Survey No 2

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

If the BA were NOT to allow Potter Heigham bridge to be raised back to a proper usable height, do you think it fair that ALL boats that were originally designed and built, and regularly used to, but no longer can transit the bridge, pay a lower toll than those that can, who in turn should pay a higher toll to redress the possible loss in the revinue the BA will stand to lose?.

[Maxwellian]

No.

[ExSurveyor]

And a no from me .

[Chelsea14Ian]

No

[rightsaidfred]

No from me either although I am one of those affected.

Fred

[vanessan]

No from me too. 

[boycee]

No

[grendel]

No from me too, as the boats that can still pass had to compromise to enable this and certainly for someone my height the main one is limited height in the cabins, and thats not even considering those boats that were never designed to fit under the bridge. would they be accommodated in the same way, and what about those admittedly rare occasions that those boats designed to get under can, how would you police that one, suddenly remove their charge and charge them the extra, everything is relative.

[SwanR]

Plus it’s not just this one bridge that many boats can’t get under. The introduction of the pilot at Wroxham means that access to Coltishall is often restricted when you’re on a hire boat. And out of bounds when you hire out of season. 

Then there’s Wayford Bridge. Do less boats get under there now too?

[vanessan]

6 minutes ago, SwanR said:

Plus it’s not just this one bridge that many boats can’t get under. The introduction of the pilot at Wroxham means that access to Coltishall is often restricted when you’re on a hire boat. And out of bounds when you hire out of season. 

Then there’s Wayford Bridge. Do less boats get under there now too?

And Beccles and some of those going into Norwich. 

[JennyMorgan]

Valid question but it's a 'no' from me too. Very few of us actually use the whole Broads system , should we receive rebates for the bits we don't use?

[ChrisB]

No. And it is nothing to do with The Broads Authority. Reppsbridge or Potter Heigham is a schedule 4 Ancient Monument going back to Henry iii in the mid 1200s. Get a smaller boat! If you are fit, standing headroom is not obligatory. If not have a short brake courtesy of Martham Boats and stay above the bridge.

[grendel]

I always manage in a boat with 6 foot of headroom, only really cracked my head hard once

[BroadAmbition]

Get a smaller boat!

Really?

So those of us that own or hire craft originally designed to pass through PHB, paying a full toll as per the norm should now accept that we can't make use of the whole system?

'B.A' was designed to go under PHB at low tide, she used to do so regularly.  I've taken her through a fair few times but it is rare nowadays and getting worse and I 'only' need 6ft5" or more to get 'B.A' safely through.   So I and 'B.A' are affected. We purchased a boat designed for the whole system and toll her accordingly.  Beccles old road and Wroxham bridges are rarely a problem although it happens.   In the 70's & 80's (Me as a teenager) we used to take Broom Admirals / Supreme Commanders regularly through PHB and they need 7ft2" ! (Ish - I could be an inch or so out here)  I have plenty of old photo's of our family on various hire craft up river of PHB

Griff

[grendel]

Griff in the 70's and 80's the water levels were unusually low to be fair, if you look at the water levels graph, there was a big dip in those decades, this may be where your memories stem from. i am sure i had a chart showing this from the last time we had this discussion

[ChrisB]

Exactly Grendel. I am afraid things change. I study the weather and the weather in Norfolk has changed in the last 15 years I have been mostly here.

We are getting hotter and dryer spells in Summer and warmer wetter winters which is pretty much the description of a Med. Climate. I would add my own observation that we are also getting more wind.

My late wife's sister has lived in Mercia for about the same time and their climate appears to have moved, becoming unbearablely hot like North Africa in Summer, but with much less rain and very cold nights in Winter.

The greater swings we are experiencing in atmospheric pressure Highs then multiple very deep lows sweeping across the Atlantic will make water levels much more suseptible to  greater ranges.

Since 1900 the sea level has risen about 6.5 ins but it is the rapid rate of rise recently that is of most concern. About 3 ins of that 6.5 has occured between 1993 and 2016. There are very many factors that effect sea level, it is not simple but I trully believe that the trend is up. 

As I said elsewhere you cannot compare Potter and Beccles. The first is inch critical with a tiny tidal range Beccles can easily have a couple of feet and more.

[BroadAmbition]

Understood, however true Broadsmen will state that the river levels at PHB have slowly been increasing ever sine the port commissioners stopped regular dredging the lower Bure when the Ba took over. Some coincidence that is for there to be no truth in it

just why then did they have crane dredgers on each bank especially on the bends ready to go into action all year round?

what a waste of time / money / resources that was eh?

Griff

[Lulu]

No.  We bought our boat knowing we couldnt get under (as long as it could get under all the others) but since talking to the bridge pilot a few months ago, apparently ours on a good day will go through.  I wont assume we will ever get a ‘good day’ but it will be a bonus if there is one when we are there.  
 

[Guest]

No, this idea has no merit.

[Ray]

I think Lulu summed it up, it is was it is. Although I have yet to get through Wroxham, but that is probably a mixture of bad luck and bad timing!

[D46]

3 hours ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

If the BA were NOT to allow Potter Heigham bridge to be raised back to a proper usable height, do you think it fair that ALL boats that were originally designed and built, and regularly used to, but no longer can transit the bridge, pay a lower toll than those that can, who in turn should pay a higher toll to redress the possible loss in the revinue the BA will stand to lose?.

Good luck with that , I could get under before and now ( though maybe not at the moment , but under normal conditions it's do able ) I take it that if I can currently get under I have to pay more ?? 

[vanessan]

16 minutes ago, D46 said:

Good luck with that , I could get under before and now ( though maybe not at the moment , but under normal conditions it's do able ) I take it that if I can currently get under I have to pay more ?? 

In fairness Speedtriple was asking a question not making a suggestion. 

[JennyMorgan]

1 hour ago, BroadAmbition said:

just why then did they have crane dredgers on each bank especially on the bends ready to go into action all year round?

Dredging was a continual process, even when I was a kid. Back further in time, when sailing wherries worked the Broads, every inch of the river was used, no motor boats parading along the centre of the river, wherries needed space to tack and manoeuvre. It would seem that today, rather than maintenance dredging, that restoration dredging has become policy. It is certainly the case in Lowestoft Harbour where once upon a time the Port Authority had its own dredger, now a dredger visits the harbour when it becomes too shallow. Obviously a cost saving for harbour authorities. Oulton Broad and the Lowestoft to Norwich Navigation had its own dredger, as I'm sure did other rivers. 

[johnb]

No. By my (wife’s) own choice we do not take our boat through ourselves but pay the pilot to do so for us, this restricts the times we can pass through but saves worry and repairs. So we Choose to pay extra to moor the other side by paying about £10 each way. Our choice, my cowardice. 

[JennyMorgan]

56 minutes ago, johnb said:

No. By my (wife’s) own choice we do not take our boat through ourselves but pay the pilot to do so for us, this restricts the times we can pass through but saves worry and repairs. So we Choose to pay extra to moor the other side by paying about £10 each way. Our choice, my cowardice. 

At one time we kept my daughter's sailing cruiser at the excellent Martham Boats during the winter. That meant a trip up from Oulton Broad and through Po'er. Potter as with both T's being silent, Norfolk style. Anyway, arrived at the bridge, nosed up to it, no way thinks me so toddled off to the Bridge Pilot's office. 'You'll do it' says the pilot, 'half an inch to spare'! The challenge was obviously set, the honour of Suffolk was in my hands. He was absolutely right too, half an inch to spare!