Priority at Weymouth Bridge Holding Pontoon

[SimonFa]

I started sailing in to Weymouth Marina this season and admit I haven't read all of the Weymouth Harbour regulations so I may have missed something. Anyway ..........

It can get quite tricky when there's a bit of a blow and lots of people are lineing up waiting for the bridge to open to get to the marinas. It gets even trickier when someone pops off the marina and jumps in to the middle of the procession and I've seen a couple of near missed in the short time I've been sailing in and out. For this reason I've always assumed that it would be best if those who are secured on the pontoon wait until the end. The bridge operator can see then anyway so they don't need to worry about missing out on the lift.

Yesterday was very benign and I just sat in neutral with the boat going nowhere. I was the the lead boat waiting with 2 others behind. Fortunately they had left plenty of room for as I started to approach the bridge as it was going up a mobo* popped of the holding pontoon without even looking causing me to go astern rather sharpish. The yacht in front of him also jumped off at this point as well.

When I got to my berth it turns out the yacht was a visitor and using the spare berth at the other side of the finger. I mentioned in passing about them leaving the holding pontoon when there we were queueing on the water and his view was that they were at the front of the queue and should have priority. I didn't pursue it.

What do forum members think? should those on the holding pontoon wait or should they go first or indeed any time they feel like which is what also happens? I'm quite interested to hear from other's who regularly use the bridge and other similar situations elsewhere.

Simon


*Note this isn't an anti mobo rant because it could have been anyone and he did give me an apologetic wave.

 

[[2068]]

When I was there, those on the holding pontoon "merged in turn" with the floaters, which seemed to work well.
(objective is to get all the boats through, rather than to enforce any particular priority in a race )

(If you try and zoom past the boats waiting on the holding pontoon to get into a Dutch lock, you will end up learning that some Dutch insults are surprisingly close to their English equivalents, e.g. "Idioot".)

.

 

[SimonFa]

When I was there, those on the holding pontoon "merged in turn" with the floaters, which seemed to work well.
(objective is to get all the boats through, rather than to enforce any particular priority in a race )

(If you try and zoom past the boats waiting on the holding pontoon to get into a Dutch lock, you will end up learning that some Dutch insults are surprisingly close to their English equivalents, e.g. "Idioot".)

.

I'm not convinced with the Dutch lock comparison. there space is rationed so there does need to be some sort of queue. At Weymouth everyone gets through so its not really a queue for a rationed resource. (I've worked in The Hague and am well aware that the Dutch can be worse than us when it comes to swearing and insults, and their English is not only fluent so you can't mistake their intentions!)

 

[Angele]

I'm not convinced with the Dutch lock comparison. there space is rationed so there does need to be some sort of queue. At Weymouth everyone gets through so its not really a queue for a rationed resource.

I think the "rationing" might be in the form of available visitor berths in Weymouth Marina, if that is where you are headed. From memory, they dish these out only after you have gone through the bridge, so first come first served and so (at busy times) you can see why people might want to rush through - especially if they were the first to arrive at the bridge waiting for it to lift, and so were able to tie up to the waiting pontoon.

 

[Rigger Mortice]

If in doubt let the other boat go first but, in any event, it's understandable that somebody who may have been waiting some time doesn't want to end up at the back of the queue.

 

[SimonFa]

I think the "rationing" might be in the form of available visitor berths in Weymouth Marina, if that is where you are headed. From memory, they dish these out only after you have gone through the bridge, so first come first served and so (at busy times) you can see why people might want to rush through - especially if they were the first to arrive at the bridge waiting for it to lift, and so were able to tie up to the waiting pontoon.

I need to check but I'm sure I've heard them allocating berths to people on their way across Weymouth Bay when I've been in the office.

 

[Angele]

I need to check but I'm sure I've heard them allocating berths to people on their way across Weymouth Bay when I've been in the office.

Maybe things have changed but, despite calling up in advance to advise them of my later arrival, I'm sure I was told I would be given a berth number only after I had gone through the bridge.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

I race my boat in winter and we exit via locks to get to the start line. The rules are simple - weakest to the wall. So in effect we have three races. First into the lock going out, first in the sailing race, and first into the lock going back. Oddly enough there is no race to be first into the bar.

 

[Ripster]

Maybe things have changed but, despite calling up in advance to advise them of my later arrival, I'm sure I was told I would be given a berth number only after I had gone through the bridge.

This is what we were told too a couple years back now - call us again when you come though the bridge and we'll direct you.

 

[richardbrennan]

I went into Weymouth Marina a few weeks back; IIRC the berth was pre-allocated.