JennyMorgan

But is it up to the BA? Why not the industry itself?

Got to say that I am quite, if not completely, satisfied with the BA's mooring policy. They have upset at least one reputable landowner and lost an opportunity or two but that's old hat now. I am not convinced that it is for the BA to supply a plethora of moorings. Due to the flood alleviation scheme we have lost numerous informal moorings, no fault of the BA. In the past lots of small boatyards had a scheme where boats from other hire yards were welcome to moor. Now with fewer, and much larger yards, there are scores, if not hundreds of hireboats clamouring to moor at non yard moorings. On top of that we have pressure on what moorings we have by boat owners with arguably greater expectations of what a mooring should offer than is reasonable, e.g. space. I'm more inclined to blame the Gt British public rather than the BA on this one. Take Oulton Broad as an example, at one time there were more than fifteen hire yards there, probably providing a hundred plus moorings for hire boats, all gone now, no fault of the Authority. The Authority is due some pretty hard hitting criticism but not on this topic, in my opinion of course!

Mrs G has a vast store of Brownie Points, it'll hit Griff hard if she cashes 'em all in at once!

Rafting up seems to be an absolute anathema to some privateers, as does keeping fore and aft gaps between boats to a minimum. Some people are just mind bogglingly selfish or just plain thoughtless when it comes to hogging mooring spaces. If you are first in line so to speak at a mooring then treat it as a queue, start the queue at the end, not the middle of the mooring. At least if folk start at the end then they will only have neighbours on one side!!

Back in the 1970s I had an interest in the Waveney River Centre and indeed I managed the site. We provided moorings and very often we'd have in excess of fifty visiting boats for the night . We'd have one or more of those large, oblong industrial sized skips per week! Rubbish disposal was an expensive issue for us.

John, I believe that you were right. Having attended meetings between anglers and Natural England I can only preach caution. JP is a mere angel in comparison with his counterpart in NE.

Too much detail!

You could well be right. The quiet before the storm perhaps? Those in Somerset? Clues please.

Southwold today, not everyone is a rugby fan it seems! Fish and chips, plus a pint of Adnams or two, or rugby on telly?

Very tiddly is that!

That was actually one of the reasons that it was decided that the Broads could NOT be a national park, that too is on record.

The 'chairs group' is a new invention in regard to the Authority and instigated by Doctor John. A little bit of coincidental history here. In recent times the regularity of Broads Authority meeting has been reduced, if I have it right, to half of what it was previously. In principle a cost cutting exercise but of course what happens when something important crops up between what are now rather sparse meetings? Easy answer, refer the matter to the 'chairs group', each and every one chosen, one way or another, by JP himself, a move agreed by the members themselves. Devious and manipulative? You decide.

A friend of mine has just pointed out that the gyrating gentleman is indeed a Yorkshireman, he's wearing a flat cap!

It wasn't mentioned on Countryfile either. Must be the quiet before the storm.

Of those of you who have just received their toll demand I wonder how many of you noticed a refreshing lack of BNP propaganda in the accompanying Broads Squit, sorry, Broad Sheet? Less Squit than usual, maybe more Sheet though! Actually I thought it quite a positive read this year.

A voice of experience?

Preferring whippets to sheep for example?

All with sheepish grins on their faces?

I'm sure that I heard a well known gentleman of Yorkshire admit that he liked mountain sheep!

I don't normally leave fishing groundbait in a shed during the winter but I did forget one tub which I found today. Incredible, the little bar steward hadn't actually got into the container but it had nibbled about half way round the edge of the lid! I was amazed! The grounbait is pretty pungent and it must have been a very determined and hungry mouse.

They obviously verified the BNP status! Can't knock them for that. Sorry, couldn't resist!

I should have watched it first!

It's the same on Oulton Broad and I suspect other Broads too.