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Advice On A Trip To Great Yarmouth..... Help!


Jmorris

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13 minutes ago, Philosophical said:

And then reverse to the Yacht station to moor?

you can try that if you wish to demonstrate incredible stupidity, but I would not recommend it, or trying to turn in front of the bridges to an inexperienced crew who had asked for advice. 

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An old boatman once told me, as you head round the bend towards the bridges, if you can see the bridges you shouldn't try and turn, unless you have no other option. I've always found that sound advice. 

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You don't need to reverse if the tide is strong enough to be a problem, you simply go forward at a slower rate that the tide is running, this gives plenty of steering control and instant brakes by giving more throttle, I've been under bridges I wasn't sure of like that before as it's safer on a running tide.

Not sure I would suggest a total novice try it though.

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1 hour ago, Paul said:

you can try that if you wish to demonstrate incredible stupidity, but I would not recommend it, or trying to turn in front of the bridges to an inexperienced crew who had asked for advice. 

So a boat arrives at Yarmouth Yacht Station on an ebb tide that will not pass under the bridges (in the last 60 years or so that must have happened a few times before) so what does the skipper do? 

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1 hour ago, Paul said:

you can try that if you wish to demonstrate incredible stupidity, but I would not recommend it, or trying to turn in front of the bridges to an inexperienced crew who had asked for advice. 

If Wroxham bridge can be done in reverse it should be a doddle.

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49 minutes ago, Philosophical said:

So a boat arrives at Yarmouth Yacht Station on an ebb tide that will not pass under the bridges (in the last 60 years or so that must have happened a few times before) so what does the skipper do? 

Panic? Nose into the mud on the starboard side?  Leave it to the crew to sort out? Repeatedly throw a rope at the quay ranger chasing after you on his bike? Head between knees, prey and think of England? Go to the toilet? Duck? Get the dust pan ready to clear away the broken glass? 

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I wonder how many boats leave Yarmouth on an ebbing tide without enough clearance to pass under the bridge and then proceed to turn before the bridge, due to the fact that the overnight mooring fee only lasts until 10am. The Blessed Authority is meant to be concerned about safety, then the simple thing to do is allow 13hrs from when you arrive in Yarmouth which would take you through to the following low tide, rather than the blanket daytime or overnight mooring periods. The rangers at Yarmouth do a good job, but what may work in Norwich where the tide is less of an issue, is positively unsafe when applied in Yarmouth, in terms of the mooring periods you pay for.

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29 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

Panic? Nose into the mud on the starboard side?  Leave it to the crew to sort out? Repeatedly throw a rope at the quay ranger chasing after you on his bike? Head between knees, prey and think of England? Go to the toilet? Duck? Get the dust pan ready to clear away the broken glass? 

All of the above it seems, can't understand why bridge collisions aren't a daily occurrence;  maybe it is possible to turn a boat around?

 

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12 minutes ago, Philosophical said:

All of the above it seems, can't understand why bridge collisions aren't a daily occurrence;  maybe it is possible to turn a boat around?

 

Another thought on the subject; I wonder what the standing instructions to the BA Rangers at GYA Yacht Station are, in the event that they see a boat passing with insufficient air clearance for the bridges. is it:

Turn around now or you will hit the bridge immediately ahead,

Or

Slow down so we can witness and photograph the inevitable bridge collision to assist with the insurance claim 

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1 hour ago, Bound2Please said:

So that then makes rubbish your idea of changing the mooring times from 24 to 13 hours

You know for a moderator you can be overly confrontational at times! I wouldn't call your reply rubbish, but I will correct you.

The current mooring times at the yacht station are an overnight mooring until 10am for £13 or a day time mooring for £6. Combine the two and arrive at the right time, or leave at the right time and you may get 24hrs if your lucky, otherwise you will get less. You will certainly be penalised if you stay beyond 10am. Arrive at 1pm on a low water and you will pay the daytime mooring fee, and then the overnight mooring fee of £19 in total and you must be gone before 10am or approx. 3.5 hrs before low water or you will pay another £6.

My idea would be you pay for two lots of 13hrs and you could arrive on a low water and comfortably leave on a low water. Alternatively arrive and pay for your mooring and it runs until the next low water after the time you have paid for. So if you paid till 10am, you would be allowed to stay for free until the low water if it was at 1pm.

You can call my idea rubbish if you really must!! but it is a damn lot safer than the current system and encourages people to transit, or leave Yarmouth at the wrong time.

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The yacht station is a commercial venture, (yes owned by BA) but in all commercial ventures, profit is what its all about. There is no real reason to arrive at Great Yarmouth at low tide to moor up. Many just time things right and sail straight through it. In over 45 years of coming to the broads I have never once moored there.

11 minutes ago, EastCoastIPA said:

You know for a moderator you can be overly confrontational at times! I wouldn't call your reply rubbish, but I will correct you.

If you feel that strongly about me please feel free to hit the report button

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1 minute ago, Bound2Please said:

The yacht station is a commercial venture, (yes owned by BA) but in all commercial ventures, profit is what its all about. There is no real reason to arrive at Great Yarmouth at low tide to moor up. Many just time things right and sail straight through it. In over 45 years of coming to the broads I have never once moored there.

If you feel that strongly about me please feel free to hit the report button

The yacht station is not owned by the BA. It is leased by the BA from Yarmouth council to provide a safe mooring facility within Yarmouth. A charge is imposed not because it is a commercial venture, but because the lease is significantly more expensive than their mooring leases in more rural areas and therefore they try to cover the costs of the lease. This cost could be covered in a more safer way. The BA should not be putting profit before safety.

As a hirer I always followed the advice in the skippers handbook and timed by arrival or passing through Yarmouth at low water. It is the advice given time and time again on this and other forums.

 

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17 minutes ago, grendel said:

Question, would you be required to pay if you moored up just to lower your screens or a mast?

That is a very good question. In theory, I would not expect to pay to lower a mast but in practice, I would lower my mast at Acle bridge and go the rest of the way down the Bure with the mast in the crutches and the yacht on auxiliary engine. That stretch of the river is miserable for sailing and dangerous if you run aground on a bend on a falling tide.

As to this business of 24hr moorings, I really don't see a problem with this, as the tide is low every 12 hours. If you are on passage through Yarmouth from the Yare to the Bure, you may wish to moor at GYYS for a couple of hours to wait for the tide to turn after crossing Breydon, but you can always do that on the floating pontoon provided free by the BA, for that purpose.

If you are there for a day visit and an overnight and then going back up North, you are not so constrained by the tide and should be able easily to work out the maths for yourself.

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21 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

With a bit of luck Paladin will come in and supply the relevant laws or bylaws on this but I believe if you come in to a mooring to wait for the tide, there is no charge, but you are not permitted to leave the boat... or something like that.

I have never been charged when I have laid alongside and waited for low water slack but it was made clear that should I leave the moorings and head off into town then I would be expected to pay. 

As for going in with the tide under me I have done that too but it has relied on some pretty deft help from the ranger in making fast my stern lines which, with the cleat, have to be up to stopping four and a half tons of surging boat being pushed along by a three and a half knot tide, the joys of no engine!

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Even though it has seen better days, I still have a soft spot for Great Yarmouth. It is an interesting mix of seaside resort and industrial port and, if you can see beyond the charity shops, permanent closing down sales and seaside tat, there is quite a lot of character and history.   To cut through two pages of sometimes acrimonious and childish debate, I would definitely go for the public transport option.

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I took my wife out to lunch in Gt Yarmouth today, really splashed out too! Mushy peas, bacon roll and a bag of chips on the market, an iconic Yarmouth delicacy is that, washed down with a mug of tea and followed by a Gregg's Belgium bun for afters. I really know how to treat a girl well!  Sat on the market with seagulls scavenging chips and staffies cocking their legs against the chair legs we enjoyed the sun and watched the world go by, chatting to a rum old couple who were on their annual holiday, once more to Gt Yarmouth!

If you enjoy slumming it then Yarmouth has it all. As Steve O says a town with character and history. 

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Crikey Jenny, you Oulton lad's still know how to live it up. I was going to add that my nearest and dearest has to put up with the Crooked Barn but based on our latest visit it'll probably be Bacon Rolls and mushy peas for us too.

No Belgian Buns though, that would be spoiling her.

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