Captain

Hi, What a great holiday tale thanks. I too would recommend the Thames and Kris cruisers. I quite like the later return time I believe its 9.30 for 9.45 giving you the chance to moor in Winsdor or Runneymede for the last night and pass through the locks as suggested, very thoughtful of Kris cruisers and frankly good for trade. They are also happy to fit in with your arrival time, usually after 2.00pm, they had offered to get us on earlier as it was free the week before however some horrible person 😀 booked it last minute. The lock keepers are a law unto themselves particularly out of season although I don't mean that in a nasty way, we did about a third of the locks ourselves however they were generally friendly and helpful. Some very much so, could have chatted for hours others a bit grumpy 😠 just as in all walks of life. Being electric they are relatively easy to operate although slower if you don't follow the instructions. If I remember correctly most or all of those upstream of Oxford are manual so require a little more effort. Would need a fortnight from Windsor to reach Lechlade however. Interesting to note your Pearl 38 one of originally 2 built by Cutting of Wayford Bridge, I knew it was Broads built but not where. Looks like they are still charging 1.78 for diesel which isn't too bad these days although you mention there isn't a tide as such you do have the flow of course, our return required less revs than the upstream voyage. Hopefully I will return next year although Lady Keeleigh is showing no availability suggesting they may be selling her, how dare they don't they know its my boat! Neil

Back in the early 90s when they introduced the C40 and C45 they never built a new 2 berth so I guess this was a cheaper way of doing it by just revamping the old model to suit, I suppose Barnes are doing this with the old Alpha and Aquafibre moulds. Most of the investment was going into the new flybridge range (FB) for Europe, including a 2 berth based presumably on the original 29ft hull and now seen on the Broads as Brinks Jazz, Silver Haze/Mist and Clarion, being based under Wroxham Bridge meant the Fb range couldn't be introduced to the Broads and the larger Fbs were over 13ft wide therefore wouldn't be allowed after 1993 due to the Ba size regs Neil

Andy, Waterside marine is part of Herbert woods so an internal sale. Richardsons had 20 odd Connoisseurs 10 37ft, 5 42 ft, 4 36 ft dual steers and 1 29ft dual steer. All the older centre cockpits have been sold although they subsequently bought a newer ex private C45. I quite like the centre steers particularly as they are bridge friendly and the newer one's at Woods seem to let well . The side access isn't ideal however Neil

Hi, Nice to see a traditional design brought back into service. She is one of 4 built by Porter and Haylett in 1993 and 1994, as far as I am aware the last on the original 70's mould. I don't know however whether they were new moulds or if they completely rebuilt earlier 70's or 80's moulds. They were certainly re-registered and Soaring light is the newest 1994 reg. It does amuse me that according to the blurb she needs extreme low tide to get under Beccles. I believe her actual air draft is around 6ft 8. Neil

Glad you managed to get in at Goring after all. Shame you couldn't get in at Wallingford, a lovely little town. We moored on the right hand side under the bridge coming from Windsor which I hadn't realised were public moorings in the past. Looked to be about 4 moorings on the left and 6 on the right depending on size of craft. Abingdon a little further on had the largest free moorings and back at Henley probably the most moorings overall. Very few Le boat boats appeared to be out around Easter and I wasn't impressed with the external appearance of many of the boats at what was the start of the season several looked tired with rubbing strips hanging off suggesting they hadn't had the usual end of season overhaul. Bygone boating were however immaculate including a 1965 Johnson yacht station Anglia class cruiser and believe they are adding a 50s Moorhen shortly. Which will bring the number of these beautiful woodies on hire to two with Eastwood Whelpton having one at Upton. Enjoy the rest of your stay Neil

Hi, Excellent trip update as usual. What a shame you couldn't moor at Goring, that's a lovely free mooring and location with Goring and Streatley being easily accessible. I was there in April on Lady Keeleigh and couldn't see any major issues, strange how they would wait until mid season to repair perhaps it is covid or staff related. We found water points fewer than before, my old guide suggested most locks had them whereas now it appears to be occasional and the pressure just passed Abingdon was very low. Glad Kris cruisers fit electronic water gauges and decent sized tanks so we needed fewer fill ups. They really are a good yard, very friendly and helpful even gave us Easter eggs. We had to do all the traditional engine checks which made a change as many Broads yards don't want you to go near the engine bay, didn't have any issues with the boat although one morning the very powerful heating system wouldn't start without starting the engine, suggesting the batteries were passed their best as we had done several hours cruising the day before. We couldn't complain as they has told us to start the engine before starting the heating. The boat was immaculate with proper carpets and soft furnishings and wood throughout which I like rather than the minimalist look which some yards are going for. Had a full sized cooker, decent fridge and a microwave which wasn't listed although I don't tend to use although worktop space was minimal I believe your Pearl 38 is much better in that respect, Keeleigh is a more compact boat built by Worsley craft in 1986 as confirmed by a plaque next to the dash. Looking forward to the rest of your tale. Neil

Hi Looks like some confusion here. If I am reading correctly we have two additions to the fleet. One at Horning Pleasurecraft acquired by Clive and to be named Streamway which is an Aquafibre Opal 28 built cc 1995 based on the reg with a similar layout to Royal Velvet 3. The other Little M at Richardsons Stalham with a similar design Heritage 286 mould same as an Opal however with bonded glazing therefore built post 2014. Both appear to have been acquired mid season as ex private craft presumably when they became available and the appropriate deal could be completed Neil

Hi, Just back from a week on the Thames paid between £8 Eton and £12 Henley to moor where charges applied. Most had little or no facilities however you were largely in major venues. WRC charges £25, the New Inn £15 without a refund, Ranworth island £12. They are perfectly entitled to charge what they like however it does seem strange that the Broads the affordable waterway is getting pricier than the Thames for moorings in places. I do hope the Golden Goose doesn't get shot because it's certainly suffering from shrapnel at present. Neil

Fred I don't wish to doubt the brochure you have which I am sure is the bible for bridge heights required however if this boat needs 6 ft 9 it will be stuck Martham side for most of the season. Having seen many an Elysian/Bounty 27 go through at less than 6ft 6 I would have guessed 6ft 3 might be possible although happy to be proved wrong and to be honest they tend to be the aft cockpit version I have seen go under. Still I nicely fitted craft ideal for a short breaks. Not sure about the davits at the stern though they could get in the way or cause issues at some moorings, perhaps they will be removed Neil

Interesting little boat, I have spent a long weekend under the Bridge and enjoyed every minute of it. Now that Bridge boatyard on the Fens have withdrawn Sunstar it will be the only centre steer Elysian 27 for hire in the UK. The only issue is that Bridge which isn't getting any better I wonder if it has been modified to lower its air draft, I would have thought this would be one of the taller members of the fleet, not sure what Silver Jubilee needs. As an aside I spotted Silver Jubilee 2 at Windsor/Eton recently I always wondered where no 2 went as 1 and 3 are still on hire Neil

Webntwebb, We also did the Sun offer in the 90's including Goya Girl from Summer craft, they did not like being part of the Sun offer and we received surprisingly shoddy service, the domestic water pump stayed on permanently ie was clearly faulty, the fixing method we were told to switch off, they didn't save any money as the system failed and they had to come out and replace it. I note you suggest Swan Roamer was an older boat than Autumn Willow, I believe Autumn was built in perhaps the late 70s. The Roamer in the photo dates from about 1988/89, Roamer was one of the first new build Swan boats before they started the shadow and Alpha build programme s. Neil

As far as I know all the Connoisseurs were acquired from Le Boat at the end of the 2013 season. It was publicly stated that they paid cc £1m . They subsequently sold 30 odd hire boats over the following years and 7 properties presumably to finance the acquisition. Neil

Hi Andy, Yes Rochford Essex, atleast it's brighter today but still cold. I notice that you highlight that some yards have been fairer with their price increases and offers than others who appear to have taken advantage of the recent situation Neil

Andy, Our Schools in the Rochford area broke up today so probably explains the increase in bookings. Shame about the weather, might put some off from returning. Neil

Andy, Kris Cruisers ask you to pay on departure based on usage rather than deposit which pushes the prices in favour of the Broads however if you compare August prices rather than April for Monte Carlo the difference is around £300 Inc fuel, as Richardson's have higher rates in season and relatively cheap out of season rates. There are relatively few price bands which means prices are less progressive than they used to be. Neil

I have to agree, I am also booked with Kris Cruisers for Easter. Okay the boats aren't cheap however they are immaculate quality boats they have everything you need including the towels that Brooms are making a big deal about. They haven't massively increased their prices and continue to offer early booking discounts and this in spite of having higher operating costs and licences than the Broads yards. If you look at the online availablity the boats are largely booked out with between 17 and 27 weeks gone already pretty impressive in these tough times with the foreign markets open again and I suspect somewhat better than some Broads yards and deservedly so. Neil

Webntwebb, Looks like Classic cruisers may have had the first Grp and wood sedan as they appear to date back to about 1970/1, didn't realize Flame of Light came from Thorpe as Barracuda.I believe the Silverline 27 Silver Melody from 2006 is loosely based on this design. Neil

Hi Wherry Nice, Yes that's the one, a class of about 6 according to Broadland Memories website. My Dad told me about it, everytime I told him about a new fangled design in the 70s or 80s he would claim they had a class like it in the 40s or 50s. He hired Delight, Dancing Light, various Hearts boats then Lucky Quest between 1947 and 1954 Neil

Sea Heron class, check out the Broadband memories website with photos from the 50s Neil

Hi I thought there was a sedan class in the 40s or 50s I will have to investigate further possibly Thorpe based Wards or someone similar. The beaver fleet new Generation appeared in 72/3 onwards. Bondons built 16 hire Sancerres between 77 and 80. I don't know much about Powles however they definitely built a number of private sedans in the late 70s and some Powles 33 went on hire from 77/78 as Supermores and Penton Hook Marine. Pacific cruisers had a couple. The Bounty 34 traveller also appeared in 1978 possibly on the Thames first. Neil

Am I going mad or is first boat named Albatross Hong Kong. Is it off to far flung place's? Neil

If anybody is interested the sister boat to Diamond is now at Bridge craft as London Bridge just in case they wish to hire rather than claim to be a long lost son or daughter Neil

What a shame about Bittern. I hired her 3/4 times including spending an entire long weekend under Potter and would happily do the same. I never forget that weekend, spent a night or more at Catfield staithe watching a kingfisher fish from the bow unfortunately no photos as I didn't want to scare it and Bittern did bobble around a bit. The River to Catfield was so narrow I believe she was touching the reeds both sides at one point. She did catch the wind a little however one person could turn her round on the ropes at Catfield and Horsey. I always thought she was tightly restricted on speed until I realised you could push past the spring resistance on the lever and engage warp drive in an emergency. This I appreciated when I was day dreaming and nearly got T-boned by the Southern Comfort my fault entirely, applied warp the bow lifted up and I avoided becoming Southern's tender. A great little boat and the last Sheerline cruiser spec you can hire overnight. As to Potter I don't remember it needed more than 6 ft so not a great deal more than Marthams fleet and personally I would happily stay under Potter and enjoy the peace. Neil

Hi I agree that Richardson's have sold/withdrawn about 15 classes at the end of last season plus 1 other boat however according to my calcs that is about 29/30 boats as Andy has suggested Acapulco X2, Blue Horizon x1 Blue Gem X 1, Antigua x1, Challenger X 4, Clear Horizon X 4, Jamaica X 1, Mermaid X 1, Monarch x1, Pearl X 1, Pink Champagne, San Bernardette, Superior Gem X5, Trinidad, Southern Gem X 2, Voyager, White Champagne, On the plus side they have added 5 second hand boats in the past year or so plus I believe Andy mentioned about possibly 1 new boat Neil

I agree both the Hoseasons and Silver line websites exclude these three Alphas as far as I can see. I wasn't aware that Eclipse was going particularly as it's 6 years newer than Mirage however Mirage was refitted in 2018 therefore may have been in better condition. Neil