JennyMorgan

So often I see folk winterise their boats, leaving them hermetically sealed and then leave them to fend for themselves. Come spring many folk expect their boats to be just as they left them. It.doesn't always happen like that. A few personal checks won't go amiss during the winter, if only as an excuse to visit your favourite watering hole. P.S. I am at Oulton Broad if anyone gets worried about a boat there.

Seems that it has been let.

I have read that the Lion is now closed. Hopefully the pub will reopen but like many locals I won't miss Fillery.

Paws, have you left your boat well ventilated? If you have then mildew is probably unlikely.

GRIFF - HELP!

A smack with a bolster should crack it.

Whoops, yes, £45 not £75.00, at the moment. There have been hints of £90.00 each way by JP. My gut feeling is that Lock usage will drop big time thus the apportioned cost per transit will rise. £45.00 is for a day return thus £60.00 over a weekend if a GP goes to Southwold for the night. At the moment it's 12 or 13 quid day return.

Senator, as we all know Yarmouth is pretty hostile towards any sort of non commercial craft so many members of the Brundall Navy rely on Mutford Lock & Lowestoft. We must remember that traditionally Norwich has long been a port, the river open to sea-going craft. Indeed Mutford Lock was built to provide not just access to the sea but also to Norwich. For whatever reason the Gin Palaces have largely deserted Oulton Broad over the last year or two, is it the cost of mooring I wonder? Anyway, that aside Somerleyton Bridge is at best unreliable, one nail in the coffin. Mooring at Oulton Broad, whilst compared to marina charges is cheap, it is still a financial burden on visitors, nail number two. Being able to moor at Beccles by the bridge, no guarantee of finding mooring space there, nail number three. Indeed being able to find short stay moorings for big boats on the Broads has become increasingly difficult, nail number four. Some of the traditional Broads sailing boats face toll hikes of up to fifty percent so Gin Palaces are not exclusive in that grouse. However none of that would be the final nail for me should I be the proud owner of a GP. What would be the kill for me is the proposed hike to the Mutford Lock charges. A weekend trip to sea would include a gallon or three of fuel, mooring fee at Oulton Broad and now seventy five quid for a return trip through the Lock, that would be the coup de grace for me. Despite having my own free mooring at Oulton Broad even I'm tempted to moor in one of the Lake Lothing moorings or marinas.

Griff, if the old couple are unable to clamber over BA then there is an alternative: http://www.waveneystardust.co.uk/about-waveney-stardust/

I have one of those really nice mugs, it looks really at home onboard!

Mr M, I have a metal saddle that sits on the top of a wherry's tabernacle, shaped to accept the trunnion of a mast. I spoke to the ancient order of Wherry Shellbacks at the Gt Yarmouth Maritime Festival, one of which suggested that I take it along to the Excelsior Yard. That I shall do, and if there is a break in the rain then I might take a snap or two of the old girl's knickerless nether regions.

There's a surprise, I really thought that I'd have no trouble linking you all to local charities that have online gift shops, what with Christmas being around the corner. Bit of a false hope was that! If anyone knows otherwise I can only find the Wherry Trust. In the meantime we do have the forum shop!

Not only Broads souvenirs but worthwhile fundraisers. First one, the Wherry Trust, has some grand goodies that are ideal for Christmas. I have their CD, Brighton's Best, some splendid folk songs and well worth a listen. http://www.wherryalbion.com/albionshop/

Try turning a frying pan upside down!

Stuart, I have the same problem as you, not that it is a problem, thanks to WD40.

These gadgets are great for steaks, fish, toast, full English & root vegetables for example: http://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/ridgemonkey-deep-fill-sandwich-toaster-xl There are smaller versions available. See accompanying video.

The world can be remarkably small. Where did they hire from? Who knows, maybe someone has a picture of the boat, she might even still be afloat!

Not a problem if you tether a hungry cat to your boat. Tethered dogs are also excellent but the blessed things keep howling

Sod the rain over Oulton Broad, I've got my brolly.

Thank goodness we have pumpout toilets.

I understand that the BA has its gritters ready so that it can keep the rivers open for Robin's Christmas afloat. Now if the rivers are clear of ice over Christmas you'll know why!

A statement made by Dr Packman in regard to the proposed Suffolk Broads National Nature Reserve near Oulton Broad: Broads Authority chief executive John Packman adds his support by saying: “The natural world needs our help as never before. What a tremendous opportunity this is to repair the mistakes of the past and bring nature back to this special part of the Broads.” I'm not sure that he's not right, up to a point. Fortunately the proposed nature reserve does not impinge on the navigation.

It's three degrees by the water, or it was only an hour ago.

Nor is it conservation, and especially not conservation by exclusion enforced by strategic neglect.

What does the seaweed say about the predicted ice-up? My chickens are already knitting double thickness leg warmers.