JennyMorgan

Back in time I was involved with two companies specialising in social photography and both had their own laboratories. The cost of those cameras was more than compensated for by the cost of processing charged to the customer, indeed it was a good little earner. At weddings, for example, we gave them out to all the guests knowing full well that our 'professional' photos would be far better. My problem was that one company used Kodak & the other Fuji, I just had to make sure I doled out the right cameras!

http://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/news/great-yarmouth-and-gorleston-lifeboat-called-out-1-5288715

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/historic-buck-inn-at-thorpe-st-andrew-to-reopen-a-month-after-closing-1-5286481

Am watching it at the moment, some excellent and sometimes unusual imagery, akin to slowly moving still photographs, if that makes sense. As a program, interesting it is but it's also verging on the turgid. 1970's style, gently animated photo documentary. Am I enjoying it? Yes.

I think that that is quite true but add to that, as Vaughan has written, the system has lost scores of boatyards that used to have a reciprocal agreement to provide moorings and services for the then large hire-fleet.

Since it apparently shows real boats being built properly then it's probably worth watching: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09g0l2v

Is that Hull as in some far flung foreign land North of the Wash or hull as in between stem and stern?

Vaughan speaks with much wisdom on this subject, may I suggest that you all read his musings and inwardly digest. Re this crossing Breydon lark. As teenagers myself and a friend rowed a cut-down ex trawler's lifeboat from Oulton Broad to Oulton Broad via Gorleston in a day. Breydon is only a problem if you let it be. Use the tides to your advantage.

The 'Off' button is an incredibly useful facility!

Re loading boats with live otters in order to lower the air draft, kids on Oulton Broad the other day loaded a small dayboat with sandbags to the point that it actually sunk! It shouldn't have happened but it does show that where there is a will there is a way and also that an excess of otters might create problems!

The point that I find sad is the boater that doesn't explore the Broads, that regards Breydon as an insurmountable barrier. If I can do the trip in an open sailing boat with an outboard, a quant and no frivolous gadgetry then I'm darn certain others can do it too. Mind you, if I had to choose then it would be down South for me but then I would be missing so much. Well, I might well steer clear of Horning during the high season!

They even pick on folk from down South!!

Up North, the Bure, reminds me of Lakeside car-park on a manic Black Friday. Down South is so much more refined, bit like the locals! Up North is not all manic, it's great above Potter Bridge. Down South is great above Beccles Bridge and Buckenham and up to Surlingham.

Both the Waveney & the Yare have big carp in them, biggest that I have witnessed went 48lbs and the biggest I've caught was 26lbs. As with the Trinity Broads the fish are here and they are not fluke fish. Problem is that the waters concerned are huge, they are not two acre mud puddles. Those who do catch groundbait daily, often for months at a time. To do otherwise is like searching for a needle in a large haystack. Expecting to catch over a weeks holiday, or without knowing a water like the back of your hand and a having a concerted groundbaiting regime is quite simply relying on extreme luck and that is no guarantee of success. 20 & 30 pounders are not rare but they require hard work.

I largely agree with all that, Marsh. However, and there has to be one of them, other bodies don't tend to find nearly so many forms to fill in as does the BA. During my Nav Com days it became laughable as an officer, often Trudi, would gleefully announce yet another hindrance to much needed dredging. I well remember DEFRA giving the BA £1.5 million in order to catch up on the dredging backlog. Did it happen, did it heck! Projects such as Dragonfly House and the Broads Bill wasted 2/3rds of that, such was the Authority's alacrity towards dredging. I'm not sure that there wasn't a department within the higher echelons exclusively tasked with finding reasons for not dredging. Now, of course, it's realised that for every pound spent on dredging means another pound to spend on another 'vision' but at least they are now dredging.

It is not so hard for the BA to exceed targets, especially ones set by the Authority itself!

Agree with Doug, at least in staying South for the winter. A few practice runs to Portsmouth, Chichester or Cowes then come the spring head off to the Channel Islands thence across to Belgium, along the coast to Imuiden then a quick passage to Lowestoft & Oulton Broad. Easy stages, great adventure.

Floaters tend to wash out to sea, eventually.

Not entirely true, John. Marsh, bless his dragonfly emblazoned t-shirt, has held that job for several long years now! Don't suppose the dear old buffer will change now and, in truth, we'd all miss him if he did. Anyway, he more than makes up for it with his wherry input, long may he continue!

Again! High tides too which means even more boats won't be able to squeeze under.

KFT, I suspect that most of us read your dialogue in the spirit in which it was intended, light hearted Micky taking rather than acrimonious bashing. Yes, probably a difficult recovery without adequate muscle, which I suspect that the BA could provide although whether they would wish to be involved in salvage is open to question. For the record the BA does, when it suits, a great deal of dredging. A bit more alacrity wouldn't go amiss, agreed, but they are shifting a great deal of the stuff from Oulton Broad at the moment, despite a month off during the summer.

Long term, no. Made me laugh, brought back good memories too. Back in time I managed the caravan site at Burgh St Peter, Waveney Inn. One of my favourite customers was Harry, something of a character, very much an Alf Garnett, an East End 'Jew Boy' through and through and a very fine furrier. Harry's caravan was his escape from the City, the garden around his van his pride and joy. Harry would arrive every Friday evening, still dressed in the formal morning dress suit that was his trade's 'uniform'. I'm not sure if Saturday mornings were Harry's happy hour or not, inevitably he would gravitate down to the shop to buy a loaf and a packet of fags, taking the opportunity to complain about the rabbits that devastated his garden despite the wire netting fence around his little kingdom. Okay, Harry, you can use your gun, just don't shoot anyone. Harry very quickly developed a seven o'clock in the morning routine, opening his caravan door and surveying his flower beds and if a rabbit happened to be around then blasting it to kingdom come and waking his immediate neighbours. Back then concrete garden ornaments were a good little earner so inevitably I stocked a few, including some 'rabbits', an evil thought crossed my mind although I didn't anticipate the outcome! I primed other caravan owners, I would put a concrete rabbit in amongst Harry's flowers. There we were, peering around the corners of the nearby caravans. On the dot of seven Harry's door opens, Harry standing there in his pyjamas, the front of which was not as well adjusted as it might have been and yes, Harry was obviously Jewish! There was that 'rabbit', Harry grabbed his gun, bang, shards of concrete and cheers from his fellow caravaners. Harry had been had, but he took it all in the spirit of the morning but inevitably expressing himself in true Alf Garnett style. How we all loved that man!

Ernie used keep a boat up at Brooms and often spent the weekend moored up at the Waveney Inn during the 1970s. A wonderfully funny man, a master of lavatorial humour & repartee, right up my street!!!!!!!!!

There's one going free up Blakeney way!

I do indeed remember them! Coincidentally we had bloaters from The Lowestoft Smokehouse the other day, very acceptable they were too.