ChrisB

I bought the Grand Vitara on recommendation of my local tyre man who had had four without trouble. But his were the older model with the manual transfer box not the electric selection like mine. The Auto box and torque converter was wrecked when returning to Bucks having purchased our home in Norfolk. The car completely on its own locked the diff at 70 mph.!

If Suzuki outboards are anything like my Grand Vitara I was stupid enough to buy you would need five for safety as they failed. I bought the Grand Vitara when I retired and spent another 2K on a white leater interior. To have: 17 weeks off the road in 3 years while they replaced All four Wheels, 4 transfer boxes. The Automatic gearbox, the torque converter. Two drive shafts, the prop shaft. And the last time they crashed it in the work shop.

For an excellent schematic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Waveney#Navigation

Interesting reading http://groupspaces.com/RiverWaveneyTrust/pages/navigation

I can only find reference to three locks. Gelderston, Ellingham and Wainford. The last two are now sluices. However there were numerous watermills above Bungay Staithe so it could have been the remains of the race for one of these perhaps that you found.

I believe West Somerton is always so clear due to salt water springs leaching through from the sea. Certainly the water weed there more resembles proper seaweed. A very old local, long gone now told me as a teenager that the stories of a clear patches in Hickling and Horsey ended with the hard defences installed after 1953 because they cut off the patches of salt water spring. Could just be rubbish though as there were huge Pike about and they don't like salt.

In or around 1975 I had an office in Bethnal Green Road at the Shoreditch end. I also traded in Billingsgate when it was closed to all but bone fide traders and was situated in Upper Thames Street. The Tower Thistle was new as I remember going to St Kats in 1967 to see Gypsy Moth and it was derelict. In those far off days the first of new flats had just been built and they could not sell them, too far East! I had just bought a four bedroom town house in Chalfont (Met line direct Liverpool Street) for £16000. Some of those flats asking price was £25000, nearly £30000 for a three bedroom. Now you are looking at in excess of £2.5m vastly outstripping any other areas of the country. Personally I think the regeneration of the area has been great. Some years later following a change of career I was appointed by a Bank to rescue a company struck down by the failure of Olympia and York. Canary Wharf had a very rocky road to where it is today.

Too late to edit. But what I wished to impart is " as we get older, life is less certain" whatever you have achieved in financial terms, be it large or small it is vital in retirement to have a substantial amount of that sum liquid. (And I dont mean Vintage Burgundys).

But money in the bank, however cheap a commodity re. Interest Rates, is money in the bank, available when you need it. If tied up it is not available. We have a very small cruiser which we have enjoyed for the last eight years. I have been tempted to upgrade but why? I only live 20 minutes away so go home if it looks unsettled. Friends have said buy a bigger one! But in January of this year my wife of 46 years cancer returned. This year I have had less than 2 hours actually using our Viking 20. But I have a considerable amount in the bank and Gov. Bonds. I can afford cleaners, carers, private wards, gardeners and drivers. Financial does not even appear on my radar with so many other problems, if we need another type of car I will just go and buy one. That is difficult if you have your money tied up in "Things like Boats"

Ohh Yes! A mill on the Upper Ant got an award also! But enough said!

Regular haunt for us as well even though we lived in Chalfont, Bucks.

Where can you find accommodation twix The City and Canary Wharf for £13K? pa! Actually it is a bl*/$dy bargain! Deduct an annual season ticket from Princes Risborough, live on the boat Monday to Friday and it stars to make a lot of sense.

I like Hull, Both my sons went to Hull University but @ £11K that beats St Katherines by Tower Bridge who's fees ranged from £700 to £800 per metre the last time I looked. Electricity was about £1000 on top. Short term is quite a lot more however.

You will pay £4 to 5K for a 30 footer along the South Coast if you can find availability, most have waiting lists. And not all will be "any state of the tide" which can mean some weekends you will not sail.

Full moon yesterday nearest to equinox and a strong North Wester overnight. Entirely predicable. Winds are settling down now.

Our bungalow is 250 metres from the village church. It, along with our rather not remember the final figure, German conservatory is so well insulated we cannot her bell ringing practice on a Friday night. That is however a god send as my seriously ill wife goes to sleep in the early evening.

Not surprising, get above 20hp and many cruisers have their bottom outboard mounting below the waterline!!! Remove those bolts and you have a big problem. Which is all a bit stupid as the main reason I like outboard power is total hull integrity

Better look outside if you want to see a near full harvest moon an the nearest to the Autumnal Equinox. It is actually full at about 3pm tomorrow but we may not see the harvest moon for a few days in Norfolk after tonight as the weather is breaking with it! "Beginnin to sound like my farmin grand parents who did everythin by moon"

Which is why when the shout comes the guys have to respond. If the morons can't be trusted to look after themselves, god knows what would happen if they were left to their own efforts. I think you have to accept that a section of society are pretty incapable of, really doing very much. If that is so then the rest of us have to look after them, that is what a civilised society does. Just hope we are not being duped by those too lazy to put in a reasonable effort.

Well done.

According to the radio they were lost!

The John Pye website now says sale suspended.

Yes they are, like estate agents they over value to get the business, then tell you it is overpriced. The danger is spending a lot of money on restoration and then not keeping the boat for a considerable time for enjoyment. You can say the boat has had much replanking, but a buyer does not want rot in the planks. You can say the decks have been recanvased or epoxied, but the buyer does not expect decks to leak. The classic must be Ondina cost 75k spent 250K realised on sale 75K Some marques are known for deep inbuilt quality and will be desirable. But many so called classics of The Broads were built to capitalise in the shortest possible time and last a hire life of not too long in the case of wood and hence were not of the finest construction or materials. PS @ 200K they are having a laugh!

Looked closely at the BoatShed pics. I think that all over winter cover may have suffered some condensation. The brightwork needs some work, around the helm it needs considerable work. It is a lovely looking boat but to convert her to a comfortable cruiser will require work and money. However you would end up with a very nice craft well capable of taking you round to Wells, Southwold, Orford etc. I would certainly want to know more about the engines and work done on them as the pictures do not reflect an indepth restoration.

Maybe the Northern River System is fast approaching saturation in August.