Any Chance To Get To Somerton This Year?

[Minigem]

I tried to get to Somerton last year and was stopped dead by the phenomenal growth of weed about a mile from the moorings. Unfortunately I do not have a 50 to 100 BHP engine with an enormous prop which would probably bash through it.

Now! in the same trip and previous trips I noticed the weed cutter boat complete with the happy, smiling, waving crew moored at the eel catchers hut on the Thurn on quite a few occasions during my two week stay.

My questions are:

Was the machinery broken?

If not, why was the weed cutter not being used?

Is there lack of supervision?

 

 

Nice job if you can get it!

I know that BA reads these posts so perhaps they could have a look at the ways our tolls are being wasted.

 

[YnysMon]

Each time we have been up there in July or August the weed machine has been very busy. Last year we distracted them from their work for a while. We had got stuck just outside the channel passing Martham Broad and got stuck on mud. The guys on the weed cutter were great, not only did they pull us off the mud, they also towed us around to Dungeon Corner, the corner with a wild mooring.

[NorfolkNog]

I've an idea that Phoenix don't allow their electric day boats up that stretch for that reason. Must be six years since I last got up there in a hire boat. 

[marshman]

There is indeed a hump just around Dungeon Corner of which the BA are aware - I believe that they may be doing something about it this winter, or if water temperatures rise sufficiently to cause dredging to come to halt in those areas this winter, it may have to wait until next year. I guess it is not always easy to get the kit they need up above Potter and I suspect that alone causes problems and planning. Presumably rather than whinge, you did report this problem to Broads Control?

I think that most of the BA workers in the field work pretty hard and I don't think it very smart to make make stupid remarks on a Forum without finding out more - you could easily have stopped and asked them why they were not doing anything and I would have expected a pretty sensible reply. You should be aware that that stretch is cut regularly as suggested and also that all weed cutting is regulated by Natural England.. Strangely enough that stretch of the river is not the only one that has to be cut either!

As well as dredging the shallow bits on Heigham Sound again this winter, especially around the junction with Meadow Dyke, I believe this winter the bottom half of Waxham Cut has been dredged, with the remaining to be done next winter. Catfield Dyke has also been mud pumped I think - cannot have all of them being totally idle then can we???

 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Blow up up that bridge and allow large boats up there, that would chew up the weeds.

[YnysMon]

Nooo! Keep it special!

[BroadAmbition]

It’ll always be special. Anyroadup the Bypass Bridge will stop the really big uns,

Griff

[YnysMon]

We have been up there on a day boat hired from Whispering Reeds Boatyard, Hickling. Much easier than trying to sail up there. We’ve tried sailing up there three times on a Hunters boat. The first time we just collected too much weed on our rudder (weed cutting machine very busy upriver), so much that we lost steerage. Second time we gave up early because we could see that another sailey had already bagged out intended destination of Dungeon Corner. Third time was our unfortunate mud lark on Martham.

Our vote is for the day boat option.

[Minigem]

3 hours ago, marshman said:

You should be aware that that stretch is cut regularly 

 

Codswallop! 

[grendel]

I was given a lift there once when out sailing with Polly either before or after one of the may meets, we had both hired Martham boats for the same week, so it was either at the start or end of our weeks hire, while we were that side of the bridge.