No more Blackrock raft

JohnCleary

Pg. 14 Galway Advertiser.

I feel like a part of my childhood has just been taken away

ronnie3585

Health & Safety gone mad:(

snubbleste

Yeah, but where is it gone?
Storage?
Raft heaven?
Firewood?
An ornament in the City Manager's garden?

Boardnashea

Big shame if this is really gone. I thought article said it will be discussed again at a future meeting?

Iwannahurl

Local story breaking on Galway Bay FM.

According to Cllr Pearce Flannery, officials have been sitting on a water safety audit report for up to five years.

No link yet, on either the GBFM or Tribune websites.

dilallio

We were out there 2 years ago when they put the raft out.

They pushed it out at low tide to it's location. They then tied a rope to 3 corners and used a jcb to lift it up while one of them went underneath it to anchor it.

It took about 6 or 7 attempts before he was able to anchor it, and if the rope broke or knots slipped, there was no way he would get out of there alive.

He had a wetsuit but no breathing apparatus. It didn't look at all safe but then I'm not an expert.

Lapin

snubbleste wrote: »

Yeah, but where is it gone?
Storage?
Raft heaven?
Firewood?
An ornament in the City Manager's garden?

A whole raft of questions there.

biko

Iwannahurl wrote: »

According to Cllr Pearce Flannery, officials have been sitting on a water safety audit report for up to five years.

Is this audit specific for or including the raft?

TerrorFirmer

biko wrote: »

Is this audit specific for or including the raft?

Not specific to the raft, the whole debacle began with Pearce Flannery simply enquiring about the raft when it was removed, and gradually slid into what it is today. The 2010 report relates to Blackrock in its entirety.

ronnie3585

Any word of the raft making a return this summer? Sad not to see it there.

Also, has anyone any idea if the steps that were beside the slipway before you go into Blackrock are going to be replaced?

joeKel73

It's not expected back...
http://connachttribune.ie/salthill-raft-left-high-and-dry-by-safety-concerns-555/

nuac

As far as I can remember that raft has been there since at least the mid-fifties.

While there is reference to "incidents" in the Health and Safety report, I haven't heard of any PL claims.

There is a reference to hypothermia - well, sometimes it can be chilly by the seaside. One can get dressed, or move to a sheltered spot.

Soon people will be talking about suing because it is raining.

some years ago when walking around the Boeing plant in Seattle I saw a sign on a lawn "Grass, when wet, can be slippy" So far haven't seem similar notices here

buzz11

http://connachttribune.ie/blackrock-raft-unlikely-to-be-reinstated/

biko

For people on phone
Blackrock raft unlikely to be reinstated, it's too risky.

nuac

Health and safety carried to extremes.

Even at time of low wind, waves on beach may knock toddlers and elderly.

Even on land, a breese can blow sand into one's eyes

Where do we stop?

Mrs OBumble

nuac wrote: »

Health and safety carried to extremes.

Didn't you read this above:

It took about 6 or 7 attempts before he was able to anchor it, and if the rope broke or knots slipped, there was no way he would get out of there alive.

I know that some don't think that council workers are actually human - but we should at least behave as though they might be!

CatFromHue

While I may not be a raft anchoring expert I'd imagine there is a much safer way of anchoring it, this is not a unique problem just in Galway.

He said there is considerable risk attached to the raft while in use, and while unattended, and if councillors choose to ignore his advice and reinstate it, the repercussions will lie solely on their shoulders.

When you see people sue, and win, in court for absolute stupid stuff they should know not to do this is what happens.

nuac

Maybe putting out the raft is not a job for ordinary council operatives.
People who work at sea with e.g. moorings, salmon cages etc would have more relevant experience

buzz11

https://galwaybayfm.ie/council-talks-irish-water-safety-blackrock-raft/

Galway Bay fm newsroom – The City Council is in talks with Irish Water Safety over the feasibility of reinstating the raft at Blackrock beach.

A 2015 Health and Safety report found that it is not possible to fully address the extensive list of safety concerns associated with the amenity.

City Councillor Pearce Flannery says the local community wants the raft back – and is calling on the council to provide a timeline for its reinstatement.

Meanwhile, the City Council says it’s currently putting together the Part 8 planning documents for an upgrade of the Blackrock diving tower.

The local authority says it’s waiting for the final sign off on drawings for the scheme before it can go to next stage.

ronnie3585

Hopefully it'll be re-instated. It's been sorely missed.

happyoutscan

RAFT RAFT RAFT! RAFT RAFT RAFT!

Discodog

dilallio wrote: »

We were out there 2 years ago when they put the raft out.

They pushed it out at low tide to it's location. They then tied a rope to 3 corners and used a jcb to lift it up while one of them went underneath it to anchor it.

It took about 6 or 7 attempts before he was able to anchor it, and if the rope broke or knots slipped, there was no way he would get out of there alive.

He had a wetsuit but no breathing apparatus. It didn't look at all safe but then I'm not an expert.

Why go underneath it ? Surely you just run lines from the corners? If you have to go underneath then just wait until it's floating & then push it to one side. An even easier way is to put in the anchor then feed the line up through a hole on the raft.

dilallio

Discodog wrote: »

Why go underneath it ? Surely you just run lines from the corners? If you have to go underneath then just wait until it's floating & then push it to one side. An even easier way is to put in the anchor then feed the line up through a hole on the raft.

I agree.
But the design of this raft had its mooring ring in the centre of the raft underneath. Also, the anchor rope has to be long enough to account for high tide. If they anchored it to the corner, during low tide, swimmers could get snagged on the rope, as the rope has to be long enough to account for high tide. I asked him why they didn't run the anchored rope first through the mooring ring, push the raft into position, and then tie off the rope. They were concerned that this could enable someone to untie it afterwards which he said had happened previously.
If they had a different design of raft which comes in 2 sections, it would be straightforward to anchor one section and then bolt the 2nd section to the first. It would be surprising if rafts like this don't exist.

Discodog

dilallio wrote: »

I agree.
But the design of this raft had its mooring ring in the centre of the raft underneath. Also, the anchor rope has to be long enough to account for high tide. If they anchored it to the corner, during low tide, swimmers could get snagged on the rope, as the rope has to be long enough to account for high tide. I asked him why they didn't run the anchored rope first through the mooring ring, push the raft into position, and then tie off the rope. They were concerned that this could enable someone to untie it afterwards which he said had happened previously.
If they had a different design of raft which comes in 2 sections, it would be straightforward to anchor one section and then bolt the 2nd section to the first. It would be surprising if rafts like this don't exist.

If they are worried about untying then don't use rope as anyone could cut it. Use a bit of steel cable & put a tamper proof karabiner on the ring. Put the cable inside a length of rubber pipe.

The obvious easy way is make a hole in the middle of the raft.