Mouldy

Just seen an advert on FB offering up to 20% off Le Boat boating holidays in 2024. Seems a novel concept - wonder if it will catch on over here?

Careful. It’s difficult to pass a chandlers without buying something when you’ve just bought your first boat!

Might be stating the obvious, but there’s only one way to find out! 😁

Sorry Gracie. It’s still October and I don’t care if the lights are up in every ruddy town in the country, it’s still more than two months to 25th December, so forgive me, but I will give no thought to the Yo-Ho-Ho until December arrives. In the meantime, I shall consider any mention of the C word as abusive language! 😉😁

I couldn’t hire it even if I could afford it. The Ant and The Chet are two of my favourite rivers. I know sometimes that we cannot pass under Ludham Bridge in Norfolk Lady if the river levels are too high, but we can still access everywhere else that the airdraft allows, including Rockland, Surlingham and the others that are prohibited due to the beam of some boats.

Congratulations on joining the empty wallet club! I hope it brings you as much fun and pleasure as Norfolk Lady has brought us!

Sorry to hear of your loss, Smoggy. I lost my mum last year and have yet to deal with some of the things we found amongst her possessions - they’re still in storage whilst I drum up the enthusiasm and frame of mind to tackle the task. Maybe when I’ve finished decorating our living room . . . . . .

Barnes redeveloped the Diamond 35 to become Serenade. They have a few and I see them frequently, but they must surely do their research before building other designs, like a flybridge that won’t pass under Wroxham Bridge. If folk wanted a low, sliding canopy style, would they not have built more and not invested in other flybridge designs. Why do we drive different designs of cars, hatchbacks, estates, SUV’s, 4x4’s, convertibles? Is that not choice? Surely, this is about choice. Talking about what suited in the past, isn’t applicable in today’s society. We no longer wander along the garden path to the privy with a few sheet of torn up newspaper, or sit in front of a fire in a tin bath. Times change and with them, people’s expectations. Even glamping has gone upmarket, with sites opening all over the place - even at festivals like Glastonbury, where the expectation was to wallow in mud and queue for hours to use an over full portaloo! Good idea, if the infrastructure for electric power was there and being developed. I sat at Ranworth a few weeks ago listening to generators running on two of the new Barnes Preludes and the noise was very distracting. Until proper facilities exist, The Broads are better off without this technology, unless something can be done to silence the generators. And, yes, there may be all those moorings the wrong side of Wroxham Bridge, but with high river levels happening so often through the year, how often would they prevent passage to access them even with boats like the Connoisseur range that were designed with that Bridge foremost in the mind of the builders. Even Ludham Bridge is becoming problematic for many, even craft based at the yard on the upper reaches of The Ant. I think we have to face the fact that unless something is done to control river levels, the situation will get worse. Our tastes and habits have changed over the years. We generally expect certain levels of accommodation when we go on holiday and I believe the most of the yards try to fulfill the requirements of a broad spread of the holidaymaking public by offering many styles of boat at vastly differing prices. What they can’t do is offer catered, all inclusive packages with guaranteed sunshine that so many of us Brits now seem to crave.

Can’t agree with excessively wide - let’s be fair, many boat classes have had a 12ft beam since the late sixties. As for height, maybe folk want to look over the reeds, rather than at them. A flybridge style cruiser offers the hirer superior views from the upper helm and still gives the weather protection afforded by a ‘bathtub’ in inclement weather. As for boats being built to accommodate fewer people, if there wasn’t a demand, surely folk wouldn’t hire them. Agreed, folk hiring craft with a high airdraft are denied the access to the upper reaches of The Bure, The Ant, The Thurne and The Waveney, but that is surely a matter of choice. There can be no denying that river levels have generally increased over the last few years. Even Connoisseur style cruisers that used to be based above Wroxham Bridge and were usually able to pass under it, are frequently unable to do so now. It does make me wonder what a new boat design would look like, if it were made to easily negotiate bridges at Wroxham and Potter. There are mooring opportunities for hirers in Wroxham/Hoveton, it’s moorings for privateers that are sadly lacking. The biggest factors affecting Broads holidays at the moment must surely be the cost, when compared to cheap foreign travel and the cost of living. Ferry’s ‘all inclusive’ pricing policy may be an issue, making a break on one of their boats look artificially expensive when compared to other yards. If I were still hiring, they wouldn’t even get consideration from me, because I like to pay for the fuel I use, not what I leave in the tank at the end of a holiday.

Saw some photos on FB and it was very damp - maybe 18” deep on the lane to the pub etc.

Looking at the weather, the wind direction isn’t forecast to change until Tuesday, so the river levels could increase yet. Just seen a post on FB stating that clearance at Ludham Bridge is just over 7ft (indicated) and the concrete sills are underwater, backed up with a photo.

It’s not often that we find ourselves stepping up onto the bathing platform on the southern rivers, yet with over two hours until high tide at Bramerton Common, this is the river level. Its cool, especially in the wind, but otherwise a lovely day, especially considering the torrential downpours last night.

Irstead or Neatishead.

NBD no longer allow private craft to moor there and Barnes make a charge. If I remember correctly, it’s £8 during the day and £15 overnight.

Wasted a day of good weather yesterday, due to a pre-booked trip with the wife, to Milton Keynes. The time has come for me to start decorating our living room - a job I’ve been putting off for a few weeks, but really do need to crack on and get it done, so a visit to IKEA to organise some furniture was needed. Whilst in MK, we went to another furniture retailer to order two new sofas, so not a wasted day, but a waste of some unseasonably warm, sunny weather. I rewarded myself with a trip out on the bike today and headed for Ranworth. I fancied a decent coffee at The Granary, watching the comings and goings on the broad. It was not to be, sadly - their coffee machine was out of order, so my plan dashed. I knew that the cafe at Acle Bridge was closed for the winter, so headed for Potter instead. A bag of chips from Nippy Chippy appealed, but they were closed when I arrived. A sign in the window said they were reopening on 12th October. I did consider stopping in Hoveton, but the traffic was horrendous, with roadworks on Norwich Road causing huge issues in both directions. Fortunately, being on a bike, I was able to filter through, saving a lot of time. Oh and my quest for a cup of coffee ended at the Golden Arches at Thickthorn Roundabout. The coffee wasn’t of the required standard, but my ride in the autumn sunshine was a real treat.

You’ve met our dog then?

I understand that repairs to the quay heading at Ranworth will entail digging up more of the moorings to repair the damage caused. Obviously, doing this now would further restrict available space, so the repairs are being held off until the end of the season.

We took Moonlight Shadow down there when we were on board back in April. EW had a few boats in, but we spun MS round in the dyke and reversed in. We wanted to eat at The White Horse, but when I tried to book a table, it was quiz night and they were fully booked. Got a table booked at The Lion instead, so sadly, we haven’t managed to eat at the Upton White Horse this year.

We hired a 45ft version back in 1995. I think they are great boats, but let down now by a lack of maintenance. I don’t mind the side door - it allows independent access to all of the other cabins, without passing through any. As Neil said, the engine is quiet at the helm, it’s just noisy to everyone following! Have a great time!

We’ve just had spring tides, so the river levels may settle down a bit by this weekend. Depends on the weather too, but don’t give up hope yet!

That is indeed the boat that was seen and deemed to be fire damaged a few weeks ago. Not sure what the plan is - it hasn’t even been fitted with an engine!

Sorry to have missed you again, Simon. We’re just heading back to the marina. It’s the Moonlight Shadow AGM tomorrow, so we need to be home to get ready for it. Thinking about staying overnight and trying The White Heron this evening and going home in the morning. Not sure yet. Have a great week! Currently on spring tides - very high today. Just passing Cantley at 10:45 and the water has already overtopped, with 2.5 hours until high water!

Shame she doesn’t look like that these days. Along with Summercraft and one or two others, they certainly had a distinctive and easily recognisable livery, albeit one that’s not easy to disguise if the craft ever went into private ownership.

Hybrid? Please don’t suggest more ruddy hybrids. We were sat at Ranworth yesterday (and yes, I grudgingly paid my £5). It was all quiet and peaceful, save for the thrumming of a not too quiet generator on one of the new Brinks Preludes. If this is the future of boating, I don’t like it! 😡

No, sadly. I was talking to Clive and thought it inappropriate. Externally, it looks exactly the same as the ‘private’ one he finished earlier in the year, with a grey hull and white superstructure. There are a few pictures on FB.