webntweb

Seventy last week and received my first two part driving licence. Won't be getting much use out of the paper bit then . . . less than three weeks. Roy

Hi Alan, When we were down in March I got enough signal at the staithe to send a text but not enough to make a call. Roy

Hi Neil, Left a copy onboard in March, may still be there. Roy

I use a Nokia on Vodaphone pay as you go. Can't get anything on the quay at Horning. Have to go to the top of the hill to get a signal, but can get one across the river on the BA mooring. Loddon Staithe is hit and miss re a signal for me but funnily enough nothing at all at the top of the hill near the church. Not tried at Hickling but seem OK everywhere else. Roy

Thanks Carol, Roy

Another one has just come to mind. Almost 20 years ago at Waterbeach on the river Cam I spotted one of Richardsons old woodys. I think it was a Crusader but could have been a Tranquil. A guy was extolling its virtues to a wouldbe purchaser. Don't know if he succeeded but it was in pretty poor condition. There also used to be a Windboat woody out of the water for many years at a boatyard where Salford Quays are now. I made a few enquiries over the years about whether it was for sale or not but the owner never replied. Passing on my way to work one day and saw they were about halfway through breaking it up, very sad, Roy

Hi Alan, Yes, travelling along more or less at water level at the front of the boat without the engine noise is superb. Unfortunately I have never managed to do much of that as i am usually relegated to the blunt end. As you know you can rarely exceed 3 mph and most of the time usually not much more than 2 mph, and to me that is the secret of an enjoyable canal holiday. My advice to anybody taking their first canal holiday would be work out how far you can go in your allotted time at 4 lock miles per hour then aim to do not much more than half that total. You mentioning the Dawncraft made me think how much I enjoy seeing old grp canal boats that have been around since the 60s such as Normans, Nauticus, Creightons, Morgan Giles etc. Roy

Just remembered I took a ride on the Falkirk Wheel about 10 years ago and the trip boat was an ex-Broads wooden passenger boat. Don't know if it was an ex-Wroxham or Norwich boat though. We stopped off at the Wheel again when on a coach trip last year and they are now using specially built trip boats. Roy

It was filmed between Bath top lock and Dundas Aqueduct on the Kennet & Avon canal. Once the boat had cleared the suburbs of Bath it did seem to be continual ribbon mooring for a good half hours cruising. The journey was about five and one third miles so they probably were travelling at about 3mph. There were a lot of widebeam canal boats moored, some of which would be residential/long term and others possibly winter only, so if the programme had been made a little later in the year some of these boats would have been away cruising. I agree with Soundings that this is definitely not typical of what you could expect on most of the canal system. Roy

I think the bathtub was a Caribbean which given the location probably came from one of the defunct Thames hire fleets but could have got there via a Broads fleet. There was also another wide beam grip which I think was a 27ft Seamaster. I was also wondering about the wooden launch. As the two swing bridges were opened for the boat perhaps the launch was ferrying somebody ahead to open them. I suppose the producers chose to make the film early in the season so that they could have a clear run with little traffic. If the film was made to entice people onto the canals they really would have been better filming say about June when the banks would have been full of colour and more wildlife about plus more moving boats to add interest. Also a more winding, rural section would have been more interesting. It all looked rather bleak and the rows and rows of boats, a lot of which would have been at their winter moorings and would have been out cruising later in the year, gave the impression of one long linear boat park. Bit of a missed opportunity to me. Roy

Never . . . always use a paper towel or toilet paper to pull the door open, then fold it inwards and dispose of when I can. Roy

Just spotted a couple on a BBC 4 programme on the Kennet & Avon canal. A Caribbean and a Seamaster 27 (I think - I'm never sure about that model). Roy

Hi Neil, Canal du Midi, just above the three way lock at Agde a couple of miles from the Med. It was at a boatyard which had quite a lot of liveaboard boats and lots of bits and pieces of boat things lying around. Very nostalgic, reminded me of some Broads boatyards. I don't think I have any other photos of wandering Broads boats but some I have seen over the years are an ex Aston 42 on the Leeds and Liverpool canal, a Caribbean 39 on the Bridgewater Canal, a Bounty bathtub on the Rochdale Canal and last year an old woody Purple Dawn on the Grand Union Canal. regards Roy

The green boat is a bit far from home . . . Roy

Paul, bona fide canal: do you mean the section of the Yare bypassing Thorpe Green or maybe the section of the Bure between Ant mouth and South Walsham dyke or possibly the Ant between Hundred dyke and Ant Mouth or even the Thurne between Hundred dyke and Thurne Mouth. Some of these may be natural re-aligning of rivers over time but the section of the Bure past the St Benets moorings seems to be too straight to be natural - maybe a widened dyke at some time in the past. Or have I missed the one you are talking about. Roy

Hi Geoff & Wendy, If you google "history of hearts cruisers" there is a pic of Star Gem 6 in 2005 at the bottom of the first page. It also mentions the boat having a complete back to bare bones refit about that time. I think that was when Richardson's refitted various Alpha 32s to make the Star Gem class. Roy

My wife is colour blind and thinks the upholstery is a very nice blue, definitely not too bright. We have some very interesting discussions about decorating at home. Roy

See your point Matt. We passed under the bridge not long after the boat had gone aground and looking at the red flag the wind was blowing in the exact opposite direction that day so the reeds were not obstructing the height board. What I did notice at the time was that the upstream board was showing at least a couple of more inches clearance that the downstream board at the moorings. Roy

On the canals the Canal & River Trust (successors to British Waterways) have rubbish disposal points at fairly regular intervals. There are also many water points and at some locations portable toilet emptying facilities and showers. There were at one time washing machines at some locations but I don't know if this facility has been discontinued. Roy

It was rope soled deck shoes back in the late 50s. You can still buy them but don't know how they would grip on GRP decks. Roy

It's the boats on the right just as the dyke bends slightly to the left near the entrance that have gone. We moved over into that space to let a hire boat come out of the dyke leaving him a boat and a half's width but he still managed to rub fenders with us. All at very low speed fortunately. Roy

When I was there last Thursday a couple of guys were installing new pump out posts on the visitor mooring and along the quay behind the fuel point. I presume for their hire fleet. Roy

The big Norfolk skies. Early summer mornings, mug of tea, watching the world drift by. Spending the busier months on the quieter Southern broads and then the Northern broads out of main season when the rivers are quieter. Warm evenings sat on the bank with a fishing rod and a glass of Shiraz, hoping the fish won't be too much of a nuisance. There are still a few places which take me back to my first Broads holidays in the 50s and 60s; sat outside the New Inn, Horning watching the comings and goings at the boatyard next door; seeing a Martham boat passing Potter Heigham bridge; the boatyard and moorings at Sutton Staithe; casual mooring on the tree-lined sections of the Ant. Roy

I will keep an eye out for Geoff and Sue. I would definitely have been on the pontoon on shore power at this time of year. Roy

Hylander & Matt, Just spoken to Brooms and Lightning is all safely tucked up on her home mooring. Had me worried there for a moment as the colours and configuration of the fenders look the same as Lightning. So it's either Thunder or it could possibly one of the Beam of Lights although I think their colour bands are black and in the pic they appear to be blue. Roy