Ferries across waterways - whether by vehicle, foot or both (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Sandbanks ferry suspended after chain break


Bramble Bush Bay is 242ft long (74m) and can carry up to 48 cars

The car ferry across the mouth of Poole Harbour in Dorset was suspended for nearly two days after one of the chains guiding it broke.

The Sandbanks Ferry was forced to halt crossings on Thursday morning.

Operators spent more than 10 hours replacing the chain and the ferry was returned to service at about 19:20 BST on Friday.

It is unclear what has caused the latest breakage but passing vessels have been ruled out.

In July, the service was put out of action when a passing cross-channel ferry was suspected of clipping and breaking a chain.


Work to install a new chain began earlier

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch is investigating the incident in July although Brittany Ferries said an inspection of its ferry by divers showed no sign of an impact.

The Sandbanks chain ferry, called Bramble Bush Bay, takes four minutes to make the crossing from Sandbanks to Shell Bay. The shortest alternative road route from shore to shore is 27 miles.

[Surrey 455]

Incidentally the ferry will be out of action for 4-5 weeks from 3rd November for a scheduled refit.
http://www.sandbanksferry.co.uk/news.php

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Passengers rescued as ferry collides with Hythe pier


Coastguards were called at around 21:20 BST on Friday and sent rescue teams from Southampton and Lymington

Twenty passengers and three crew members have been rescued from a ferry after it collided with a pier near Southampton, coastguards have said.

The ferry struck the Hythe Pier, in Hampshire, damaging its wheelhouse, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.

Coastguards were called at around 21:20 BST on Friday and sent rescue teams from Southampton and Lymington.

Three people were treated at the scene for minor injuries. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has been notified.

Passenger Olivia Pearce said she heard somebody shouting "brace, brace" before the ferry "ploughed into the pier".

She said: "The wheelhouse completely collapsed and bits of it fell into itself. That's when we realised that actually not only had we overshot the jetty but we'd crashed into the pier and we were underneath it."

The incident involved the Hythe ferry, which runs a twice hourly shuttle service between Town Quay, in Southampton, and Hythe Pier.


Passenger Olivia Pearce said she heard somebody shouting 'brace, brace' before the ferry 'ploughed into the pier'



The vessel's wheelhouse was badly damaged in the in crash

According to the ferry's owners, White Horse Ferries, the vessel became wedged beneath the pier and the wheelhouse on top of the ferry was severely damaged.

Those treated at the scene received minor neck and back injuries.

Southampton Vessel Traffic Services, Hampshire Police, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, and South Central Ambulance Service were also involved in the rescue.

[ChrisB]

Shouldn't this appear in the bridge bash thread?! :-)

Looks as though they tried to go under the pier but the tide was in

[CyclingSid]

There was an item in the I newspaper yesterday, about a gentleman who got fed up with the delays, up to four hours(?), commuting from the New Forest to Portsmouth.

His solution; cycle to Lymington, catch the ferry to Yarmouth, cycle to Fishbourne and catch ferry to Portsmouth. He did this for some years before resorting to the car (because of ill health?). In the paper because he had done it one last time to mark his retirement.

Wonder how the costs compared?

[LiskeardRich]

A Wightlink season ticket is £1725 a year.

[grahame]

The other day we were discussing "Stromeferry - No Ferry" and I recall Kylestrome and Corran ferries .... just one left

From The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Falling tide leaves historic Skye ferry high and dry

A rapidly dropping tide left a historic ferry aground on its slip on Tuesday.

The MV Glenachulish, the world's last sea-going, manually-operated, turntable ferry, operates on the Kylerhea Narrows between Glenelg and Skye.

It was left high and dry on its slip at Kylerhea in Skye during a falling tide on the fast flowing narrows.

Kyle of Lochalsh and Mallaig RNLI lifeboats along with two passing ships went to the aid of the ferry's crew. The boat was refloated at high tide.

Did we have any swivel ferries in the South West?

[JayMac]

Not quite the same but the Aust Ferries, replaced by the Severn Bridge, had turntables on the decks to aid the side loading and unloading of vehicles.

[bradshaw]

Travelled on the Aust ferry just the once, on the way to a shed bash in South Wales. It was an interesting experience.

[froome]

The simple answer to Graham's question is no, there haven't been any. The Aust ferry comes closest, but was a different operating system.

I would put a slight caveat on the 'no', in that historic records of ferries are not comprehensive and it is not always clear precisely what operating system any boat used, but I'm pretty certain none have ever operated in this area.

Most other vehicle carrying estuary ferries, both existing ones like King Harry in Cornwall or at Sandbanks in Dorset, and ones that stopped running during the 20th century, like the Arlingham to Newnham ferry across the Severn in Gloucestershire, are or were chain operated and allowed vehicles to enter at one end and drive off at the other. The few island ferries we have, such as to the Scillies, were drive on and off ships large enough for vehicles to manoeuvre within the vessel.

Manually operated turntable ferries seem to have been a Scottish speciality, used mostly to cross narrow lochs. AFAIK^▸ (as far as I know) the Glenelg ferry was the only sea crossing ferry, i.e. to reach an island, to ever use this system in this country.

[froome]

I used the Glenelg ferry when I cycled around the Scottish coast in 2005, and it was one of the highlights of that trip. It is the original ferry route to Skye, and its location is quite stunning. On both sides, it can only be reached by small lanes that climb over passes above 1,000 feet high, and on the mainland side in particular, the route up is especially steep. When you are down at the ferry and look all around you, you realise just how cut off that area is from the rest of Britain, hemmed in by mountains on all sides. Habitation is very sparse, though there is a small community at Glenelg, two miles from the ferry slip, and one of Britain's most isolated communities can be found at the end of the dead-end lane that runs from Glenelg south, at Arnisdale and Corran on Loch Hourn.

The narrows that the ferry crosses are subject to strong tides and strong winds, so can be challenging to operate. They also cross an area of sea that teams with wildlife, and when I crossed it was wonderful to watch the many seals that followed the ferry as it crossed, undoubtedly attracted by the fish it was dragging up.

The operation of the ferry is something to behold. When I was there, the operator would walk round the turntable on the outside of the safety railing as it turned while the boat was crossing. I would imagine Elf and Safety would not have been happy with this, but their eyes would have been transfixed by the views all around and the feel of the wind and smell of the sea, which made the crossing quite magical.

[grahame]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-45932147

A ferry has hit several yachts and run aground off the Isle of Wight.

The Red Falcon "came into contact" with a number of boats while trying to berth at Cowes Harbour, operator Red Funnel said.

None of the 40 passengers onboard were hurt, a spokesman said. The Coastguard confirmed nobody is missing or in the water.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Q.  What's brown and steaming out of cows?

A.  The Isle of Wight ferry.



Oh, how we miss those pier end comedians. 

[bobm]

Only took him just over a month. 

[Red Squirrel]

This video on the 'Fully Charged' channel drew my attention to what turns out to be a fairly old piece of news, but hopefully interesting nonetheless:

ForSea (formerly HH Ferries Group) completes conversion of the world’s largest battery ferries, powered by ABB

Inauguration of Tycho Brahe and Aurora marks successful completion of a high-profile conversion project with ABB’s technology at its heart.



The largest emission-free ferries in the world have been officially welcomed into service after guests boarded Tycho Brahe in Helsingborg, Sweden and Helsingør, Denmark on November 9 for a special inauguration ceremony marking completion of an all-electric conversion.

“We are delighted that the entire system is in place to support the emissions-free operations we envisaged from the outset,” said Johan Röstin, CEO^▸ (Chief Executive Officer), ForSea. “This is a truly groundbreaking project and the work we have done with ABB will offer invaluable lessons for those following our lead. In shipping, innovation takes time and patience, and we always kept sight of the environmental benefits at stake.”

“This project signals a profound shift for the maritime industry, and shows a path towards zero-emission operations, aligned with International Maritime Organization’s goals for decarbonization,” said Marcus Högblom, Head of Passenger, Dry Cargo and Ice Segment, ABB Marine & Ports. “We congratulate ForSea on the inauguration of these vessels, and we are proud to have worked closely with them to deliver this pioneering solution.”

Source: ABB

Full article: https://new.abb.com/news/detail/10434/forsea-formerly-hh-ferries-group-completes-conversion-of-the-worlds-largest-battery-ferries-powered-by-abb