Boat adrift.

[JennyMorgan]

Okay, who was it?

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/boat_slips_its_moorings_and_drifts_on_the_broads_after_occupant_falls_asleep_1_4267307

[Viking23]

The EDP seemed to pick up on the point that the person in the boat had fallen asleep, as if this was strange.

If the guy was using "Norfolk local time" ie go to bed when dark, get up when light then he can be expected to be asleep by 9:00 pm at this time of year. 

If the boat had slipped it's mooring as per the article, then either he hadn't secured the boat correctly, or someone cast him adrift, or he hadn't allowed enough slack in the lines for tidal fall, and the lines could break, or the cleats rip from the deck. All speculation at this point.

Either way quite a frightening experience for the guy on the boat, and a great response from the Coast Guards.

 

 

Edited October 12, 2015 by Viking23

[Matt]

[JennyMorgan]

In years gone by Norfolk wherries would drift through the night whilst the crew slept! Two wherries would raft up tightly tied to each other, They would drift along the river, using nature as God intended. If they drifted into the shore then the outboard vessel would swing the inboard vessel away from the bank and off they would go again. Hopefully there wouldn't be another pair of wherries drifting the other way!

[DAVIDH]

Must have been very dis-orientating waking to find you are two miles from your mooring point. The current runs very fast at St. Olaves so not suprising they drifted so far. 

 

I like the public moorings as you feel you are on the edge of the wilderness but would always take great care there as I can remember a time when a yacht double moored against us and at around 3am I awoke to find the tide was forcing the yacht against us and we were "hooked" on the quayside at an unpleasant angle. It took some shifting to get the rubbing strake unhooked. We bounced down in the water closely followed by the yacht, though the motion did not wake anyone on the yacht. 

Another time involved a fatality from a private "gin palace" (not derogitory - just used to describe the type of boat). I believe one of the two occupants fell overboard with no life jacket and was swept away on the current. The other occupant dived in to save his wife but could not swim. We spoke to the hire boat captain who rescued that person but I believe it was too late to rescue the other. 

Not a place to take chances!

Regards

David

[Guest]

.....Hopefully there wouldn't be another pair of wherries drifting the other way!

Luckily, God thought of that too Peter, when he invented current he made sure that any objects floating within it all went in the same direction....

[JennyMorgan]

Glad that you didn't take me too seriously on that comment, Strow. I did wonder if I really needed to end it with the  or not!