Topic: Girl in River Mersey earlier today.

[BlackandWhitePaul]

I have been following this guy for quite some time. He is Romanian and lives down London. He goes all over the place and streams his video's live. Today he decided to go to Liverpool and was streaming live as this was going on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4cL16wSfp0

[RedSince86]

Damn, what a very very lucky Girl.

[Terry de Niro]

Proper heart in mouth stuff watching that.
Well done to all the people who helped her.

[Son of Spion]

Well that was harrowing.

Well done to all those who helped. I'm just glad the tide looked not to have turned at the time, because it sweeps you down river at an astonishing pace once it does. That's one very lucky woman. I hope she's ok.

[BlackandWhitePaul]

Damn, what a very very lucky Girl.

Absolutely

Proper heart in mouth stuff watching that.
Well done to all the people who helped her.

I was scared watching it live as it was happening and hope she is ok, now and in the future.

[BlackandWhitePaul]

Well that was harrowing.

Well done to all those who helped. I'm just glad the tide looked not to have turned at the time, because it sweeps you down river at an astonishing pace once it does. That's one very lucky woman. I hope she's ok.

The River Mersey looks really wide unlike the Tyne where I am.  I could swim over the Tyne no bother. I wouldn't want to swallow a few mouth fulls of it though, that's what would kill me.

[redgriffin73]

Bloody hell that is terrifying, hope she is OK.

[Son of Spion]

The River Mersey looks really wide unlike the Tyne where I am.  I could swim over the Tyne no bother. I wouldn't want to swallow a few mouth fulls of it though, that's what would kill me.

Yes, further upstream it's 4.8km at its widest point near Ellesmere Port, then it narrows at Liverpool to a still wide 1.1km. The Mersey also has the 4th highest tidal rise in the world and the third fastest tidal run in Europe, reaching 10 knots in places. Especially in the colder months, death can take place within minutes of immersion. Water temperature in the Mersey today is just 8.9c so this lady was lucky the rescue services are stationed moments away from where she went in.

[Crosby Nick]

The River Mersey looks really wide unlike the Tyne where I am.  I could swim over the Tyne no bother. I wouldn't want to swallow a few mouth fulls of it though, that's what would kill me.

Take it easy Johnny Wye-ayesmuller.

[reddebs]

Is it just me or did the emergency services seem to take an age to arrive?

[BlackandWhitePaul]

Yes, further upstream it's 4.8km at its widest point near Ellesmere Port, then it narrows at Liverpool to a still wide 1.1km. The Mersey also has the 4th highest tidal rise in the world and the third fastest tidal run in Europe, reaching 10 knots in places. Especially in the colder months, death can take place within minutes of immersion. Water temperature in the Mersey today is just 8.9c so this lady was lucky the rescue services are stationed moments away from where she went in.

She must have been absolutely done in, frozen to the bone and scared shitless and yet found strength from somewhere to hang on.

When your time is up, it's up.  Today wasn't her time. 

[Son of Spion]

She must have been absolutely done in, frozen to the bone and scared shitless and yet found strength from somewhere to hang on.

When your time is up, it's up.  Today wasn't her time.

Yep. It's good she had enough warmth and strength left in her muscles to keep hold of that lifebelt for as long as she did.

[Red Beret]

Yes, further upstream it's 4.8km at its widest point near Ellesmere Port, then it narrows at Liverpool to a still wide 1.1km. The Mersey also has the 4th highest tidal rise in the world and the third fastest tidal run in Europe, reaching 10 knots in places. Especially in the colder months, death can take place within minutes of immersion. Water temperature in the Mersey today is just 8.9c so this lady was lucky the rescue services are stationed moments away from where she went in.

Aye, second highest tidal range in the UK after the Severn I believe?  I've seen it so high it was slopping over the granite sides at the Pier Head.

Glad the girl is ok, what a horrendous experience.

EDIT: Sorry, I meant tidal bore. River Severn is 7ft and the Mersey is 6ft apparently.

[rob1966]

Is it just me or did the emergency services seem to take an age to arrive?

The life boat is based in New Brighton and you have to remember that the crew are volunteers who need to get there from where-ever they were when the alarm went off.

[Son of Spion]

The life boat is based in New Brighton and you have to remember that the crew are volunteers who need to get there from where-ever they were when the alarm went off.

I thought they were stationed at Pier Head, Rob.

This seems to back that up https://www.merseyfire.gov.uk/about/community-fire-stations/river-mersey-community-fire-rescue-station/  although that might be out of date now.

Crewed 24/7 according to this -  https://www.merseyfire.gov.uk/about/what-we-do/preparing-for-emergencies/marine-rescue-unit/

I used to see their boat at Pier Head, but I've not been into town other than passing through in the car since Covid started, so don't know if they are definitely still there now.

[reddebs]

The life boat is based in New Brighton and you have to remember that the crew are volunteers who need to get there from where-ever they were when the alarm went off.

Not just the coastguard but police and ambulance crews as I'm pretty sure when you dial 999 and ask for the coastguard the others are automatically sent too.

Just shows how easy accidents like that happen and how quickly they can become tragic, thankfully the good people there were excellent in keeping her calm and encouraging her to keep going.

[butchersdog]

Scary that, glad she is safe. Does anyone know how she came to be in the river, did she fall in?

[CraigDS]

There is def always a coastguard boat at Pier Head, if it's manned 24/7 I don't know.

I must have just missed it by minutes as walked the dog down there earlier. Some of the throwing of those life rings though... 

As SOS said, she's lucky the time she fell to be honest, as at times the tide on that runs fast and it could have swept her out in no time and she'd have been fucked.

[kavah]

Take it easy Johnny Wye-ayesmuller.

 

[moondog]

Well done to all involved in the rescue.

[davidlpool1982]

Used to live in Royal Quay by the arena, you'd sadly get at least one drowning a year from people either not realising how deadly the Mersey can be. Or when life was more normal, drunk people showing off. I remember one where a stag party was going on and the groom goes in the pier head by the boats and the best man went to help him and drowned.

[John C]

Take it easy Johnny Wye-ayesmuller.

  classic Nick

[rob1966]

The River Mersey looks really wide unlike the Tyne where I am.  I could swim over the Tyne no bother. I wouldn't want to swallow a few mouth fulls of it though, that's what would kill me.

Its a lot smaller where I live now, you'd easily swim this

[reddebs]

Our view over to Liverpool very often has a few big boats anchored in the bay and during the bad weather we've been asking the locals about them and why they stay for a few days.

The bay is just off the regular shipping lanes and they use it while waiting to be escorted into the Mersey either to the docks there or further up at Ellesmere Port.

Apparently we'll be able to see the cruise ships coming in and out once they start up again.

[BlackandWhitePaul]

Next time I am in Liverpool, which will be some time in the summer for the 1st time I'm getting on the ferry and going over the other side, I don't know where it goes to or what's there but fuck it I have to get a ferry cross the Mersey once in my life   

[Jshooters]

Next time I am in Liverpool, which will be some time in the summer for the 1st time I'm getting on the ferry and going over the other side, I don't know where it goes to or what's there but fuck it I have to get a ferry cross the Mersey once in my life   

Make sure you go to Woodside rather than Seacombe!

[Son of Spion]

Our view over to Liverpool very often has a few big boats anchored in the bay and during the bad weather we've been asking the locals about them and why they stay for a few days.

The bay is just off the regular shipping lanes and they use it while waiting to be escorted into the Mersey either to the docks there or further up at Ellesmere Port.

Apparently we'll be able to see the cruise ships coming in and out once they start up again.

River Mersey pilots board ships 16 miles out to sea in order to pilot them up the river. I know at one time pilots used to go from Amlwych on Anglesey to board then pilot onto Liverpool.

When we stayed at the Trecastelle in Bull Bay we could see large ships anchored off the Island from our window.

Reading about how treacherous the Mersey is it's easy to see why pilots are necessary. For instance, the huge ACL ships that use Gladstone Dock have just two feet clearance between the bottom of the ship and the river bed at high tide. I imagine it would be incredibly easy to ground one of those.

[reddebs]

River Mersey pilots board ships 16 miles out to sea in order to pilot them up the river. I know at one time pilots used to go from Amlwych on Anglesey to board then pilot onto Liverpool.

When we stayed at the Trecastelle in Bull Bay we could see large ships anchored off the Island from our window.

Reading about how treacherous the Mersey is it's easy to see why pilots are necessary. For instance, the huge ACL ships that use Gladstone Dock have just two feet clearance between the bottom of the ship and the river bed at high tide. I imagine it would be incredibly easy to ground one of those.

It's fascinating in a bored kinda way to find out about them. 

We've been using the marine traffic app which tells you everything about each ship.  It's name, where it's from, where it's going and what it's carrying.

There's an LPG one that's been here a while now.  It's a beautiful bright red colour and the app says it's going into Eastham?  Is that Warrington/Runcorn area?

[Millie]

It's fascinating in a bored kinda way to find out about them. 

We've been using the marine traffic app which tells you everything about each ship.  It's name, where it's from, where it's going and what it's carrying.

There's an LPG one that's been here a while now.  It's a beautiful bright red colour and the app says it's going into Eastham?  Is that Warrington/Runcorn area?

No  Eastham is Wirral.

[reddebs]

No  Eastham is Wirral.

Thanks Millie.

Am I getting confused then?  Isn't there an Eastham turning off the M62?

[Dr. Beaker]

River Mersey pilots board ships 16 miles out to sea in order to pilot them up the river. I know at one time pilots used to go from Amlwych on Anglesey to board then pilot onto Liverpool.

When we stayed at the Trecastelle in Bull Bay we could see large ships anchored off the Island from our window.

Reading about how treacherous the Mersey is it's easy to see why pilots are necessary. For instance, the huge ACL ships that use Gladstone Dock have just two feet clearance between the bottom of the ship and the river bed at high tide. I imagine it would be incredibly easy to ground one of those.

When we used to go through the Suez Canal, all the ships would be on the anchor waiting for the northbound convoy to come through before we could all go through on the southbound convoy (or vice versa). The pilot would go around from ship to ship checking who was giving the best deal (no one wanted to be at the back of the convoy, time is money). so a quick assessment of who was offering the most ciggies, whiskey and of course it had to be kippers for breakfast, believe it or not!

[Red Beret]

River Mersey pilots board ships 16 miles out to sea in order to pilot them up the river. I know at one time pilots used to go from Amlwych on Anglesey to board then pilot onto Liverpool.

When we stayed at the Trecastelle in Bull Bay we could see large ships anchored off the Island from our window.

Reading about how treacherous the Mersey is it's easy to see why pilots are necessary. For instance, the huge ACL ships that use Gladstone Dock have just two feet clearance between the bottom of the ship and the river bed at high tide. I imagine it would be incredibly easy to ground one of those.

Well that was the whole point of the Edmund Gardner, to keep pilots on station and handy?

Edit: I think she was made obsolete through dredging and small, fast boats; and probably through the location of the then new container terminal, meaning fewer ships having to crawl their way right up the river.

[rob1966]

Thanks Millie.

Am I getting confused then?  Isn't there an Eastham turning off the M62?

You're deffo getting confused. The turn off for Eastham is on the M53, the oil refinery is next to the Vauxhall plant. If you go to Wales via the old tunnel, you drive through Eastham, just after Bromborough.

[reddebs]

You're deffo getting confused. The turn off for Eastham is on the M53, the oil refinery is next to the Vauxhall plant. If you go to Wales via the old tunnel, you drive through Eastham, just after Bromborough.

Ta Rob I knew I'd seen it on a motorway sign.

[rob1966]

Ta Rob I knew I'd seen it on a motorway sign.

Probably on trips to Wales or Cheshire Oaks. I've got family in Little Sutton which is how I know. I've even had brekky in the little chef that used to be on the roundabout on the Junction

[reddebs]

Probably on trips to Wales or Cheshire Oaks. I've got family in Little Sutton which is how I know. I've even had brekky in the little chef that used to be on the roundabout on the Junction

Never been to Cheshire Oaks but I've been to Bromborough a few times with cricket or football cup games.  Bromborough Pool I think they were called and if memory serves is it near Port Sunlight cos we used to get drawn against them quite often too.

[Red Beret]

Never been to Cheshire Oaks but I've been to Bromborough a few times with cricket or football cup games.  Bromborough Pool I think they were called and if memory serves is it near Port Sunlight cos we used to get drawn against them quite often too.

It's on the Wirral line, yeah. My best mate lives in Eastham and used to work at Cheshire Oaks.

[reddebs]

It's on the Wirral line, yeah. My best mate lives in Eastham and used to work at Cheshire Oaks.

It's been a long time since I was over that way I probably wouldn't recognise any of it now.  I barely recognise Liverpool now from when I worked there.

[Son of Spion]

Well that was the whole point of the Edmund Gardner, to keep pilots on station and handy?

Edit: I think she was made obsolete through dredging and small, fast boats; and probably through the location of the then new container terminal, meaning fewer ships having to crawl their way right up the river.

Yes. She finished service in 1981.

I read there were four of those ships at one time and they worked on rotation. One positioned at Mersey Bar. One at Point Lynas, off Anglesey, a third was a runner ship, moving pilots and supplies between them while a fourth would be in maintenance.

The really big ships don't come that far up river now. The ACL Trans- Atlantic container ships go to Seaforth. The post-panamax sized container ships using Liverpool 2, also at Seaforth. I think the largest ones that come up are the tankers that go to, I think, Tranmere.

[John C]

The Eastham discussion is worth having on its own so I've split it off and moved it to Liverpool life. Let me know if you think it should be somewhere else.