Ouch!

ShinyShoe · 14 June 2014, 12:01

Anyone fancy swimming under a chain ferry..

Maritime and Coastguard Agency Press Office: MAN RESCUED AFTER GOING UNDER A FERRY

Bloody lucky really. Only saving grace would be I guess there would be no prop in the ferry to mince you...

ShinyShoe · 14 June 2014, 17:16

And another that could have been so much worse.
Maritime and Coastguard Agency Press Office: FATHER AND SON RESCUED AFTER BOAT CIRCLES THEM FOR FORTY MINUTES
Assuming they had detached kill cord to work on the enginecan see how it happens...

But I'd have a LJ on. Plus a VHF in my pocket. If I was going to be out away from sight of others I'd be considering a PLB too... Mind u none of that'd matter if the prop can for your head...

stray · 14 June 2014, 19:51

They where very lucky, the sea came away quit quickly just after that.

Father and son rescued after freak accident

kerny · 14 June 2014, 21:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Anyone fancy swimming under a chain ferry..

Maritime and Coastguard Agency Press Office: MAN RESCUED AFTER GOING UNDER A FERRY

Bloody lucky really. Only saving grace would be I guess there would be no prop in the ferry to mince you...

Lucky that he didn't get caught around the chain cos that would have cut him up too.

Poly · 14 June 2014, 23:04

How quickly can chain ferries stop if they have to?

willk · 14 June 2014, 23:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poly

How quickly can chain ferries stop if they have to?

Finally, someone asks...

jambo · 14 June 2014, 23:29

Okay smart arse how quick are they??

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willk · 14 June 2014, 23:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambo

Okay smart arse how quick are they??

I dunno. Imagine that your engine had broken down in a dangerous place. How fast could a large vessel in the vicinity stop to rescue you?

willk · 14 June 2014, 23:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by willk

Q: How fast...

A: 42.5kts

jambo · 14 June 2014, 23:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by willk

I dunno. Imagine that your engine had broken down in a dangerous place. How fast could a large vessel in the vicinity stop to rescue you?

You not busy tonight then!? It depends how friendly they are. I would imagine my friends would come as quickly as possible as I would if it were them as long as there were no oil tankers!!👍😇👹

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MustRib · 15 June 2014, 01:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by willk

I dunno. Imagine that your engine had broken down in a dangerous place. How fast could a large vessel in the vicinity stop to rescue you?

An uninterrupted run across the entrance takes the chain ferry about 3 minutes.
With a distance of approx 250 yards to travel this gives the ferry a speed
of approx 83 metres a minute.
Slowing down from just over a metre a second in a 125 tonne ferry....
I bet there are some commercial skippers on here who could give you that answer.

ShinyShoe · 15 June 2014, 07:44

There are bye laws in Poole that give it right of way. They seem to have managed to stop for this. And a similar incident with a speed boat in 2012 and the incident that created the byelaw in 2001 when an X boat hit them...

If you look at the video of that the tides are crazy... So even if the ferry stops you might hit it at 4kts...

MustRib · 15 June 2014, 07:50

someone who knows a bit more about it than me will no doubt correct me, but
I think chain ferries have disc brakes on the wheels that grab the chain. Also
am sure they could hit reverse if not going too fast and slow themslves quicker,
but then as you pointed out - its a 120 foot long floating obstacle in the tidal flow.
need to build a bridge

MustRib · 15 June 2014, 07:53

or a tunnel

cgf10 · 15 June 2014, 09:10

I was told the "Chain ferry" was classified as a floating bridge not a ferry and as such it's not essential for staff to be qualified to drive it. I can't be certain this is true but it did come direct from one of their employees after I asked him if he ever got the chance to drive the ferry (bridge)he replied "we all do" and then explained all this

stray · 15 June 2014, 10:31

Didn't they have any Oars in the small gray inflatable?

ShinyShoe · 15 June 2014, 12:15

Stray the tide runs at 4kts through there at times. Oars would probably be useless. Even an outboard can be a problem!

Poly · 15 June 2014, 21:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Stray the tide runs at 4kts through there at times. Oars would probably be useless. Even an outboard can be a problem!

Only if you want to go against the tide!

Quote:

Originally Posted by MustRib

An uninterrupted run across the entrance takes the chain ferry about 3 minutes.
With a distance of approx 250 yards to travel this gives the ferry a speed
of approx 83 metres a minute.
Slowing down from just over a metre a second in a 125 tonne ferry....
I bet there are some commercial skippers on here who could give you that answer.

83 m/min sounds a lot, but its basically walking speed, 3mph or just over 2.5 knots. Now stopping 125 tonnes at that speed is not instantaneous, but intuitively a chain ferry would be easier to stop than a normal ferry so either the guys in the dinghy were far too close or someone on the ferry was not keeping a good lookout / assumed that they would get out his way.

Nos4r2 · 15 June 2014, 22:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poly

or someone on the ferry was not keeping a good lookout / assumed that they would get out his way.

Knowing Poole harbour entrance, that's far more like it. The chain ferry often just goes charging out into everything, no matter how dangerous it is.

diver 1 · 15 June 2014, 22:46

A regular ferry with a propeller is braking against water the same as any other propellor drive boat so the laws of mass vs momentum vs thrust apply, however a chain ferry is totally different given that it is tracking itself across the harbour entrance along two rather hefty chains. It therefore has more similar characteristics in braking to a car in my opinion. How quickly would a 125 ton vehicle stop on tarmac at 4mph. Pretty much instantly I'd reckon...