Two Red Flags Just Raised At Somerleyton

[wombat nee blownup]

As above from 11.00 today

 

 

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

[MauriceMynah]

Ahh, so it's   "Strictly no swimming on the railway line."

[grendel]

no, MM its swimming only between the two flags.

[MauriceMynah]

Don't be silly Gren, there's a bloody river in the way.

[Guest]

A bloody river, or just the dye running out of the flags?

[Hylander]

Oh not white flags then.   The war still goes on then.      On a more serious note,  are the bridges back open again.

[vanessan]

12 minutes ago, Hylander said:

Oh not white flags then.   The war still goes on then.      On a more serious note,  are the bridges back open again.

I think two red flags at Somerleyton means the bridge will not open. 

[Hylander]

Oh dear not good at all.   

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

1 hour ago, vanessan said:

I think two red flags at Somerleyton means the bridge will not open. 

Not good for those with high top designs. Can you imagine the hassle if hire boats got stuck south of the bridge, no chance of getting back. People will have to leave or pick up their hire cruiser from way down and will only be able to cruise from Oulton Broad to Beccles, or Somerleyton swing bridge. Not exactly what you want for  a couple of grand hire fee?.

[Simon]

Thankfully high air draft boats are to get a discount on their river toll due to restricted access to the river network.

Im just holding my breath now till the refund comes through. 

[Paul]

As always with temps above 25c or more than two consecutive hours sunshine Somerleyton cnnot swing cause the rails are stuck. A couple of Brundall Navy frigates down at Beccles YS yesterday very worried about when they were getting back.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

1 hour ago, Paul said:

As always with temps above 25c or more than two consecutive hours sunshine Somerleyton cnnot swing cause the rails are stuck. A couple of Brundall Navy frigates down at Beccles YS yesterday very worried about when they were getting back.

If they`re Brundall navy, they should be able to go out through Lowestoft, up the coast and in via Gt Yarmouth. BUT, being the Brundall navy, they NEVER go out to sea.

[JennyMorgan]

Mutford railway bridge at Oulton Broad also had two red flags flying today.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

7 hours ago, JennyMorgan said:

Mutford railway bridge at Oulton Broad also had two red flags flying today.

Oh dear, the Brundall navy yachts Paul mentions are stuck then. I bet when they do get through, they no longer go through Reedham in the summer.

Seriously though, the news on the radio just now said because yesterday was the hottest day on record, the rail networks are concerned about rails buckling through too much expansion. So if this hot weather continues, the hire fleets with high topped boats may start putting restrictions on cruising limits other than "that blockage" because  of the risk of being stranded. What this scenario emphasises is the fact all these high topped boats really and truly are not suited for the Broads. I know people harp on about choice and enjoying the views etc etc, but when yards have to start giving full refunds because customers don't want to be restricted to half of the available cruising waters, maybe they will have to reconsider the types of boats they have in their fleets. 

 

[grendel]

I guess if the rails will buckle or have buckled elsewhere such that trains cannot run, then they would be better off opening the bridges to river traffic so the rails can expand without damage, now who is going to put that suggestion to network rail? and isnt today going to be hotter?

[Coryton]

14 minutes ago, grendel said:

I guess if the rails will buckle or have buckled elsewhere such that trains cannot run, then they would be better off opening the bridges to river traffic so the rails can expand without damage, now who is going to put that suggestion to network rail? and isnt today going to be hotter?

Normally high temperatures result in precautionary speed restrictions (and therefore some trains being cancelled) rather than rails actually buckling and lines being closed.

We'll see what happens today.

But they would presumably have to decide which way to have the bridge early enough in the day for it to be still moveable, by which time they wouldn't know if trains will have to be cancelled completely.

It has been said that it's impossible to lay track to cope with the extreme weather we occasionally experience in the UK, which I have never understood because in some parts of the world with railways the extreme temperatures we get in summer and winter are quite normal.

[rightsaidfred]

Please don't take this as me defending the situation in anyway but as this is and has been  a regular occurrence for some time and the current conditions have been forecast for several days wouldn't a bit of forward planning prevent high boats being stuck the wrong side of these bridges which also includes Reedham.

Fred

[vanessan]

8 minutes ago, rightsaidfred said:

Please don't take this as me defending the situation in anyway but as this is and has been  a regular occurrence for some time and the current conditions have been forecast for several days wouldn't a bit of forward planning prevent high boats being stuck the wrong side of these bridges which also includes Reedham.

Fred

I do think Fred has a point here. For the past few years Reedham, and Somerleyton in particular, have been unable to swing in extra hot weather. No doubt there are those whose work commitments don’t allow them to forward plan but I’m sure there are those that could. I really can’t see why a railway bridge should be left open to allow leisure craft to cruise freely. 

 

1 hour ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

because customers don't want to be restricted to half of the available cruising waters, maybe they will have to reconsider the types of boats they have in their fleets. 

I rather think many hirers choose the boat they do because of its looks and probably put up with the inability to cruise all of the available waters. I can’t see how hire yards could ever be held responsible for the weather causing problems and having to start giving refunds. Where boat owners are concerned, I believe it is very much a matter of choice and it is not up to anyone else as to whether or not a boat is considered ‘suitable for the Broads’. Only my opinion of course. I rather think it is nice to see all the different types of boat around. 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

11 minutes ago, vanessan said:

I do think Fred has a point here. For the past few years Reedham, and Somerleyton in particular, have been unable to swing in extra hot weather. No doubt there are those whose work commitments don’t allow them to forward plan but I’m sure there are those that could. I really can’t see why a railway bridge should be left open to allow leisure craft to cruise freely. 

 

I rather think many hirers choose the boat they do because of its looks and probably put up with the inability to cruise all of the available waters. I can’t see how hire yards could ever be held responsible for the weather causing problems and having to start giving refunds. Where boat owners are concerned, I believe it is very much a matter of choice and it is not up to anyone else as to whether or not a boat is considered ‘suitable for the Broads’. Only my opinion of course. I rather think it is nice to see all the different types of boat around. 

I do agree with Freds comments about forward planning, but the best bit of forward planning is to decide what you want a boat for and where you want to use it, then buy a boat designed for that purpose. 

As for your second point, yes, i totally agree many hirers do hire a boat they like the look of, but also, the agency recommends it, rather than informing them to the fact they CANNOT be used on over 30% of the broads. even less during the highest spring tides. I know that because of the numerous hirers i`ve spoken to when on the rivers ourselves, and many of those have said they will not be hiring the high top designs again. 

It`s NOT always about choice, often it`s what the agency or yard can talk you into with a certain sales pitch highlighting "you can sit up top in the sunshine and look over the marshes " etc etc etc, which you can do with any ctr ckpt boat, though not so much with a bath tub. Then when aboard, find you can`t get to the pretty stretches above the bridges. I`ve even spoken to several people who were going to hire a boat suitable to go under all the bridges, yet were advised to hire a high top boat, which incidentally in a couple of cases were more expensive, by the yard. Something they were rather annoyed about and said they won`t be returning to that yard again (on the north rivers) in both cases. Talk about immoral practice?.

[MauriceMynah]

There is, as we know, no such thing as the perfect boat. Each boat has it's plus points and it's drawbacks. No business is going to bring negative points to customers attention, but then again nor can those businesses judge what priorities the customer has or on what points the customer will be happy to compromise on.

The only thing known as rock solid fact is the profit margin available for each boat it hires out. It is a business, It has to aim for the greatest profit it can make. Personally I don't see that as immoral practice, just business.

As is known (from another thread) I am looking for a boat of reasonable size, that will pass under PHB, Let's just say, Choice is limited!

20 minutes ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

I`ve even spoken to several people who were going to hire a boat suitable to go under all the bridges, yet were advised to hire a high top boat,

Were there reasons (apart from hire costs) for this? How many in the party? Would their first choice go under PHB? What were those peoples priorities? and a host of other questions.

I'm not saying that the business concerned acted like angels, but perhaps there was more to it.

[annv]

Any boat that goes under Yarmouth will go under Reedham and most under Somerleyton you just have to time your passage. John

[rightsaidfred]

Just to be clear my comments were in reference to private owners rather than hirers.

Fred

[vanessan]

1 hour ago, MauriceMynah said:

no such thing as the perfect boat.

Ours is - for us! 🙂 

Speedtriple has a point in that hire companies may try and sell a hirer something that may not suit them. I don’t know if they do, it is a long time since I hired but if it is a first trip then it will be a learning curve anyway. A second trip would probably be approached with eyes wide open, if the hirer has found this forum then better information is available. (Other forums are available too.)

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

1 hour ago, MauriceMynah said:

There is, as we know, no such thing as the perfect boat. Each boat has it's plus points and it's drawbacks. No business is going to bring negative points to customers attention, but then again nor can those businesses judge what priorities the customer has or on what points the customer will be happy to compromise on.

The only thing known as rock solid fact is the profit margin available for each boat it hires out. It is a business, It has to aim for the greatest profit it can make. Personally I don't see that as immoral practice, just business.

As is known (from another thread) I am looking for a boat of reasonable size, that will pass under PHB, Let's just say, Choice is limited!

Were there reasons (apart from hire costs) for this? How many in the party? Would their first choice go under PHB? What were those peoples priorities? and a host of other questions.

I'm not saying that the business concerned acted like angels, but perhaps there was more to it.

Hi John,

First off, Lightning is the perfect boat for us. Plenty of space to sleep 6 without making up settee`s every night, fully opening cabin tops, inside and outside steering positions, a seperate shower only compartment so you don`t have to dry out the wc comp after, and most important, she can go through all bridges, even the Thurne blockage at a very rare suitably low tide, even though our syndicate rules don`t allow. 

Second, ALL business has a moral obligation to treat the public and it`s customers honestly and fairly, more so even than to chase the bottom line, and provide an open, fair, and moral service, simply saying "it`s just business" and , wilfully ripping off the public through "mis selling a product or service" (remember the adverts about PPI?) is just not on, morally irresponsible, and could be even be classified as fraud.

Third, as for YOUR boats requirements, Try a Bermuda 34, Clive may even be happy to sell you one staright out of the hire fleet?.

Fourth, i do take your points, but with professionally written websites etc, all relevant information is provided, with boat descriptions being clear to understand etc etc, so it`s pretty simple to make the right choice re berthage, cabins, facilities, and price. So when a yard "encourage you" to change your choice through dubious reason, thus possibly reducing their customers enjoyment, is irresponsible and immoral.  The fact it MIGHT lose them a future customer because they did`nt provide what they initially asked for, which could also have increased their level of enjoyment, is down to their own stupidity.

[grendel]

I think its generally the comment- "will pass under all broads bridges at a suitable state of tide" that gets people going.

this means different things to different boat yards, for Martham boats for instance it means there is a rare occasion when one of their boats cannot get under PH bridge, for most other yards it means there are rare occasions when this boat can pass under PH bridge.