Bridge to bridge incident

Trust this is the correct location to introduce the subject of draw bridge dropping onto a fancy hi-end yacht.

Part Of Draw Bridge Crashes Down On Mega Yacht « CBS Miami

Al

Ouch, that's not going to buff out. I'll bet it's a heck of a lot more than "tens of thousands" in damage.

Ah well -tens of thousands in paint work maybe. Now if you want to fix the fiberglass too that will be extra.

Did you notice the caption, "Yacht hits Drawbridge?"

I think that's just a bit off.

BandB said:

Did you notice the caption, "Yacht hits Drawbridge?"

I think that's just a bit off.

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Typical of the quality of journalism we get of late.

Wow, $250K charter for a week! They reported it on the Palm Beach nightly news up here. I assume the insurance company will be the stuckee for the repair job but the loss of charters could be significant.

Oh wow what a nightmare wonder if I can go back to sleep now

A number of years ago, making our first trip south, we were caught in a strong current pushing us toward the Surf City Bridge near Wrightsville Beach, SC. At the time we had a 36' Grand Banks with a single engine. As we struggled to get clear of the bridge, the genius bridge operator began to open the bridge.

That might have been a good thing however it was a swing bridge which opened away from the southbound traffic. We were fighting the current at the ass end of the bridge which was swinging towards us. The bridge took down our mast with all its electronics and drove the boom through our rear salon window.

We were lucky. It was a cold day and we were driving from the lower station so there were no injuries. We were inspected by the Coasties and Fish and Wildlife. We passed both inspections. The bridge needed to be inspected as well (no damage) and was out of commission for hours.

Oh, yeah, $17,500. Howard

Pesky boats..... Hitting bridges out of no where!

Not to mention how long it will take to make these repairs. Makes for a bad day!

new word for the day

de·mur·rage

noun \di-ˈmər-ij, -ˈmə-rij\


Definition of DEMURRAGE

1
: the detention of a ship by the freighter beyond the time allowed for loading, unloading, or sailing

2
: a charge for detaining a ship, freight car, or truck

Boy, do Admiralty Lawyers LOVE this stuff!

A buddy of mine is a captain down there and apparently they were on a sea trial, then the boat was under tow when the bridge failed falling on the Rockstar. That's a whole lot of bad luck!

BlindHog said:

A buddy of mine is a captain down there and apparently they were on a sea trial, then the boat was under tow when the bridge failed falling on the Rockstar. That's a whole lot of bad luck!

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Bad luck that will be measured in the millions.

I wonder if the structure of the boat stopped the bridge in the slightly up position or if the bridge mechanical structure stopped the bridge. If the boat stopped it, I'm impressed with the strength of the fiberglass structure as that would appear to be holding up a lot of weight.

Tom

tpbrady said:

I wonder if the structure of the boat stopped the bridge in the slightly up position or if the bridge mechanical structure stopped the bridge. If the boat stopped it, I'm impressed with the strength of the fiberglass structure as that would appear to be holding up a lot of weight.

Tom

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Insurance Co principal happened to be aboard. Look closely in video... you can see him supporting the bridge with his back, to minimize claims! Don's done that a couple times - I think maybe?? - LOL

art said:

insurance co principal happened to be aboard. Look closely in video... You can see him supporting the bridge with his back, to minimize claims! Don's done that a couple times - i think maybe?? - lol

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lololololol!!!!

BryanF said:

Ah well -tens of thousands in paint work maybe. Now if you want to fix the fiberglass too that will be extra.

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Even worse. The boat is aluminum.

harbor950 said:

Even worse. The boat is aluminum.

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Had the boat been under it's own power instead of under tow lives very likely could have been lost or at least serious injuries. There were 15 on board but apparently no one on the upper deck.

A surveillance vid carried by NBC-6 this morning clearly shows the bridge arm (bascule?) coming down as the boat passes underneath.

BandB said:

Had the boat been under it's own power instead of under tow lives very likely could have been lost or at least serious injuries. There were 15 on board but apparently no one on the upper deck.

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Not sure about that. If it was under her own power, the operator could have goosed it, OR reversed it. Under tow has a unique issue.... No reverse ability!

cappy208 said:

Not sure about that. If it was under her own power, the operator could have goosed it, OR reversed it. Under tow has a unique issue.... No reverse ability!

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A boat that size doesn't exactly have a "goose" feature. There wasn't time to do anything.

BandB said:

A boat that size doesn't exactly have a "goose" feature. There wasn't time to do anything.

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However - Under own power probably would have been traveling at different speed, faster/doubtfully-slower... therefore, missing the whole event!

Jus Keepen Da Glass Half Full!!

Art said:

However - Under own power probably would have been traveling at different speed, faster/doubtfully-slower... therefore, missing the whole event!

Jus Keepen Da Glass Half Full!!

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That's like saying had they gotten an earlier start...of course if they'd arrived at a different time it might not have happened to them. Maybe the next fortunate boat would have gotten it.

Just the bad luck of the draw....no pun intended.

BandB said:

A boat that size doesn't exactly have a "goose" feature. There wasn't time to do anything.

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The goose feature is more related to the difference in handling from a towing vessel, versus her own propulsion.

A typical 'tug' has a speed of about 10 knots. Towing is usually a lot less. That particular vessel is probably capable of 20. Not that you would do that in a bridge, but it's a lot quicker response on its own than from a towing vessel.

Wonder why she wasn't under her own power? Seems odd to tow a boat like that around. Even on one engine with the thruster she'd be more maneuverable on her own.

cappy208 said:

....Wonder why she wasn't under her own power? Seems odd to tow a boat like that around. Even on one engine with the thruster she'd be more maneuverable on her own.

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Good question but it seems a pretty common around Miami and Fort Lauderdale. RickB posted a video of a big tow a few years ago. Here's another one.

Reminds me of a 250' oil barge and tug in the Nantucket Harbor Stockade. Bowsprits, swim platforms and lawsuits!

Larry - WHY?? No skipper good enough to handle big boat in close quarters?


GEEEEZZZZ - No money lives around those canals! - LOL, LOL

Great video Larry

It's very typical for the yacht to get towed around, as Larry said. Local towing companies make a killing.