BryanW

Just tried to order 3 even though I only reserved one but PayPal would not accept it so I have just ordered one for now.

Saw this in yesterdays Cambridge Evening News: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/cambridge-weather-radiation-fog-cambridgeshire-13852511 Since they have trouble forecasting the weather they obviously have an office competition to invent new names.

Not wrong, surprised it substituted an 'a' for an 'o', certainly not my typing since 'a' & 'o' are well separated on the keyboard. I know that wonky (got it right this time) horizons are all the rage with selfies etc. but I'm afraid it really grates on landscapes.

My titles were the file names. Could I also request that horizons are horizontal in all photographs, there were one or two that I didn't vote on due to wanky ones.

Just sent my "Sunrise", please note it is Sunrise not Sunset.

One for me please.

Third from me.

Second from me.

One from me.

Just checked my video in "Another Week on Brinks Encore" and I have no problem, Mac with Safari. Is your internet connection ok?

Yes, indeed Silverline are building Brinks Encores, two already in service and, rumour has it, two more at a later date. If you look in "Hire Boat Discussion" and "Holiday Tales" you will find my writeups on Encore 1. The Encores are basically the same as Broom's Bolero, essentially an Aquafibre Opal, but on Encore the airdraft is quoted at 6'10" so I am surprised that Brooms quote 6'4". The Gala Girls from Summercraft were/are quoted as 6'9". Internal layouts may differ slightly between Broom's Bolero, Silverline's Silver Coral and Brinks Encore. Do not necessarily trust the layouts on the boatyard's web site or Hoseasons. I think it is excellent that new 2 berths are now being built after all the 38/42 footers recently.

Hi Meg It was good to meet you at Womack and Sutton Staithe and hope you were not too disappointed with the weather, I think Thursday was probably the worst for us with the screen misting up most of the time until it stopped raining and I could get the canopy open. Glad to hear that Encore 2 was in better condition than 1 and that you spoke to Barnes about the bed space and window, I e-mailed Barnes about some concerns, including those, after our June week but never got any response. As far as the window is concerned I complained many times to Summercraft about that on their Gala Girls but nothing was ever done, it was a hang over from when the BSS came, in prior to that there was a curtain there, in fact I used to tape the table cloth over that window but didn't want to use Duct Tape on Encore in case it damaged the head lining. You never know we might meet up again someday.

The video is now complete and uploaded to Youtube here: This time it consists of a lot more stills and less video of the rivers. Enjoy (I hope)

If we go upstream of Wroxham we always moor at Belaugh, much quieter with no road noise but haven't been up there for some years due to water levels. Dilham is lovely if you can get through Wayford Bridge, very narrow, plenty of Kingfishers but we've never moored there overnight due to concerns about getting back through the bridge if water levels rise overnight. Hope you have good weather. Ludham Bridge was reading about 8'3" every time we went through it, I remember years ago it was never less than 8'6". We have our 'Boating Bag' that contains Duct Tape, a Squeegee, cloths, string, gas lighter and various other bits and bobs. Wouldn't it just, I would love to see a Log Book dedicated to each boat, I always give the yard a snag list when we return the boat. I was very surprised to see how the boat had been damaged since June, more so than any other boat we have hired twice in a year.

Well that was “That Was The Week That Was”, it must be the worst for weather that we have had in 28 years or so. Generally enjoyable but could have done without the fog, rain and wind. Barnes are now supplying non-automatic buoyancy aids (the type with a pull cord), not sure if this is a good idea since you can’t pull the cord if you are unconscious. This was the second time on Encore 1 so I will not say much about the boat apart from the fact that more drawer runners had failed, the hinged glass hob cover was missing and she had obviously been crunched just by the helm position (and a different fender eye plate fitted), such a shame for a new boat. The pull ring on the Escape Ladder was also broken so that was now useless. Through the week we did notice that there were an enormous number of Cormorants about but fewer Grebes, I suspect this may go hand in hand since the Cormorants are basically greedy, haven’t seen so many for quite a few years. After our experience on Thursday I have decided that I really, really hate tinted windscreens, it was cold and raining with the windscreen misting up making life very difficult with having to get my wife to clean the inside of the screen every 5 to 10 minutes or so. The video this time will be very short, didn’t do much video but more stills, since I am sure most people who have seen our videos get bored with the same stretches of river every time. Met up with Meg (NBN member) twice and quite a few very friendly private boaters as well as hirers. As far as mobile signals are concerned every mooring we made had a 4G signal (Vodafone). Virtually every day we saw the Rangers out except for the very windy day (Wednesday) when they were nowhere to be seen, their boathouse at Irstead was all shut up as well that day. We didn’t use the TV at all nor the boats wi-fi since we were getting a good 4G phone signal which we just used for weather forecasts and news. Friday 8th September We had put down on the Arrivals Sheet for 13:00 and called into the yard at about 11:00 to let them know we were in the area, then it was off to Belaugh for sandwiches and coffee. We went back to the yard just before 13:00 to be told that the boat wasn’t ready so we sat in the car watching the black clouds gather just hoping that we would be able to load-up before it rained, wrong. After about ¾ hour there was still no sign of anybody going near the boat so I checked with the office again only to be told that she hadn’t been cleaned on the outside yet so I said we would accept her as she was since it was now pouring with rain and I could mop the decks later. With that we loaded up and finally got away from the yard at about 14:15. As usual we headed for Cockshoot and found plenty of space. We went for a walk around Cockshoot but nothing of much interest. Tea consisted of a home made Chilli Con Carne that we had brought with us. A beautiful full rainbow (with a secondary one even bigger) appeared later on in the early evening unfortunately it was too large and close to get a complete photograph even with a 12mm (24mm equivalent) lens. After having a shower the Towel Ring on the door fell off so it was out with the trusty Swiss Army Knife and managed to tighten the screw sufficiently for it to hold but it did need re-tightening a few times in the week since I didn’t really have the correct screwdriver. As usual it was early to bed in anticipation of an early rising for a sunrise. Saturday 9th September Well I did get a sunrise but not the best I have seen. After breakfast we made a decision to go to Barton Turf via a cruise around Malthouse Broad to see how full the staithe was. There were an enormous number of Swallows flying around Malthouse Broad, presumably topping up ready for the long trip south. There were four or five spaces on the staithe but we didn’t bother to moor since we still had plenty of water, in fact we only filled up with water twice during the week. Onward up the Ant we had to wait at Ludham Bridge for a couple of boats to come through and then it was past How Hill, which was pretty full, and on to Barton Broad. We made a detour to check out Gaye's Staithe where there were only three boats moored and then on to Barton Turf. On arrival at Barton Turf the section I wanted to moor on had a private boat pulled right to the end, I was in two minds what to do but decided that we would moor behind the other boat and then check if they were going to move. The other boat seemed deserted but a guy did come down to it and he told me that they were going nowhere so it was ok to stay where we were. The weather was not bad at all so the afternoon was spent watching the sailors and a model yacht. We did take a wander over to Paddy’s Lane since I was after photographing butterflies and dragonflies and managed a few shots on the upturned dinghies but there was very little around. Shortly after we got back to the boat the heavens opened again. Come evening the sky was lovely but no proper sunset available here. Sunday 10th September Woke at 06:00 to find a foggy morning. After breakfast we decided that Womack would be our destination today but was a little bit dubious about Barton Broad in the fog, we eventually decided to go for it and come back if we could not see two posts ahead over the broad. As it turned out visibility was just ok and by the time we got to How Hill the fog had pretty much lifted. Once again I had to wait for three boats this time to come through Ludham Bridge. Once on the Thurne we met quite a few Hunter’s yachts tacking towards us, all except one were very good but the exception surprised me, I was holding back ready to go behind him on his return tack but he decided to go between me and the reeds much to my alarm since I was pretty close to the reeds anyway. We did meet Albion as well but that was no problem. On arrival at Womack it was quite full so I chose a spot between two other boats but just as our stern was by their bows the boat on our port side decided to leave which had the effect of making Encore swing off track with his prop wash, not too badly recovered and with the help of other folk (water rather high making life difficult for my wife to moor) got safely moored. Not my best stern on mooring. Some time afterwards Encore 2 with Meg (NBN) & Jill came in and moored close to us. Ended up having a rather long chat to them only to find that Meg used to live on the same estate as us and now lives only 30 miles away, got chatting to another couple as well who, again only live 20 miles away, talk about a small world. An uneventful afternoon generally talking to other boaters, we did also fill up with water even though we still had half a tank left. Monday 11th September Neatishead was to be our destination today and the trip was totally uneventful. On arrival at Neatishead we found only two other boats there so I reversed in to moor on our port side one boat length from the dyke end. We walked up to the shop to buy some of their delicious nougat and then it was an afternoon talking to the owners of Mallard, which had moored in front of us, and the owners of an ex Russell’s boat who moored behind us. Some very heavy showers in the afternoon. Late in the afternoon/evening a yacht came up and moored right at the far end of the staithe in the middle (the staithe was now nominally full) followed by another shortly afterwards which moored behind the first thus blocking four cruisers from getting out. Tuesday 12th September Again an early rising. By 07:30 one boat had left and the second yacht pulled down to moor in his space, very considerate. We left at fractionally after 08:00. A nice day today, the only really good one, it was decided that How Hill would be our destination for the afternoon and night. We took a detour to Sutton Staithe for a pump out (£12) even though the gauge was still showing empty since in June we found that as soon as the gauge went off “Empty” it then very rapidly went to “Full”, we also filled up with water. After Sutton Staithe as we were passing the Irstead Ranger’s boathouse we saw a Kingfisher sitting on a post, unfortunately we had another boat close behind so stopping and turning was not really possible, just my luck. We had about 4 or 5 Hunter’s yachts to pass on the way down the Ant, all but one gave indications to me but I did have to shout and ask one who was all over the river. One arrival at How Hill we moored at the first posts just after the inlet, Hathor was no longer moored there anyway although some red and white cones remained where she normally moors. We took a fairly lengthy walk (in time not distance) around the house lawns and found plenty of dragonflies to photograph this time. We also got some decent shots of the Hunter’s yachts that we had passed down the Ant. We did see Waveney Stardust pass down and up stream which surprised me somewhat, so where is she based on the Ant? In the evening we walked down towards Turf Fen Mill in the hope of a good sunset which was not to be but we did see the amazing site of a Starling murmuration, photographs not good due to slow shutter speed dictated by lack of light but did get some video. Having seen the weather forecast I set an extra rope and ensured that the boathook and mop were tied down. Wednesday 13th September What a wet and windy night, was up at about 06:00 again to the sound of the wind but the rain had pretty much eased. We decided to wait for some time before setting off in the hope that the wind would die down a bit (it was keeping us on the quay side quite well) but by 09:00 decided that if we were going anywhere today we needed to do it and there was a bit of a lull. It was a case of kick the stern out, use the bow thruster and reverse to the inlet section to turn round since we were going to Sutton Staithe. I decided to turn the boat one way but the wind had the opposite idea so I let the wind have its way and all was well with no melodrama, thank goodness for a powerful engine and bow thruster. Because of the wind I decided to go the long way round the island on Barton Broad and on up to Wayford Bridge and then back to Sutton Staithe, only passed about one boat on the way up the Ant. We saw the Kingfisher again at Irstead but it was far too windy to think about photographs, also noticed that the Rangers boathouse was all closed up. On arrival at Sutton Staithe it was full but after turning and going back a boat started to pull out so it was back onto the broad to turn again. Once the other boat was out of the dyke we went back in and moored in their spot with the assistance of the owners of Mallard and Meg from Encore 2 who was moored just along from where we were now, it was still very windy even on the staithe with it blowing down the dyke from the broad. Few boats moved all afternoon with a fair number having stayed put since the previous day. In the evening we took a walk to the end of the dyke, again in the hope of a sunset, and got talking to the couple on Royal Velvet 2 and watched a Kingfisher flying across the broad and down the dyke a few times. Thursday 14th September A wet and dismal morning so it was decided that we would return the boat this afternoon and then go home since we are only 1½ hours away. After clearing all the windows (again) we set off waving goodbye to Meg and Jill. It was not a particularly pleasant cruise down the Ant because I had to keep the canopy closed due to the rain and the screen was continually misting up but that kept my wife busy wiping the screen for me at very regular intervals. I hate tinted windows since they make visibility even more difficult it these conditions. We stopped off on Salhouse Broad (mud weighted) to pack and clean the boat up (not that it was particularly dirty anyway), fortunately the rain had stopped by then but more was threatening. Once back at the yard they topped the diesel up and I got a refund of £69 so £31 pounds used, amazing how economical these boats are when you keep the revs down (never really had it above 1600 except negotiating yachts). Met Phil (Barnes engineer and NBN member) in the office and had a bit of a chat about the boat, likes and dislikes, and ascertained that they are having two more Encores but dates are uncertain, the third Serenade will be available from next April. All in all an interesting week and it was good to meet many friendly people. I will be putting a video/slide show together over the next few weeks and will then update this thread. If anybody knows the owner of “Mallard” “471S” and they would like to get in touch I have a decent side on view of them leaving Sutton Staithe and would be more than happy to send them either a digital or hard copy. The same applies to any of the people who may recognise themselves in the video on the Hunters yachts that were going down stream at How Hill. Next year it will be a bit of a change of routine since we have Swan Roamer booked in April and June, keeping our fingers (and toes) crossed for better weather.

Hi Meg We had Encore 1 in June and I did a mini review of it which you will find in 'Hire Boat Discussion' (I think). As David says Wednesday is a good day if you are going to moor at Richardsons or need a pump out there since it is not a 'turn round' day. if you need a pump out on a Wednesday you need to go to the quay furthest from the river end, that is where the office is anyway, if I remember correctly we paid £12 in June, make sure you tell them it is a hire boat. There is a public staithe at Stalham at the end of the dyke that goes off immediately before Richardsons but it is quite tight at the staithe to turn, however, with Encore and her very powerful Bow Thruster you should have no problem. As far as Potter Heigham is concerned then it is in the lap of the gods (tides) the best option is to ring the pilot the day before. Encore 1 is marked at 6'10" in the manual and is only 11' wide so it has a reasonable chance but never guaranteed.

Hi John Thanks for the suggestion, the camera is a Panasonic, it does have a mic. socket and I've often thought about an external mic. but my wife does the vast majority of the videoing and she is extremely reluctant to add to the weight and bulk of the camera, the price is a bit off-putting as well for the little bit of video that we do. Even Robin suffers with wind noise so I think we will live with it and reduce it a bit in editing.

Smashing video.

Sorry, I searched on boat name, should have used reg. no.

Strange, Craig's list of NB boats doesn't have any information on either Moon Tide or Moon Light after Moonfleet Marine and I'm sure Moonfleet got rid of them a good few years ago. Photos as promised, file names indicate the year:

Well before H&S took over. We hired Moon Light, Moon Tide's sister, for 3 years running from Belaugh Boats. I really liked the boat, hand winch operated canopy and indeed, built by Geo. Smith & Son, I still remember seeing the Geo. Smith plaque. The only problem, the last time we hired her, was a rather wet wardrobe due to the Gas Locker leaking into it after heavy rain. I will dig some photos out later and post them up.

You will love the boat, I suspect that Encore 2 will be identical since they were built by Silverline one after the other. I don't know if you have read my review on this forum but do be aware of knocking the throttle accidentally (it is very sensitive) and that the water and diesel filler caps are not well differentiated. The big bed in the saloon is great and very easy to make up. We are back on No. 1 in September as well for another week. We do love the Ant and like Womack, we had intended to spend Tuesday night at Dilham this time but with the forecast rain decided that there was a risk of the rivers rising and, hence having a problem with Wayford bridge on the way back. The other thing if it's wet the stones on the staithe at Womack are preferable to the crushed concrete at Dilham, far more boat friendly (keeping it clean). We do like the Bure above Wroxham but if we go that way far prefer Belaugh to Coltishall, main reason for not going that way very often is the bridge and timing the tide right but we do hope to do it in September.

Well, having slaved over a hot computer for the last couple of days the video is complete.

We have never stopped there and I suspect I would be eaten alive even more if we did, don't know what it is but the midges used to prefer my wife but now its me instead. I was always under the impression that mooring at these pumping stations was a no no, I am sure I've seen 'NO MOORING' signs at some of them. Not sure if I would like it if the pump starts up in the middle of the night anyway. I would guess that the boats moored up were struggling to find a mooring on Saturday night. Last time we lost a mop head was with Brister Craft, that time it sank and I actually bought another one from Russell Marine. We actually nearly lost Encore's mop over Barton Broad on Monday and two years ago we lost the boat hook off Royall Satin, that's the problem with these light weight aluminium things. I usually tie them up now if I expect it to be windy but sometimes forget.

Since I have already written a Boat Review there will be very little regarding the boat itself, a video will also be uploaded within the next few weeks once it is edited. Generally a good week apart from the wind and rain. We did note, apart from a few exceptions, that most boats were keeping within the speed limits. We saw a lot more canoes and kayaks than in previous years but not much too wildlife, I think that a lot have migrated to the flood relief channels. Friday 2nd June We had put down on the Arrivals Sheet for 13:00 but since we got to Wroxham at about 10:45 decided to check in at Barnes where a very helpful receptionist took our mobile number and said she would call us when the boat was ready. We also managed to say hello to Paul (ex Royalls) who seemed quite happy after the upheaval last year. We had some shopping to do at Tesco in Stalham so we went off there (surprised at how crowded it was), after that we went down to Belaugh Staithe to have our sandwiches and a flask of coffee. At about 12:30 we went back to Barnes and located the boat, a cleaner was just finishing off the outside of the windows so once she had done we went back to the office where we were told we could ‘load up’. Once loaded the office issued our lifejackets, gave us the ‘Goody Bag’ and, to our surprise, a vast cardboard box containing a hamper of food, this turned out to be because we had previously been with Royall’s but we were not expecting it. Because of the 3 Rivers Race on Saturday I was keen to get downstream of Horning today. We were away from the yard at just before 14:00 headed to Cockshoot Dyke for our first night, fortunately the rain that was forecast for just after mid-day held off until the evening. The river didn’t seem as busy as I was expecting, quite a few cruisers heading back to Wroxham to finish on Saturday morning I guess and some day boats. When we reached Horning we did consider going on to Ranworth but decided against it. Having made a good mooring at Cockshoot at the river end of the downstream side my wife took a short stroll up to the Broad but didn’t see much (as usual). Some Egyptian Geese, Ducks and Swans were about all with youngsters. Once the unpacking was complete (most had been done on the way) we settled down to our usual Chilli Con Carne that we had brought frozen from home followed by strawberries and cream. During the evening (and night) it rained quite heavily, we had left the bedroom windows open slightly and this was when we discovered the disadvantages of these bonded windows with sliding openings still it wasn’t too bad, just a small bit of mopping up. I decided to sleep in the Saloon due to the way round the bed is (can’t easily swing my legs out of the aft bed due to the bedside cabinets being at the bottom of the bed), this had been anticipated so I had requested two sets of bedding. Saturday 3rd June Up early this morning (about 05:30) after a slightly disturbed night due to the rain but we are usually up early anyway. The day started off fairly overcast but by the afternoon had brightened up nicely. Once breakfast was over we decided to head up the Ant which was relatively uneventful, a couple of ducks decided to hitch a ride on the Bure until I chased them off with the mop and on the Ant we met a bathtub with three kids playing on the roof (one didn’t even have a life jacket on). Noted some new very large signs on the approach to Irstead asking boats to slow down and create no wash, during the week we did note that the vast majority of boats were actually going quite slowly through Instead. Although our water tank was showing over ¾ full we decided to call in at Gates Staithe to top up. There were only a few boats on the staithe so a good stern on mooring was made (very powerful Bow Thruster). As we arrived so did the the guy cutting the grass. After filling up with water it was a case of taking a lot of grass cuttings onto the boat (which we cleaned up later) and then off back onto Barton Broad. Once on the Broad a decision was made to head for Sutton Staithe. After mooring towards the Broad end of the staithe we spent a relaxing afternoon, helped a few others to moor, saw a Kingfisher flying down the dyke and the usual Swans with cygnets. I did clean the grass off the decks but when I was rinsing the mop the head fell off, fortunately it was at the stern and didn’t sink so I was able to retrieve and reattach it. Few insects to photograph so not many photographs taken although the midges did come out later judging from my arms the following morning (really must make more use of the Jungle Juice). Later on in the early evening when the staithe was full a boat decided to moor bow on at the end and then a short while later another one double moored against the first, I guess they had just left Richardsons (although it was about 18:00) and it was their first night. Sunday 4rd June Another early waking but it was nice morning, however the wind was starting to pick up ready for Tuesday. We had already decided to head to Womack today so I reversed out of the staithe but had to go further into the broad than usual to turn because of the boats double moored on the end. A fairly uneventful trip down the Ant but there were three boats moored at the pumping station (with the derelict wind pump) above Ludham Bridge. Once on the Thurne past Thurne Dyke I noted that there were a few boats behind me with one coming at speed and creating a lot of wash, just as I was turning into Womack Dyke he was right behind me (and I mean just a couple of feet), big advantage of this class of boat is that I can stand up and see right over the top. Once in the dyke I dropped my speed down to about 3mph and then he came past at what must have been 6 or 7mph. Then, lo and behold, just before Hunters yard another one decided to pass at much the same speed, they both continued up the dyke without slowing down. When we got towards the staithe I could see that there was plenty of room and noted that the two boats that had passed me were mooring next to each other at the far end. There was space next to the parish moorings so decided that that was a good spot and safely moored up. I dropped the mud weight (winch) but before it reached the bottom the winch stopped due to a twisted and balled chain. Call to Barnes and an engineer was with us well within half an hour, it was a bit of a struggle for him to sort out the chain because there was no direct access to the Chain Locker so he had to go in from the two access hatches on either side of the forward well. While he was with us I also got him to tighten up the Shower Pump switch which was loose and asked him to have a look at the Cutlery Drawer that had nearly fallen out on us, this he failed on because one of the runner clips had broken. While the engineer was working on the chain my wife went up to Throwers for some bread rolls because being Sunday they shut in the afternoon. Once the engineer had finished we settled down and watched a Swan chasing a Duck for a fair bit. Quite a few boats came and went and then later on in the early evening a boat decided to moor bow on to the staithe, surprisingly there were still one or two spaces available by the end of the evening. Monday 5th June Today it was back up the Ant to Neatishead for a visit to the White Horse for dinner. After another early morning, filled up with water (still had over half a tank left), had breakfast and then left the staithe with the mud weight about a foot under water to wash it, I did remember to raise it once it was clean. Nothing eventful until we were on the Ant when Royall Satin decided to pass us at speed (we were doing about 3.5mph), we saw Satin above How Hill later at Johnny Crowes staithe, obviously he wanted to get there before anybody else. We decided to stop at How Hill so I went past in order to be able to moor into the wind, turned and moored near the wherry. Had a short wander about, we would have like to do the Nature Walk but decided that the weather could not be guaranteed and we wanted to get to Neatishead in order to guarantee a mooring. On leaving How Hill I would normally go down stream and then turn past the moorings but since we had a good Bow Thruster I decided to turn Encore as soon as we were clear of the quay heading. On the way up Lime Kiln Dyke we met the usual Nancy Oldfield boats. Once at the staithe, because of the wind, I decided to go in bow first, this was a good decision and we moored with no problem one boat in from the dyke end behind a private boat. A phone call was made to the White Horse to book a table and then it was a walk to the White House Stores where my wife bought fudge and some Italian nougat which turned out to be absolutely delicious (I am told). The staithe pretty much filled up with people roping boats in backwards and then late afternoon three boats came up the dyke together, on what I guess was a ‘lads’ week, but they were very good and did manage to find space. In fact nobody made a hash all afternoon with everybody being very careful and helpful which is rather unusual here although people do not realise that there is turning space beyond the staithe now that the sign has gone. In the evening we had our dinner in the White Horse, I had never seen it so busy (we were seated upstairs), and then walked back without getting too wet. Tuesday 6th June Again we were up early but did wait until after 08:00 before we started the engine to leave. No problem reversing out despite having a boat close behind and yacht close in front, didn’t touch any boats at all. Because of the weather forecast we had decided on Womack for the afternoon and night. Nothing of note on the trip down the Ant and Bure followed by up the Thurne apart from the fact that Royall Satin was still at Johnny Crowes staithe. I did spot an otter on the south side of the Bure just at the Ant mouth. On arrival at Womack it was pretty much full, in contrast to Sunday, but we found a space towards the far end of the staithe, reversing in between two boats, I was a bit concerned about a dingy attached to one of them since the wind was starting to pick up but no problems, the boat slipped in between them nicely. By early afternoon the wind and the rain arrived in force with the rain being almost horizontal across the water so we sat and read for the rest of the day, even the ducks stayed put on the green. This is when I did the video around the boat that was put on You Tube earlier. Later in the afternoon/evening we turned the heating on for a while. Wednesday 7th June A slightly disturbed night with the boat occasionally knocking on the adjacent ones but again we were up early and although the rain had stopped it was still very windy. Didn’t bother to fill the water tank this morning. We thought that Irstead (if we could get in) would be good for what was effectively our last night but we needed a pump out first so decided to go down to South Walsham to Russell's first. On arrival at Russell’s we found a Faircraft boat stern on at the quay filling up with water, it transpired that this was unintentional but they had been blown that way. I needed to moor starboard side on for the pump out and this proved very challenging due to the wind (and the fact I couldn't see the starboard stern quarter) but after a couple of aborted attempts on the third we made it good. The yard owner?, came out and prepared for the pump out but then found that the pump would not start, after he made some enquiries it transpired that the wind had damaged one of the electrical cables and one phase was down hence, since the pump was three phase, the pump out was a no go so I fed the water supply with a pound and filled up with water. We then decided that our next best option was Richardson’s since we wanted to be up the Ant anyway so off we went. As we passed Irstead there was, annoyingly, space, still it was on to Stalham where we moored between two of Richardson’s boats, despite the wind it was a good one. Paid £12 in the office and pump out was completed. We were a bit unsure where to go now but decided that we would give Irstead a try. When we arrived at Irstead a private boat was still on the outer part (BA) of the staithe but there was only a yacht on the parish section and he was well on the upstream end so it was a turn and moor job. Later on the yacht left so we moved Encore up to the end and overlapped the quay heading as much as possible to allow plenty of space behind us. A short while later a large cruiser came in but they only stayed a short while to look at the church then we were joined by another yacht (one of Colin Buttifant’s new ones with a hydraulically elevating roof) for the rest of the day and night. My wife did actually see an otter come out of the dyke opposite the staithe but it was only the one sighting. Thursday 8th June It was up early again (I am, actually, up early most days anyway but especially on The Broads) and we left Irstead just after 08:00. A slow cruise down the Ant, after going up to Barton Broad to turn, (Royall Satin was again at Johnny Crowes staithe, must be his favourite spot) and then up the Bure to call in a Ranworth. After Ranworth we cruised slowly through Horning and into Salhouse Broad where we dropped the mud weight as near the shelter of the trees as prudent since it was still pretty windy. We spent some time watching a Grebe trying to feed one of the chicks with a fish that was far too big for the adult let alone the chicks (three of them). We had decided by then that we would go home today since the weather wasn’t overly brilliant so it was ‘up the mud weight’, and a slow cruise back to Hoveton (Wroxham). Approaching Barnes’s yard it was pretty full but plenty of space in the basin behind the river front mooring so that was where we moored the boat. Just as we had finished mooring our car was driven up to just behind the boat. One of the boat yard staff re-filled the diesel tank and it transpired that we had only used £30 worth of fuel which is slightly less than our norm so we were more than happy with the £70 refund. All in all a good week despite the wind and Tuesday’s rain and impressed with Encore and Barnes Brinkcraft. The video is not quite finished yet, I still have the sound to sort out (hopefully to reduce the wind noise) but will upload it in the next week or so.