Cowes chain ferry now working

So according to that, it was back in service, appropriately enough, on the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbour...:)

Are those schedules made up by someone on Mars using a Ouija Board, or has it gone back into service unremarked here ?
 
Seajet said:
So according to that, it was back in service, appropriately enough, on the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbour...:)
Click to expand...

I hadn't realised the Cowes chain ferry was involved in the attack on Pearl Harbour. You learn something every day. Must've need pretty long chains to get it across the Atlantic.
 
Seems like FB6 has forgotten how to dock over Christmas ? clearly another bad day on the Medina . Will it now be suspended when there is the wrong type of wind maybe as it looked like it was still struggling again .
 
ashtead said:
Seems like FB6 has forgotten how to dock over Christmas ? clearly another bad day on the Medina . Will it now be suspended when there is the wrong type of wind maybe as it looked like it was still struggling again .
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Running OK all over Xmas, apart from a couple initial of problems with one of the ramps.

Strong ebb tide today when that was filmed , probably a bigger factor than the wind,
I was expecting something like that to happen.
A little earlier, when I was watching , probably the previous crossing, they they just made it. Once the south chain had been adjusted and the tide had fallen a bit. they had no more trouble. It'll be Ok agins in a few days time, when the largest tides have passed, until the next big spring tides at the beginning of February!

It seems to be one or two landings on the west side when the spring ebb tide first reaches its peak rate, and before the south chain can be adjusted, that are troublesome. Goodness knows what the solution is. Think of some way of adjusting the south chain earlier. Remove the new breakwater from the river entrance so that the tidal flows return to what they used to be. ? Demolish the terminal building , waiting room and crew facilities so that the slipway can be widened on it northern side? Getting a man in the water with a winch cannot be a long term solution.


Sooner or later that pile is going to give way. They've already cut the top off so that it is not hit by the "horses head". I saw it hit it pretty hard once before. So hard that I was surprised none of the passengers coming down the steps from the top deck was notthrown off their feet!

They do seem to have largely overcome the problems of cars scraping the slipway. They come in closer now than they did at first and during the recent outage they've done something, not sure what, to the way the ramps operate. Extending them is still an option though according the recently published "report"
 
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VicS said:
Strong ebb tide today when that was filmed , probably a bigger factor than the wind,
I was expecting something like that to happen.
A little earlier, when I was watching , probably the previous crossing, they they just made it. Once the south chain had been adjusted and the tide had fallen a bit. they had no more trouble. It'll be Ok agins in a few days time, when the largest tides have passed, until the next big spring tides at the beginning of February!

It seems to be one or two landings on the west side when the spring ebb tide first reaches its peak rate, and before the south chain can be adjusted, that are troublesome. Goodness knows what the solution is. Think of some way of adjusting the south chain earlier. Remove the new breakwater from the river entrance so that the tidal flows return to what they used to be. ? Demolish the terminal building , waiting room and crew facilities so that the slipway can be widened on it northern side? Getting a man in the water with a winch cannot be a long term solution.


Sooner or later that pile is going to give way. They've already cut the top off so that it is not hit by the "horses head". I saw it hit it pretty hard once before. So hard that I was surprised none of the passengers coming down the steps from the top deck was notthrown off their feet!

They do seem to have largely overcome the problems of cars scraping the slipway. They come in closer now than they did at first and during the recent outage they've done something, not sure what, to the way the ramps operate. Extending them is still an option though according the recently published "report"
Click to expand...

I saw that video on facebook, and yes, I agree, tide was the issue.

I fail to see how it has been fixed at all. Its bigger, the north going ebb drags it too far to the north. The solution would be to shorten the south chain, but that was unacceptable to the Harbour Commission.

It strikes me reading the most recent NTM that they have partly capitulated on their position that the previous depths should be maintained.

The only workable fix I see is a smaller ferry.
 
lpdsn said:
I hadn't realised the Cowes chain ferry was involved in the attack on Pearl Harbour. You learn something every day. Must've need pretty long chains to get it across the Atlantic.
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We once had a new recruit to Portland ask the Sandbanks ferry to divert to respond to a Mayday.

You try coordinating an incident after than without laughing on air....
 
lpdsn said:
I hadn't realised the Cowes chain ferry was involved in the attack on Pearl Harbour. You learn something every day. Must've need pretty long chains to get it across the Atlantic.
Click to expand...

I thought Pearl Harbour was in the Pacific; even more problematic! But a rather literal interpretation of "appropriately enough"...

Mike.
 
I was watching the camera the other day and as she was coming in to the western slip the ramp, being lowered for visibility, took an almighty side-on clout from the orange bumper thingy. Can't imagine it will take too many like that until it's broken!
 
Giblets said:
I was watching the camera the other day and as she was coming in to the western slip the ramp, being lowered for visibility, took an almighty side-on clout from the orange bumper thingy. Can't imagine it will take too many like that until it's broken!
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My thoughts too.

This afternoon between 3 and 4 should provide some more entertainment!.
 
The height of the tide today seemed to be the biggest problem ( 0.5m over the predicted height at Portsmouth)

Around midday I noticed some delay/ difficulty disembarking passengers. A little later, probably the next crossing, they took a group of passengers and several cars back to East Cowes and then ceased operating for about 3/4 hour.
I Imagine those who went back to E Cowes were those who did not fancy the "fireman's lift"

Pictures and video at https://onthewight.com/firemans-lift-for-floating-bridge-passengers-thanks-to-high-tide/
 
The height of the tide today seemed to be the biggest problem ( 0.5m over the predicted height at Portsmouth)

Around midday I noticed some delay/ difficulty disembarking passengers. A little later, probably the next crossing, they took a group of passengers and several cars back to East Cowes and then ceased operating for about 3/4 hour.
I Imagine those who went back to E Cowes were those who did not fancy the "fireman's lift"

Pictures and video at https://onthewight.com/firemans-lift-for-floating-bridge-passengers-thanks-to-high-tide/
 
So having to carry people on and off is no fault of the ferry, just the wrong sort of tide.

From results so far re the 21st Century, I want my money back; where's Thunderbirds and my jet pack ? - we seem to be reverting to 10th Century ferries, coastguards, police and military.
 
VicS said:
It seems to be one or two landings on the west side when the spring ebb tide first reaches its peak rate, and before the south chain can be adjusted, that are troublesome. "
Click to expand...

How is the chain adjusted? I'm wondering if some sort of hydraulic ram adjuster could be incorporated, but perhaps they already have something like that.
 
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