stumpy

I (almost) gave up smoking when 20 No.6 went up from 3/9 to 20p.!

We often had Hurricane from EW as the masochist part of our 'lads' week (average age 70ish) she was definitely tiller steered.

I remember him deciding to drive our entire 'lads' week back to the moorings (probably because most were having trouble standing, let alone walking) in his elderly van. As I have a gammy leg I got the front seat. I was fumbling about feeling for the sliding door to shut when a voice came from behind the wheel "Thas no good looking for the door, boy, there hint one - hold you on tight!" A proper character. RIP.

Broads.org comes up with 'no longer registered 2018' so either scrapped or on another network. Hopefully still afloat somewhere, a mate had a Safari at South Walsham which, when sold, went to the Thames.

That was probably Wayford Bridge but last time we went past there'd been huge tidy up after the yard changed hands.

We've been at Broadsedge for 10 years now and there seems to always be someone doing some fettling somewhere. Trouble is, workmates and powertools seem to be people magnets "Allo mate, what's going on today?" So on goes the kettle and that's another half hour gone.

I believe it was Arthur Daley who said "Would a fire help?" A common occurrence in Felixstowe.

In the boardroom library at Ipswich Customs House which was Head office for Anglia collection before Customs was amalgamated into the Revenue there was a painting of a riding officer looking up at a windpump. There were three others scattered about in the distance, all with the sails in a 'plus' sign. Apparently if the sails were set at St George's cross it was a signal to all that he was about so he might as well go home!

You wouldn't think that if you just made the last train out of Liverpool St. for Ipswich, drink having been taken in Dirty Dicks, only to be woken up by a cleaner at the end of the line! I had a few of those T shirts back when I was young and foolish 😁

I ran a succession of SD1 s back when they were looked on as thirsty old bangers - most fun was a 3.5 Vitesse but 10-12 mpg meant it didn't last long, nicest and longest lived was an ex plod 2.6VdP. There used to be a tuning emporium out towards Norwich Airport that specialised in the engines and discarded the carcasses 'out the back' that was a happy hunting ground for useful bits 😂

Can't help with locations but it's a nice Mk 1 SD1 in pic 2 - bet the headlining was sagging already though.

Another useful phrasebook for duzzy incomers is 'Sloightly on the huh' by a huddy ol' boi, Charlie Haydock.

Perhaps even some form of tantalus arrangement to hold these vital supplies securely?

Ipswich used to have a proper bike shop, Nicks Motors, run by an ex proper rocker. When I passed my test and went in to chop my Tiger Cub in on a T120 Bonnie I asked him how come none of his stock had a drip tray under them -"Cos I don't put any oil in the fornicators until they go out the door, son." Seemed fair enough to me. (He used a shorter word than that)

Heading for Stalham our sat nav reckons using the NDR will usually be 2-3 minutes quicker than staying on the A47. We stay on the A47 having tried it a couple of times and got bottlenecked at Wroxham both times.

I seem to recall there's some precedent for contraptions like these - didn't a village bobby have something similar? Back when Norfolk had village bobbies,of course.

Another vote from me for Danish oil, wiped on with a bit of old T shirt, light rub down between as many coats as you like with 0000 wire wool and jobs a good 'un! Doesn't chip like varnish and a doddle to re-coat.

Looks like Ludham Bridge - spent a happy few hours there back in Jason's day with No Worries at 45' bow down in a sling when we pruned a blade off the prop.

Floydraser - it might be worth going to MCA (Marine and Coastguard Agency), they keep the register and being civil service rather than local council may be cheaper. There used to be a dedicated office in Bristol but I guess they disappeared in the big 'rationalisation' a few years back. Have a Google of 'ships register' and a 'contact us' link should come up. I've had a word with the current inhabitants of Felixstowe Custom House and the reaction was "Do what?". Good luck!

At one time Denham Owl would have been Part 1 registered, a fee would have been charged to change ownership, the main register was in Bristol but larger port Custom Houses could act as agents for the registrar and collect fees and authenticate documents. The hardest part was usually finding the solitary date stamp that may have last been used a couple of years ago! Havenbridge House was just up from Haven Bridge on North Quay and very handy for The Star (I was told). The gross tonnage quoted wouldn't have been actual weight but Thames Tonnage, a theoretical cargo capacity based on fiendishly complicated measurements and sums that all sensible Customs Officers avoided like the plague!

There goes the neighbourhood! I wonder if we can get a rates reduction? Seriously though, welcome to Stalham, MM.

Customs at Havenbridge House would have kept the 'Pier Head Book' with a record of every vessel taken into control and whether coastwise or in from foreign but its probably lost and gone forever now.

We had a few problems at Dilham this year - on three visits the mooring was rammed with abandoned canoes, all tied by the bow with varying lengths of blue string. A certain amount of nudging was needed to wind No Worries and she's only 27'.

We used to get small 'feeder' vessels into Felixstowe - 30 or 40 boxes, usually over shipped from Rotterdam that spent most of their time on the Rhine. The bridge was on a huge hydraulic ram, raised for berthing and manoeuvering then dropped for bridges or if things got a bit lumpy.

A good chum,now deceased, was mate on one of the Rix boats that went up to Colman's. He reckoned a trip up the Yare was worth half a knot once they got back to open water because of the bum polishing. His post from Haven Bridge was up on the bow with a loud hailer 'suggesting' where smaller craft might like to go.