Big Oops!

[kfurbank]

CDW is the cause of most of these incidents. I'm really grateful that this year it seems to be boats hitting bridges and getting stuck on just about any shallow parts of the Broads rather than hitting other boats. Sorry to sound mercenary but for a change it seems to be the hire yards suffering damage to their own boats more than ever this year. Maybe the CDW won't work out so profitable and there will be a rethink. It's long overdue. Some may say the hire industry will suffer, but do we really need these muppets on the Broads.

 

There is also a boat stuck on Breydon today. Wroxham bridge was hit recently. Alphacraft have suffered three big incidents already this year. Time for it to stop.

[Bound2Please]

Some may say the hire industry will suffer, but do we really need these muppets on the Broads.

 

 

 

I am not a hirer, but have been in the past, like I say 99.9% of all owners. Without the hire yards and hirer's, the broads would die as we know it now. They spend a large amount of money when here.

 

So please don't tar all hirers as muppets as 99.99999% arn't just a very very very small minority could maybe classed as this.

 

All this negativity about hirers can only do the broads harm over all.

 

My two penarth worth

 

Charlie

[dnks34]

Flooding it will probably have damaged a lot of the interior woodwork and floors, aside from the roof there's going to be a lot of work involved in putting this one right.

Poppy is right about the CDW, the time will come where the taller boats have to stay North or South I think, and the hire yards could just put the prices up £50 per hire to cover the profit they get from CDW and then charge a security deposit. That 5k probably won't even scratch the surface with this one tho

[kfurbank]

Charlie,

 

In my haste I should have been clearer. By muppets, I mean the ones who keep on hitting bridges and other obstacles etc. They are not needed.

[CaptinDread]

Charlie,

 

In my haste I should have been clearer. By muppets, I mean the ones who keep on hitting bridges and other obstacles etc. They are not needed.

 

exactly remove all the bridges, job done.

[Siddy]

How about a beam sensor across the river set back before the bridge on either side, this would be set say 4" below the bottom of bridge. If you break the beam as you pass an alarm sounds and beacon flashes on the bridge.

This could be tested at the start of the day by YS staff and after that you deserve to be stuck on the net and laughed at sorry charged for any damage caused.

[kfurbank]

Perhaps the yards could supply a babysitter for the week!!!! Is it really to much to expect them to read the plate near the helm and then look out for a bridge height gauge? If they are that lacking in common sense then perhaps it isn't the holiday for them.

[Bound2Please]

How about a beam sensor across the river set back before the bridge on either side, this would be set say 4" below the bottom of bridge. If you break the beam as you pass an alarm sounds and beacon flashes on the bridge.

This could be tested at the start of the day by YS staff and after that you deserve to be stuck on the net and laughed at sorry charged for any damage caused.

Would this beam go up n down with the tide?  Siddy

 

Charlie

[dnks34]

I have to admit that the Siddy's light beam idea is actually a pretty good one really, or to simplify it a wire stretched across the river a good way before the bridge with chain hanging from it to the height of each bridge. They just need making idiot proof!

Charlie does the bridge go up and down with the tide

[Bound2Please]

Charlie does the bridge go up and down with the tide !

 No but the clearance does

 

Charlie

[dnks34]

If a sensor unit or wire with chains was fixed to the shore as is the bridge then the clearance would be the same as the bridge whatever the state of tide!

[jeffbroadslover]

I remember that many years ago just inside Herbert Woods yard on the right there was a gauge which was arched the same as THE bridge.

 

If there was a doubt about bridge clearance you could turn the gauge round over the water and then do a dummy run to see if your boat would pass under it or not.

 

The arch was very well padded if I remember correctly.

 

Never could understand why it was removed even though the bridge pilots had to be used anyway.

 

 

Jeff

[BuffaloBill]

I remember that gauge well Jeff. Despite coming to the Broads since 1963, I can't find any photo's showing that gauge!

It would be a boon to privateers if not hirers.

[Viking23]

If a sensor unit or wire with chains was fixed to the shore as is the bridge then the clearance would be the same as the bridge whatever the state of tide!

There will be a difference, depending on the distance from the bridge, if too large, then on a fast incoming tide the river will be higher at the bridge than the chain, and vice versa.

[Gracie]

Does anyone know the full circumstances as to how they come to be stuck? Perhaps not numpties, muppets or whatever hirers are being called now, maybe just a genuine mistake which can happen to any one of us, please try and remember there may be a very distressed family on board, children included who are probably mortified at their predicament

 

Grace

[Limbury1]

I think it is possible they tried to turn by the yacht station and without enough power was swept down to the bridge the tide is treacherous when flowing fast.

[dnks34]

If you left a margin of error in any indicator the difference in water level over a distance of say 100m wouldn't be significant enough I don't think. It would still act as a clear indicator that the boat ain't gunna fit!

[Viking23]

So if the crew were taken off the boat and taken to the yacht station, do they have a waiting room, or somewhere out of the weather to sit it out, and maybe get a drink?

I wonder how many seats they'll need in there, and will it be open 24/7?

Perhaps they could have an instructional video playing a loop, on how to pass through Great Yarmouth without running aground, hitting another boat, going out to sea, or hitting the bridge and putting the boat and crew at risk.

I must admit, we have a honda 15 outboard on our Viking 23, but for the Breydon section, I fit a spare 4hp, set up, warmed up... ready to go if we have engine problems, sometimes when coming back, we have it running already...

The key to navigating Great Yarmouth is to pass through at low slack water, then the current is low, clearance is the highest.

Simples...

[ChrisB]

Perhaps it is time that the hire boat federation or whatever their club is called adopted the "Triangle of Risk" approach to gather information from all yards "incidents".

I am sure you know the type of thing used by the airlines, chemical and petro industries. Incidents are plotted on a triangle where the bottom is a splinter in the finger and the point at the top is a death. The theory is by controlling the insignificant you dont get to the point at the top.

At present the only thing that has been damaged is a bit of gelcoat and pride. However if these occurrences continue someone is going to get hurt.

[dnks34]

It may not just be the Gelcoat ChrisB. I know for a fact the Alphacraft Boat that got stuck at Thorpe recently suffered severe structural damage to its roof, the tide did come right in before they got that one free however which would have made the damage a lot worse.

The guy tasked to fix the glass on it told me it was only the sunroof frame holding it all up

[ranworthbreeze]

I still believe that there is insufficient bridge height boards when traveling from the Northern Rivers through Great Yarmouth, the boards that are there have only good markings at the higher levels on the boards, any boat that needs an high air draft struggles to see any marking on the lower levels on the height boards.

 

After saying all of the above other than allowing for additional water in the system passage through the Yarmouth Bridges should be calculated from the tide tables and the height of low water.

 

We certainly have to do the calculations on every planned journey through Yarmouth.

 

Looking at the pictures of the boat stuck and those white painted boards I believe that the posted high water levels may now be up to 100mm less than they were?

 

Regards

Alan

[SwanR]

I would like just to add that it's perhaps also not helpful when you read posts on any forum, or hear comments in videos, that the bridge height gauges are not always accurate. Bridge height one thing, air draft another but still got through with more to spare than expected. Giving the impression that hire companies may exaggerate the clearance needed and that the bridge height gauges may show lower than the space under the bridge, only encourages people to take chances.

[Bound2Please]

Does anyone know the full circumstances as to how they come to be stuck? Perhaps not numpties, muppets or whatever hirers are being called now, maybe just a genuine mistake which can happen to any one of us, please try and remember there may be a very distressed family on board, children included who are probably mortified at their predicament

 

Grace

 

I cam them hirers Grace as like previously said 99% of all owners were once hirers............

 

Why the knock and hate hirers is beyond me. Treat all as you find them to be 99.99% of all hirers are no different to owners. in fact I have met owners over the last few years that were numpties m uppets and right t*ssers.

 

Charlie

[dnks34]

Would you care to elaborate Charlie?

Just for the record, I don't hate hirers, I used to be one and love meeting and chatting to the decent sensible folk that hire boats and visit the broads.

[Boatingman]

I agree with Charlie

I am boat hirer have been for forty years I also hold an RYA

skippers certificate

in that time I have seen three boats stuck under bridges at Yarmouth

A Richardson forty foot boat and two private boats

I have also been a prosecution witness along with a friend in a case against a private boat owner for excessive speed the prosecution was upheld and the owner fined a considerable su,

Yes before anyone stated the obvious I have seen hirer's speed hit boats banks and bridges also some pretty awful helmansmanship by private skippers

but the above said 99% of the time the people who use the broads are careful and curteous and there to enjoy there holiday.

Let us stop knocking everyone as soon as something happens we do not know the facts and conjecture does not help

Ray