Yarmouth Harbour re-development

Topcat47

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You may or may not have heard that there are plans to develop the port making all the visitor berths 'walk-ashore' pontoons.
I got the following by email. It all makes interesting reading.
If you want to have your say use the official feedback form

http://www.yarmouth-harbour.co.uk/media/uploads/1256643820_feedback_form.doc

and return it by Jan 15th 2010.
Having spoken to the harbour office by phone they say they want as many responses as possible. They said they will accept the form returned to them by email. Just attach the completed form to an email addressed to

info@yarmouth-harbour.co.uk

David Barwell of RIN wrote:-

" Apart from the major impact on the character of the harbour one of the main aspects that concerns almost everyone I have spoken to, is the navigational issue.

The proposals allow for only one navigational channel from the Harbour entrance to the bridge, which is some places less than 15 metres wide to the MLW spring tide line. I and many others believe this is not sufficient to cope with the traffic flow during periods of congestion, especially during periods of strong tidal flows coupled with strong winds. It would certainly not be enough space for a vessel with high windage and/or poor manoeuvring characteristics to turn without risk of damage to itself or other vessels.

Furthermore, the current layout allows for several different routes throughout the harbour and this is particularly important in relation to access to the swing bridge so that if the bridge opening is delayed vessels waiting to proceed up river have the opportunity to circle around the harbour giving them the ability to maintain way and steerage. The proposed layout will prohibit this, and many harbour users can foresee serious accidents occuring with visiting yachts and commercial craft exiting their berths on the west side of the Harbour, thereby crossing the single main thoroughfare to the bridge.

It appears that the Harbour Commissioners scheme is based upon tidal flow information produced for them by Hyder Consulting, which recorded a maximum tidal flow adjacent to the swing bridge of less than 1 knot. Many harbour users believe that the tide here flows in excess of 3 knots during a spring ebb. I believe this report can be accessed via the Isle of Wight Planning Application website, under the "Fisherman's Quay" application, and the Tide Survey which was carried out in October, 2007 is attached in pdf format. The report is flawed with fundamental arithmetical errors and the misconception that the duration between mean HW spring and mean HW neap tides is only three days. "
 
1 KNOT of tide through a harbour is plenty to cause some serious damage if boats are milling around unable to keep steerage way on in a dead end channel. This scheme sounds like a recipe for disaster unless there is provision for holding berths somewhere then yachts called forward one at a time when safe to proceed.
 
Request

Can I remind posters that there is ANOTHER Yarmouth elsewhere, that it is certainly a larger town and arguably a more important harbour? It would be helpful to put "Yarmouth IoW" or "Yarmouth, Norfolk" in the subject line. We get enough complaints about the forum being too Solent centred already!
 
And Hull is really Kingston upon Hull. In neither case is the "proper" name in routine usage :D In East Anglia - and I suspect most of the country - Yarmouth means the one in Norfolk!

AS someone who lives in the west and is therefore independant, I would say that the full name Great Yarmouth is in routine use. Kingston upon Hull isnt.

But you should worry. I lve near Newport. Guess which one - there are four of them. Includingmone on the I o W I believe
 
During the Yarmouth (IOW) Old Gaffers a folk trio Monkeys Orphan have performed a song about Yarmouth Town (sorry can't remember the songs name) I suppose you have to make your own mind up about which Yarmouth it refers to.;)
 
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