Investigations Into Speeding Vessels

[grendel]

I seem to recall that the pilots had to be plane pilots as well as channel pilots to operate the big cross channel ones

[MauriceMynah]

I can think of a challenge to put to an ex bridge pilot! :-) 

[Guest]

4 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

normal 10 x Hr day

Really? I had you down as more of a Dolly Parton 9 to 5...

John.

[FairTmiddlin]

1 hour ago, Vaughan said:

My father knew Chris Cockerill and saw that model being demonstrated at Somerleyton.  In fairness, it was just a biscuit tin, with a little propeller petrol engine for kids' model aeroplanes.  But the principle was proved!  Later development was, of course, done further away on the south coast.

Whether a full size hovercraft ever flew on the Broads, I don't know.

By the way, in COLREGS, they were classified as a seaplane. I imagine they still are.

My Brother and I went to Somerleyton school. My Brother saw the original electric version, same design, Biscuit tin but with electric motor and a long flex. Fly across Somerleyton green.

[Polly]

I used the hovercraft crossing to Boulogne and loved it, though it was a bit bumpy.🙃

[Vaughan]

1 hour ago, grendel said:

I seem to recall that the pilots had to be plane pilots as well as channel pilots to operate the big cross channel ones

That is also true.

The Army pilots were helicopter pilots from the Army Air Corps. They are flown very much like a helicopter, with a collective lever, a cyclic lever and two rudder pedals.

[FairTmiddlin]

1 hour ago, Polly said:

I used the hovercraft crossing to Boulogne and loved it, though it was a bit bumpy.🙃

Try that one in a force Nine

We went one day on Princess Margaret . Think the pilot must have been French and wanted to get home.

We first headed to Folkestone,then shot off like a rocket for Calais. But I think his heading was for Rotterdam. The wind blew it back on course for Calais.

Never seen so many green people. It was like an alien convention.

[Vaughan]

2 hours ago, MauriceMynah said:

I can think of a challenge to put to an ex bridge pilot! :-) 

I have just caught the "gist" of your post . . . 

That would certainly frighten the swans!

[CambridgeCabby]

As a youngster I was fortunate to have been amongst the passengers on the first channel crossing out of Portsmouth on the Hoverspeed , much of the journey I was in a crew seat on the bridge .

Somewhere I have the admittedly poor quality photos I took , along with the certificate and pack given to all passengers on the day.

My mothers side of the family resided (and still does) in the Southampton/Portsmouth area and my late uncle was a submariner and ended up working for hover speed in the development department .

[Polly]

Lucky boy!

[ChrisB]

Back in the day I used it every week as I would have to travel first to Lille then on to Paris ( Weather permitting) I was really sorry to see the Hovercraft Service cease.

[ChrisB]

My personal preference was the old Pegwell Bay service, but that stopped very early on. You can still travel to the I.O.W. with Hovertravel's Southsea-Ryde passenger service, worth doing if you have never been on a hovercraft.

[ChrisB]

The RNLI have hovercraft stationed at Southend, Hoylake, Morecombe and Hunstanton where casualties very often can't be reached by boats.

[Cheesey69]

Bloody noisy as I recall

[Vaughan]

1 hour ago, Cheesey69 said:

Bloody noisy as I recall

Which is one of the reasons they were not successful in a military role!

[JennyMorgan]

6 hours ago, FairTmiddlin said:

My Brother and I went to Somerleyton school. My Brother saw the original electric version, same design, Biscuit tin but with electric motor and a long flex. Fly across Somerleyton green.

Trumans boatyard was also involved in what was probably the next stage. Desmond Truman apparently became more involved than has ever been publicly acknowledged and the floor in the boatyard's loft, as well as Oulton Broad itself, were used for testing models. My brother was a keen model maker, boats and planes, and was commissioned by Trumans to make one model using a miniature diesel engine. The engine became my brother's reward for his work. When the model was stripped down and the engine re-used I became the owner of the fan/propeller. Regretfully it was messed away with when I left home. 

[BroadAmbition]

Not quite the one I was looking for, but it'll do

Griff

 

[Vaughan]

Thanks, Griff, I think that proves the point very nicely!

We can also imagine how difficult it would be to keep steerage way when coming down with that current under you. I came up there on the full flood a couple of years ago, with 1300 revs on the engine I reckoned I must have been doing about 12MPH.

Not making a ripple of wash, though!

[JennyMorgan]

Thank you, Charlie, exactly why it pays to work the tides. 

[RealWindmill]

Thank you. Good video.

I couldn't, or. rather wouldn't, do that. I'd be too worried about a mechanical or engine overheat on my Perkins.

[StillCruising]

We had to do that a couple of years ago. The faithful BMC 1800 was roaring away and we were making 2mph past the yacht station. Karen told me that the ranger was shouting at us but our exhaust was pretty much drowing him out. Thinking that there may have been something wrong  I dropped the throttle just long enough to hear him telling us to slow down. By this time we had lost all headway and were in danger of going backwards, even at full revs it took what seemed ages to get going again. 

[BroadAmbition]

We've done it a few times now, purely based on location and sunset times but do try to avoid it, it's even worse going down river on a full Ebb, that would proper concern me.  Going against a full ebb, 'B.A' can manage decent progress, and doesn't need to be flat out the Jewels are ok-ish but they need near full throttle under the bridges.  Of course the diesel consumption is horrendous.  The video I was really looking for showed three Jewels and 'B.A' in close formation one,  progressing from Breydon past the yacht station into a full racing ebb.  That was four diesels giving it some, I dread to think was the combined consumption was 

Griff

[NotDeadYet]

Thanks for the video, Griff.  Food for thought, as we'll be running up that way this coming Sunday. OK, it's a long way off springs, but still worth thinking about.  Coming back later next week might be less inviting as the tidal range is greater and I don't fancy being under marginal control 'downhill' through the narrow bits.  

[Broads01]

That's a great video and Robin at his very best. Trying to pilot in the opposite direction with the ebb in conditions like that doesn't bear thinking about. 

[JennyMorgan]

5 minutes ago, Broads01 said:

Trying to pilot in the opposite direction with the ebb in conditions like that doesn't bear thinking about. 

Came through in a sailing boat once, with the tide under me like that. The Quay Ranger was on the ball when I hailed him asking him to take my line, which he did without question. I put the tiller down, the head came round, the Ranger surged my line around a mooring post, I came alongside a surprised crew of holiday makers, one of which objected to being doubled up. The Ranger told her that I would be there until the tide slacked, it was the way it was done. Hats off to the Quay Rangers, all in a day's work!