So You Can Go Swimming!

[ExMemberBobdog]

43 minutes ago, smellyloo said:

One final request please can we refer to the broads as the broads ... continued use of national park label only serves to fuel discontent and ill feeling amongst members. 

Some members.  Some of us are perfectly happy with the use of the term, and we have the right to express that view, however much some members try to shout us down.

[Bound2Please]

come on this thread isnt about this

[ExMemberBobdog]

1 minute ago, Bound2Please said:

come on this thread isnt about this

He started it sir!

[Wussername]

9 minutes ago, smellyloo said:

I watched a recent TV program of people who regularly swim across the mersey. Im not aware that this resulted in hordes of people taking to regular swimming there. 

May I counter your reply Smellyloo that to the best of my knowledge the Mersey does not attract thousands of holiday makers, young and old, throughout the year.

Andrew

[Guest]

Nothing the organisers have said has changed my opinion in anyway , I still consider it unwise and probably the worst stretch of river to hold it on bar the chet .

It beggars belief that after all BA have said about swimming in the broads rivers they actually sanction this event , their river is not expected to be closed hence that obviously means hire and indeed any boat can overtake the swimmers on a then reduced width of river that's already narrow on places and the possibly of on coming boats , it only takes one person to panic at the helm of a boat and there's a real danger that no amount of safety boats will control .

I can fully understand the wanting to have a broad land event but this is IMO the wrong location and regardless of the risk assessments potentially extremely dangerous ,.

Hopefully if this event goes ahead then it passes without incident , if it doesn't and a serious incident occurred then I'm for one sure glad I held the opinion I hold , the press will have a field day and for all the wrong reasons and what was expected to promote the broads them damages it , I'm sorry if I sound pessimistic but I have seen someone who was mauled by a prop and its very gruesome believe me n quite a few die from that situation , one boater panics n then the whole situation changes , I don't know if that situation will occur but neither do the organisers but in my book its a risk too far .

Right regarding the remark made as in its only for one day , well I'm sorry but I regard that as arrogant , it might well be for one day for the event itself but now the organisers are talking of  sweeping the river with divers and that cannot be done with traffic ie boats traveling along it .

I would love to know exactly what the RNLI , BA ranger's , coastguard actually thing regarding the swims location , no doubt at all they will be involved one way or another and certainly will be risk assessment wise .

[Vaughan]

10 minutes ago, Bobdog said:

and we have the right to express that view,

Indeed you do but not in the context that you used the term this morning, which I saw as flaming.

.

[batrabill]

Much as we all love discussing the NP can of worms shall we leave it out of this issue?

[smellyloo]

Actually Liverpool is a lovely place to visit these days    ...   I think it attracts more visitors than broadland. 

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, Bobdog said:

But that works both ways.  Your right to do your own thing on a boat could be seen as interfering with others right to enjoy their chosen lifestyle of wild swimming.  Why should your pleasure always take priority?

Because there are not 200 Freds???

[Wussername]

7 minutes ago, smellyloo said:

Actually Liverpool is a lovely place to visit these days    ...   I think it attracts more visitors than broadland. 

Boating?

[vanessan]

30 minutes ago, Bobdog said:

But that works both ways.  Your right to do your own thing on a boat could be seen as interfering with others right to enjoy their chosen lifestyle of wild swimming.  Why should your pleasure always take priority?

With all due respect Bobdog, I don’t think you read rightsaidfred’s post properly or perhaps misunderstood it? 

[smellyloo]

6 minutes ago, Wussername said:

Boating?

Ferry cross the mersey lol

 

 

[rightsaidfred]

30 minutes ago, Bobdog said:

But that works both ways.  Your right to do your own thing on a boat could be seen as interfering with others right to enjoy their chosen lifestyle of wild swimming.  Why should your pleasure always take priority?

I am not suggesting anyone should not enjoy wild swimming just that like the majority on here they should choose a more appropriate venue, for most people with boats on the broads they are restricted to the broads, most anglers who bank fish are locals, wild swimming can be undertaken at any suitable venue.

Fred

[Wussername]

2 minutes ago, smellyloo said:

Ferry cross the mersey lol

 

 

You sing it and I'll hum it.

[Maxwellian]

I my old days I used to live on the Wirral, they still talked about Mersey Goldfish..... 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, JanetAnne said:

Well I hope they do manage to pull it off and having been a regular swimmer in the broads for many years I am sat here considering whether to enter!

My biggest concerns are not so much being mistaken for a whale on the event whilst participating but more worried about being harpooned on this forum long before getting to the WRC slipway.

Do we have the same attitude to the London marathon when our enjoyment of our vehicles is restricted for the day or how about the English stages of the tour de France and the traffic restrictions that causes. 

Should I have been lambasted for causing inconvenience to others whilst taking the wherry turn in anger on a Thursday night and preventing free access to the broad to other river users?

I was there on the very first SUP race, there were I think, 8 on the long race and 5 on the short course. They jumped through hoops to make that happen and look at it now. 

Ultimately we are all responsible for our own safety. 

Ultimately we are all responsible for our own safety. 

Sadly not all think that way; in our litigious society; sue, inquiry, blame of others and compensation override that concept. 

[socrates]

48 minutes ago, Wussername said:

May I counter your reply Smellyloo that to the best of my knowledge the Mersey does not attract thousands of holiday makers, young and old, throughout the year.

Andrew

As one who lives on Merseyside, I beg to differ: the Mersey or rather Merseyside, does attract thousands of holidaymakers. I can highly recommend the area to anyone wishing to engage in a variety of cultural, literary, sporting, and artistic pursuits. There is also some very good sailing to be had on the River, it was where I learnt to sail. We have far more than the late Ken Dodd and, (dare I mention them) the Beatles.

You and anyone else would be made more than welcome to this vibrant part of the country.

[JennyMorgan]

I've ploughed through this entire thread, including the organisers response and Bob the Dogs obvious and unnecessary flaming, the little tinker that he is!

Following Mel's justification I am even more convinced  it's a no-no. Very clearly it is a race which means, as has been mentioned, that competitors will be taking the shortest possible route. Tide is also a factor meaning that savvy swimmers will generally be in the middle of the river in order to make effective advantage of the tide. Then we have the issue of rights of way, swimmers don't have any. Now, as a sportsman and generally considerate boater I wouldn't purposely go out of my way to disadvantage a swimmer but equally the safety of both my boat and crew would come first, it has to.  Also a group of swimmers might be involved, I might advantage one but disadvantage another. In other words I'd question whether the Waveney, on a high season Sunday, is suitable for fair competition? 

Now, to another point. Mel invited me on EDP24 to visit her facebook page and raise any concerns which I duly did.  A number of potential entrants have asked, wisely, if the river would be closed to navigation? My response might have been seen as negativity but I would say that it was a wise assessment of the obvious hazards involved and worthy of consideration. Within minutes my response was deleted. I have to say that I think that the organisers are burying their heads in the sand in regard to the obvious hazards in order to ensure that this race goes ahead, not wise, in my opinion.

[MelHolland]

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that I am keeping an eye on this thread, you guys are certainly an active forum! Whilst I would like to answer each concern separately, I’m sure you can appreciate there’s a lot of you and one of me, so I’ll try to address the last lot of concerns raised. And to be clear, I can only respond to questions raised, I can’t stop anyone making assumptions which may or may not be correct. I can only speak for myself as event organiser and I won’t respond to personal remarks.

Look, I know that not everyone will welcome the swim happening, and regardless of how much safety is provisioned, won’t be satisfied. As I mentioned before, we’re here to co-exist with other river users. I already have consulted numerous locals, ones who boat and/or swim regularly in the Waveney, and have done for many years. Not only are the Broads Authority closely involved, so is the Council, the Beccles Charter Weekend, The Waveney River Trust, the Beccles HarbourMaster is also aware.

Outdoor swimmers are a pretty hardy bunch and we know the risks involved with swimming outside, these are ours to take. These include but are not limited to collisions e.g with each other or vessels, interactions with wildlife, hypothermia, hyperthermia, water conditions including weather or quality. Just because I might not have mentioned something specific, doesn’t mean it hasn’t been thought of and addressed.

The average swim time is actually estimated is approx 3.5- 4 hours, depending on entries, the slowest is estimated at 5 hours. We will be starting in waves from approx 8:30am to ensure we maximise the tidal assistance from slowest to fastest.

On water support will all be minimum first aid trained, most will be RNLI lifeguard trained. Motorised water support will likely be boat instructors driving with paramedics on board. And as mentioned previously, even though we’re not registered with governing bodies like Triathlon England or the ASA, we are working to their standards.

I’m also really pleased to hear that some on the forum welcome “swimming tourism”. Quite often swimmers will make a weekend of it, sometimes longer for these events.

Anyway, If you would like to know more, the best way really is to get in contact with me via the website at www.broadsswimming.co.uk. But I will keep an eye on the forum and address what I can, when I can.

Ta, Mel

 

[MelHolland]

Sorry just one final thing to JennyMorgan, it would be great if you could let me know where you got in touch via Facebook or the website? I’ve not received any alerts to any messages or comments on the Facebook page, and certainly haven’t deleted anything.

Ta,

Mel

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, socrates said:

As one who lives on Merseyside, I beg to differ: the Mersey or rather Merseyside, does attract thousands of holidaymakers. I can highly recommend the area to anyone wishing to engage in a variety of cultural, literary, sporting, and artistic pursuits. There is also some very good sailing to be had on the River, it was where I learnt to sail. We have far more than the late Ken Dodd and, (dare I mention them) the Beatles.

You and anyone else would be made more than welcome to this vibrant part of the country.

"Anyone who had a heart " wouldn't have forgot Cilla .

N yea nowt wrong with my place of birth its a great city .

[Bound2Please]

I have a question to Mel not as a mod but as me.

No where have I seen where all the entry money is going, so I take it that this is, no more than a money making exercise.

It would appear that you want the help of the RNLI but no where do I see that the proceeds are going to it. Or have I missed some thing here.

[batrabill]

20 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

 Within minutes my response was deleted. I have to say that I think that the organisers are burying their heads in the sand in regard to the obvious hazards in order to ensure that this race goes ahead, not wise, in my opinion.

Its still there.... not deleted.

[MelHolland]

Hi Bound2Please, I can confirm that this is a commercial enterprise, but I can assure you that there isn’t bundles of cash being made. The event will be lucky to break even in the first year and will never make a lot of money. People always think they do, but it’s only the really big organisations that run events with 1000s of swimmers that do. That being said, our chosen charity of choice is the River Waveney Trust which we will promote to our community. There are a couple of other charities that will also be involved.

Ta, Mel

[dnks34]

It might have been said already but has Beccles Sailing club been informed.  It can be a difficult area to negiotiate when they are racing without swimmers in the water!