Mouldy

Here we go again! I have no doubt that some people will pay to moor there. It’s certainly one of my favourite spots on the southern rivers, but my point remains that I can’t help wondering whether the Blessed Authority will use this as a guide to the boating public’s willingness to pay mooring fees at other locations to the ones that are already chargeable. I’m guessing that payment to moor will be made in advance, so I trust that the moorings will be monitored to ensure that other boats and anglers do not occupy too much space and prevent use by those who have paid.

£10 for the first night. I wouldn’t think that too many people (other than constant cruisers) would want to stay for a second or more, especially holiday makers who will want to see as much as possible during their break.

I may be being cynical, but I can’t help thinking that the Blessed Authority will be watching the popularity of these moorings with interest. If folk don’t mind stumping up £10 a night here, how long will it be before charges are imposed at BA ones, other than where they already exist?

I’m not necessarily advocating a ‘plate piled high’ is my idea of the ultimate dining experience, but by the same token I do like more than two (small) lettuce leaves and a microscopic piece of fish or meat to be provided for a disproportionate amount of money, even if it has been artistically arranged on a plate, with a tiny jug of fancy jus. The thing is, we are all individuals and all like different things. What suits some won’t suit others. I do like the carvery at The Kings Arms, because I can add what I want to my plate and leave feeling satisfied. I never have had much of a capacity for beer - any more than a couple of pints and visits to the loo through the night become far too frequent and disturb my sleep. What makes a good meal for me is honest food that doesn’t appear to have come from the Brakes Bros catalogue and been chucked in a microwave, a decent atmosphere and something that is sensibly priced. Fortunately, there are a few pubs on The Broads that satisfy those criteria for me and they’re the one where I’ll choose to spend my pension.

Perhaps that’s where lines get crossed. We’re talking about pubs that potentially serve food and you’ve used the term ‘restaurant’ to describe The Waters Edge.

At last! A (relatively) warm, sunny day. Had the boat not been in Paul’s shed receiving some attention to a couple of leaky windows and a couple of gel coat repairs, it would have been a great day to be afloat. I didn't want to waste a dry day, albeit a bit chilly early on, so decided to get some of the accumulated crud of my car, especially as it’s going for service on Tuesday - I can feel a pain in the wallet developing already. Washed, quick wax applied and vacuumed, all ready for the inevitable rain, or deposits from the local crow population!

Don’t think I can afford to look at the menu tbh. Not sure they’re dog friendly either. I’d rather go to somewhere where I’m welcomed regardless, like The Ferry House!

I don’t think they won a lot of friends during the pandemic with the way cancellations were dealt with, or that’s the impression I got from reading so many instances of less than adequate customer care on social media. We always used to book our next Broads holiday direct with Summercraft, but Sue used to phone Hoseasons to make the booking and told them what to invoice. Not many folk used to argue with Sue! I personally haven’t booked anything through Hoseasons since 2017 and frankly have no wish to now. They’re a very different company to the one set up by James Hoseason as my last experience was not ideal, when they disputed an advertised discount and tried not to honour it.

I was thinking of these ones: https://youtu.be/F0BfcdPKw8E?si=Xm3T0wLlUFxssqpr

Which one? Alan or Steve? 😉

Ah, okay. We actually follow Helen on MS, starting on the evening of 29th March.

Where are you hiring from, Simon?

The Broads in general were much quieter than previous years last year. But the loss of the Siverline fleet obviously impacted river traffic down south, especially with tales of dire consequences of crossing Breydon that seem to proliferate on social media. I also believe that our views had been skewed by the inflated visitor numbers following the pandemic, combined with the effects of the ongoing financial situation, which did make last year look particularly bereft.

So, what’s new?

Helen! Go on, liberate a few pounds and treat yourself to a go in Xscape! I’ll make the journey from Norfolk to watch! 😉 I can’t really say too much though. Never been on skis in my life!

Humph! If I live to be 75, I’ll be grateful to still be able to walk, never mind ski! 🤦‍♂️

Life jackets aren’t fixed to the boat, so aren’t part of the BSS. If you have self inflating ones, they should be of adequate size to hold up your weight, fit correctly and ideally have a crotch strap, although some don’t. There is a ‘use by’ date on the gas canister (similar to those used in a soda siphon) that inflates the jacket when either immersed or the ‘ripcord’ is pulled. If the life jacket hasn’t been deployed, yet the canister is out of date, it and the actuator should be replaced. The jackets aren’t (as far as I know) dated, but should be replaced if damaged, but are repack-able if deployed, with a replacement gas canister and actuator. Ours are Seago branded, although others are available.

I wouldn’t wild moor on The Yare. As for The Chet, it’s too bloody narrow for most of its length and getting narrower as time passes. I’ve certainly noticed a difference over the past six years. In some places now, I doubt two craft could safely pass, the channel has become so narrow. We usually moor at Pyes Mill. We tried Chedgrave Common once, but a group of teenagers arrived with a picnic (largely alcoholic) and started having a party, accompanied by some loud music, so being grumpy old farts, we moved on! Personally, the traffic is so light on the southern rivers now that none of the BA moorings get really busy for the majority of the time, with one or two notable exceptions, those being Reedham and Bramerton when the Brundall Navy set sail.

Hmmm. I can’t help thinking that Greta will have more success shoving an elephant up the stairs than she will with trying to convince the five top polluting nations in the world that they need to reduce their emissions- China, USA, Russia, India and Japan. Somehow I can’t see the American police or the Russians taking bottles of water to climate protesters who glue themselves to the roads. Their version of sympathy would be a little less sensitive!

Have to agree with what you say about cars. My last ŠKODA, a 2 litre petrol vRS, had an issue at around 60k miles with the inlet manifold, which was made of plastic. It had worn around the fuel butterflies, consequently not functioning correctly, necessitating a repair costing in excess of £800 in 2015. About three weeks after buying my current car, some kind person left me with a broken radiator grill in a car park, whilst it was parked and unattended. Needless to say, I was not best pleased, but grateful that the damage appeared relatively minor. I contacted my local dealer to order a new grill, to be told that they were only supplied with the front bumper, cost including painting but not fitting, was over £900 (in 2017). Fortunately, I managed to get a grill from eBay and a friend who owns a body shop in Northampton took the bumper off (no mean feat in itself), carefully cut away the plastic welds holding the grill to the bumper and re-plastic weld the new one in place, total cost to me was £250. This isn’t a new thing though. Back in the 1990’s, I had a Ford Sierra Sapphire. At around three years old the rear silencer developed a hole. I tried the usual exhaust replacement specialists and was told that at the time, they weren’t available as aftermarket parts and had to be supplied by Ford. Off to the local Ford agents I went, but was horrified to be told that I’d need to replace the whole system, from the manifold back - the reason was that the original exhaust was manufactured in one piece and fitted before the rear axle was at the factory, so it was impossible just to replace the rear section. Bearing in mind that it was a Ford, it wasn’t cheap either. I seem to recall that I was relieved of around £130 for the exhaust, which was a fair chunk of money in the early 90’s (to me).

Personally, I’d like to see a reduction in the building and development around where I now live and around several other Norfolk towns until such time as the infrastructure is updated to accommodate the increase in local population. Yes, we have moved to the county, but our bungalow was built over 35 years ago and we have simply replaced the two people who originally lived here, so no nett increase. Our doctor’s surgery is overwhelmed, getting a dentist is virtually impossible, barely a week goes by without Anglian Water digging up the roads to repair a system that is not fit for purpose and suffering from under investment to modernise. As far as The Broads is concerned, I resent navigation funds being used to further NP aspirations. I do not see that more ranger patrols will promote safety generally, although they may help in busy areas to educate and protect kayakers and paddle boarders who contribute nothing financially to the BA’s coffers, most of whom are licenced by their own organisations. Our property is small - just a 2/3 bedroom bungalow on a small development about a mile and a half from the nearest town. It’s nothing special to look at and we bought it in a very dilapidated state. It was liveable, but only just. The day we moved in, my wife started to put things in a kitchen cupboard and it promptly fell off the wall! We have spent a small fortune on the place, updating everything from the gas boiler, the kitchen, bathroom, even the internal doors and garden, which was extremely overgrown and uncared for. Yes, I’m lucky, I’m retired, having spent 48 years at work since leaving school, the vast majority in the logistics industry working long, antisocial hours. I consider my position now to be one I have earned, not to which I am automatically entitled. Just as a footnote, I lived in north west London until I was 21 and had to move away to be able to afford to buy a house. Like you, there is no way that I could afford to return to live in the area of my birth and childhood, even if I wanted to. It’s just how things are.

Andrew, as a nation, the UK contributes about 1% of global emissions in total. Changing from gas to electric for cooking on boats on The Broads would have no effect in real terms. The fact is that to power electric cookers would probably entail using a generator anyway. Much is being made of becoming carbon neutral in this country, but who will tell the Chinese, whose emissions represent about 28% of the total produced (amongst others) that they will have to reduce their output of greenhouse gasses, when their whole economy is based around a manufacturing industry that makes so many of the things that we buy.

Oooh! That hurt. As an incoming suburban retiree, I resent that generalisation. I keep my boat on The Broads, spend quite a lot of my money on maintenance at a Broadland marina, spend money at Broadland businesses when onboard, whether in shops or pubs. Since moving here, we’ve spent multiple thousands of pounds with local businesses refurbishing our home. Ive been coming to The Broads for over 50 years and it was a long held ambition to move to the county when I retired. I remain extremely grateful that I will spend the remainder of my life in a county in which I feel so very comfortable and am proud to call my home.

Mmmm! Good point. But I’m quite enjoying living like a normal person after too many years of working shifts, including fourteen years of nights, long hours and starting work at times that don’t feature on a lot of people’s clocks.

Make the most of it at this time of the year, sunrises are a tad early during the summer months. 😉