JennyMorgan

When I see some of the awesome porkers afloat that I do then I seriously wonder how on earth they could be rescued. In the above link two experienced lifeboatmen, on a low freeboard boat, are clearly struggling to pull aboard a 'normal' sized person. Best I go on a diet!

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/woman-rescued-river-bure-1-5993110 Sobering thought, how would you rescue someone who falls in off your boat?

I wonder if WRC will follow suit and charge privateers whilst hire boats will go free. Surely the fish and chip shop is worth the twenty quid?

A more than reasonable conclusion.

The problem, as I see it, is one of timing.

I did, hence my comment!

Personally I see no harm in being concerned for our feathered friends.

My daughter owns a Press Bros boat launched in 1909, she's remarkably similar to Poppy's boat. 100 years apart, the ethos of the design has stood the test of time, both are surely classics., albeit one has a synthetic hull.

Once spent the night alongside Ted Heath on Morning Cloud in the trots at Cowes. Don't suppose that would happen nowadays. He was a good sort although he got a bit of a paddy on and demanded that his crew tighten up the backstay, which they did, only too much so and apparently Morning Cloud had to go back to the yard for repairs, or so I heard a week or so later. Apparently the grp hadn't totally cured, not an unknown problem with grp at that time.

Not so, just some of 'em, and thankfully a minority.

Then this one is for you!

You are too kind!

I would regard people with little Hamptons as having a classic Broads cruiser, just as I would those with Bermudas and the like. Some of these plastic fantastics are now over fifty years old!

Very true but regretfully some owners seemingly make no effort whatsoever to learn!

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/norfolk-villagers-and-farms-hit-in-first-water-war-r5f9wmhwn

Arghhhhhhhhh!!!! Surely not, he's a one off!

Holiday makers being confused is understandable but I always feel that there are some private owners out there who should know better. There is no such thing as the 'wrong' side of the river in sailing terms! Being on one side or the other might be due to the tide, us sailing types are tide canny, don't you know! Tide excepted we will normally work along the bank from where the wind is blowing, it generally gives us greater manouverability. On the other hand we might work along the bank to which the wind blows as it might mean a cleaner, uninterrupted wind. In other words, lots of variables so no hard and fast rule on that one!

No elaborate Turks Head on the sticky out bit that will be at the top when going more or less straight then?

Is this a motor boater's worst nightmare? I came across this picture this morning, dated 1935. It's at Horning, could perhaps be any Sunday morning, not much has changed apart from the faces. Made me smile, what would I do, apart from pass copious wind, close my eyes tightly and think of England? Well, slow down would be a start! It's not in the best interests of a sailing boat to hit a motor boat although they might cut things pretty fine. If it's a handicap race then seconds in time do matter. So what can motor boaters do? In an ideal world look at the sails. In this instance they are on the right hand side which means that the wind is from left to right. In that instance, ideally, pass a sailing boat down wind of it, on the side that the sails are on. Us sailing types will appreciate that! However, if in doubt, slow down close to the bank and above all, cover your ears, sailing boaters, sometimes reluctantly I admit, will avoid you but frustration at lost seconds could means that the odd expletive might just slip out!! This is just advice, not a hard and fast rule, just a generalisation, common sense and the proximity of the bank, for example, does have some bearing!

Many, many years ago my wife and I took our four young daughters on a farmhouse holiday, Red Rum was on holiday there too! They all had a ride on her, just a few yards, a wonderful holiday made special!

Thanks, Nigel, great stuff! Good to see the ladies doing what's expected of them!!!

Spot on, one of the joys of boating, especially aboard small ones.

Cloths on a boat, back in time when I did live on a boat, and when I worked on boats for extended periods, like all summer, I worked round the principle of two ex RAF kit bags, if it couldn't be carried in those two bags then I didn't take it. Cloths to include foul weather gear & life's little essentials, including sleeping bag. I've always thought that its more about me adapting to the boat rather than adapting the boat to me. Someone mentioned CDs, I can't be without my music, thank goodness for MP3 players although that's past being geriatric now. Rather than kit bags I now use Dri-Sacs but the principle remains the same.

I heard very few last year. Allegedly those of us who don't hear a cuckoo stand no chance whatsoever of surviving the year out. I was getting quite worried last year!

A bottle opener, a cork-screw, a tin opener and a box of matches, everything else is incidental!