Piers, and Breakwaters.

manic_muppet · Post by **manic_muppet** » Fri May 29, 2009 10:47 am

Hi, I was doing a bit of reading a few weeks ago, (yes im ok now) and I found out a fact I had not known before, I always classed any walkway which goes into the sea as a pier. And still do, its a hard habit to break now, but I'm wrong, it seems a Pier is a construction on legs allowing the sea to pass underneath, such as Brighton, Saltburn, Whitby etc, while a Breakwater is a solid construction of rock, concrete etc which acts as a barrier between the open sea and a harbour etc, So when I say I'm fishing the Pier at Scabby or Brid I am in fact fishing the breakwater.

but like i say old habits die hard, I still say Pier.

Ok this wont win you a pint in a pub, but its nice to know. Cheers...Mick

folky · Post by **folky** » Fri May 29, 2009 10:54 pm

Folkestone has a breakwater.. i think its a breakwater anyways, i do remember being told once that thay had some divers down the wall and it sits on the steel cilinders full of concrete, and the water passes under it, but you never see it, all you see is solid granite walls like the ones in dover.
anyway all us locals call it a pier and even the history books call it the railway pier or train pier.
so to be honest i dont know if its a pier or a breakwater.

andy1_i · Post by **andy1_i** » Sun May 31, 2009 6:29 am

How interesting,im from the old school too,we have a pier a breakwater x2 and a jetty in the most easterly town lol but i think the jetty might be a breakwater. Andy1i

Harwoody · Post by **Harwoody** » Sun May 31, 2009 2:24 pm

Hi all, ok let me get this straight - a pier is on legs and allows water underneath it.
a breakwater is a solid wall stopping the sea.

What is the jetty? is that the floating platform things you see in harbours or is that something completly differnet.

andy1_i · Post by **andy1_i** » Sun May 31, 2009 3:56 pm

Lord knows lol

Post by **jacko69** » Sun May 31, 2009 5:25 pm

A JETTY is a structure on legs the water passes under and boats can moore up to

A PIER is a structure that is built on legs that the water passes under and people can walk on

A BREAKWATER is a solid structure that blocks the direction of the flow of water

hope this makes things a bit clearer, shame no-one told the councils around the country as they all class harbour walls as piers

Dave