Breydon

[craigmc67]

I was crossing the Breydon bridge and see there’s another boat high and dry on the mud has it been there long ? 

[FairTmiddlin]

Reports earlier in local press that two were rescued from it.

[Chelsea14Ian]

They were there overnight. Hemsby Lifeboat, got them off and transferred  them to the RNLI.

[BroadAmbition]

God forbid we ever end up on t mudflats onboard 'B.A' - One things for sure if we somehow did, the first thing I would do is enable the cloaking device (My mighty Tiger has one that switches itsen on sometimes) and ring absolutely no one, especially the emergency services 

Griff

[marshman]

Lead story on Look East tonight - described them as treacherous and dangerous waters!!!

Well it might be if you choose to cross at the wrong time and fail to read the advice..!!! They know better - or so they think! What about the hundreds that cross safely? They of course, mostly follow advice and can read - there was some suggestion they went on the flats around 10p.m. - something else they forgot to take note of!!

They did leave them on overnight this time -  soon all boats will require an escort or have a formal convoy system!

 

[YnysMon]

Do we know if it was in a similar spot to the last couple of boats? If it was, it suggests that whoever it is that’s responsible for maintaining posts on Breydon need to do something pronto!

I did think last time we crossed that the small green buoys that they’d put in place on the ‘bend’ just opposite the lift bridge looked misleading. If I recall correctly, there were three, and were spaced in such a way that there looked to be an inviting gap between two of them. 

[JanetAnne]

'between the posts' will only work if the posts are clearly recognisable.

[Chelsea14Ian]

It was reported  that they crossed at 10.00pm. If so A as a hire boat they should  not have fine so. B light would be dim.

[Chelsea14Ian]

Sorry should have said. Should not have done so.

[YnysMon]

We’ll that was silly of them. Either very new to the Broads and hadn’t taken in that piece of information about not cruising after sunset and not bothered to check out anything, or thought they could get away with it. 

Having followed a hire craft up to Ludham bridge last July, who didn’t start to take bicycles off their roof until after they turned the corner and saw the bridge, I’m convinced that some hirers don’t bother to read any of the information they are given.

[Wussername]

It was has been and forever thus. And will be for ever so.

Unless, some bright spark provides a solution.

Generations have seeked the solution. All have failed. 

 

.

[ChrisB]

[Ray]

I wonder whether or not the helm in these cases are gently debriefed in order to investigate what went wrong. 

Twice recently on other parts of the Broads I have had dayboats veer across the river towards a head-on collision as the helm talks to their crew over their shoulder. It takes a surprising number of blasts on the horn before they realise it applies to them.

Could distraction be a factor in these running aground incidents? Maybe some sort of "off lane" device similar to those on cars could be fitted to hire boats? Triggered by location so as not to ruin the experience by buzzing on other parts of the system 

 

[Roy]

What happens to the hirers now. 

Do they get another boat? 

Get a refund ? 

Or  have to go home now? 

Anybody any ideas 

thanks 

 

 

 

[Mouldy]

1 hour ago, Ray said:

I wonder whether or not the helm in these cases are gently debriefed in order to investigate what went wrong. 

Twice recently on other parts of the Broads I have had dayboats veer across the river towards a head-on collision as the helm talks to their crew over their shoulder. It takes a surprising number of blasts on the horn before they realise it applies to them.

Could distraction be a factor in these running aground incidents? Maybe some sort of "off lane" device similar to those on cars could be fitted to hire boats? Triggered by location so as not to ruin the experience by buzzing on other parts of the system 

 

Don’t get me wrong, Ray, but as drivers we all now have ‘gizmos’ in our cars to ‘help’ us avoid accidents.  Sat navs to help us go where we want to go, lane assist, to help us not drift out of our lane whilst we concentrate on trying to work over complicated sat navs, intelligent cruise control to stop us hitting the car in front whilst we play with the sat nav, auto braking, ABS, and all manner of other ‘safety’ systems, including indicators that are even fitted to certain German car makes, but seldom used.  Does it stop folk from having accidents?

According to some, formal training and a test is the answer, but as car drivers, we’ve all been trained and passed a test, but that hasn’t stopped us forgetting what we’ve been taught.  We moan about some folk speeding on the rivers, but if we’re honest, how many of us can say we’ve never exceeded the speed limit in a car?   Honest, I said!!

Problem is that some folk are just incapable of converting simple instructions into actions.  We’ve said before ‘you can’t teach stupid’ and apart from banning idiots from procreating, how do you prevent all accidents?

Despite all the warnings, folk will still lay on the beach to get a suntan, buy lilos and take them in the sea where they fall asleep and drift out, walk along the beach when the tides out and get trapped by the incoming tide.  Happens every year.

We just need to realise that as a human race, no one’s perfect.  

[Ray]

I can't disagree with any of that Malcolm 🙂🍺

[Vaughan]

1 minute ago, Roy said:

What happens to the hirers now. 

That would depend on the circumstances.  If there is another boat free, they would be put on it for the rest of the week.  I doubt they would be able to screw a refund out of anyone.

There are other questions, such as what were they doing on Breydon at 11PM, if that is true?  Boatyards always have the right to refuse "unsuitable" hirers.

But as Wussername  says above, probably nothing will happen.  No-one got hurt, even if they might have deserved to, so it is just more water under the Breydon Bridge.

[Mouldy]

13 minutes ago, Roy said:

What happens to the hirers now. . . . . . . . 

Look for some large brown paper bags to cover their faces with, I imagine.  The trial and public humiliation on social media is already in full force, with all sorts of actions being demanded by the baying crowds, including the closure of Breydon to navigation.

Did I previously mention perhaps banning idiots from procreating??  🤔

[Smoggy]

So if that was 10pm on 13th they must have been doing it at nearly high water on a spring tide, between that and the light levels makes it doubly stupid, I guess it was well and truly high and dry at low water if it went aground at that time.

1 minute ago, Mouldy said:

Did I previously mention perhaps banning idiots from procreating??

That's why I have a dog and no kids....

[Vaughan]

2 minutes ago, Smoggy said:

So if that was 10pm on 13th they must have been doing it at nearly high water on a spring tide, between that and the light levels makes it doubly stupid, I guess it was well and truly high and dry at low water if it went aground at that time.

Absolutely right.

Breydon is a maritime navigation to the port of Norwich but it is not a night navigation.  In other words, them posts don't have no lights on 'em.

[JawsOrca]

This is getting silly now, it's a huge waste of charitable funds. 

I don't remember lifeboats and helicopters being called out before the BA took guardianship, who's calling the coastguard (The BA rangers by any chance?)? boats run aground (some on purpose; we've spent some of the best nights on the mud flats on the east coast some far more exposed than breydon), it almost feels someone is trying to make such a issue over Breydon to restrict passage and indeed if every week lifeboats and helicopters are being used then indeed perhaps it should be restricted for hireboats in someway.

 

[Mouldy]

Just now, JawsOrca said:

This is getting silly now, it's a huge waste of charitable funds. 

I don't remember lifeboats and helicopters being called out before the BA took guardianship, who's calling the coastguard (The BA rangers by any chance?)? boats run aground (some on purpose; we've spent some of the best nights on the mud flats on the east coast some far more exposed than breydon), it almost feels someone is trying to make such a issue over Breydon to restrict passage and indeed if every week lifeboats and helicopters are being used then indeed perhaps it should be restricted for hireboats in someway.

 

So there’s never been a private boat aground on Breydon?  We’re all equally capable of ‘cocking up’ occasionally.  Let’s not get into the hirers v owners debate on here.  I hired in my own right for well over forty years before buying a boat and crossed Breydon many times without issue.

Can we not just accept that none of us are perfect?

[Ray]

I can confirm that I'm not perfect👍

[Mouldy]

9 minutes ago, Ray said:

I can confirm that I'm not perfect👍

Nor I . . . . . . . . . . . . and proud of it!! 😉

[Vaughan]

15 minutes ago, JawsOrca said:

and indeed if every week lifeboats and helicopters are being used then indeed perhaps it should be restricted for hireboats in someway.

I thoroughly agree with your post, except that thousands of hire boats are crossing Breydon in perfect safety and routine normality every season.  As others have said, you just can't legislate for those who seem to deliberately flout all the rules and advice.

Let us consider responsibility for this : boatyards have now made the damage waiver an effective obligation, so they would be covered, except :

1/. It doesn't cover wilful damage.

2/. If they are navigating at night, they are in breach of the conditions of hire and more importantly, they are not insured by the terms of the yard's insurance.

3/. If they are cruising at night without nav lights, they are in breach of both BA and international law. (on a maritime navigation).

It is unlikely that the boatyard would pursue them for recovery costs as it is not worth the bad publicity that always sticks like Breydon mud.

The BA, however, could take them to court for dangerous navigation, in which case they would be very liable!