of channel markers saying “Keep between Posts” or something similar, but this thread got me thinking what the process would be if the BA actually wanted to make any changes:

Firstly there would be a committee decision to “do something”. No doubt a sub-committee would be formed with a budget and be asked to come up with a recommendation. This sub-committee would meet and over many months would eventually propose its terms of reference, which it would submit to the main committee for approval. This would be given and the construction of the sub-committee reviewed to ensure that there was a good balance of the necessary experts and interested parties represented. The real work would then begin with ideas being generated perhaps including guano repellent paint, mounting the marker posts on springs so if they are hit by boats no damage to either the post of the boat is done and the post pops back up afterwards, perhaps lights on posts or sound signals, etc.. These are sifted and discussed with other authorities, reviewed and eventually 3 proposals are defined and then a 6 month consultation process ensues where the general public are invited to see models, virtual reality mock-ups and full implementation plans. The results are created and condensed into a 300 page document which is then submitted to the main committee.

The recommendation? Unfortunately, the original budget is now not sufficient to implement any of the three proposals, so the project is scaled back and the decision is to write an advisory letter to the hire companies suggesting they put a note in the cabins of their boats saying “In a marked channel keep between the posts”.

[batrabill]

Ah... an imaginary response to an unworkable idea. 

 

Yes, the BA have really dropped the imaginary ball on this one. 

[JennyMorgan]

Baggywrinkle, you seem to have mastered the inner workings!

[JennyMorgan]

The comments that boats should keep between the posts regretfully don't provide a workable solution. How often do we see boats keeping between two red or two green posts and then promptly running aground? We are talking people here.

As for the cost of providing more posts, oh dear, when the Authority installed that famous yellow post on Breydon it cost, I believe, in excess of £60,000.00 for just that one! We must be careful what we wish for.

[johnb]

1 hour ago, Baggywrinkle said:

I see no harm in having some signs on the first set of channel markers saying “Keep between Posts” or something similar, but this thread got me thinking what the process would be if the BA actually wanted to make any changes:

Firstly there would be a committee decision to “do something”. No doubt a sub-committee would be formed with a budget and be asked to come up with a recommendation. This sub-committee would meet and over many months would eventually propose its terms of reference, which it would submit to the main committee for approval. This would be given and the construction of the sub-committee reviewed to ensure that there was a good balance of the necessary experts and interested parties represented. The real work would then begin with ideas being generated perhaps including guano repellent paint, mounting the marker posts on springs so if they are hit by boats no damage to either the post of the boat is done and the post pops back up afterwards, perhaps lights on posts or sound signals, etc.. These are sifted and discussed with other authorities, reviewed and eventually 3 proposals are defined and then a 6 month consultation process ensues where the general public are invited to see models, virtual reality mock-ups and full implementation plans. The results are created and condensed into a 300 page document which is then submitted to the main committee.

The recommendation? Unfortunately, the original budget is now not sufficient to implement any of the three proposals, so the project is scaled back and the decision is to write an advisory letter to the hire companies suggesting they put a note in the cabins of their boats saying “In a marked channel keep between the posts”.

Welcome! I'm afraid you left out fact finding trips to warmer climes between October and March, especially any countries that have few areas in common with The Broads.