TostockTimonier

Welcome [emoji3] Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

I do hope that they have drawn it in the wrong place, if not you are right, poor design. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Different on Silent Emblem, the doors in the corridor between front and back, maybe it will be different when it's built. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Hows that, the bathroom is between the two Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

We hired Silent Emblem from Ferry Marine for ten nights this summer and whilst it doesn't look "Miami Vice" it ticked almost all the other boxes. We have been hiring boats on the Norfolk Broads since the mid 80's and have tried many different styles of boat and a great many new builds. It' is true what they say, don't judge a book by it's cover.

Beccles at 5:30am

Thank you, we are checking out all the boats that fit the criteria and hope to find one soon.

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it, we always enjoy reading other peoples holiday tales, they gave us a broads fix when we were unable to hire over the last four years due to family commitments. This year we managed to get back to the broads, so we thought we would share ours, we have never used the same yard twice in a row yet, so it depends on what boat layout we require, but we would definitely use Ferry Marine again.

Monday 6th Woke to another lovely day, I mopped the decks, then made the tea and Jenny cleaned below decks. I untied and slowly cruised the short journey back, whilst Jenny packed up the last few items. We arrived at Ferry Marina (01692 631111) and stern moored, I fetched the car, whilst Jenny made sure everything was clean and tidy, it was really strange reversing the car after ten days on the boat. We handed the life-jackets back, thanked them after having informed their engineer of Silents recent issues. We left Horning and stopped and parked at Faircraft Loynes car park and had breakfast at the cafe just across the river, a nice way to finish our holiday. The walk through From stern to bow and back across the sundeck, a nice large non slip bathing platform and rear deck with non slip steps both sides leading to the freeboard decks, french style opening doors to the aft cabin. Down a step into a roomy bedroom with a very large bed with bedside cabinets and flexible reading lights on both sides, plenty of room to walk around both sides, a very large wardrobe, a vanity unit and chair, tv/dvd with freesat via the tracivision, radio/ipod centre and two small opening windows, all tinted for privacy, with pull down easy to use blackout blinds with built in LED's above and ceiling down-lighters on separate switches, the generator and parts to convert the lounge settee into a bed were under the bed, easy to lift as it was on gas rams so held itself up, also there was storage space under as well as above the bed. Next was the heads, a large shower tray with a glass sliding door over a fixed glass panel, could be slippery when wet, with a thermostatic mixer with both a deluge head and a hand shower head on the riser rail. There was a button flush household porcelain toilet and a porcelain vanity basin with a waterfall tap and a towel radiator which if turned on heated with the hot water. Then the lounge with a very comfortable corner sofa with a mirror and two flexi reading lights and a table that was height adjustable and swivelled for ease of access, a good size tv/dvd on an adjustable arm with freesat via the tracivision, radio/ipod centre and the fridge/freezer, the fridge was reasonable but the freezer was very small. Then there was the lower helm with a very comfortable seat, digital gauges including rudder position, battery status, two wipers and a rear view camera. The galley was next with plenty of work surface and storage space, an electric two ring induction hob, large electric oven and grill. A microwave, toaster, steamer, electric kettle and a sink with drainer, finally there were steps up to a sliding door. There is one opening window by the helm, one sliding window to the upper decks which doubled as a serving hatch and the sliding door, all with tinted privacy glass except for the four windscreens. The galley had press stud covers, the rest had roller blackout blinds with built in LED strips above, two LED ceiling strips on a dimmer switch as well as ceiling down-lighters on a separate switch. Outside, Silent had a relatively high freehold but the steps down to the stern deck made it easy to get on and off, good rails all round for safety, no electric windlass just a mud weight, I think that they missed a trick there, it was was very awkward to get the mud weight over the rubbing strip, all the ropes were nice and long and of good quality. There was side access to the upper helm which had two padded seats, there were digital gauges, rudder position, horn and bow thrusters, then there were padded bench seats along both sides with a very wide padded sun-lounger with angled back and a table, then non slip steps with lighting down to the bathing platform which also had lighting. There is another radiator which works off of the hot water system and Silent also has hot air heating throughout, untested by us, except the towel radiator which we used to dry the towels on occasion, a very large water tank and as Silent puts no waste water into the river she has an even larger grey tank, there are ample 240v and USB sockets throughout. On conclusion, Silent Emblem was a fantastic boat, very luxurious, very eco friendly, lots of mod cons and very quiet which was a whole new experience for us. Apart from the mechanical glitches, which all boats have from time to time, we loved it, great boat, great yard, great staff, thank you Ferry Marina. We hope you have enjoyed our holiday blog, now to choose a boat for next year…

Thought had crossed my mind

Take your time and have a great holiday.

Day 10 Sunday 5th Woke up to yet another lovely day, showered and made the tea, disconnected the shore power (the battery charge gauge still only said 78% and I had put three £1 cards in on top of the 56p already in there, then I readied the upper helm. I didn’t leave the staithe until 8am as slack water at Yarmouth wasn’t until 11am and I didn’t want to be early. We had a lovely cruise down the Chet then past the chain ferry, which was busy as usual, then under the swing bridge and round towards Yarmouth. Breydon Waters was quite calm and with the tide out you could see the mud flats and how easily you could get stuck were you to wander beyond the marker posts. We turned round the yellow marker, under the bridges and then up the Bure, perfect timing. As we left Gt Yarmouth and reached the 6mph marker, Silent lost her speed and a warning triangle lit up on the dash with an error code, Jenny manually switched the generator on, this did the job and we were out of limp mode, then reported it to the hire yard. We moored up at The Stracey Windpump and asked about Wednesday’s fracas, they said that the Broads Authority had met the culprits at the boatyard and that they were in trouble over it. We were glad to hear that some retribution was had, we didn’t stop for food as only breakfast was available, so we cast off and thought we might stop for lunch at Stokesby. Alas, when we reached Stokesby it was full and as we don’t do double mooring, even though it is permitted there, we continued on to Acle. The first mooring as you arrive was free, so we tied up there using the rings, so now we would eat at The Bridge Inn (01493 750288) They were really busy but they managed to find us a table inside and we ordered. Our waitress was very pleasant and helpful, she brought us a menu each and told us there was a short wait, due to volume, menu read and food ordered, we only had to wait about twenty minutes or so. Jenny chose golden fried haddock and mozzarella fish cake served with citrus mayonnaise to start, followed by smoked haddock , cod and salmon topped with cheesy mash served with peas and baby carrots and I picked the breaded mushrooms with garlic mayonnaise to start, followed by the slow cooked minted lamb shank on buttered mash with seasonal vegetables, the meal was nice, the service good. When we left some numpty had moored in front of us, in the reeds with their stern on our bow, Jenny took a picture and the guy on the boat apologised, he explained he was just a passenger, I asked him to push their boat away from ours enough for me to get the bow out and leave. We headed to the St Benedicts moorings we pulled in and decided it wasn’t long enough for us to step off and didn’t want to moor stern to stern, so I thrusted the front out and the thrusters died, I only had 60% revs and it made exiting rather difficult with the wind pushing us on to the bank, I finally managed to leave and a couple minutes further down the river everything was back to normal again, really strange. We cruised past Ferry Marina as all was well now, it was still worrying me though, so as we passed Griff on Broad Ambition closely followed by Robin and the lads, I didn’t recognise him at first, but I waved when the penny had dropped. There was a space on Horning staithe spare so I turned in and Jenny said she didn’t want to moor there for the last night, so I backed out and the gremlins struck again, we limped round the corner and half way down the straight it all came back again, it seemed to happen once the bow thrusters were used. With that in mind we headed up to the Salhouse Island moorings and moored without thrusters on the outside opposite the nature trail, right at the end. Jenny was happy with these moorings, so we settled in for the night. Jenny had almost packed everything ready for our departure tomorrow. We watched a dvd, had a drink and pondered over what the issue with Silent might be.

Day 9 Saturday 4th I woke to another fine day, had a shower and mopped the decks, I altered the fenders back to where they were originally and made the tea before setting off before the wasps started again. I cast off and headed towards Loddon. By the time we had reached Long Dyke Jenny had showered and joined me up top so we turned in and met three boats before I’d reached the bottom, right again to Rockland staithe. We hadn’t moored here for a long time, as luck would have it there were spaces so I stern moored and tied up the ropes. I made some bacon, eggs and toast, with some tea to wash it down with. Breakfast over and washed up, I untied the ropes and we were off again. We had a nice slow cruise down the river and turned up the Chet to Loddon, we passed a few boats and there’s not much room on some parts, but it was very handy being high up so as to know they’re coming. When we got to Loddon staithe there was plenty of room, I stern moored third slot in and deployed the mud weight, tied of the back ropes and connected the shore power. We went to Bridge Store to get milk, bread, snacks and some antihistamine cream for Jenny’s sting as her arm had swollen. I forgot the electric cards so had to go back for them. About an hour later Jenny’s sister Marina surprised her by arriving at the staithe with the dogs, I might have sneakily let Marina know where we were going to be. They took the dogs for a walk and came back with cakes from Rosy’s, they sat on the staithe and aft deck as the dogs are not permitted on Silent and they had a lovely afternoon together, whilst I watched dvd’s as there was no satellite signal on the staithe. For tea we ordered an Indian takeaway from The Raj, delivered to the boat and it was delicious. ( 01508 522041) Marina and the dogs left and we watched another dvd and then turned in for the night.

Apparently the wasps nest is under the those black sand bags, very nice, 18 plate sports car in the background.

Day 8 Friday 3rd Up early this morning, showered and made the tea, although I doubt Jenny will drink hers. I switched everything on to upper helm and disconnected the shore power lead and stored it away. The mud weight took a bit of pulling to free it from the mud and a lot of dips to clear as much off as possible, I undid the stern ropes and left the Yacht Station just before 6am, the mist was rolling off the meadows and across the water, it was so beautiful. I came out and turned under the road bridge in virtual silence, just the sound of the rippling water, that’s the bonus of an electric boat. The mist continued to drift across the winding river almost to Burgh St Peter until the morning sun dispelled the mist as we continued on to Somerleyton Bridge. Jenny showered and joined me up top with a cuppa. there was plenty of height under the bridge and the last of the ebbing tide gently pulled us along until we were a good way down the New Cut, when we joined the Yare we had to push the last of the ebbing tide. We carried on under Reedham Bridge and up past the chain ferry, once we passed the Chet the pull of the tide had all but ended. We continued up to Bramerton Common and moored at the very end mooring. I mopped down the decks and washed off all the mud from the mud weight, Jenny tidied below decks and we were ready to receive our lunchtime visitors. Pat and Mac finished their drinks at the pub and walked down to meet us. We took them for a cruise to Rockland Broad, down Short Dyke and back up Long Dyke, Mac helmed on some of the River Yare as he wanted to see if he could helm a boat as they may hire in the future. We continued back towards Norwich and only turned back when we reached the Whitlingham moorings and then we headed back to The Waters Edge where we had reserved a mooring space and booked to eat at 6.30pm (01508 538005) We moored under the tree at our reserved spot and adjusted the fenders to avoid rubbing, Mac and I went to the bar to get the drinks, Jenny and Pat followed. When they came in Jenny had been stung by a wasp twice, the staff said there was a nest under the tree that they had covered with sandbags where we had moored, it had been there all week. They couldn’t tell us why they hadn’t got someone out to deal with it and to make things worse people were leaving their drinks to get away, so the wasps were getting drunk and very aggressive (don’t drink if you can’t handle it) They gave Jenny some vinegar sachets to draw the sting out, she wasn’t having much luck (they say things happen in threes so maybe this was the last of her holiday ouches) Pat & Mac both had whitebait for starters followed by the flat iron steak for Pat and the pork chops for Mac, Jenny chose the grilled mini goats cheese and red chard salad for starters followed by the salmon with new potatoes and I picked the garlic mushrooms for starters followed by the pan fried duck with crushed baby potatoes , green beans and a whisky sauce. Food was good but not as good as good as their usual a la carte menu, I’ll be glad when that’s back on. Pat had an early start in the morning so they had to go at about 8:30 so we said our goodbyes and they thanked us for a lovely afternoon. By now the wasps had gone to bed or fell in drunken stupor and we put some music on and had a few drinks, then turned in for the night.

Day 7 Thursday 2nd I awoke to another fine day and made the tea. The boat moored facing us was getting ready to leave, he untied the ropes, whilst she was at the upper helm, she brought the bow out using the thrusters and went for it, the tide pushed the back in and rubbed along Silent’s fenders, luckily we weren’t facing the other way because she would have hit the stern really hard. We set off at about 7:20 as slack water was 8:50 and were gently pulled along by the tide as it ebbed. We were overtaken by several boats and as we approached Gt Yarmouth just past the 5mph marker we met a massive dredger being escorted the other way, that slowed some of the speedsters down. As we turned the corner to Yarmouth Road Bridge, two of the boats that had passed us decided to turn and moor, so I had to stop and hold station, that is one of the reasons why I will always go at slack water, time and tide permitting. We passed under the two bridges and round the yellow marker and past Breydon Bridge on to Breydon Waters. Jenny joined me on top, armed with a cuppa for us both. There was a boat hacking along, seemingly oblivious to the wake he was leaving behind, it tossed Silent all over the place, mind you there was plenty of space to be tossed. We took the left fork and went to Goodchild Marine Services for another pump out as the tank was again full, it cost £16.50 but the pump out took twice as long as Acle, here there was a visual aid so you could see when it was empty, not so at Acle, that all sorted we headed for St Olaves bridge. Jenny lowered the side panels, sun lounger back and table which was necessary to get Silent down to 8’2” and under we went and moored at Somerleyton to cook breakfast. I had bacon, eggs and toast and Jenny had eggs on toast with a nice cup of tea, we had to close the windows and side door, not ideal on a hot muggy morning due a wasp problem, the bin men were doing the rubbish collection so it could have been that. Once we had eaten, the wasps prompted us to move on and we carried on under the bridge. Jenny raised the sides, back and table back into their normal positions and we followed the river past the Waveney River Center. The river was cluttered with day boats and canoes and we slowly cruised down as far as the Worlingham moorings, such a quiet spot that we stopped and had a cup of tea. Jenny banged her ankle on the framework of the french doors, so she was in the wars again, no need for paramedics though, none the less very sore. *NOTE: Jenny has insisted that I mention that she’s not totally uncoordinated, sometimes she leaps before she looks* We were there for about an hour and a half when a noisy day boat pulled in so we decided to move on to Beccles where I had reserved a mooring with electric hook up for tonight at The Yacht Station (01502 712225) I cruised in and got the attention of the Harbour Master and he showed us where we were to moor. I reversed Silent back to where our mooring was, positioned the boat and stern moored, deployed the mud weight and tied the back ropes, then re-tightened the mud weight rope so keeping the stern off the quay. All settled in for the night, I could have a shower at last, watched a little tv and drank some Budweisers whilst Jenny read in the bedroom. I had booked us in at The Wine Vault for 7.30pm (01502 713381) for our anniversary meal, a day later because of my birthday meal, we got ourselves changed and walked up town to have dinner. We were taken upstairs to our table and had a look at the menu and specials board. Jenny went with the thyme marinated beetroot with grilled goat's cheese to start followed by chargrilled mackerel with sweet & sour beetroot & Mediterranean cous cous, I started with roast duck with ginger and crushed potatoes, followed with the surf and turf steak with garlic buttered king prawns with seasonal vegetables and hand cut chips. As usual a lovely meal with great service, we always enjoy eating at The Wine Vault. By now Jenny’s ankle had started to swell up, so the walk back seemed a lot further, but at least it was down hill. We finished the evening off with a film and a couple of drinks.

Thoroughly agree Boatingman thankfully it seems a rare occurrence, glad your enjoying the blog

Yes, it's a shame that some people can be so inconsiderate and oblivious to the consequences of their actions. We did breathe a sigh of relief when they left, but I felt the need to periodically check the ropes, just in case

Day 6 Wednesday 1st Woke up about 6am to a nice hot day and had a shower I went for a walk around and got rid of the rubbish. On my return I made the tea and wished Jenny a happy anniversary and she in return wished me a happy anniversary and 60th birthday, then called me an old fart!, I told her that next year she would be 50, so percentage wise she was catching me up. We were awaiting the arrival of Jenny’s brother Robert, her sister Marina and her husband John. At about 10:30 they arrived in a picnic boat and we headed under Wroxham bridge to Coltishall Common. Such a beautiful stretch of river, the water is so clear that you see the fish, the Damselflies and Dragonflies were in abundance and fascinated Marina’s dogs, as did the fish. We moored up at the common and went to have lunch at The Rising Sun (01603 737440) John had a jacket potato with tuna & Norfolk dapple melt, Marina had Cromer crab cake with local samphire & lemon butter sauce followed by Cajun flat iron steak with caesear salad & spiced fries, Robert had warm bread with balsamic, olive oil & marinated olives followed by smoked & unsmoked mixed fish pie with peas, topped with Norfolk dapple cheddar mash, Jenny picked mozzarella, vine tomato & basil salad with balsamic vinegar, followed by the fish pie and I started with crayfish and prawn with Asian salad & sweet chilli dipping sauce followed by braised shoulder of lamb shepherd pie, cheddar mash, crispy onions, peas & carrots, all of the food was delicious, staff were very helpful friendly, we loved it. We cruised towards the lock and then turned back to Wroxham, we all ate my birthday cake for desert (made by Marina, chief family cake maker supreme) and took a detour around Bridge Broad, then under the bridge and we stern moored in front of Silent on the pontoon. They had a look around the boat, I gathered up my birthday cards, the remainder of my cake and gifts, said our farewells and they took the boat back and we set off. We got to Acle about 7:10 pm to find it full again, then passed a full Stokesby, so we followed on to The Stracey Windpump. There were a few moorings left, we had tied up by the water filling area as it was after hours and Jenny asked at the shop if we could remain there as we would be gone by 7:30 in the morning, as it was past 8pm she said no problems, so we paid and Jenny cooked up a light tea. Then a boat moored behind us, half on the bank, the rest across the Anglian Water inlet/outlet and their friend doubled moored alongside them. They were drinking, playing loud music and dancing on top of the boat when the land owners daughter came to tell them they would need to move further down whilst it was still light and there were still spaces available, as they were moored across Anglia Water property and double moored and neither were permitted, plus they would have to pay £5 mooring fee each. They refused both and got quite abusive, then they reluctantly paid and decided that they wouldn’t move. The Landowner came out and told them why they had to move and then it kicked off. The men got off the boat and tried to intimidate her, but she kept her cool and warned them that she would call the police if they didn’t comply. Then one of the women got off and tried to goad her into a fight, at this point she told them all to get back on their boats and off her land and went to call the police. She came back and informed them that she had done so, after she was given further verbal abuse the two boats moved further down to moor as previously requested, but now in total darkness by torch light, threatening that they would return in the morning. Jenny spoke to the lady who said that this was the fourth incident in as many weeks and that she had considered closing the moorings and the store. We can’t afford to lose those moorings due to rude, arrogant and ignorant people. It would be unthinkable to lose these moorings and facilities due to the behaviour and actions of morons, we need to retain as many mooring as we can and these being the last/first before/after Yarmouth. Despite all of the goings on, I had a cracking 60th birthday celebration and we had a few drinks before bed.

Day 5 Tuesday 31st Woke up to lovely sunshine this morning and decided to have a quick shower. With the tea made and of course delivered to she who must have tea in bed, I made myself some long overdue bacon sandwiches for breakfast, they were worth the wait, very nice bacon. I went outside in the sunshine to mop down the decks and ready the upper helm for departure, we planned a slow cruise to Wroxham today as we didn’t expect any visitors. We stopped at Acle for water and met a couple on a hire boat that they weren’t very happy with, they said they struggled to find moorings, to physically moor the boat and hated the boat because it was dirty, shabby decor and seriously not enough bed space for all three of them to sleep comfortably. They had decided not to move the boat anymore, instead they intended using their car for day trips out and the boat to sleep on, such a shame as it was their first trip on the broads and they had travelled all the way from up north. By now the hose was free, so I began to fill the sizeable water tank, meanwhile they had asked Jenny to have a look on board for her opinion, which was that the boat was not fit for hire, can’t mention who’s boat it was for obvious reasons, but we had never heard of the boat yard before. They then asked if they could have a look onboard Silent and Jenny gladly gave them a tour., water all filled up, we said our goodbyes and said to them that they should give the Broads another try using a recognised boatyard with a website and accountability. We continued on down the river as far as the island moorings next to Wroxham Broad, we spent an hour or so relaxing and feeding the swans, they are cheeky little so and so’s, they would tap on the aft deck until Jenny fed them. When we left the moorings, the bow thrusters wouldn’t work, all I got was a flashing warning light on the switch, so I had to work the stern out and use reverse to clear the moored boats, a couple of minutes later and they were working again, most annoying. We arrive at Wroxham and decide we would moor on the inside of the new floating pontoons, it had electric hook up nearby and it was free, thanks Barnes Brinkcraft. We spent the rest of the afternoon lazing in the gorgeous sunshine. In the evening we had intended to get a takeaway from The Yim Siam Thai Restaurant but we decided we would fix something light on the boat, We settled in for the night, put on the freesat and had a drink, we had enjoyed a lovely hot day, just the two of us.

Thank you, Silent is all one level with plenty of headroom throughout though and the upper helm and sundeck was brilliant.

Our moorings for the night, all these spaces still available at 7:15pm.

Day 4 Monday 30th Awoke to an overcast morning, it was damp outside due to an earlier shower. I made a brew and gave Jenny hers in bed as usual. Whilst we were waiting for today’s guests to arrive, I popped to the stores for bread and milk. When I left the stores it was raining quite heavily and I was drenched (much to Jenny’s amusement) Thankfully it had stopped by the time David and his son Sam arrived at The Green, Sam had driven, he knew the way as he visits Hemsby a lot. I went up to greet them and we walked back to Silent. We told them about the boat being electric and as they are mechanics they asked about the generator and management board. I slipped the ropes and we were off. We headed for Acle as we needed a pumpout, Silent holds all waste water in a grey water tank to cut down on pollution and there had been ten showers, numerous flushes plus washing up. All emptied for £12, we carried on down the river to the Ant. There was not too much traffic at Ludham Bridge, but by the time we reached How Hill it started to rain hard enough to warrant switching to the lower helm but it wasn’t long before it stopped and we could swap back to up top. As usual Irstead Staithe was full and at Barton Broad we turned left, our destination was Neatishead Staithe, we were booked in at the The White Horse (01692 630828) for lunch at 1.30pm. Thankfully there were a couple of spaces left and I tied up and switched off just as it started to drizzle again. We put our raincoats on (except for Jenny who got soaked) as it rained for the 5 minute walk to the pub. We ordered drinks at the bar and were shown to our table, we perused the menu and placed our orders, David and Sam both had fish cakes with rocket and tartar sauce followed by meat pie with chips and seasonal vegetables, Jenny decided on olives with bread, hummus and oils followed by duo of smoked haddock & mozzarella fish cakes with new potatoes and salad, I had salt and pepper dusted calamari with sweet chilli sauce followed by tavern tasty olde English sausages with creamy mash and seasonal vegetables. All four of us really enjoyed our meals service was good, food was great, all in all what a lovely pub and reasonably priced too. The sun was out again as we walked back to the staithe. A private boat was reversing into the staithe and I had to fend them off a few times, they moored in front of us and when they tied their ropes I untied ours and reversed out onto the main dyke, two more boats were coming in. It’s a popular staithe and there’s always competition for a mooring space, but it is worth the gamble. Back on board we headed back up the Ant to the Bure where Sam took over the helm. David was regaling us with tales of his holidays ‘in the old days’ on the canals, he once left his key in a lock gate after using it, he followed a boat through the next lock and only realised when they got to the next lock and couldn’t find the key! He had to wait until the next morning before a replacement key was bought out. Or the time that he blew the chimney off of the stove… he’s a bit of a muppet sometimes but we love him anyway. We reached Acle at about 5.30pm and the moorings were almost full, there were only two left. I took the helm and we carried on to Stokesby, when we got there it was full so we asked a chap on the sundeck of a Faircraft Loynes boat if it was possible to pull alongside so as our guests could get off, thankfully he said of course you can, so we turned into the wind and they duly stepped off. We turned again to make for The Stracey Windpump moorings as the couple at Acle would surely have gone by now. We passed ten or more boats in the 12 minutes it took to get there and your mind starts telling you that they are all full too. No need to worry, there were loads of empty spaces. The daughter and her lovely white Alsation came to collect the £5 mooring fee , which saved a walk up to the store. I rang David and Sam to say a proper goodbye as they had a hasty departure, they thanked us for a great day and lovely meals. We put a film on freesat and drank a few vodkas until we were ready to turn in, another lovely day was over.

Day 3 Sunday 29th I awoke at about 6:30am and went for a walk as it was nice and dry out and I didn’t want to wake everyone else up. When I returned the lazy so and so’s were still not up so I had my morning shower, by the time I had come out Chrissy had risen and made the tea. I took Jenny’s through to her (tea in bed again) Chrissy, Grant and Jenny had showers in succession and I filled up with water whilst they were using it, an endless task. I shammied up top and readied the helm and set the switches below decks. I untied the ropes, turned round and proceeded to head back up the river Bure, to our lunchtime booking. By now the sun was getting very hot again and everyone was up on the sun deck, making the most of it. We had a lovely slow cruise back to Stokesby and our guests were looking at the riverside properties, just in case their lottery numbers came up. You have a great view, over the top of the reeds of the beautiful landscape and the wildlife from the upper deck . We had booked a table for Sunday lunch as mentioned at The Ferry Inn for 2pm. (01493 751096) When we arrived, the staithe and the pub moorings were full, in fact all of the Glebe Farm moorings were full apart from one space of approximately 40ft between two boats. We were punching a strong wind and tide so I steered the bow in and the tide pushed the stern in, a little throttle held her steady whilst Jenny temporarily fastened the bow rope, I tied the stern ropes and then I tied the bow rope, this was definitely a 10/10 for this mooring. We freshened up and headed off down to The Ferry Inn for lunch. Grant ordered the beef and pork roast, Chrissy had the beef roast, I decided on the chicken and pork roast and Jenny settled for the vegetarian mushroom linguini again. Three of us had syrup sponge and custard, whilst Jenny had the sticky toffee pudding with cream. Once again good pub grub at a reasonable price, good service and we didn’t feel rushed at all. We went back to the boat and chatted until it was time to part company with Grant & Chris, it had been a wonderful weekend with two really great friends. It wasn’t long before the land owner came and collected the five pounds mooring fee. We were both quite worn out so we settled in for the night with a drink or three.

Some pictures or Silent taken on Friday afternoon at Stokesby and Jenny feeding the baby ducks.