Paddle Skedaddle - Saturday 13th May

[Smoggy]

I have no objection whatsoever about it, but being a southern rivers boater it's not in my back yard.

 

[MargeandParge]

4 minutes ago, Smoggy said:

I have no objection whatsoever about it, but being a southern rivers boater it's not in my back yard.

 

Go on Smoggy start her up from cold at How Hill at about an hour after the start and see how welcoming the participants can be .

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[Ray]

This thread has taken an odd turn, I don't think anyone actually complained about sharing the rivers, it was safety issues and paddle boards are indeed easy to spot....  however depending on your helm position it can be hard to spot a canoe under your bow. especially inexperienced helms at pinch points.

I would happily see a stretch of river closed to motor craft for such an event personally. The 3 Rivers Race does attract the attention of a lot of disgruntled helms but I'm not one of them.

[rightsaidfred]

I have no problem with the principal at all, I like to see folk enjoying themselves by what ever means floats there boat, my only reservation is the suitability of the Ant compared to other options.

Fred

[Meantime]

My guess would be because the whole course is relatively non tidal and there is a good road from their camp site to their start point. If they are starting at 9am and must aim for 2.5 hours completion most will be clear of the Ant by 11am at the latest. 

[MargeandParge]

We witnessed it last year and it was an impressive event with a lot of tired smiling faces and obviously  brought business to a lot of local traders from participants and on lookers so have a good time to all.

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[Gracie]

12 minutes ago, Ray said:

This thread has taken an odd turn, I don't think anyone actually complained about sharing the rivers

Apologies Ray, had a couple of rough days and was just making light of it all and having a giggle, I meant no harm  x

[Ray]

57 minutes ago, Gracie said:

Apologies Ray, had a couple of rough days and was just making light of it all and having a giggle, I meant no harm  x

Not you Gracie, just a couple of other posts seemed to suggest that those urging caution were not in favour of sharing the rivers. 

No one could suggest you meant any harm  x 

[Happy]

2 minutes ago, Ray said:

Not you Gracie, just a couple of other posts seemed to suggest that those urging caution were not in favour of sharing the rivers. 

No one could suggest you meant any harm  x 

To be honest.  If they all obey the rules of the river there is no problem - but will that actually happen - I hope so. 

[Wussername]

think that we need to revisit the sentiment that "the Broads is for everyone".

The ideal, yes. In practice no.

I have a concern. Sooner rather than later there will be another tragedy, there seems to be a degree of inevitably.

There needs to be an understanding, of the problems, a recognition of the issues. A conversation with regard to the disciplines which are needed to put in place.

I have respect for the BA, they have achieved and maintained much during my involvement with the Norfolk Broads which is over several years.

There now seems to be lack of focus, of discipline, a somewhat dysfunctional organisation which lacks direction.

And I am not sure as to how we address this.

The solution may be elsewhere, but I have little confidence.

 

 

Quote

 

Old Wussername<br><br>

“Believe me, my young friend there is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats<br><br>

 

 

[Mouldy]

I’m not against the race, but given that it is a ‘race,’ I doubt whether the more serious competitors will observe too much caution when negotiating Ludham Bridge.  If two or three cruisers are trying to hold station waiting for several paddlers to come through, there is surely a risk to all river users there.  There are no public moorings downstream of the bridge to allow craft to moor safely and allow the paddlers to pass, should rangers be on hand to hold other river traffic and prioritise the competitors passage.

[rightsaidfred]

Sadly there is very little joined up thinking these days, everything is agenda driven.

Fred

[Meantime]

33 minutes ago, Mouldy said:

I’m not against the race, but given that it is a ‘race,’ I doubt whether the more serious competitors will observe too much caution when negotiating Ludham Bridge.  If two or three cruisers are trying to hold station waiting for several paddlers to come through, there is surely a risk to all river users there.  There are no public moorings downstream of the bridge to allow craft to moor safely and allow the paddlers to pass, should rangers be on hand to hold other river traffic and prioritise the competitors passage.

Being in a race doesn't absolve anyone from their statutory duties to observe the rules of the river and look after theirs and everyone else's safety. Boats  should give way to boats with the tide underneath them when traversing bridges. Given that high water at Ludham Bridge on Saturday will be around 8am they should be coming down the Ant with the ebb and would have right of way under the bridge regardless.

[Wussername]

27 minutes ago, Mouldy said:

I’m not against the hold station waiting for several paddlers to come through, there is surely a risk to all river users there. 

The hire boat helm is taught to progress slowly, and indeed he does.

In a confinend situation surrounded by other boats, canoes, paddle boards, having to manoeuvre in a tight limited "water situation" there is the very real situation that the hirer to avoid a confrontation will resort to putting more energy into a  boat to resolve a given situation. Regretfully without any understanding or experience of the consequences.

 

[Islander]

Average speed needs to be minimum 6Km/Hr. Ludham bridge is going to be fun. The weather is looking good for the weekend too. There will be a lot of boats about. 26.5Km is a blooming long way. 4Hrs at the helm and I would be busting for a pee.

Colin 

 

[grendel]

4 hours ago, Happy said:

To be honest.  If they all obey the rules of the river there is no problem - but will that actually happen - I hope so. 

this is the only issue I have with large numbers of paddle boards (at least the ones I encountered up at coltishall), to be fair, they see a motor cruiser coming and all head for the side of the river, which side, well they all choose a different side, and sort of occupied that half of the river, if you were lucky they left a gap in the middle for the cruiser.

[Hylander]

Unfortunately our beloved Broads are being promoted as Butlins on the Water.       Everyone on the water that day will be careful and let us hope it all proceeds without any problems.    I suppose it could have been a worse time to set off ,  Saturday mornings are usually quieter once everyone has got back to their yard.

May be a good idea for Richardsons to warn their customers to avoid being late back on that particular Saturday morning.          I am thinking of those returning their boats at 9.30.

On the other hand customers leaving Herby Woods early might have a bit of a shock.

 

 

 

[MauriceMynah]

OK, so a novice helmsperson is trying to hold station to head upstream at Ludham Bridge. There are SUPS round him and he is giving way to some coming through the bridge. He is using forward and reverse to hold position.

This, I'm told is safe!

There are other novice hirers queueing behind him, yet it's still allegedly safe.

He hears a large splash.

Hmmm, safe eh.

 

The situation as described is, although contrived by me, not so very unlikely. 

Please advise.

 

[Hylander]

Please do tell what is a SUPS?

[kpnut]

Stand Up Paddleboards

 

[MargeandParge]

The only advice we can give MM is to moor along  by the Abbey at around 11.30 pour a small libation and ponder the thought while looking at the chaos unfurling before do I really need to go up The River Ant this morning. 

Kindest Regards 

[Hylander]

28 minutes ago, MargeandParge said:

The only advice we can give MM is to moor along  by the Abbey at around 11.30 pour a small libation and ponder the thought while looking at the chaos unfurling before do I really need to go up The River Ant this morning. 

Kindest Regards 

[Meantime]

58 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

The situation as described is, although contrived by me, not so very unlikely. 

Please advise.

But is it likely? These are very experienced paddle boarders. Over the last few years I have seen quite a few paddle boarders around the Broads of seemingly all experiences from those who paddle faster than I'm cruising, to those who stand up wobbling on their board, to those who cannot stand so sit on the board and paddle. I think I can count on one hand the number I have seen in the water, and to date none of the ones who have all the gear and appear to know what they're doing.

So to go back to your not so very unlikely situation, if one ends up in the water it is more than likely going to be as a result of a helm not realising the rules of the river and giving way to those with the tide underneath them at the bridge, following each other like lemmings and not leaving enough space to the boat in front, or using to much throttle and creating too much wash. 

With a good ebb through Ludham bridge it is possible to hold station below the bridge with just the rudder and the occasional very short burst of forward to hold station. Strong winds make it more difficult, but still very achievable. I've waited before for about 10 minutes whilst four Hunters boat struggled to quant through the bridge against the tide. 

[batrabill]

1 hour ago, MauriceMynah said:

OK, so a novice helmsperson is trying to hold station to head upstream at Ludham Bridge

So, an untrained person has been sent out of a boatyard with a 6 ton vessel. They don’t know the rivers, they have no experience of navigation, tides, wind or boat control. They are, by definition, incompetent. And the paddleboarder is the problem?

[Meantime]

For what its worth the organisers have told the competitors to stay out of the way of other boat traffic and to not take the racing line.

In addition the event has been organised with the full knowledge of The Broads Authority, which in turn means that the events organiser will have full public liability insurance for the event.

The BA have a very useful 60 page guide on their website for those who are looking to organise events on the Broads, which have to be notified to the BA as per Byelaw 86 Fun Events. The guide can be found here

The BA have published the following useful info on their Facebook page.

Upcoming high-traffic events on the waterways

Please be aware that there may be high levels of river traffic during the following events. The navigation is open as usual but be mindful that it may be extremely busy on the water during this time, please be considerate of other river users and enjoy the spectacle.

Paddle Skedaddle SUP/Kayak Race - Saturday 13 May 2023, 09:00am to 2:00pm

Competitors will start at Sutton Staithe, heading over Barton Broad, past How Hill, Ludham and onto the River Bure. They will then head onto the River Thurne, past Thurne Mill, through Repps and Potter Heigham, then onward to Martham Ferry Bridge, up to Somerton where they turn around and head back to the finish line again at Martham Ferry Bridge.

More information: https://www.norfolkoutdooradventures.co.uk/the-paddle...

Three Rivers Race (sailing) Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 June 2023, starts approx 11:00am (Sat)

Over 100 sailing boats will be racing on the Rivers Bure, Ant and Thurne during the first weekend of June in this 24hr race, plus additional support craft. These rivers will be extremely busy, with certain pinch points possible at Horning (the start), Ludham Bridge, Potter Heigham Bridge and other narrow-width areas. Please be mindful of the high number of crafts on the river and be aware of sailing vessels tacking (zig-zagging) across the rivers.

For a course map see: https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/photo/165633

For more information on 3RR see: https://www.3rr.uk/

The Broads Authority and Rangers are fully aware of both events. Any questions, advice or concerns please contact Broads Control on 01603 756056 or Broads.Control@broads-authority.gov.uk