LadyPatricia

Sorry Matt .......... We never went past Beccles people ......... Honest

They could use this to make some waves Steve

Hi all, We thought we'd start a little blog type thingy to record our first season as boat owners on the fantastic broads. As most of you know we bought Lady Patricia last October and have done various repairs and little jobs over the winter months. Well now has come the time for us to enjoy her for the season. This will be short and sweet with a few pics thrown in of places we visit over the year. Hope you all enjoy it. 10th - 12th April We arrived at the marina around 15:00 after the usual 3hr drive. This was our first visit since Lady Patricia had been put back in after the winter work. The car was crammed with everything that will live onboard, including the new upholstery (cushions to me but Deb likes to sound 'posh') and the curtains Deb had made. After everything was unloaded and passed on to the boat it was time to find each and every bit a new home. This is easier said than done on a Norman 24 All packed away and ship shape, we decided to stay in the marina for the night as time was getting on. Nice pasty in the oven and that was dinner sorted. Woke up Saturday morning with a bit of back ache, those cushions are very hard at the moment but we did expect that from new foam. My slight figure (ok I'm a fat b*****d) will soon mould its way in to the foam and make for a better nights sleep. All other little jobs done and we decided to head to Beccles and see if we could get through the lower bridge and on to Geldeston. As we passed WRC there was a loud BANG as the side window on the cockpit roof decided it didn't want to go any further on this journey and was 'bailing out'. Luckily the canopy has 2 turn buckles that connect it to the window and the glass panel was hanging by them. Please bear in mind at this time the wind was blowing fairly strong and it was raining quite hard. Deb was a hero and on to it like a shot to make sure the panel was not lost in the blurry depths of the Waveney. What it appears had happened is that when Lady P was lifted to go back in the vibration of the crane used to lift her had shook the panel off its hinge. Neither of us had noticed and the strong wind was enough to unsettle it. Anyway we moored at the next 24hr mooring and made the required repairs. We made it to Beccles and found 8ft clearance at the bridge. Excellent, neither of us have ever been past this point before. Through we went and I must say what a fantastic stretch of river that is. By the time we got to this point the sun had come out and the wind had dropped considerably which made it even more enjoyable. We arrived at the Locks Inn and there was room on the moorings so a quick turn outside the pub and straight in to the vacant mooring. BEER TIME What a lovely pub the Locks Inn is, friendly service, good food and beer. We had a couple of pints, well I did and Deb had orange juice and lemonade, and sat for an hour or so in lovely sunshine out in the garden. We decided to go back to the boat for a while so I could inspect the inside of my eye lids before we headed back for food later in the early evening. The food was fantastic. Deb had the steak and ale pie and I had the 12oz cheese and bacon burger. Fed and watered we retired to our bed for the night. Woke up Sunday morning to a lovely low sun in the sky. Sorry we have no pictures but our phones ran out of battery and I discovered the 12v cigar socket is not working, another job on the list . Departed the moorings around 8:15 and took a steady cruise back to Somerlayton. We arrived back at around 11:30 having traveled the whole journey with the canopy down. What a lovely weekend, looking forward to many more Steve & Deb

Hi Fred, Welcome to the mad house Steve

Stick the pointy bit out of the marina in to the river a bit mate, whichever way it starts to move, that's the way to go .... Lol. In all seriousness i find it a little confusing also. I've made note of the tips given on here as well. We are going up this afternoon and back Sunday. May try and get down to Geldeston sat night Off to put those tips in to action to see if we can make it Steve

I just go with the flow mate

Should have them for your hols then . Sorted Steve

On a serious note, Iain, try these http://www.premierman.com/shop/southbay-slip-on-espadrille-wide-fit/pc448/product/details/show.action?pdBoUid=2079#colour:Navy,size: Steve Edited to supply correct link

Have a great trip Matt. The pic of The river at Brammerton looks stunning. I've got a feeling someone may be running, not literally, around the boat wiping off sticky chocolate finger prints Have a great time Steve & Deb

Deb and I would love to be there Marina but unfortunately Deb is working that weekend. No doubt we will hijack them when we see them in Somerleyton one weekend and get our guided tour Alan, hope all goes well that weekend, you guys have worked soooooo hard and we can't wait to see the finished project. Having said that I'm learning, very quickly, that work on a boat is NEVER finished Steve & Deb

And from us, although we are both working. Definately something wrong there but got to pay the bills Whatever you guys are doing ......... Have fun Steve & Deb

It would appear a couple of strategically placed small cable ties could be in order to stop any noise Steve

The final cut Steve

Thanks Alan I've actually remove the wooden toggle now and both top and botton spliced parts are connected as you would a key on a key ring Looks good, will look even better when it on the boat Steve

Best I can do It works for me Steve

Question is, what is the correct way to put them together I've tried a couple of ways but nothing "looks" right HELP !!!!! Steve

I can see both sides here but if what Strowy reports is fact then there is no argument. As long as the free car park offers disabled spaces then there should be no problem, and the council have completed their obligation to the disabled. There are various mobile aids available to those who need them. We have just had to buy my mother a lightweight wheelchair so we can take her out for days as she has issues with walking now. Mum has a blue badge but the amount of blue badge holders that feel they should be allowed to park anywhere AND free of charge is astonishing. That said, I don't believe for one minute that it was only disabled people who parked there anyway. I'm not local and suspect no signage is visible to enforce any parking restrictions. A simple sign will advise no parking is allowed, planters in place or not. Steve

See what you mean ST, an engine that bright will wear on the eyes Steve

Get yourself sorted man, almost time for the first captains blog of the season Seriously hope your back to your old self soon Steve and Deb

Without meat if the last one I tried is anything to go by. They seem to have halved the filling

Don't be silly Alan, I'm not giving her the log on details We may pop down to OB on the 11. Have to see how things go for time Steve

Geoff and Wendy, we've only got 20 odd years to go before We get the chance to spend a lot more time on the broads Dave, we will keep an eye out for you. If you hear what sounds like a cement mixer chugging along it will probably be us, I love our little volvo-penta M11D engine, means it can't hear Deb nagging while we are underway Steve

This is going to be a great year Everything is just about done on Lady Patricia, new furnishings inside and spruced up on the outside. Looking forward to meeting some of the lovely people on here on our travels and to cap it all off ive just landed myself a new job which will allow Deb and I more time on the boat. Life's GREAT Steve

Not sure which but it's "very very frightening" I'll get my coat. TAXI !!!!!!

CO alarm Smoke alarm We got one of these http://www.screwfix.com/p/fireangel-co-9d-7-year-digital-co-alarm/92361#product_additional_details_container Edited to add link