LadyPatricia

Congrats Clive, I have 3 girls, now 19, 21 & 24. The older they get the more expensive they get Steve

Deb bought a whole cake to take back to her Mum and Dad who we were going to drop in to on the way home. They left the cake on a plate for her and told her to bring it back next time, which of course we will. She said she thinks she must have at least one plate in every county Lovely, friendly service

If you mean Rosie Lees tea room Grace then it is still there and one of the best full English breakfasts on the broads We regularly hired from Pacific Cruisers so that was our breakfast sorted on before the drive home. Steve

Just think of that lovely cruise down the Chet, what a lovely picture to have in your head on those journeys home we all hate Steve

Just a quick update, We used two old boards from the cabin as a template to cut the new ones. The only issue was we had to cut the old old one before we left the marina to fit them in the van to get them home. 2 x 8ft long panels were not going to fit in my caddy Having got them home we ordered some WBP ply and got to work cutting them out. Once done we returned to the boat on our next weekend off to fix the plain panels up just to see if they fitted ok. With a little bit of trimming here and there we got all panels up (see pic) Next we chose and ordered the headlining. We went to Hawke House on the recommendation of Alan (JawsOrca) and I must say what a helpful team they have down there, all my question about this little project were answered. At the moment our living room resembles a workshop as I've started to cover the panels. A pic of my very first attempt is attached both front and back. We went for foam backed lining and my fingertips are suffering from peeling off the foam around the edges Our plan is to head up to the marina next weekend and fit all the panels and the trim so I better get on and cover the other 7 panels Steve

Good luck with it all Alan Deb and I would have loved to be there for the re naming but as you know we have loads to do on lady Patricia and time is of the essence. Looking forward to seeing pics and the video though Steve

Thanks Alan, The pic was just to show what I was thinking. We've not looked at any specific units yet but if we do decide to go down that route then force4 will be a def point to call in on. I think for this season we will use strowy's suggestion with the inverter Steve

Thanks Strow and Alan. DAB is all we want, we've said right from the start that we will never put a TV on the boat. A little music and the art of conversation is all we will need. Either that or Deb will be reading her kindle and I'll be outside fishing The only reason I was thinking about the socket Alan was to avoid having to leave a door or window open if the weathers not too good. Strow I already have a 300w inverter i use in my van so may just take that aboard when we go - good idea, I never even thought of that Steve

Hi all, We are wanting to fit shore power to our little Norman. Usage will only be for a DAB radio and charging phones when moored up overnight. What we want to do is purchase one of these wall sockets and mount it to the external part of the cabin bulkhead somewhere near the helm position. Then inside the cabin (just the other side of the bulkhead) wire in one of the extension leads with a built in circuit breaker through the bulkhead and into the socket The question is, is it safe and will there be any issue with a boat safety test? Also if it will work and be ok is it the 32A version we will need. Steve & Deb

Thanks for all the kind comments all. I won't tell Deb until she's finished the whole lot

Hi Alistairr, welcome from Deb and myself. We started hiring about 5yrs ago and the very first boat we hired was Brinks Omega. We had a fantastic week on her and fell in love with boating holidays over that week. Omega has an air draft of 8.6 so you will need to check bridge heights on the Ant at Ludham ( we had spring tides on that holiday and couldn't get under ) and if you do venture through Great Yarmouth. In those 5 years we progressed to 3 holidays a year, yes 3, and in October last year we decided to purchase our own boat. Just a small one but for the cost of the 3 holidays each year we can keep our boat and use it whenever we are free One thing is for sure, you WILL catch the 'bug'. Steve

Just had to let you all know Deb decided she was going to make the new curtains for our boat. This is her very first attempt at doing anything like this. After buying a sewing machine, fabric and lining fabric she set about it today Now I may be a little bias, but, I think she has done a great job on the first attempt. Pictures attached of the front and back. Obviously not gathered properly yet, we will do that when we put them up on the boat. Steve

Absolutely nothing, and if feel soory for all the people who are conned every year in to paying silly prices on a set day. I have a lovely wife and I make sure she knows how much I love her 365 days a year. I always thought a valentine was a 'mystery' admirer. How has it got to the state it has today. If your girlfriend/wife is a mystery admirer then there is something drastically wrong Steve

These any good? http://www.force4.co.uk/department/safety/life-jackets/accessories-lights-re-arm-kits/force-4-standard-crutch-strap.html#.VNp1D2IgGSM

Alan, I was in Force 4 today and looked at ropes. I liked the feel of the braid ones. Really strong but also really soft to hand. 2 x ready spliced 8m ropes are about £39. Not sure how much 12m would be Steve

Just an update, and some info should anyone be interested. I was working down near Hamble today, just outside Southampton. I'd finish my job down there and was driving back minding my own business when, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a large sign for Force 4 chandlery......... Well, it would have been rude not to Anyway to cut a long story ( and a long look round the shop ) short we are now proud owners of 2 new automatic life jackets. http://www.force4.co.uk/department/safety/life-jackets/automatic-life-jackets/seago-auto-lifejacket-without-harness-navy.html#.VNpsHmIgGSM I have to say the staff in there are absolutely fantastic. The young man who served me was polite and extremely knowledgable. Anyway, I bought 2 of the life jackets and received a £10 discount for buying 2 so if anyone is in the market for new jackets keep these guys in mind Steve

Sorry Iain, Deb and I will have to buy you an orange juice then when our paths eventually cross on the lovely playground that is the Norfolk Broads

What it really means Grace - Iain has had one too many

Dave, I work for the lot who do the tills in M&B establishments Steve

Dave Do you work for M&B? I'm assuming you do with a staff discount Steve

Try here http://www.screwfix.com/p/fireangel-co-9d-7-year-digital-co-alarm/92361?kpid=92361&cm_mmc=Google-_-Product%20Listing%20Ads-_-Sales%20Tracking-_-sales%20tracking%20url&kpid=92361&cm_mmc=Google-_-Shopping%20-%20Security-_-Shopping%20-%20Security&gclid=CPTBxYnMtMMCFSYUwwodGaUA3w Great little unit, small enough to take wherever you travel Steve

Hope these establishments can come out of this without the need to close, even if it's short term closures. You have to feel for the management and staff when these things happen. Let's hope they continue trading Steve

Thanks Ian. We will just display the minimum 90mm letter and numbers on the stern. This means we can move it to a different area on the stern Are you insinuating that Alan attracts attention when out on the rivers. Seems strange you are out and about for 4 years, yet you let him loose for a week and all hell breaks loose ( only kidding Alan ) Steve

Evening all Very quick, and probably easy, question for you. Where do you HAVE to display your boats registration mark? I ask as our boat has it on port and starboard towards the bow of the boat and another on the stern of the boat. Will I be breaking any rule / law if I remove the one on the stern? Thanks in advance Steve

Well the call to the marina never bore any fruit. Unfortunately we will put it down to experience and move on with life. A lesson learned on our ever increasing learning curve of boat ownership. From this day forward one of us will ALWAYS be there when she is lifted. There is no way we could ever prove one way or another when these bits of damage occurred. Luckily I don't think it will hit the pockets too deeply. I will say that even after this little hiccup we are very happy with the way we have been looked after. The bits of work carried out by them so far have been done well and communication has always been good. This was never going to be about 'naming and shameing' just advice on the best way to deal with it. Thank you for those who sent PM's. What a great bunch of people frequent this forum Steve