Lucky

Already done that Wayne and here is their reply:- The point about the new proposed legalisation is that the UK are admitting that we are breaking European laws with our red diesel. Well, the way I read it, this changes nothing at this precise moment... HOWEVER, it does give the countries who don't like the fact that we have discounted tax on a proportion of diesel the right to fine us when we enter their territory by our own admittance. OK, so we know Belgium wants to fine us already, but Holland doesn't (according to the letter I received from the Embassy) but the UK's admittance that we are not following European procedure surely will impact on us as time goes on.... Countries like Holland for instance will feel that they have to fine the UK boater due to our own new legislation.

Pop "chair mat" into eBay for all different sizes..... loads available.

We had a great New Year celebrations at Coldham Hall, with a couple of nights at Surlingham, and one at Cantley after New Year.. Loads and loads of pictures taken, and I must admit, most of them cannot (and will not) make the forum for reasons known to the 'artists' involved !! However, here are a few.. This is Wayne with his Birthday present from a month or so earlier. I said that if he wore it on New Years Eve we would put a few quid into a charity of his choice. The clever *** pointed out that I didn't mention he had to wear anything else !! Well, once that was over, everybody wanted to have a go !!! Great to see Steve and Babs out - sorry guys I didn't much time to chat, but we will have to catch up soon !! (and thanks for the blue lights - hopefully no one got any pictures !!!! (yeah, I know it was you lot !!) The boys at dinner The girls at dinner The view from our boat And the view from Coldham Hall - it was quite impressive !! (shame about the blue ones of course !) And one last picture - here is Gav working out whether or not it would fit !! Many, many thanks to Mark for organising the weekend, and thanks to everyone that made it yet again, another very memorable weekend ! Luke & Claire

Hi Merlin !! I spoke to Roy at lunchtime yesterday and he said you had blasted - I didn't hear a thing, although I had a couple of guys from the factory on board so was trying to listen to them in the wind ! Glad you are both ok, and the anchor is now sorted - it would of been a rough trip down yesterday and you definitely made the right decision - although great to get a little bit in in bad weather to see how the new boat coped ! Good luck for the weekend, and if you need anything let me know.... Luke

All very strange, we didn't have a low tide as such today - well, nothing out of the ordinary anyway.. We have seen it worse than this (high tide) before - November a couple of years ago:

Lowestoft Bridge at about 12.30am (Picture took standing on the bridge) Oulton Broad Yacht Station just after

And James is coming too please Mark.... (9 years old)

From the RYA website:- Authority hikes Broads tolls Broads boaters face a 2.85 per cent increase in river tolls for next season. The rise was agreed at this week’s meeting of the Broads Authority Navigation Committee. Initially, BA officers called for a graduated rise of one per cent for smallest boats (dinghies, canoes) with the largest boats facing a 4.4 per cent rise. The committee rejected this in favour of a flat rate 2.85 per cent across the board. David Broad, retired businessman and Philip Ollier of the Norfolk and Suffolk Boating Association (NSBA) were elected chairman and vice-chairman of the committee respectively. Both are expected to sit on the Broads Authority board as Navigation Committee representatives. Reacting to the news NSBA Chairman Mark Wells commented: “The NSBA reluctantly accepts the case for the increase, which we believe is as low as it is because of our previous campaigns but we are not happy with the re-allocation until the case for that has been properly assessed and approved.â€

Certainly was a bit windy out there last night John ! Great to see you yesterday for a few pints, we ended up going to the Waveney for a nice lunch then back to the boat about 8pm and kept waking up to the rocking motion of the wind and waves. Had to leave early this morning and Claire had arranged to go shopping in Norwich, so now back at home. Hopefully you'll see the yacht station guys leave to try and move our mooring bouy again in a while.... See you soon ! Luke & Claire

Whilst I agree with you on most subjects Neil, just sometimes you generalise a little too much !

Fantastic weekend, thank you John for organising !!! and your company is always a pleasure !!! Couple of pictures from the "Breydon Experience" earlier this afternoon:-

Hi all. Col here, on Luke's boat. Just to let you know that at the moment Sommerleyton Bridge is currently out of action. After Wayne and Tracy went through it broke... Been sitting here for a couple of hours now and hopefully the engineer is on his way. We did have a discussion about going out of Lowestoft, but Mutford shut at 5.30pm... Also, Breydon Bridge is only opening at 9am and 4pm tomorrow (and Sunday) Hopefully they should sort the bridge out tonight, but would be wise to check in the morning if you are travelling through. Keep the chips warm at Reedham for us !! Col.

I was under the impression that you couldn't use a hovercraft on the Broads - did a little digging and found this:- (6)The navigation area shall not be open for the navigation of any hovercraft or any other prescribed class or description of craft.. It's in the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act 1988 Part 2. Don't see why to be honest....

Well, as you well know, Gav applied to be on the Navigation Committee and they haven't even had the courtesy to reply to him !! I think I saw a note the other day saying that Mr Knight will be on there - but I might have got that wrong.... perhaps Eddie may pop on to clarify...

I think it's more up Gav's street than mine - don't think I would fit in very well !!

On the Broads Authority website today:- Government decides Broads Authority will retain current governance arrangements The Broads Authority will retain its current membership and procedures for appointment following a Government review of the governance of national park authorities. A consultation was published by the Government in November 2010 which asked whether the selection process, and membership, both size and composition, of national park authorities could be improved. In an announcement today the Minister responsible for national parks, Richard Benyon MP, has indicated that the existing system will remain in the Broads. However, two National Parks – the New Forest and the Peak District – will trial a system of direct elections from 2013. If the pilot proves successful other parks could begin electing people to their boards from 2017. Chairman of the Broads Authority Stephen Johnson said: “Local responses to the Government’s recent consultation did not give wholehearted support to the idea of local elections, and questioned their practicality and cost. The Government has clearly taken this on board. However, we will follow with interest the trials of direct elections by the New Forest and the Peak District which follow the Scottish model for national park authorities. †When the Broads Authority considered the matter of direct elections in 2008 it supported the principle but was concerned that the narrow boundary drawn around the Broads posed difficulties, not least in defining who should form the electorate. There are approximately 6,370 people living in the Broads, of whom about 5,600 are adults eligible to vote. However, a tight definition of the boundary would exclude important settlements adjacent to the Broads, such as Beccles and Bungay in Suffolk, Wroxham and Hoveton and Acle, whose population has an interest in the area. These areas are currently represented on the Authority by appointments of Members from the six district councils and two county councils. The Broads Authority currently has 21 members, nine appointed by the eight local authorities within the Authority’s executive area, ten are Secretary of State appointees and two are appointed from the Navigation Committee. The Government now plans to consult on the length of service for members of national park authorities. It is recommending a maximum service of eight years. Currently Broads Authority members serve for 10 and those appointed by the local authorities do not have a maximum term. The chair of each national park authority will also now be required to produce an annual report assessing the collective performance of members.

Money Trev !! For the last few years, after Lowestoft the Red Arrows (and others) proceed up to Sunderland for the weekend show up there. Of course there are lots more people up there and they can afford to pay a premium to have the flying over the weekend. It's always annoyed me that the airshow is put on for the unemployed (workdays) and there was always a riot in our office to book one of the two days off !

Here is the clip from the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14458424

Hi Ian.... here's the post:- Somerleyton Bridge - Not Operational Although the bridge is currently not operational, Network Rail have informed us that engineers will be attending as soon as possible and it is hoped that the bridge will be open soon. Just a reminder, two red flags flying at the bridge indicates it is currently not operational. Please check with Broads control on 01603 756056 for up to date information on the bridge if required. So, hopefully not too long...

and.... it's down again !!

I don't want to get involved with this and I hope no one thinks I am interfering, but I just had a look at the mail section.... Not sure if everyone knows this, but it appears (and I could be very wrong) that the standard setting is set so if your mailbox is full, you cannot receive new messages.... If you go to your mailbox, and look further down the page on the left you can see a button that says "Rules, folders & Settings" If you click this, you will see a bit that says "If folder is full" with a multiple choice. The standard, as I said, appears to be "Do not accept new messages (New messages will be held back until enough space is available)" Instead of this, click the "Delete oldest messages" - then you will not miss any messages, and the oldest are deleted as new ones come in. If you have a message that you want to keep forever, then once you have read it you can mark it as important... Hope this helps, and sorry if this is common knowledge, but judging by some of the comments, it appears it isn't - I certainly didn't know. Luke