ChrisB

Robin Knox Johnston donated his £5000 winnings to Donald Crowhust's widow. The equivalent of nearly £80000 today.

And only one cure. "Sitting under an apple tree ten miles inland"

Should be a smooth passage but you will need the screen wipers off St Catherines today I think.

Well it has certainly done it's job up here this morning, Blakeney Quay well under water.

It is, they are great boats, but getting the knack of "hiking Out" and quickly can be a very painful learning experience. Many of my contemporary helms have had new hips and knees.

If I could magic away 30 or 40 years I would be interested. In my day I got my kicks on the trapeze of a single handed Contender. Now in my 69th year I am paying the price.

I thought it looked like a Viking. Viking do offer the option of an opening down to deck level on certain boats. I know the 24 is one. Why not have a word with Wayne or Vinny on 01371.875214 (don't e-mail, you will not get a reply) As a Viking owner I would definitely not go into the hull as the layup is very light. These are boats for the masses and are built to sell at an attractive price.

My concern is going below the hull to superstructure join. I think that it would be better just to remove the combing to deck level or would this not be any help? You would be getting rid of a "trip" and if your wife could step onto the deck with perhaps the aid of a caravan step I think it would help.

And then there is the problem of water, which was a problem from day one and water extraction around Antingham and Gunton is far greater now. I think they are doing a sterling job but it will only ever be a canoe and kayak canal with portage round locks. Yes it will be nice to see a boat go up but if you were to open the locks on anything like a regular basis it would simply run dry. I have a 1904 Bradshaws Guide which complains of no water then.

Seems logical. Before I filled my garage with c4£p I had a tennis ball on a string hanging down. When it touched the windscreen I had gone in far enough. £20+k of car left outside, £50 of rubbish under cover. Need to address it come spring.

Without trying to be a killjoy but putting on my business hat:- Bookings are just that. They are prospects who have paid a deposit, it is the conversion at six weeks prior to hard cash that matters. We have seen this story told every year recently but have also seen the tellers offer huge discounts as the height of season approaches. I do wonder what folk feel when they see their holiday that they have paid for offered 25% cheaper. The time to judge a season is 31st October not January. Carillion used to count their chickens!

Flatford Lock has the same arrangement, wondered what it was for, Thanks for that.

I had boats for years at Cobbs Quay and Ridge Wharf in Poole both dried out. All the harbours along the North Coast of Norfolk with the exceptin of Lynn dry out as do a lot of East Coast rivers. On an Island blessed with some of the greatest tidal range in the world it is a fact of life. You have to learn to go with the flow be it a drying berth or the tidal streams off Portland or St Albans. Never experienced any problem with sitting on the putty. She has a nice style Robin, I have always liked the timeless lines of the likes of Trader, Grand Banks and Nordhavn. The sort of boat that will look after you.

Apparently the waters are so high in Paris the Louvre has moved artworks

Most larger outboard motors are "fly by wire now" I am not sure either about a couple of 350 hp on the back of a Rib and no hard conection! I suppose a certain amount has come from the larger boats now offering outboard power. I read last week of a manufacturer offering outboards on a 39ft offshore cruiser.

I have to say that back in 2005 when the Lake District NP introduced a speed limit my wife and I were regular Whammel sailors on Windermere and we supported the speed limit. To put it into context for those who are not familiar with the lakes the speed limit is 10 knots or 11.5 mph, the lake is 11.23 miles in length. It can be argued that some boats make a greater wash at that speed but then I have never seen the need for a 38ft Sealine on what in European wide terms is a bit of a pond when compared with those in Switzerland, Germany and Italy. In any case event organisers can apply for exemptions, I think there was something to do with float planes to mark a 100th anniversary not long ago.

I wear varilux transissions and varilux polaroids both the new X series at 600 quid a pop my two new pairs just before I went to Oz were over £1200. Before I go anywhere near a boat I fit this type of head band.

Peter, I would not go as far as using "Unremarkable" I believe he was the head of Economic Development and Regeneration at Brighton and Hove during it's "Turn Aound" phase and he has a great deal of experience in Town Planning. I have only met him once but he was charming to my wife and I.

I think that the point of law is in the title of the article "Dream Garden" they have created a garden with a gazebo, what looks like a hard edged pond and paths. To do so would require change of usage, which must be sorted out prior to works. There are many, many cases like this the length of the country.

If there was a way of ensuring fully mapped and documented areas of navigation could be enshrined in the form of a Broads Charter then I could only see benefits from full National Park status. Clive is correct, National Parks are a World Wide recognised "brand". Maybe there should be some quiet areas, outside of main channels where it is sail, paddle and row only? I am playing devil's advocate here but at times the Broads popular areas can be anything but a magical waterland.

Play in the ammusement arcades, visit the lap dancing bars, with the exception of Sarah Millican who commands £28.50 a seat watch some "has been" on Britannia Pier and sup some awful beer with a syrene cup of whelks. What more could they want? The Golden Gate Bridge or the Grand Canal? They get a good view of the wind farm, that will do for them.

That's good, bon voyage.

I really do not fancy the Crews drive from Yorkshire to Plymouth if they have the weather we have here in North Norfolk this morning. Take it easy.

I just recorded 64mph gust on my anemometer here on the North Norfolk Coast. Sounds like an express train passing the house.

When I needed some extra ballast in a sailing boat I used a company called Midland Lead. I am on my phone so can't do a link but they were most helpful.