kadensa

Actually it's not as far-fetched as it seems. When we were first married we lived in Burnham-on-Crouch and commuted to London. On Friday evenings in summer the trains were packed with saily-types, down for the weekend and you'd be surprised at the assorted luggage they brought with them.

An oar under each arm would probably tickle me, too!

Thank you very much for that, Dave. This really is the 'friendly' forum!

Just had a phone call to say my 'dearest' has forgotten to take oars for our dinghy and he 'supposes' I wouldn't fancy bringing them on the train. Since he is quite correct in his supposition, I only hope we can beg /borrow a pair from Richardsons (stealing is, of course, out of the question, although we did once find one floating on the Bure, which, since we couldn't find the owner, is now part of our collection).

Unjustified! I've just sent it off-topic again.

Wines from the Veneto region of Italy are invariably good AND cheap. Mind you, they are pricey here +- £4, compared with what you pay overseas (our best bargain being 59c a litre from the delightfully named, 'Hurra' supermarket in Casale sul Sile).

Boat ownership is something we've considered and rejected. That is if a 'boat' means a cruiser on the Broads. We'd never be able to use it enough to justify the outlay. However, we have what is, for us. the ideal solution - a 14ft sailing dinghy, a small outboard and a 'pop-up' tent. We regularly sail on the River Dart and also off the Gower peninsular, both +- 2 hours away, so easily accessible for weekends. We've also taken our dinghy to the Broads, Cornwall and the Isle of Skye (we have a bigger tent for longer holidays).

Can we have a closing date for entries, please?

If we're going to have a calendar can I make a plea for it to contain more than just the usual windpump/sailing boats/sunset pictures? I'd like to think that NBN members could come up with something a little more original.

If it is I won't be mooring there again!

Can't see a problem. Most posts refer to the Horning Ferry, as per the original post. Those that mention the Reedham Ferry do so by its full name.

Just make sure that the booze is in a safe place!

What's 'landscape interpretation'?

Just under 96 for me.

If we start to see the old Richardsons' boats fitted with stainless steel bowl-shaped sinks, we'll know where the idea came from!

What's the food like there, nowadays, Alan? It's always been one of my favourite pubs, despite the somewhat treacherous quay heading.

The only boat we have hired more than once was Juliet from Martham. Like Gracie we now hire almost exclusively from Richardsons, but have never had the same boat twice, although we did have the same Major Gem as Gracie! We seem to be working our way through the Gems at the moment - at least there's plenty to choose from!

I' ve been wondering the same thing. What about the Union Flag/Jack?

There's an inlet off Oulton Dyke (starboard side going towards the Broad) where we have mudweighted several times. It's a very peaceful spot.

Surely it's not the actual crossing that people are worried about, but more the passage through the bridges at Yarmouth, which if you follow the instructions from the hire company is not a problem Escorted crossings? You have to be joking! It's Breydon, not the North Sea.

Entirely agree, JM. The only reason we're bringing the outboard is so we'll be guaranteed to get to Horsey/Hickling and back. Our dinghy is a b***h to row, and since the wind/weather can't be relied on, the motor is essential. Your second point, about how much goes towards overheads, is something that I think is implicit in the toll structure, and is why (in my opinion) the visitor tolls are so high. Anyway, all that matters to me right now is that in a week or so I'll be sailing again.

OK, I've now taken a couple of minutes to do the maths and the toll for a 14ft dinghy works out at £42.26 plus 97p per week. Now, whether or not that is value for money is a matter of opinion, however, the impression one gets as a visitor is that you are paying 'above the odds'.

There's no point in my paying the annual toll when I'm only visiting for two weeks. The National Trust is dfferent - if I am a member, I can visit any property free of charge for a year. As for the 'admin' - a couple of pieces of printed sticky- back paper, an envelope, a 37p stamp and the time it takes for someone to read an Email, write a few figures, put the paper in the envelope and get it in the post? OK, if I were using the dinghy solely, I probably wouldn't mind paying, say, £20- £30, but I have already contributed to the BA coffers indirectly by hiring a cruiser.

I have just paid the BA £44.20 for the privilege of bringing my 14 ft sailing dinghy + 2.3hp outboard to the Broads for 2 weeks. That equates to annual charge of an eye-watering £1149.20! The actual annual toll charge for the boat would be £92.70 - i.e. just over twice what I paid. I find it hard to see what justification there can be for the inflated charges applied to 'visitors' over 'resident' boats.

Well, despite your above post, I think you deserve one of these.... So please accept this one, given on behalf of us all.