NeilB

I would have thought with the strongish tides on the lower sections they could use some sort of water injection or ploughing. This loosens the silt enough to be carried out by the tide with no soil to dispose of.

I’m onboard from about 1pm Sunday if you want a lift from Stalham?

Glad you’re OK Kate. I’ve actually just fitted a folding ladder to the stern of Rambling Rosie. It unfolds with 2 rungs well under the waterline. In my youth I’ve climbed up the hulls / rubbing strakes of many boats while getting out of the water but that was a long time and many pounds ago in shorts!

Yes, summer of 87, thought we'd surprise them but it was all locked up!! I remember the Broom 30, he bought some kind of trawler as we bumped into him a couple of years after they closed. Not 100% but I think Steve owned the houseboat, the small lodge and lived in Lens bungalow for a while. Yes, Kris Cruisers at Datchet between 1991 and 2001. We did have a couple of narrow boats but only for a year or so, wasn't keen on them. Windsor park was on the other side of the river, not advisable to try and go ashore though otherwise a Range Rover with tinted windows would soon arrive and chuck you off again!!!

My parents hired day boats and Burecroft from Len of LL cruisers several times so knew them fairly well. He let me use his sailing dinghy in return for a bit of window cleaning on turnaround day. It was them who gave me the idea of working on hireboats so I ended up at Kris Cruisers for 10 years and now Volvo Penta HQ for well over 20 years. Never did find out why they closed? we arrived by hireboat, summer of 1987 I think, to find they had disappeared! Think Len went to Blackpool and Steve to Porter and Haylett, he’s in Beccles now with a Freeman 24! Mum and dad hired the Summercraft lodges for many years up to the mid 2000’s when dad had to stop driving.

My mum was never diagnosed but I wonder if she was in the early stages of dementia in her last couple of years. Never one to suffer fools, ( I know, I know she suffered me!!), she became a lot more vocal and I often had to have a word with her. She spent 10 years living alone after dad passed so struggled in the care home after her 2 friends there had passed on. One chap kept falling asleep and snoring, she struggled out of her chair once or twice but resorted to launching balls of cotton wool soaked in water to wake him up. Despite being blind in 1 eye and partially sighted in the other her aim was pretty good!! Even the home manager struggled to keep a straight face when she asked me to have a word with mum!

Keep plugging away Helen and Graham, I have a good idea of what you are going through as I went through similar with my mum over a 4 year period including 2 x hip operations and 1 x hip replacement. Mostly on my own with a 100 mile gap between our houses. You may already have them but I would recommend getting powers of attorney for both finance and health.

There was a very small amount this morning at Stalham but it's gone now.

Water levels look to have started to drop so hopefully some more dry moorings for you soon!

Yes I saw that. This won't cost me a penny (apart from BIK tax), as it's a company car, saying that the XC60 was faultless over 3 1/2 years.

Out with the old and in with the new along with a healthy reduction in BIK tax. I also get 359hp to play with!

Chucking it down in Stalham at the moment!

I had to use Simpsons a couple of weeks ago as Sutton's pump out was flooded, what their website doesn't state is that they close at 12 noon every day!!

It doesn't bare thinking what may have happened if these tides had coincided with the heavy rain of a few weeks ago, 1953 again? How long before this actually happens and the authorities appear oblivious to the risk. Back then my Great Aunt lived in Sea Palling and was rescued by the lifeboat from the roof of her bungalow.

Hope all goes well and Shaun pulls through. Sounds like you have a great family all supporting each other.

Rambling Rosie, probably just me for 2 nights.

It's probably not a stock boat as the standard version would have a pair of Yanmars or Volvo Penta's and pushing 30 knots, this will have a more Broads friendly 4 pot which will also reduce the cost.

7ft showing on the downstream gauge at high tide today, I had about 1ft clearance for those of still out and about.

Anyone heading through Ludham Bridge the upstream marker is showing just over 7ft an hour before high tide. Don’t forget it over-reads a bit. Looks like the downstream marker has been adjusted as its reading lower than the upstream one, used to be the other way round!!

I know his father now lives in the Southampton area and his uncle has a boat at NBYC! Need to interrogate him next week!!

My manager told me his grandfather was born on a Wherry and that his uncle was something to do with boat building in Norfolk. I’ll have to have a more detailed chat when I see him next as his name is James Clabburn……!

Lived just down the road in Warwick for 10 years prior to moving to Norfolk. Only visited Coventry a few times though and can agree driving is a nightmare, especially the ring road with the short slip roads for both entry and exit!! I did visit the car museum which at the time was free and it’s very good, I’d have been happy to pay.

I say, what a smart looking cruiser starting at 11:50 with a handsome chap at the helm...... This was filmed on Sunday just after 11am as I'd just taken a photo of all the crew on the Richos boat.

When covid kicked off serval large car and truck manufacturers cancelled lots of raw materials including chips expecting a massive downturn. When they tried to re-instate these orders the chips had been resold to laptops, mobiles etc. which were booming. Throw in a fire at one of the chip plants and you now have a global shortage!

Another feature of these 42ft models is the rear decks are fairy narrow which gives the aft cabins extra space. My saloon is located at the stern and it makes a big difference!