River Space On The Chet

[BoatsmanJetsom]

43 minutes ago, marshman said:

I don't think the Chet is "hugely technical" at all and a few reeds growing out on the odd bend mean nothing. It doesn't automatically mean there is a mound of mud midstream and even if you passed directly over the top, I suspect all you would do is help clear it!!! I used to drive over that sort of thing if it was just a few stalks and never came to any harm. 

If I recall, when they were putting in the new flood banks, the EA took a long time down the Chet because of unstable ground conditions - probably some leftovers! Also don't forget they had a lot of issues at Hardley Flood - not walked the bank for a bit but the changes they could have made, may have had some influence on the flow - upstream of that I guess the flow may now now well be less. But it still does not make it "hugely technical"  - if it is what do you call Breydon Water or mooring at Reedham?

Lots and lots of posters moaning but who has had the sense to phone the BA and talk to the River's Engineer actually in charge of dredging - my bet is none!!!!! He is guy you need to talk to - he is very approachable - or was!!!!!

Agreed on calling BA and seeing what could be done with the river, that’s something I’ll do. In terms of the river being technical or not, that’s down to the individual; someone could think Reedham is easy to moor at.

my issue was that some boats may not know they can edge into the reeds to help passing and ideally this info can be spread somehow. 

[PaulN]

3 minutes ago, BoatsmanJetsom said:

Agreed on calling BA and seeing what could be done with the river, that’s something I’ll do. In terms of the river being technical or not, that’s down to the individual; someone could think Reedham is easy to moor at.

my issue was that some boats may not know they can edge into the reeds to help passing and ideally this info can be spread somehow. 

The reeds were growing almost halfway at some bends across the normal navigation, when we were there last month. Saw the rangers boat when we travelled in both directions, so they are obviously aware.

[BoatsmanJetsom]

10 minutes ago, PaulN said:

The reeds were growing almost halfway at some bends across the normal navigation, when we were there last month. Saw the rangers boat when we travelled in both directions, so they are obviously aware.

Now those are some expertly coiled ropes! 👏🏻

[marshman]

Good - I am glad someone will talk to them! Seemed a bit obvious to me!

However they do have to plan well ahead given the problems that could easily crop up - indeed I guess its already in the schedule but you have to get all kinds of permissions, not least from the landowner where you intend dumping the spoil. 

They certainly won't be dumping it on the bank as it looks as though the bank has just fallen into the river - if so that could well be the bit where it is all unstable and adding spoil would make it more so.

If you get hold of him, interesting to learn what he says - they may be trying to look at a more permanent solution but that sounds possibly expensive!

P.S. Coiled ropes like that look pretty, but try using that rope in a hurry, and it will twist and knot up I guess!

[William92]

Maybe "incredibly fiddly" would be more of a precise phrasing? Really feels more like semantic fussing than a massively relevant point.

The biggest trial with the Chet is mostly spatial awareness in somewhat unfamiliar vehicles, especially when you have no idea if the person coming the other way has ever even seen a boat before today. You might be fine putting your boat 3 inches from the limit, but if they can't figure out how to get their boat to stop overlapping 6 inches with yours, a pickle ensues. Only experience will tell you what extent of reeds are fine to push through, and I get a week a year and don't want the hire yard to go "oh, yeah, fouled prop - we'll organise a tow and a boat lift...", so negotiating the patches of reeds across the Chet in awkward places becomes an incredibly wiggly bit of steering at times. Hence "technical".

[BroadAmbition]

P.S. Coiled ropes like that look pretty, but try using that rope in a hurry, and it will twist and knot up I guess!

That rope isn't coiled - Its correctly cheesed down - there is a difference.  Proper safe for crew and the boat and yes it does look pretty (Proper)   

Picking up a cheesed down rope correctly for instant use doesn't result in even just one twist let alone any stokers dhoby hitches

Griff

[Meantime]

On 03/06/2024 at 21:02, Wussername said:

Is passing on the "inside" considered an offence ?

The simple answer is no. The byelaws state that you should navigate to the starboard side of the middle of the channel, but you do not have to hug the bank.

The byelaws also state that you are considered to be an overtaking vessel when coming from a direction more than 22.5 degrees abaft its beam. That section is clarified to make sense to the laymen, by stating that if it was at night, you would be able to see the stern light of the vessel, but neither of its sidelights. This indicates that you could overtake on either side. However bear in mind it is the responsibility of the overtaking vessel to always keep clear of the vessel being overtaken until it is clear. If overtaking on the port side you have space to move to the other side of the river if the vessel you are overtaking makes a slight change in direction and isn't aware they are being overtaken. If overtaking on the starboard side you have less chances if the vessel being overtaken isn't aware of you and makes a slight change of direction.

Finally at no point during the overtake, if either vessel changes direction, does the overtaking vessel become a crossing vessel. In other words the responsibility to keep clear always remains with the overtaking vessel. This would only apply if you were overtaking on the inside. In a crossing situation the vessel which has the other on its starboard side must give way. Thus if you overtake on the inside, at some point you "could" become the vessel that should be given way to by the vessel you are overtaking, but the byelaws make it clear that the rules of crossing do not apply during an overtake, so you can not take advantage of the crossing rule, if you are the one doing the overtake on the inside. 

 

[RumPunch]

Just one thing nagging me with the talk of skimming the reeds etc, please remember some us sailing boats may draw quite a bit, and not have a lot of excess thrust under power may need to stay away a bit

And then there's trees............

[YnysMon]

19 hours ago, RumPunch said:

Just one thing nagging me with the talk of skimming the reeds etc, please remember some us sailing boats may draw quite a bit, and not have a lot of excess thrust under power may need to stay away a bit

And then there's trees............

Don’t talk to me about trees. When we were hiring saileys we got stuck twice. On the second occasion we were able to untangle ourselves, but in the first encounter up the Ant we were well and truly stuck with branches impeding our ability to lower the sail. We had to hitch a tow from a passing cruiser to get out of the situation.

Isn’t it funny how it’s the ‘gone wrong’ bits of Broads holidays that stick in the mind. Yesterday was certainly memorable for us!

[PaulN]

On 05/06/2024 at 00:13, BroadAmbition said:

P.S. Coiled ropes like that look pretty, but try using that rope in a hurry, and it will twist and knot up I guess!

That rope isn't coiled - Its correctly cheesed down - there is a difference.  Proper safe for crew and the boat and yes it does look pretty (Proper)   

Picking up a cheesed down rope correctly for instant use doesn't result in even just one twist let alone any stokers dhoby hitches

Griff

Thank you Griff.

Sorry marshman but you couldn't be more wrong. It may look 'Bristol fashion' but my primary reason for always cheesing down the mooring lines is the exact opposite to what you say. 

When mooring, just pick up the end of the rope from the centre of the coil and it never twists or tangles. Not sure about the polypropolene rubbish that most hire boats use, but proper rope always behaves as I say.

[marshman]

Trouble is I spent some of my formative years on Thames Barges - old habits die hard and the skippers hated them!!

Sorry - I give in to superior authorities who like them!!

[William92]

16 minutes ago, marshman said:

Trouble is I spent some of my formative years on Thames Barges - old habits die hard and the skippers hated them!!

Sorry - I give in to superior authorities who like them!!

We're all shaped by our teachers and can only hope that the teachers that shaped them didn't have a monumental incident 😂

[addicted]

When we first came to the Broads, in 2010 Somerleyton Bridge was under repair and opening for a brief window  of about 15 minutes twice a  day. Along with a lot of boats we had been hovering   downstream of the bridge waiting for it to swing. when we came under the bridge the sight was  lijke something out of mad movies. Boats were all over the river. As we were passing the moorings a hire boat approached our stern with speed and made as if to undertake us. We had a Sheerline 950AC which meant I could move  down the cockpit right to the stern  and call out to the approaching boat just as it's bow levelled with our  stern. I asked the helmsman if he would drive his car like that. He looked at me blankly. No of course you  wouldn't   I said. Well  don't do it here, back off! He very quickly did.

 

Carole

 

[addicted]

I've managed to unintentionally post  this twice. Can Mods remove the 2nd one please.

 

 

Carole

[grendel]

11 minutes ago, addicted said:

I've managed to unintentionally post  this twice. Can Mods remove the 2nd one please.

 

 

Carole

done