RNLI on Breydon, again.

[JennyMorgan]

Thank goodness the RNLI has a station near to Breydon Water.

http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/lifeboat_called_to_help_cruiser_on_breydon_water_near_great_yarmouth_1_4233196

Wise to call for help, I think it was low water about the same time as the call out so the boat could have been carried against a bridge for example. Might have been able to tie up to a post but I doubt that a Broads type mudweight would have been much use. Glad that they were safe.

[Poppy]

Breakdown this time. I guess that the conditions on Breydon yesterday would have been more than a bit 'lumpy', stirring up any cr*p in the bottom of the tank.

[Matt]

Guessing hireboat?

And another aground:

[Heron]

Does anyone know if the first  photo in the last post has any relevance to the story? The reason I ask is because the boat in front of what appears to be a Richardsons hire boat, was for sale in PH last week.

[Matt]

The first photo above is taken from the coastguard's Facebook page and is I assume the boat towed across Breydon

Second picture is also from the Facebook page and related to a hireboat that has run aground in a separate incident.

[JennyMorgan]

And again!

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/lifeboat_called_to_broken_down_cruiser_near_great_yarmouth_1_4239438

If we are to believe the EDP their large, off-shore boat attended!!

[JennyMorgan]

From the Gorleston RNLI Facebook page:

'The Inshore Lifeboat ' Seahorse IV' was launched this evening by Humber Coastguard to reports of a broken down hire cruiser on the river Bure near Bure Park. The ILB made its way up the Bure and located the casualty vessel moored up next to Bure Park at the Old Yacht Station. Once alongside it was established all 8 occupants were safe and well and a engineer from the hire company had also just arrived. HM Coastguard Gorleston also attended and after a short discussion the occupants where happy to stay the night on their boat and make their way to the Great Yarmouth Yacht Station in daylight if the engineer was able to resolve the issues. Both ILB and Coastguard Mobile departed the scene and returned to their stations'.

Hardly a life threatening situation! 

[BroadScot]

Maybe I have missed something, but where has SOB been when all this has happened? Is it still unwell and on dry land?

Iain

[JawsOrca]

I must admit this does sound like a job for the BA\hire yard rather than wasting the time and resources of a charity.. 

[JennyMorgan]

Having manned the phones at HM Coastguard I can understand them calling out the RNLI. The CG would normally call out the most suitable resource available based on information given & received. That said the hirer should/could have informed the Coastguard that an engineer had been called. I suspect a lack of relevant information from a panicking hirer and a lack of local knowledge at Humber CG resulted in what appears, without all the details, to be an unnecessary call out. 

As for the SOB, seemingly only available in office hours and not during tea breaks. 

[BroadScot]

As for the SOB, seemingly only available in office hours and not during tea breaks. 

Its enough to make you weep JM. What a waste of Toll payers money!

 

Iain

[JennyMorgan]

In this case, Iain, she probably wouldn't have been able to access the casualty due to the bridges. Yes, she is proving to be a waste of toll payer's money. Trying to justify her not inconsiderable cost by declaring her as a rescue boat on Breydon, a job for which she is clearly not best suited, was not the brightest of moves by the BA, IMHO. 

[MauriceMynah]

Perhaps it might be fairer if we could find out what she (SOB) WAS doing, and where, rather than continually banging on about what and where she wasn't.

Perhaps we might enquire as to whether she has been more effective or less effective than the craft she replaced before we carry on with the accusatiuons about her being a waste of tollpayers money.

Perhaps we might ask about her estimated resale value against her purchase price and compare that against the cost of having a new one of the old make and design and how much the old ones make when sold on.

I have none of those figures, and will refuse to "throw stones" until I have, and only then if the differences are massively significant.

Until then... Well done RNLI, we all owe you.

 

 

[MauriceMynah]

No Dave, not at all mate!

If I remember correctly, SOB is a boat that replaced another Broads Authority boat, which I assume was of the same design as the other broads Authority boats.

If this is not so, and the SOB was bought as an aditional craft just adding to the Broads Authority flotilla then I stand corrected yet still make the first of the three comments.

I'm afraid I just don't understand your Trumpet/car analogy so cannot comment.

Finally, and I suppose strangely, although I'm based on the northern broads, whenever I do come south, I see the SOB at some time or other, and never in the same place!. I've seen her on Breydon, and at the Fisherman. Also I've seen her at the large boatyard right by the Fisherman and at St. Olaves... and that's just this year ...(I think)!.

[JennyMorgan]

John, SOB appears to spend a considerable amount of time at the yard near the Castle/Fisherman's Arms, that is where she was built and where she's repaired and serviced.

Her resale value is surely proportionally higher than the usual ranger's launch simply because she could more easily be used for other purposes.

As a boat on Breydon she is more sea-worthy than a ranger's launch, but then, I suspect, so is my drascombe! 

As a rescue boat her draft is greater than most of the craft that she's likely to rescue meaning that if they are aground she probably can't get close enough to be effective.

She is a fast boat and fast boats generally don't tend to have the towing grunt of a slower boat such as the already available Titan.

She does appear to carry a larger crew than a ranger's launch.

Her fuel consumption must surely be much greater than a ranger's launch.

Unlike a ranger's launch her range is limited by the bridges at St Olave's and Vauxhall.

It appears that the RNLI is more likely to be involved in a rescue than the SOB, if newspaper reports are to be believed.

It appears that her day is much more likely to be governed by office hours than it is by the tide & weather.

That the RNLI don't have a fleet of similar boats for rescue duties must tell us something.

There are two commercial rescue and towing boats in the area doing a perfectly good job, as well as the RNLI & Hemsby inshore lifeboat, so why do we need the SOB? 

[marshman]

i have some objection at all to the BA operating on a 24hr hour search and rescue basis and staffed accordingly for all areas which it can access - that would adequately deal with most of the callouts.  That would mean it being on patrol all the time but you lot would have to bear the huge cost and then you would moan!!.

You are all aware that when it is being operated it is on call and indeed it does attend - next you will want it staffed by volunteers so it does not cost the toll payer!!! But then you might have to leave the BA bequests to help funding and I doubt that would meet with universal approval!!!

For goodness sake guys stop using it as an excuse to hammer the BA - its so non productive. You all jump on PW's bandwagon without a great deal of thought - you cannot compare the occasional short service offered admirably by the RNLI to Broads users to a fully staffed rescue service which some of you seem to think the BA should offer.

Perhaps instead you should look on all the services available as complimentary  and not just grouse all the time. I suspect if the RNLI had an issue they would soon try and come to arrangements with the BA and I suspect that is already the case

[Viking23]

I'm thinking of safety gear... on the canals, boats cruising on the river Trent in Nottinghamshire are advised to carry a suitable anchor, with a length of chain.

It has been proven that a "Mud weight" is not a suitable anchor in the event of engine failure on Breydon water, for all states of the tide.

So should only boats equiped with a suitable anchor, eg Danforth, CQR etc be allowed to cross at any time, whilst those only equiped with a lump of cast iron, (mud weight) only be allowed to cross during limited daylight hours, and only when SOB is on duty?

As a suggestion, it might be a condition of booking a hire craft, if you want to cross Breydon, you request a suitable anchor at the time of booking. This will no doubt add additional cost to the holiday.             More hassle..

It will also limit crossing times, and could cause boats to pass Great Yarmouth at unsuitable times, putting them selves and their craft in danger.

[marshman]

Who says a mudweight is not suitable for Breydon?? Granted that it is of little value down the Bure past the Yacht Station on a spring ebb but I doubt you would get a CQR to set either - depends on the bottom. My guess its hard because of the scouring and little would be guaranteed to hold everytime you set it.

Once you get onto Breydon and towards the sides I guess a mudweight would slow you a lot -  depends on the boat, weather conditions.the weight of what you dropped but to add restrictions would only increase the angst some already have unnecessarily. Breydon is negotiated safely by many novices and boats every day so why add unnecessary and unworkable regulations as to anchoring equipment - totally not needed. Very rarely are individuals in any real danger - if they were we would have MAJOR incidents on a regular basis.

Anyone recall when anyone was in any real danger and had to be rescued because lives were in peril??  Not many methinks so stop looking for answers to a non existent problem!! IMHO of course!!

 

[lincan]

Hello All,

 Having now returned from our holiday, perhaps l can add some information to this thread. We had asked the Yacht Station for the best time to get to the Bure entrance on tuesday morning and was told around 7.30.a.m. About 15 minutes after leaving Berney Arms in the morning, the battery light came on. We immediately turned the boat around to see if we could get back to Berney, but the alarm then started. The engine was turned off and the mud weight was dropped while we were still well inside the channel . Unfortunately, the mud weight was useless. The wind was blowing across that area of Breydon, and we soon found ourselves being blown sideways towards the mud. The tide was still ebbing too and would be for at least another half hour, so we took the decision to phone the Coastguard. The ILB arrived very quickly, but we were around 30ft outside the nearest post by the time they arrived. l cannot say what a relief it was to see the team. They towed us to The Fisherman where we waited for the engineer who found that the fan belt had shredded. 

 We have always had the utmost admiration for the people who voluntarily man the lifeboats around our coasts and are prepared to give so much, they are a special breed. Our family have supported the R.N.L.I. over the years and made donations. Another one is already in the post to Great Yarmouth & Gorleston with our grateful thanks. There may be some who will still criticize us for calling the Coastguard, but in that situation we had to make a quick decision.

We had planned to come back across Breydon on the wednesday morning but realised there was going to be a spring tide. As we needed 8ft clearance, we decided to play safe and go the day before. lf we had left the crossing until wednesday, the fan belt would have shredded while we were on the Waveney or Yare and we would have been able to deal with it without having to call the emergency service.

As we were unable to cross until the next day [with the spring tide], we phoned the Yacht Station again for advice, and they were spot on with the best time.  

[Viking23]

Has anybody used an anchor or mudweight, on the lower Bure or Breydon, or the river Yare with any success, I have read on other forums, that mud weights drag, and there is doubt, on an earlier post, that CQR's would hold, with no supportive evidence, in any case, so some must have used an anchor with some success, so which is favoured for throwing over the side in the event of engine failure?

Let's make sure we have the right safety equipment on board.

[MauriceMynah]

Thank you Lincan for that further information, and for my part I think your calling the coastguard totally warrented under the circumstances you describe.

My post was questioning the rather pointed comment regarding the 'non participation' of the Spirit of Breydon.

[Wussername]

Lincan. Please excuse my ignorance in these matters. My question is without any ulteria motive. If the battery warning light comes on does that not mean that the battery is not charging? What does the battery alarm indicate? Would you not have had sufficient power to continue to a safe mooring or would the engine have packed up!

 

[JennyMorgan]

Inevitably, Marshman, I feel the need to reply, in part, to your comments!

For a kick off I don't entirely disagree with what you say but:

'Perhaps instead you should look on all the services available as complimentary  and not just grouse all the time. I suspect if the RNLI had an issue they would soon try and come to arrangements with the BA and I suspect that is already the case.'

In reality events are suggesting that it is the SOB that is actually complementary to the services that have existed for some considerable time. What was wrong with the stirling services offered pre SOB? 

I very much doubt that the RNLI has an issue with the SOB, or the BA for that matter, why should it have?

I appreciate that a ranger's launch is not best suited to Breydon when conditions are poor however I do question the choice of boat but then that is a whole new discussion. 

[JanetAnne]

Lincan. Please excuse my ignorance in these matters. My question is without any ulteria motive. If the battery warning light comes on does that not mean that the battery is not charging? What does the battery alarm indicate? Would you not have had sufficient power to continue to a safe mooring or would the engine have packed up!

 

I think you will find that 'fan' belts also drive the engine water cooling pumps, both the raw water for the heat exchanger and exhaust as well as the sealed system water pump for engine cooling. When such a belt failed the charging light would be first to show as that is the first detected fault. The following alarms would have sounded once the engine temperature had exceeded the set levels. Some boats have just one fan belt running everything thats needed whereas others have multiple belts either running together so if one fails the systems continue or with different belts doing different jobs.

By the way, should a raw water belt fail your exhaust will get very hot very quickly and, with plastic chambers and components used in exhaust systems more and more, it is very easy to burn or melt a hole through it once the water cooling is lost. Before you know it you have a boat full of diesel fumes...  that's one t-shirt we have that we would rather not own! Our's was not a belt failure but a blocked weed filter that collected a big clump of seaweed as we crossed Breydon! The effect was the same though

 

[lincan]

Hello All,

Thanks for your comments and understanding. The original report on here didn't have much detail to it and the photo just showed us tied up. Usually the photos are of boats on the mud laying at an angle, which is where we didn't want to end up.

Heron: The private boat that you mention being outside The Fisherman, that was for sale at Potter Heigham, had moved forward onto Goodchilds' frontage by the next day. Perhaps it had been sold.

Wussername: As l put, and like you ask, we were hoping to get back to Berney when the light came on, but as soon as the alarm started it was a different matter. JanetAnne  has given us an idea of what could happen.

JanetAnne: Thanks for your detailed explanation. Shows why it's important to heed the alarms quickly. 

Lastly, for all you SOB watchers, if you look at the bottom of the photo of our boat tied up, you  will see it was taken from the stern of SOB, which was just leaving Goodchilds.