Spirit Of Breydon On The Move

[JawsOrca]

Just to clarify here as Tom at the ba is taking the time to pm which i do appreciate and finally looks like the ba is opening up. My pr disaster comment was a bit exaggerared.. top efforts to Tom.


Just to clarify, I said I wasn't personally sure with regards to the engine and was advising you best to speak to the boatyard for further clarification, having been out of the office and still wanting to give you a response out of courtesy. I had hoped you understood this was a personal, genuine error on my part which I attempted to rectify via private messaging you (rather than just deleting both comments and creating further confusion).

Thanks, Tom

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

[Poppy]

2 hours ago, JawsOrca said:

Im poking the ba on facebook. They are saying it wasnt re engined.. asking price is 85k. They paid 115k 6 years ago.

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app
 

Not what I heard - from the inside !

[JawsOrca]

Not what I heard - from the inside !

Yup see above. Tom the chap i was speaking to reverted back and said hes not sure actually.

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[JennyMorgan]

32 minutes ago, ChrisB said:

On the face of it, she should be an excellent workboat. MCA cat2, renowned seakeeping qualities and built by a yard with a very good name for all types working craft. Why is everyone so anti the boat?

I'm not anti the boat as such but have long questioned her suitability for the intended role. Had the BA asked for advice from such as the RNLI, with regard to her role as a rescue facility, then perhaps they would not have bought her. Regretfully the BA has something of a reputation for thinking that it knows best and then ploughing on regardless!  She was bought as a multi role vessel and now it appears that they want a new boat that will fulfill an even more diverse roll. 

[JennyMorgan]

Food for thought, if the SOB had been a wise choice in the first place then would she now be up for sale after only six years, and that includes many months moored up out of service? Add to that the purpose built boatshed that proved incapable of housing her and you have something of a PR disaster from day one if you ask me!.

[CambridgeCabby]

The BA should buy a hovercraft for Breydon Water , it’s the only type of craft capable of the job .

[PaulM]

As I’m new to the broads in any depth (no pun intended) I’ve been amazed to learn how comprehensively unloved the BA are.

Is there one particular “man in charge” who is responsible for every decision? Or is it a committee that by vote come to the wrong decision? 

Are they out of touch with the real needs? or just misguided in the execution of what had the potential to be the right thing to do?

 

[ExSurveyor]

6 minutes ago, PaulM said:

As I’m new to the broads in any depth (no pun intended) I’ve been amazed to learn how comprehensively unloved the BA are.

Is there one particular “man in charge” who is responsible for every decision? Or is it a committee that by vote come to the wrong decision? 

Are they out of touch with the real needs? or just misguided in the execution of what had the potential to be the right thing to do?

 

How long have you got.

 

[PaulM]

Understood

[Turnoar]

The first sentence of the advert doesn't accord with comments I've read! Not the renowned bit but the other 'r' word lol

[oldgregg]

I don't think anyone is saying she's not a good boat - But the problem is she's only really useful during office hours, and unfortunately the incidents on Breydon have been very naughty and not kept to the timetable so the Lifeboats etc have had to do the real work.

[Turnoar]

Uh oh... PaulM.... you sound like my boss.. and his name is Paul... and his surname starts with... mmmm

[ranworthbreeze]

The main problems with the Spirit of Breydon are that the air draft is too high which restricts passage through Yarmouth and the draft of the boat is too large for operation at low water on Breydon so it can not help any boats that are stuck on the other sides of the posts, having to call out other services while they watch on is a wast of money and everyone's time.

[marshman]

Paul - I don't actually think that the BA is generally unloved although this is the perception that you could gain from reading the threads and the posts on Forum generally!

 The real trouble is that the vast majority of people out there DO NOT have the issues that some have on here. The trouble these days is that everyone has an opinion and they think that their opinion is right. Think carefully about it, for example, and you could think of several reasons why a hovercraft would NOT be suitable on Breydon! Perhaps someone should ask the RNLI why they have not got one for Breydon - quite simply it would have even more limited use than any boat like SOB and there is the little matter of cost ( £1/2 million ) too, especially when lives generally are not in danger if you just sit tight!!! I could think of some more too but everyone has a right to a view, and they do, but a post on any topic is neither necessarily the view of everyone, and equally, not often totally correct!!!!

[OldBerkshireBoy]

1 hour ago, PaulM said:

As I’m new to the broads in any depth (no pun intended) I’ve been amazed to learn how comprehensively unloved the BA are.

Is there one particular “man in charge” who is responsible for every decision? Or is it a committee that by vote come to the wrong decision? 

Are they out of touch with the real needs? or just misguided in the execution of what had the potential to be the right thing to do?

 

Fairly new here myself but from what I`ve gleamed

Yes

&

Yes

[PaulM]

21 minutes ago, marshman said:

Paul - I don't actually think that the BA is generally unloved although this is the perception that you could gain from reading the threads and the posts on Forum generally!

 The real trouble is that the vast majority of people out there DO NOT have the issues that some have on here. The trouble these days is that everyone has an opinion and they think that their opinion is right. Think carefully about it, for example, and you could think of several reasons why a hovercraft would NOT be suitable on Breydon! Perhaps someone should ask the RNLI why they have not got one for Breydon - quite simply it would have even more limited use than any boat like SOB and there is the little matter of cost ( £1/2 million ) too, especially when lives generally are not in danger if you just sit tight!!! I could think of some more too but everyone has a right to a view, and they do, but a post on any topic is neither necessarily the view of everyone, and equally, not often totally correct!!!!

Ultimately, other than paying them a fee for my fishing, my boat, it’s tender, and occasionally spotting one of their Rangers (who I will wave at frantically until they wave back! Occasionally reluctantly) I have no other reason to believe they exist. This is no reason for me to dislike them. I also morbidly quite like the sight of an old wreck that understandably infuriates other. I’m just curious to know what generally fuels the BA hate

 

[PaulM]

1 hour ago, Turnoar said:

Uh oh... PaulM.... you sound like my boss.. and his name is Paul... and his surname starts with... mmmm

Well he sounds like a thoroughly intelligent  chap  I can’t confirm or deny if I’m your boss though.

[JennyMorgan]

2 hours ago, PaulM said:

As I’m new to the broads in any depth (no pun intended) I’ve been amazed to learn how comprehensively unloved the BA are.

Is there one particular “man in charge” who is responsible for every decision? Or is it a committee that by vote come to the wrong decision? 

Are they out of touch with the real needs? or just misguided in the execution of what had the potential to be the right thing to do?

 

One particular man in charge? Not exactly  but one man in particular does tend to lead and manipulate the relatively weak committees and the totally malleable chair-people that the Authority has had over the last dozen or so years.  There is obviously more to it than that  but that will do for starters!

[Poppy]

13 hours ago, marshman said:

Paul - I don't actually think that the BA is generally unloved although this is the perception that you could gain from reading the threads and the posts on Forum generally!

 The real trouble is that the vast majority of people out there DO NOT have the issues that some have on here.

The problem is that this Forum generally represents a very small proportion of Broads users and Toll payers......

[MauriceMynah]

It generally follows that ANY computer forum tends to represent not just the minority of those interested but also the somewhat vocal (if a keyboard warrior can be called vocal) minority at that.

 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

It`s not that people DON`T LOVE the BA, it`s more they distrust them to do the right thing.  We all know certain members on here think the BA are the best thing since sliced bread, and can do NO WRONG, but i sometimes wonder what they stand to lose if the BA were to be abolished and replaced with democratically elected body?.  As mentioned above, you wave to a ranger in a launch, and you get very little response, or one that looks unfriendly. with this in mind, it`s no wonder the toll paying boat owners start to lose respect for the authority and its members.  We moored at Reedham last week, and the quay rangers there until a couple of years or so ago were always very friendly and helpful. Last week, they were quite UNfriendly and even a bit offhand, hardly condusive to trying to gain respect from their bosses (ie the toll payers, as we`re the ones that pay their wages). Over many years, the BA have done a lot of good work for the Broads, but in recent years, they`re more inclined to follow political motives, rather than to do what they`re there to do, and that`s ensuring the Broads remains a safe and FULLY navigable environment for all who use it

 

15 hours ago, marshman said:

Paul - I don't actually think that the BA is generally unloved although this is the perception that you could gain from reading the threads and the posts on Forum generally!

 The real trouble is that the vast majority of people out there DO NOT have the issues that some have on here. The trouble these days is that everyone has an opinion and they think that their opinion is right. Think carefully about it, for example, and you could think of several reasons why a hovercraft would NOT be suitable on Breydon! Perhaps someone should ask the RNLI why they have not got one for Breydon - quite simply it would have even more limited use than any boat like SOB and there is the little matter of cost ( £1/2 million ) too, especially when lives generally are not in danger if you just sit tight!!! I could think of some more too but everyone has a right to a view, and they do, but a post on any topic is neither necessarily the view of everyone, and equally, not often totally correct!!!!

 

Re your first point, maybe it`s because this forum and some of it`s members actually know what the BA get up to, whereas a lot of Broads boat owners who don`t belong to forums etc, have no way of knowing these things, so have no way of forming an honest opinion?.

Secondly, yes, i totally agree, everybody DOES have an opinion, as do you, so what makes you believe YOUR opinion is right?.  Re the hovercraft comment, please tell me one place on Breydon water where a hovercraft CAN`T get to that the moneypit (SOB) can, i can`t think of one, yet a hovercraft can go from water to mudflat with no problem. Add to that, if someone is taken ill, or injured, a hovercraft could attend much quicker, even in the deep water channel, just think how long it would take the moneypit to punch a hard tide to get to an emergency, and then just hold station in the deep water channel because said emergency is on the mudflats..

Yes everybody DOES have a right of view, but what makes you believe that view is not totally correct, purely because it`s a view you don`t share?.

I`ve often disagreed with people on certain threads, yet have agreed with their view on another, John (MM) will agree with that  (again ).  The big problem is when others don`t respect others view, and their right to voice their opinion, no matter how misguided that may be.

[marshman]

I didn't say my view on the hovercaft was right, but merely that I could think of reasons WHY it was not really suitable - if you cannot then thats fine by me. Perhaps the cost coming out of the navigation budget may be one, especially when people are rarely in danger on Breydon - of course we have incidents where those that have gone aground think they are in need of help but are they in reality? But then perhaps our perception of danger has changed too?

Not often has there been a case when boats and crew have been in real danger on Breydon - my ol' man used to regularly cross it in a 16' lifeboat conversion with an iffy British Anzani outboard. I suspect today he would be stopped doing it!!!!!!

[MauriceMynah]

As is so often I half agree with MM (no, I'm not agreeing with myself, I never do that) I don't agree that a hovercraft would be of any great value to the BA. If you're aground, you ain't goin' nowhere so you ain't in danger. If you're afloat and have no control, then yes, you are in danger. your ideal rescue craft would be powerful and stable. SOB fits that bill more than a hovercraft would.

For any other reason (and there are many) SOB was not a wise buy, and now a lot of face saving is happening. I have no problem with that, let 'em get on with it.

1 hour ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

I`ve often disagreed with people on certain threads, yet have agreed with their view on another, John (MM) will agree with that

Agreed. Odd though, I always wave to rangers, and they always wave back. I have never (knowingly) waved at Dr Packman, nor has he (knowingly) waved to me.

Finally, yes, everybody does have an opinion, but experience has shown me that few of them are right !  :-)

[Poppy]

17 hours ago, PaulM said:

Ultimately, other than paying them a fee for my fishing, my boat, it’s tender, and occasionally spotting one of their Rangers (who I will wave at frantically until they wave back! Occasionally reluctantly) I have no other reason to believe they exist. This is no reason for me to dislike them. I also morbidly quite like the sight of an old wreck that understandably infuriates other. I’m just curious to know what generally fuels the BA hate

 

I find the rangers generally wave before I do, and have a broad smile - but then I'm usually to be found at the helm of a flappy thing

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

2 hours ago, marshman said:

I didn't say my view on the hovercaft was right, but merely that I could think of reasons WHY it was not really suitable - if you cannot then thats fine by me.

Perhaps the cost coming out of the navigation budget may be one,

especially when people are rarely in danger on Breydon - of course we have incidents where those that have gone aground think they are in need of help but are they in reality? 

Hi Marshy, 

Re the first point, all i mean is there IS`NT anywhere on Breydon that SoB can go that a hovercraft cant, quite the opposite, a hovercraft is the only type of vessel that can go anywhere, meaning it could collect a casualty, and have them at the side of Breydon water, especially over the wide open expanses of mud, to the shore and to an air ambulance if neccesary  in minutes, and very smoothly, rather than in a bumpy rib, or a rolling SoB in bad weather, to a suitable deep water point at a safe landing area. 

Re your second point, totally agree. The cost involved would more than likely be a lot more than you say. The purchase of said vessel, a suitably layed out and prepared launch and recovery site, then the cost of the crew, being their wages, and the amount of training and re-training required to fly the hovercraft, and the maintainance costs, there are`nt many hovercraft specialists around.

Re your third part,  again i agree, i would imagine the amount of people who have been in serious danger on Breydon could be counted on the fingers of one hand in the last 20 years, maybe more. 

 

Although i think a hovercraft would be an advantage on Breydon, its lack of need and the upkeep of a very little used vessel just would`nt be justifiable. 

It would be fun though to hammer across the mudflats on one.