JennyMorgan

No Guiness stand, arghhhh, a Boat Show tradition & the only time I ever touch the stuff. The organisers should be offering Guiness a free stand. They must have been there since day one!

Exactly.

Not my style at all!

Okay, think that they know what they are doing! Actually, on the Broads, the level of ability amongt private sailing boaters is pretty high. It has to be, if they want to survive!

Jean, I understand where are coming from completely. I used to hire out a couple of Caribbeans, they proved to be the least popular of our fleet, despite guaranteed bookings from Hoseasons, so when I wanted to use one of our boats it tended to be one of our bathtubs. Suited us though, ideal with our young family. Anyway, Mum saw to the children, I saw to the boat. More than once I slowed down, left the wheel, went into the forward well, stepped up onto the front seats and peered over the cabin roof to see if anyone was coming up from behind. Can't do that in a car but perfectly possible in a boat. No unnecessary risks and never a problem. Those pesky overtaking sailing boats, let them look after themselves, most of them actually know what they are doing.

That selling price, without knowing the fine detail, is the real price, your starting point. Some sellers have greatly inflated views as to the value of any extras that they have incorporated into their boats. Boats are a bit like buses, miss one then you just hang on and catch the next one. It all depends on how desperate the seller is and how desperate the prospective buyer is.

What is a boat worth? Well, quite simply what someone is prepared to pay! And those someones sometimes pay well over the odds, especially as spring approaches. Good luck in your quest but remember that advertised prices are one thing, cash actually paid can be quite another thing, in other words haggle and be prepared to walk away. What is that boat worth to you, that's what matters.

With regard to the Chet I would ask whether overtaking is prudent other than between sailing boats? In respect to elsewhere the regs are clear, overtaking boat to steer clear of the boat that it is overtaking, in other words to take both care and responsibility. As far as boats wishing to turn into a dyke, that is a major deviation of course and that then means the turning boat becomes the one that must take care. No harm in a crew member acting as lookout and even indicating the change of course to approaching boats. As for looking back from a forward steer boat, don't they have side windows that can be opened nowadays?

Cracking picture! Why the hurry to get back to the moorings though?

Very true, I've even had a circling boat call out and ask if we were enjoying the buffeting that he gave us! Well, actually, no! In truth we often turn into the wake of a speeding boat, not just for 'fun' but also comfort.

That something probably being digging for rag-worm, a bait for sea-anglers.

Whenever we cross Breydon we are dependent on conditions that vary from a mill pond to near open sea conditions. Surely we should be able to cope with a bit of wash and a few waves, both of which can add to the experience! As things are I do see the Authority as taking a pragmatic approach to this one, anti social speeding is just not acceptable and nor should it be. If those that can speed refuse to accept that simple mantra then I can see a speedlimit being introduced which I would see as being regrettable.

Thanks Fred.

I just wish that common sense were more common!

Fred, I really don't want to lock horns with you over this one but for accuracy there is one small technicality that separates Barton from Breydon, that of relevant speedlimits. One has one, the other doesn't. That aside I wholly endorse your sentiment.

Brooms were not breaking any laws. If you suggest a case of double standards then I might agree with you. The court found the two offenders guilty & fined them accordingly. What, if any, rules did Brooms break? Can we be sure that the Breydon offender wasn't committing an offence?

Hirers I can understand but the level of ignorance shown my some private boats owners is nothing short of amazing. The Bylaws are nothing short of being our Highway Code and no less important. Learning about such things, even marlin-spike seamanship, is all part of our great hobby yet so many boat owners ignore such things.

That's not uncommon. Down here we have a very active Broad based sailing club, not a problem whilst sailing on the actual Broad but clearly a problem when working the river, on the rare occasion they actually leave the Broad.

Thanks, Fred, that's that one cleared up. What happens if the offender appeals and wins, does that mean that any percentage based surcharge has to be repaid? Or am I just being awquad?

In my books the well versed river-man uses or dodges the tides to best advantage, which might mean being over to the left, bit of a conundrum is that!

I thought that he already had a short exhaust!

I have this thing that all bikers are out to get me, especially around the Gillingham/McDonnalds roundabout just outside of Beccles!

Mine too!

Fred, take another look, an awful lot of private boats, especially imports, have their steering wheels on the 'wrong' side. On the rare occasion that I have gone to the Boat Show I may have gleefully inspected a gleaming mass of gel-coat and well buffed stainless, watched the salesman grouping for his order book, and commission slip, and then walked away with the comment, the wheel is on the wrong side, his face suitably falling as he thinks 'there goes another pedantic twit who can't afford my superb offering!

Or the clink of wine glasses, the tap-tap-tap of high heels, the slurping of chocolate bars and the cackle of laughter!!