Hockham Admiral

What a weekend! The very last to leave yesterday afternoon were 'The Salties' ... They were all in place at Somerleyton in time for the "trial" opening at 3pm....... listening in on Ch 6 & 12 was as good a comic-opera as we've ever heard... It went on and on... But that's another story we hope to hear soon from the players!

We set off bright and early on Friday morning at 7am. Coldham Hall wasn't very busy! The Beauchamp Arms wasn't any better! Friday Girl's quite content to burble along while I make a cuppa! And we're cruising along at 5.9mph When a rapidly moving hire boat heaves into view astern going rather quickly.... Neil, the eel-fisherman wasn't too impressed; he was all but overturned, about ten minutes before we reached him.... Cantley was quiet as well Reedham Ferry's £3 a night hasn't done a lot for their trade! Whereas the Lord Nelson looked to have been the busiest of all the pubs we passed on the Yare! "Notorious" looked happy as we passed by And Adam and crew passed us serenely on the New Cut... We were quite pleased the crane-driver saw us! Passing Somerleyton we actually saw a workman............ And finally to the WRC at 10.40; a beautiful morning's cruise!

Mark, Hi I do have Microsoft Works installed... does that help me?

Mark, Hi I do have Microsoft Works installed... does that help me?

Mark, Hi I do have Microsoft Works installed... does that help me?

Jill, Hi You're a star! Even I can follow those instructions! BTW we're at the Norwich YS today for a couple of days or so... fancy a glass of wine???

Jill, Hi You're a star! Even I can follow those instructions! BTW we're at the Norwich YS today for a couple of days or so... fancy a glass of wine???

Jill, Hi You're a star! Even I can follow those instructions! BTW we're at the Norwich YS today for a couple of days or so... fancy a glass of wine???

I'm using Vista and Windows Photo Gallery on my laptop and want to reduce pics to 1600 x 1600 or less for the Forum. At home I use XP and WPG and it's simple but on my laptop I just can't find the instruction to reduce the pixels; all it lets me do is crop. Any suggestions, please? :oops: I put this in Technical Discussions but I'm not sure if it won't get more views (and hopefully the answer!) here.

I'm using Vista and Windows Photo Gallery on my laptop and want to reduce pics to 1600 x 1600 or less for the Forum. At home I use XP and WPG and it's simple but on my laptop I just can't find the instruction to reduce the pixels; all it lets me do is crop. Any suggestions, please? :oops: I put this in Technical Discussions but I'm not sure if it won't get more views (and hopefully the answer!) here.

I'm using Vista and Windows Photo Gallery on my laptop and want to reduce pics to 1600 x 1600 or less for the Forum. At home I use XP and WPG and it's simple but on my laptop I just can't find the instruction to reduce the pixels; all it lets me do is crop. Any suggestions, please? :oops: I put this in Technical Discussions but I'm not sure if it won't get more views (and hopefully the answer!) here.

I'm using Vista and Windows Photo Gallery on my laptop and want to reduce pics to 1600 x 1600 or less for the Forum. At home I use XP and WPG and it's simple but on my laptop I just can't find the instruction to reduce the pixels; all it lets me do is crop. Any suggestions, please?

Thanks, Rod. Yes, that's about the end of the shake down cruises, totalling 23 days so far! You may remember we had a bow-thruster and hydraulic steering fitted before we bought her? So it's easy on the wheel now! Will try to meet up in July over that Summer meet at WRC; I think you will be somewhere nearby? (i.e. on the Southern Broads?).

Perry, Hi Yes, unfortunately our mooring there just wouldn't manage a 12ft beam......

Rachel and Ads (Adam) are due to arrive at 12.00 and actually make it... must be a record! Stow their overnight gear and we're off to Coldham Hall, whose moorings are empty, for some Humpty Dumpty, 'Reedcutters' I think. And jolly good it is! The girls manage with Aspalls cider. I take Jim for a walk and then it's time to head up-river to the Surlingham Ferry, where we've booked a mooring and an evening meal. Moored up ontime and now it's Wherrytime again! Back onboard a good bit later, after feeding two visiting swans, me for a snooze and others to take Jim for a walk. A really good meal at the Ferry; I am brave and try the rib-eye.......... it is superb, about the best I've ever tasted! Well done you all at the Ferry! Monday I'm up early again and clear away the debris from yesterday while enjoying a refreshing cuppa! Rachel and Ads are up and about by 09.00; so we set off for Brundall. Rachel helms, she's a natural and steers small. We tie up at Bells and tidy up before our short journey home. It's only been a short break but what a lovely time we've had. Good company, food and drinks! We can't wait until the next time!!!

Thanks to you all so far with the nice comments. Now waiting for Rachel to bring me the CD of all the pics she took at Surlingham. Sorry, Paul, not about now until early May. Can you make the Spring Meet?

Saturday A beautiful calm morning, looks like a good day ahead. Forecast is good for today and better for tomorrow! Jim out for a run at 07.15 (late today) and then back to the boat to find Alice up and about. Brew a cuppa and make scrambled eggs on toast for us both. Then fetch the Saturday EDP for Mary-Jane. Out with the sowing machine and attach Velcro to the new port and starboard cabin forward front and side curtains which, along with all the others, I'd made the week or so previously. (Rod, I remember Jeckells quoted you £800 or so for them all? Well, the materials cost me £75 and it took me three days of non-intensive labour to machine them all up!). Have to move the Velcro bits on the window-frame here and there but eventually got them to fit smoothly. The old ones were fitted with studs and never did hang properly. That's the beauty of Velcro, you can put an extra-wide bit on the window frame and then move the curtain to fit. Quite thirsty now but we have to wait for Alice's Mum to pick her up at 12.30. Find Alice on Ken and Rose's boat lovingly handling their African Grey parrot... brave girl! It can mimic them so well that they seldom know who's calling who!!! Alice's Mum arrives and has time for a coffee and to admire the new boat. I took the whole family out last summer in the old boat in a F3-4 out of Lowestoft and they haven't been too keen to go out again... (they did ASK to go out!!!) A lazy afternoon in the sun with one side of the sliding roof open which keeps the N'ly wind out and lets the hot sun in. Manage a vino or three each. 19.30 and we arrive at the Red Herring for another memorable meal. I am in low-key mode and ask for their special cheeseburger (Philistine, I know). It is excellent; one of the best I've tasted in a long career of burger debauchery..... Mary-Jane asks for something exotic which looks and tastes good but she doesn't care for the sauce on it. Home for an early night as we are leaving early tomorrow morning. Hope to be away before 07.30 to take the ebb to St Olave's and then the flood from Reedham to Brundall. Sunday I'm up and about at 06.15 and take Jim for his morning constitutional. Then have lovely cuppa and a cheese and onion toasty to get me going. Unhitch electrics and cast off at 07.20. What a beautiful morning! Hardly anything about and the first boat I see moving is 'Janet' down the New Cut. Also see the Marsh Harrier again with a stick in its mouth. Pass through Reedham and see this big Alpha with LOTS of men onboard.. wave at them and they respond! A mile past the Ferry and I'm suddenly aware of a shape behind my port ear! It's them again, now at 09.30, and they're mostly stood on the roof with cannies.... Get into Brundall at 10.55 and moor outside Bells to wait for our next passengers.

We were crossing the North Sea returning from Flushing in our Antares 760 (25ft, single Volvo TAMD 41P). Some would say foolhardy but we had previously spent 25 years cruising the Channel and North Sea under sail and power. We crossed over every year from '06 to '09 and that was the only calm crossing we had. All of the other times there was no way we could have even stood up, let alone take the pic! We gave up sea passages late last year and now cruise the Broads. I must say it was a great delight when I drove 15tons of Junior Service aluminium into one of your ships one day in the North Sea! : :

Friday Wake up to a foggy morn! Really beautiful and now flat calm. Take Jim for a walk at 07.00 and then back for first cuppa... Jim likes one too! 10.00 and girls still asleep. Mop boat down without waking them! Next-door boat departs and it's shaping up to be a better day. Alice up and has cheesy scrambled eggs and toast with a glass of juice; I survive with a cheese and onion toasty... Mary-Jane has tea and toast in bed. Lunchtime and all off for a walk which ends up at the 'Lady' where I'm getting a taste for the Wherry. Alice buys TWO large packets of Cheesy Quavers and sets down to demolish them. This eleven year old can eat! Afternoon walks with Jim and then it's off to the Lady for tea. Alice has the all-day breakfast and lots of my chips while Mary-Jane has a very good gammon steak. I have the rib-eye steak but I think it must have come from the same butcher who supplied the Reedham Ferry last year... it looks and tastes like a bit of beaten-flat rump . Unusually no-one comes to ask how our meals are... We haven't been back to the Ferry since.............

Thursday, 15th April Planned to be away from home by 09.30 but make it by 09.15... good omen for the rest of the week? Alice, an 11 year old who adopted us as Grandparents two years ago, and Jim, our dog are coming too. Stop of for fuel en-route but arrive at Bells just before 10.00. It's 29 miles from home to boat. Load food and drinks, well alcoholic, actually, (the drinks) and make Friday Girl all ship-shape and ready to go. Alice very excited and happy to wear her life-jacket. Give her an extra Easter Egg we had and say “That's your lot for today!â€. Slip our moorings at 10.15 (we don't hang around!) and set off against the flood for Oulton Broad. Very little traffic; all the pubs along the river to Reedham are deserted apart from the odd one or two hire-boats. Using revs for 5mph in still water we are making 4.3 mph GPS as we enter the New Cut and that then immediately goes up to 5.7mph so back a bit to stick to the 5mph limit... “Boat close astern†from Mary-Jane and I look aft to see an old Broom cruiser, 'Nikerma', approaching rapidly. Move well over to starbd to let him pass and we are both surprised at the speed with which he does... 'Nikerma disappears ahead leaving a good wake and exits the cut long before we approach the canal boats/new road bridge. Not to worry as we then see what we believe to be a Marsh Harrier! With the flood now with us we make good time to Somerleyton where we find 'Nikerma' waiting for the bridge!!! Can't help but smile as we motor serenely by... At last approaching Oulton Yacht Station and again we see the big bow wave as the intrepid 'Nikerma' attempts to beat us to the moorings. Doesn't bother us as we have booked a stern-on mooring already. Stern to the pontoon takes two attempts as the NNE'ly is quite fresh and the gap's not much wider than we are! No-one to assist initially as Peter and Gerry are away in Lowestoft mending beach-huts... Waveney lost a couple of hire-boat customers who just couldn't cope with the wind and departed for pastures new! Moored up and electrics connected by 14.30 and it's tot-time! (Sorry, Barry). Well, glasses actually... cool wine for Mary-Jane, Juice for Alice, water for Jim and a large G & T for me! Later we walk up to the Red Herring to check our Saturday night booking is OK; well, that's my excuse... Nice tea which Mary-Jane pre-cooked at home, just the pasta to boil and the Bol Sauce to microwave up. After we'd all had enough Alice finishes the rest with gusto!! Mary-Jane and Alice settle down in front of the TV and Jim and I head off to the Lady of the Lake for further liquid refreshments........ (More to follow plus the pics.)

Lovely story, Donny.. it's made me decide to start a write up on our four days over Thursday, Friday and last weekend. Hope to get more pics from friends who joined us onboard Sun/Mon before I post.

Yes, I had heard about it, Paul but I'm still interested in other options! I can't find their advert for this service and what they offer.. where did you see the ad, please?

Thanks, Lou and Baz. Boulters seem a good deal and we've checked their website which is very informative. Have a super time at Easter, Lou.. the RNSYC will be old hat for you two! xxx to Lou!

Does anyone out there have details of any "break-down" schemes for boats on the Broads, please? (Names, costs, phone numbers?). No, we don't anticipate anything but we do like to "be prepared"!

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