Potter Ham Bridge

[JennyMorgan]

I can never understand the clamor to knock down that Bridge at Potter, it's a doddle, even in a cabin boat!

 

[BroadAmbition]

Really?  You wanna try it whilst going astern onboard 'B.A'       

Griff

[JawsOrca]

why are they paddling through? are you not allowed to use engine power at all?

The ones who sail up and drop the mast at the last moment, that's some skill and guts! I couldn't do that!!

[CambridgeCabby]

12 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

Really?  You wanna try it whilst going astern onboard 'B.A'       

Griff

Waiting eagerly for the video Griff

[Vaughan]

23 minutes ago, JawsOrca said:

The ones who sail up and drop the mast at the last moment, that's some skill and guts! I couldn't do that!!

It's called "shooting" a bridge, which is what the wherries used to do.

[Poppy]

43 minutes ago, JawsOrca said:

why are they paddling through? are you not allowed to use engine power at all?

The ones who sail up and drop the mast at the last moment, that's some skill and guts! I couldn't do that!!

No. There are 'sections' at each bridge, marked by guard boats where paddeling or quanting is allowed but not engines.  Quants/paddles may not be used outside of those sections.

[BroadAmbition]

It's called "shooting" a bridge, 

It is, and I reckon now it's been that long if I was to try and 'Shoot' owt let alone a bridge  -  I would miss!  

Griff

[HEM]

Together with my brother I paddled a Martham Boat Dev Co half-decker through/under that bridge a number of times in the early 1970s.  The only other bridge we did was Ludham to sial up to Barton Broad.

[TheQ]

Luckily the camera missed us going through that year.. 

It's easier to shoot the bridges,  in a proper broads cruiser or something like a White boat ( Yare and Bure one design) , the tabernacle is designed for it. 

That year ( and many others)  I did the race in a Yeoman, shooting the bridge in one of those is only really possible in very light winds,  as if it's more, the wind pressure will twist the mast in the small deck mounted Tabernacle causing breakages.. 

On 30th May at around 08:00  I should have been getting a Hickling sailing Club rescue boat out, loaned to the race for the duration..  Taking  the turn mark,  radios,  lights signs,  safety equipment and food for 24hour to the end of the Hickling SC pier to await the arrival of the guardship loaned to us by Martham boats.  

We would then load up the  the guardship, move out onto the  broad,  deposit  the turning mark,  set the guardship  a short distance away.  Set the rest up  and do radio checks back to Horning Sailing Club before the start of the race, which this year would have been 10:30.

We then settle in for a relaxing morning on the broad,  till the fleets start arriving,  listening in to the radio,  for the positions of boats in the race.  When the boats round the buoy leaving a tag in a basket attached,  they call out their race number,  which is listed with time passing on our charts,  because we are "an end " they don't have to say to where the next guardship they will pass. 

Every 6 to 10 boats we radio back to control,  " Race Control,  Race Control,  this is Hickling guardship, we have boats for you" on receiving , "Go ahead Hickling" we list the race numbers of the boats and the times passing.  So it continues, till either we run out of boats to record,  or those that have no hope of finishing, have been persuaded to retire. 

Once the guardship and rescue boat has been returned,  I take all the equipment back to Horning SC,  where we, the guardship crew meet up for the Famous 3 River Race Breakfast .

A similar day will have occurred for the others in the dozen guardships, each having 4 crew and their own rescue boat .

As it is the 60th 3 Rivers Race has been cancelled this year,  and will be run on 5th / 6th June 2021.