Sorry but I am going to have a moan

[Hylander]

We have just met up with friends who have come down South from the North for the first time ever.   I was quite shocked to hear them say how frightened they had been on Breydon as not one but two Salties had  gone past them at high speed.   The encountered a lot of their equipment ie photographs, TV , glasses and cups being thrown about thanks to these two inconsiderate people.    They were so shook up that they did not get the reg numbers which is rather a shame.    I don't think they will ever come South again.      If it was you - thanks.

 

 

 

 

[littlesprite]

Sorry to hear that Hylander, we all know it happens but it doesn't make it any easier to accept.

Most skippers will give a wide berth or slow down but the odd 1 or 2 spoil it.

[Matt]

No sign of SOB?

As sad as it sounds my camera is always close at hand for such encounters.

[Hockham Admiral]

We have just met up with friends who have come down South from the North for the first time ever.   I was quite shocked to hear them say how frightened they had been on Breydon as not one but two Salties had  gone past them at high speed. I idon't think they will ever come South again.      If it was you - thanks.

I know every NBN member who has such. a boat, Hy, and I am sorry that you should think it was one of us. Perhaps I have misinterpreted your post but that's how I read it.

The answer is to make everyone aware that Spirit of Breydon is about and can be contacted virtually immediately by calling Broads Control on your mobile.

Please ask them to reconsider not coming South and advise them of what they can do.

Matt, So do I. But in my case I'm quite likely to call them on channel 16, advertising to the world what nobs they are.

My rant over.

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello Hylander,

 

Sorry to hear about your friends issue on Breydon. If boats do overtake on there they should leave a very wide berth and slow down well in advance before passing other craft to reduce their wake.

 

There are other places on the rivers when speed limits are ignored completely and many forum member both on this forum and others, have been thrown about at moorings  at night in places such as horning.

 

Your friends should not be put off with this or they would never take to the water again.

 

The world is full of prats and occasionally we get some on the waterways.

 

Regards

Alan 

[goodall_m1]

John,

 

I don't think there was anything in the original post to suggest that it was a forum member that caused the problem.

 

As for using the VHF unfortunately most of the boats that are effected by such behaviour won't be equipped with a VHF. 

and,

anyway the culprits probably wouldn't be able to hear anything over the "lovely" sound of their engines....

 

I had one occasion in the New Cut where I had to call out for my crew to clear the forward well and prepare for a collision

as some prat in a "salty" decided to overtake a line of boats when we were coming the other way and I had nowhere to go to avoid him.

 

Luckily the boats being overtaken saw the situation an allowed the **** into their line.

 

I didn't go for the handheld (yes I do take it with me when hiring on the Broads)

but in my situation five short blasts might have convinced the prat that someone actually knew the "rules of the road".

 

How effective would the BA be if called, and what is their number?

[windmill]

How I wish that people would stop referring to Spirit of Breydon as S.O.B. having American relatives it has a completely different meaning and it's not a compliment!

[Paladin]

goodall_1, the Broads Authority Control can be contacted on 01603 756056 or VHF channel 12. How effective they would be depends on the quality of the information they are given (as well as the location of the patrols). Registration numbers of boats involved, photographs and/or description of the helm etc all make it easier for follow-up action to be taken. There is an Incident Reporting page on the BA website, to report incidents later (click on the 'Contact', then the 'Incident Reporting' links)

 

windmill, the abbreviation of SOB to describe the new patrol vessel was deliberately used by some members of other forums, who are antipathetic towards the BA and who were well aware of the connotation. Unfortunately, it is an example that has been innocently(?) followed by others.

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello Paladin,

Thank you for the information.

Regards

Alan

[Guest]

....was deliberately used by some members of other forums, who are antipathetic towards the BA and who were well aware of the connotation....

 

 

an·ti·pa·thet·ic

/anˌtipəˈTHetik/

Adjective

Showing or feeling a strong aversion.

 

 

Even that's putting it mildly !   

[Paladin]

I'm a mild sort of person  

[mbird]

It is unfortunate that the minority give the majority a bad name. However, even the smallest broads cruiser is easily capable of dealing with a big wake, so whilst it may be frightening for those of a nervous disposition, and certainly uncomfortable, there would not be any real danger to the boat, so they really shouldn't be put off coming down south in the future.

The real dangers lie in things like boiling kettles whilst on Breydon which could least to scalds and burns if the same thing happened again.

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[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Mark,

I do not know if you are like me but before setting off on any journey on the boat we turn off the gas at the bottle and stow items away in the galley area.

Also at night the last thing before going to bed is turn off the gas.
This is something we have always done on boats.

Regards
Alan

[mbird]

On the rivers we don't tend to bother Alan. If going to sea we have a complete stowage regime however! All boaters should of course respect Breydon and realise is can get bumpy (whether by natural means or man-made) and take appropriate action by putting stuff away that could fall over or get broken. I bet not many do though.

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[Hockham Admiral]

John,

 

I don't think there was anything in the original post to suggest that it was a forum member that caused the problem.

 

As for using the VHF unfortunately most of the boats that are effected by such behaviour won't be equipped with a VHF. 

and,

anyway the culprits probably wouldn't be able to hear anything over the "lovely" sound of their engines....

 

Martin, read the last sentence again!

 

But Spirit of Breydon will hear me on 16 and that's why I'd do it! (I did say that's what I'd do).

[Hylander]

Thank you for your replies.    Am back home now and not on the boat with 3g dongle.     It more of  a shame than anything to think they had waited over 8 years to buck up the courage to come South and then that is what happens.   Sods Law I suppose.    I did not mean to imply it was any of our sensible Salties at all just having 5 minutes on my soap box.       There is always one daft devil in every walk of life and I guess they met up with two of them on the same stretch of water.

 

Talking of Breydon and changing the subject a tad.     Friday morning (by gum the tides were very high down South) we pootled down to the Berney Arms and round the corner towards Goodchilds.    Now this was at the top of the tide.    Then we noticed that I think it was Magic Gem was just going to go across Breydon Water.   Now would (and I will use the correct name) Spirit of Breydon have turned them back as the bridge reading was 6 and a half feet.     We only at 6foot 9 just got under St Olaves Bridge.    That was reading just on 7 foot.

[Hockham Admiral]

Magic Gem is an Alpha type like Friday Girl and by the time she got to GH there probably wouldn't be a problem. I can get under there with 6ft 6ins showing!

[ExMemberBobdog]

It is unfortunate that the minority give the majority a bad name. However, even the smallest broads cruiser is easily capable of dealing with a big wake, so whilst it may be frightening for those of a nervous disposition, and certainly uncomfortable, there would not be any real danger to the boat, so they really shouldn't be put off coming down south in the future.

Ahem.  My first crossing of Breydon, many years ago, was in a 20 foot halfdecker with about a foot of freeboard.  I'd bought the boat from a chap in Brundall but wanted to get it up to Hickling where I'd be doing most of my sailing.  In order to do the trip as quickly as possible (and because I was solo) I lowered the mast into crutches at Brundall, tied the shrouds, sails and everything away neatly, and used an outboard motor to drive me round.  I stopped at Berney Arms to refuel the outboard, and set off across a choppy Breydon.  Now I'd been used to sailing dinghies at sea (Wayfarers, Lasers etc) and so I wasn't too bothered by a bit of swell, but I was truly surprised at how inconsiderate some pilots of big motor cruisers were, not just in the speed at which they came past, but how closely.  Cocooned in their large cockpits, high above the water, they seemed to have no appreciation of my vulnerability and I had to do quite a bit of baling to do when I got to Yarmouth!

[Hylander]

Thank goodness for that , I was concerned for them.      Bet they had a struggle going up to Acle way.

[MBA Marine]

People could be more courteous yes and should be, but with 145miles or so that people are not allowed to open their engines up you can understand why people want to have a play and de-coke their engines when they hit Breydon.

 

I think although I would like everyone to give one another due respect, i fall more in the people should take care of themselves and all items should be stowed away correctly when your entering what could be choppy water.  if your cupboards are jammed full of crockery (that you most likley only need half of) with cups and glasses not in recesses or on pegs then expect they will move and smash, if you have a little flat screen tv thats not fixed to a bulkhead then lay it flat somewhere safe like in the middle of a bed, clear all loose items off surfaces.

 

Lastly if you don't like the crossing pay someone to take your boat round and get a taxi.

[ExUserGone]

To be fair if it took 8 years to pluck up courage to cross breydon something was going to frighten them whatever happened, did anyone else see what happened and was it actually that scary?

I've heard a lot of people talking about how rough it was on breydon on some very calm days, some are too easily panicked.

[ExMemberBobdog]

I've got no objection to speed on the water, any more than on the road, but I do believe that there is an overriding responsibility to be aware of others and their safety.  If the waterway is empty, by all means go for it, but if it's busy, be more considerate.  If you've got a huge great fast motor boat 70% of the surface of this planet is ocean, you've plenty of room to go play without endangering or inconveniencing others.

[littlesprite]

Everyone is entitled to a opinion and long may that be the case, I just think that it's sad if people have to make allowance in their plans, not for weather, tides, nature but for inconsiderate skippers who could solve the problem with the simple movement of a gear lever.

[goodall_m1]

My worst ever crossing of Breydon was on my first Broads trip, taking a hired 36ft bathtub, Trent Bridge, across with a force 6 crosswind.

 

She needed about 30 degree angle into the wind just to keep her on track, and we were taking water over the bow at times without any problems of wakes!

 

At the time I was a complete novice to inshore boating, (we were on the second week of the hire) but had done some time on the sea, albeit mainly in sailing dinghies.

 

One of the problems that the popularity of the Broads as a novice area causes is that we do end up with a mix of experienced skippers, relatively inexperienced skippers, and complete novices. 

 

Those with a little experience will know to turn into the wake caused by a faster vessel to prevent it causing a rolling motion, but it isn't anything that I was told in any of my "hand-over" trips. It just isn't a problem that occurs within a mile of so of the hire-yards.

 

The novices may not know what they are doing yet, but the experienced skippers do know and I think should approach any other vessel on the basis that it is a novice at the helm.

 

Courtesy to other boaters is something that we should all show as a matter of course.

[Hockham Admiral]

It is unfortunate that the minority give the majority a bad name. However, even the smallest broads cruiser is easily capable of dealing with a big wake, so whilst it may be frightening for those of a nervous disposition, and certainly uncomfortable, there would not be any real danger to the boat, so they really shouldn't be put off coming down south in the future.

The real dangers lie in things like boiling kettles whilst on Breydon which could least to scalds and burns if the same thing happened again.

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LeoMagill said:

 

Posted Yesterday, 07:26 PM

To be fair if it took 8 years to pluck up courage to cross Breydon something was going to frighten them whatever happened, did anyone else see what happened and was it actually that scary?

 

I've heard a lot of people talking about how rough it was on Breydon on some very calm days, some are too easily panicked.

 

The problem is, guys, that when it's an Alpha-type hull you're onboard then they are totally different in their righting-moment characteristics to what you are used to. I wrote an article about this a year or so ago but can't find it at the moment.

 

Basically our Alpha is very nearly flat bottomed and is normally very stiff (resistant to heel).

The problem comes when you fall into the trough that a high speed wake can leave behind it... yes, I agree, it's not a problem if you steer into the wake, but if it catches you from behind then the resulting motion can be downright frightening.

 

In a perfect world you'd be looking behind as much as ahead to watch for such eventualities but we were caught out by a small speed boat towing a skier near Brundall who overtook us quite closely. The resulting motion was quite as bad as I can remember! (Coming out of harbours in our sailing boat we've seen up to 60degs of heel momentarily; so we are used to it!).