ChrisB

It was the second picture under discussion and that is a jetty which is not floating. The first picture are floating pontoons.

When I had a mud berth at Ridge Wharf, in those days they supplied both a stern and bow line that ran over a galvanised block/pulley to a heavy weight, this kept the boat alongside the finger berth when floating. Other lines usually springs were as you say set for low tide.

I had a MG Montego Turbo in 1985 and for it's day it was rapid and in the 18 months I had it it never had a fault. I remember with our Austin Rover fleet discount it came in at a fraction under £10K.

The e mail from BASC yesterday evening cheered up a rather miserable day. All we need now in Norfolk is for the rain to stop and the sun to come out.

PS. I would give MrDs thermal cookers a big recommendation. We have had some great dinners after a long drive to the boat and likewise when onboard with only a two burner Origo spirit stove.

I have always considered a passage from Sharpness to Portishead to be the "Cape Horn" of narrowboating. However you can employ the services of one of the Gloucester Pilots for less than £300 which I consider a wise investment even if he just oversees what you are doing. The Gloucester Pilots website also has a very good checklist for those taking an inland boat into such waters. Oldgregg says their boat was only one month old. I wonder how many rust buckets make the passage and have never purged their tank or made sure the delivery system between the tank and engine is clean and water free.

I would call it a "Gunter" rather than gaff. I remember in the 60's Gunter rigs were very popular and quite a few sailors who were not bothered by a little loss of performance or adhereance to their one design converted to Gunter. The reason was to be able to store the spars onboard, within the boat made for much less trailer problems. Gunter was very popular with the early dinghy cruising fraternity. Also folk tend to see a W on a sail and say "Wayfarer" but there is a smaller boat also designed by Ian Procter called a "Wanderer" however it too was Bermudan rigged.

On the 27th it will be 90 days until my birthday, which means I can apply for my driving licence! The one that I have had for the last 53 years!

I have used white Lithium Grease for exterior lubrication of heavy gates etc.

Yes, that should be OK.

A man after my own heart, because we all know:- " All the World is in tune on a Spring afternoon when we are poisoning pigeons in the park" I wish I knew who nicked my LP of the Great Tom Lehrer.

I will certainly help you set it up Steve but we could do with another just to raise the mast. I say this because if the boat has not been modified to aid mast lowering the step up from the cockpit to cabin roof as you lift the mast would be a bit too much for me now ( back problems). All Seawych except for the first few mk1 were supplied with a roller reefing genoa the spar of which was permanently attached to the forestay. The way to go I found was raise the mast and attach forestay first, then the shrouds and lastly the twin backstays. Then you can take your time to adjust the bottle screws and get the set up.

Steve, just a word of warning Do Not overtighten the rigging on a Seawych. The mast support is an oak beam glassed into that raised square section just aft the front grab rails. I have seen quite a few where that beam has gone into a dip because the oak has failed due to overtightening. The beam on your boat looks absolutely fine. I was told by John Sadler that the inside bulkheads separating the quarter berths from the V berths were not designed to be structural and some owners had made theirs open plan. I actually made mine structural mounting them tight to the roof and bolting in postion to the berth moulding before glassing-in. Sometimes the twin backstays are a little difficult to get on but the trick is use the boom, mainsheet and topping lift to pull the top of the mast aft a bit.

This was mine. The little chap holding on to the tie-down on the trailer is my son William he is 44! We actually cruised her as far as Chichester in the East and Brixham in the west before buying our Centaur and going both sides of the Channel.

A seawych. Designed and built by John Saddler at Bicester who was a friend of mine. (Nothing to do with Sadler Yachts by Martin and his father David Sadler who by coincidence I also knew in my 70s Poole days when Rodney Patterson the double olympic gold sailor would do demos for them. I have built one from the kit and helped on a second build so know a bit about them. I think I posted about it under " My first boat with a lid". Good little boats but you need to return her to sail.

Talking of projects like that, what a shame the Fens Link stalled due to the 2008 economic crisis.

There is an extremely small distance between the sources of the Little Ouse and the Waveney. Norfolk is virtually an island. It is said there were plans to canalise them together in the 1700s.

I also learnt to drive on the farm, at about 12 on a 100E Prefect that had been the Yard Runabout at my father's company. We would go rabbiting on the stubble at night with it. Looking back, with it's 3 speed gearbox and no syncro on first, we did some incredible off roading in it.

And then there is the danger of small particle and nano fibre that the numerous sewage outfalls all over The Broads can't filter out. I went over Postwick Viaduct the other day and judging by the amount of foam coming forth from the main pipeline I think Whitlingham works might struggle if it is put under any more pressure from development or extreme rainfall.

A flight pond is very much more important in these "Packham" correct days, please discount my previous posts.

OK, I will put my hands up. Totally spoiled brat of an only son, of a rich father. All brand new before I was 21. The young lady was my late wife of 46 years. Herald my seventeenth birthday present, Spitfire Mk111 for doing very well in my A levels. The Sprite was a Downton Stage 3 but it had a full BMC warranty. Very fast for it's day. No year out then, but we were engaged. Judith 18 me 20 and our parents let us spend two months on the Riviera before having to knuckle down. And yes you will be pleased to hear reality was a shock when we had to pay our own bills.

The body of water to the south of where the map above says Waldron Marsh is I believe " Ranworth Flood" Now it would make a really safe and sheltered Mud Anchor place. Should you drag no harm could come. I think, that old, almost "Oxbow" would be really worth restoration. St Benetts could then become a rafting up mooring taking many more boats at the busy times.

Personally I have always thought the old river meander around Ward Marsh restored would be very nice indeed.