Cowes Floating Bridge Removed from Service

[mainsail1]

So where would people leave their cars in West Cowes then ?

NB the ferry isn't just for us to get from East Cowes Marina to the pubs and restaurants at weekends, it's a vital link for locals getting to and from work.

The previous chain ferry worked very well, they just need to sort this one out, or even bite the bullet and admit to a mistake ( never gonna happen with politicians involved ) and either refurb the old one or get something like it - I imagine the market for slightly secondhand lemon chain ferries is somewhat niche, but maybe the new thing would work well at somewhere like King Harry in Falmouth.

Sorry, my mistake, I didn't know that any useful work went on in Cowes these days.
Incidentally, the chain ferry always seems to want to cross when I am passing in my luxury yacht which is quite stressful. Let the people walk, I say.
Sorry, still can't add a smiley.

 

[{151760}]

I'm not very familiar with the Dart tidal curve. But study the Cowes one carefully and you'll see that on Springs the young flood, the stand, flood, two high waters take the best part of 9 hours, most of the ebb is in 3 hours, add to that the narrowing of the river where the ferry is and its goes at quite a rate. I doubt a tug could do it.

Surely it's just a matter of sufficient power? It's only required to supplement the action of the windlasses, and push sideways.

 

[mobeydick]

Maybe they could buy the old Woolston-Southampton floating bridge and use that?

http://www.ferryrestaurant.co.uk/ferry-video/

Probably only needs a lick of paint.

MD

 

[burgundyben]

Sorry, my mistake, I didn't know that any useful work went on in Cowes these days.

Aside from GKN, there is all the tourism, marinas, several other boat yards, retail, construction etc and not least of all Wight Shipyards who built Red Jet 6, 2 Thames Clippers and have orders for another Red Jet and a high speed cat for Scotland. East Cowes is a hive of activity!

Cowes, more focused on retail, tourism, entertainment, but also has boat building, BAe and various other engineering SME's like Strainstall.

There is also Truecast in Ryde, specialist non ferrous foundry and Vestas making wind turbine blades.

 

[burgundyben]

Surely it's just a matter of sufficient power? It's only required to supplement the action of the windlasses, and push sideways.

New ferry is big, and I suspect that the sufficient power is an unfeasibly big number. There is also the issue of needing room for the tug alongside, the cost of the tug and the operation efficiency of all that extra power needed.

The Lower Ferry on the Dart is one of my most favourite things to do in the world, I adore it, I'm just not sure the same principle can be applied to Cowes.

 

[Martin&Rene]

CalMac normally have a couple of small spare shallow draft ferries in the Holy Loch marina as well. The crews on the Cuan Sound ferry are also rather good at handling that ferry where the tidal rates are very high for large parts of the tidal cycle.

 

[lpdsn]

New ferry is big, and I suspect that the sufficient power is an unfeasibly big number. There is also the issue of needing room for the tug alongside, the cost of the tug and the operation efficiency of all that extra power needed.

Maybe if they fitted a couple of dozen bow thrusters spread evenly along the length. I'm sure an algorithm could be developed to vary the power to keep the heading constant.

They could feed the supply cables alongside the chains and have a couple of wind turbines either side to provide the power. Or even a couple of tidal turbines.

 

[Seajet]

It would be easier and cheaper to use a couple of landing craft for now until they sort themselves out, the Marines aren't far away in Poole and I bet they'd love the PR - I suggest this would be a realistic Plan B and a good advert for our forces.

 

[colhel]

Seems to me the main issue is holding steady on the slipways, not sure about the old one, but on this one it looks as though the ramps apply a downward pressure as a means of anchoring the ferry in position. If it's this that's causing problems, maybe a couple of extra piles on the opposite side to the big orange ones in place and let them hold the ferry in place.

 

[KellysEye]

it's not a bridge it's a ferry, I'm surprised they called it a bridge.

 

[Seajet]

Seems to me the main issue is holding steady on the slipways, not sure about the old one, but on this one it looks as though the ramps apply a downward pressure as a means of anchoring the ferry in position. If it's this that's causing problems, maybe a couple of extra piles on the opposite side to the big orange ones in place and let them hold the ferry in place.

I'm sure the old one used tension on the chains to stay put, the ramps simply flopped down; I haven't been into Cowes this year to see or try using the new one but that does sound a bad idea to hold it by the ramp - it would explain the silly angle and damage to cars for a start.

Then they had weeks of training and practice before it went into service, pity they didn't try cars on and off !

 

[JumbleDuck]

it's not a bridge it's a ferry, I'm surprised they called it a bridge.

There is a long tradition of calling chain ferries "floating bridges".

 

[Grumpybear]

It would be easier and cheaper to use a couple of landing craft for now until they sort themselves out, the Marines aren't far away in Poole and I bet they'd love the PR - I suggest this would be a realistic Plan B and a good advert for our forces.

I can see the headlines: "Caribbean tourists suffer as humanitarian rescue assets are reserved for fat cat yachties".....

 

[Piddy]

Here is potential replacement:

 

[lpdsn]

it's not a bridge it's a ferry, I'm surprised they called it a bridge.

It doesn't have the freedom of movement of a ferry.

Would you call Middlesborough's transporter bridge an aircraft because it flies above the water on wires?

 

[Seajet]

I can see the headlines: "Caribbean tourists suffer as humanitarian rescue assets are reserved for fat cat yachties".....

A lot of landing craft are presumably trundling out with HMS Ocean and the Mounts Bay; I daresay there a few more at Poole.

More to the point, the ferry ( when there is one ) is not for yotties, it's primarily for the locals.

 

[Grumpybear]

A lot of landing craft are presumably trundling out with HMS Ocean and the Mounts Bay; I daresay there a few more at Poole.

More to the point, the ferry ( when there is one ) is not for yotties, it's primarily for the locals.

Journalists and facts don't generally mingle unless a lawyer is involved!

 

[Blue Sunray]

A lot of landing craft are presumably trundling out with HMS Ocean and the Mounts Bay; I daresay there a few more at Poole.

Moved to Devonport a while back (and there aren't that many there), the boys at Poole really aren't into LC these days

 

[alahol2]

Moved to Devonport a while back (and there aren't that many there), the boys at Poole really aren't into LC these days

They seem to have a few up at Marchwood military port. They bring diggers along and land at Browndown. If they can load and land a digger on a beach, I'm sure they could get a car across the Medina.

 

[dancrane]

"Caribbean tourists suffer as humanitarian rescue assets are reserved for fat cat yachties".....

Jeez, Grumpy...you're not Chris Packham, are you?