Cowes Floating Bridge Removed from Service
- Thread starter TonyBuckley
- Start date
burgundyben
Well-Known Member
I've been expecting that to happen for a while.
My take on it, its too big, ebb tide sweeps it too far north, tightening the chains enough to prevent this means insufficient depth over them. The fix is a smaller ferry.
My take on it, its too big, ebb tide sweeps it too far north, tightening the chains enough to prevent this means insufficient depth over them. The fix is a smaller ferry.
TonyBuckley
Well-Known Member
Surely some service is better than no service? I suspect there must be some safety concerns for such a decision.
What happened to the old ferry?
What happened to the old ferry?
burgundyben
Well-Known Member
Last I heard the old one was in Portsmouth Harbour waiting to be scrapped.
I suspect the move to take it out of service is to put pressure on the designer/builder to sort it out.
I suspect the move to take it out of service is to put pressure on the designer/builder to sort it out.
Angele
Well-Known Member
Yep. It is in Gosport, moored close to the Gosport ferry terminal. (Or at least it was a week ago).
davidmh
Well-Known Member
The Harbour master at the Folly told me a few weeks ago was that alot of the problem is the breakwater. The breakwater alters the tidal set-up and when the ebb starts it cannot get out of the harbour for some time and then eventually goes out with a rush. The result is that the silt in the river never get properly flushed out and a ridge of silt is building up around the ferry area so the chains cannot sink down as low as they used to, so they are slacker and the ferry goes across in an arc. This also causes the chains to be nearer the surface. I am sure the size of the new ferry in not helping, but the maximum speed of the ebb is now greater than it was before the breakwater was built and this will not help either. Also local opinion is that the breakwater has not given much more protection to the marinas in a NE blow.
David MH
David MH
mainsail1
Well-Known Member
Well, well. My view at the time was to question whether the breakwater would solve their problem with swell.
The chain ferry should now take the form of a tunnel.
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ProDave
Well-Known Member
Why not stick an engine in the boat and call it a ferry? like most other places do?
grumpy_o_g
Well-Known Member
chrishscorp
Well-Known Member
Well fortunately there is a smaller, admittedly a bit older, chain ferry sat in Portsmouth Harbour looking like it could do with a lick of paint or two that may do the job.....
JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
Well fortunately there is a smaller, admittedly a bit older, chain ferry sat in Portsmouth Harbour looking like it could do with a lick of paint or two that may do the job.....
Hempel paint?
harry potter
Well-Known Member
+1, well spotted. Glad I managed to get a ride on FB6 before its demise. Came in on the 4 from Ryde and was impressed by the roadside sign 'The Floating Bridge is/is not running' ��
JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
Schrödinger's Catamaran?
Seajet
...
Any chance of a new naming competion ? My money's on ' Boaty McF***F*** - D'Oh ! ' 
Tomaret
Well-Known Member
Better be quick. There was a work barge moored alongside the old FB on Thursday, looking for all the world like they were about to start breaking it up.
ashtead
Well-Known Member
Maybe the workboat was just trying to work out how it worked for so many years without incident and the new floating elephant is failing. Did suggest months ago it needed rehoming back in Cowes .
Keen_Ed
Well-Known Member
Any chance of a new naming competion ? My money's on ' Boaty McF***F*** - D'Oh ! '
The facebook group about the floating bridge for Cowes residents is called Boaty McBoatFarce.
Bobc
Well-Known Member
Total incompetence. No wonder this country is going to the wall.
Angele
Well-Known Member
I thought it was Floaty McFloat Farce.
MedinaView
Well-Known Member
I see that the Folly Waterbus has stepped in to provide a service at £1.50 each way.
It's a good thing in some ways, but it seems a little fishy that the Floating Bridge has been removed from service after Formal Protests made by Cowes Harbour Commission, who only last year funded Folly to take over the whole river and drive out all other services.
£1.50 also seems pretty expensive to me considering a year before I could get Sally Water Taxis across the same distance of river at UKSA for £1 each way, and that would be a private trip and not waiting to fill the whole boat.
The prices in Cowes have gone up massively this year.
http://www.ybw.com/news-from-yachti...caught-chains-new-cowes-floating-bridge-57212
It's a good thing in some ways, but it seems a little fishy that the Floating Bridge has been removed from service after Formal Protests made by Cowes Harbour Commission, who only last year funded Folly to take over the whole river and drive out all other services.
£1.50 also seems pretty expensive to me considering a year before I could get Sally Water Taxis across the same distance of river at UKSA for £1 each way, and that would be a private trip and not waiting to fill the whole boat.
The prices in Cowes have gone up massively this year.
http://www.ybw.com/news-from-yachti...caught-chains-new-cowes-floating-bridge-57212
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