Captain

This is a great shame, it looked like they had potential for growth and a very good operation although after they built up a fleet of 11 boats to then sell most of them off to build a new fleet was a little optimistic in such a short space of time. I don't want to sound to mercenary however let's hope the moorings and facilities can be saved perhaps by Pedro s Neil

I have to agree regarding the regimented operations, beautiful boats immaculately maintained however I hired Silver Coral this year for the first time and you had to park within an allotted millimetre space and have to comply with the procedures or else, I not sure what happened if you brought the boat back 5 minutes late! I jest however Swancraft nextdoor we're similar in many respects. Only Silver line and Bridge craft left who look after the boats in similar manner although personally I prefer Pacific, the boats are not quite as shiny however they are more flexible and laid back and personal, each to their own I suppose. Neil

Hi, I think Alpha bought the Wilds moulds about 1976/7, this particular P&H boat appears to date from around 1977, I believe a few were built around 77-79 just as they were staring to build the Connoisseurs, certainly 2/3 went on to join Richardsons for a period before they were retired from hire. Presumably therefore these were Alpha moulds at the time. Alpha didn't build there own split canopy until 1992 (Alpha 29/35) which was probably in response to the Aquafibre 28 Opal which started in 1989, also some the little Sheerlines had dual slides as well; not sure whether that was option back in 87 when they started however. I am still not sure if the Porter and Haylett boat was the pioneer though as there were several weird and wonderful designs in the 60's and 70's many of which were one offs. Neil

I recently watched one of Russell's VLOG's (The Admiral) where he paid £12 for mooring at WRC (June 19) however he received a full refund as he was on a hire boat (showers etc would be payable however). My understanding was that boatyards who are members of the broads hire boat federation have to offer to some free moorings to each others member boats as a reciprocal arrangement. Neil

Hi allowing for inflation £1 in 1977 equates to something like £6.50 in 2019 therefore it looks like the current overnight mooring fees at Yarmouth, Norwich etc are roughly double what they should be? I don't normally moor at yacht stations, perhaps the facilities have improved? Neil

Hi, I have never moored at Ranworth Island although it does look like a nice if a little pricey spot, have to agree with Matt though that Womack is a bargain. Litter facilities, pretty location with plenty of wildlife, public toilets, water and easy access to the village/pub shops etc for £3.00 one of the best value paid for moorings on the Broads, only problems are its popularity which goes with the territory and I understand from recent users that the water tap is a little slow. Neil

Hi, She is a nice looking boat, ex private however previously at Herbert Woods who completely refitted her cc 2008 and originally at Harbour Cruisers cc 1986. One of only three of this type of boat still on hire. Neil

Hi, I believe about 30 were built by Beaver Fleet most of which ended up in France although Richardson's and Crown cruisers had some back on the Broads in the 80s and 90s. What amazes me is the 73 Blake's brochure states will not normally go under Potter Heigham bridge. I appreciate there was more clearance back then however to suggest it had even a slim chance of going under takes some believing. Being a fixed sedan roof boat with a square ish shape it must be a lot lower than it looks or perhaps as it was a new design they weren't sure how tall it was going to be. Neil

I note Jocelyn appears to have replaced Judith 4 which no longer appears on the website. I wonder what is going to happen to her. Neil

Wow! This is great news and I am very tempted to hire. My family's first boat hired on the Broads was Delight in 1947 although I am not sure which one. My understanding is that 4 of the Delights were rebuilt to become Jocelyn class in the late 50s/early 60s by Martham. Therefore I may have the chance to hire a related boat dating from the 30s although after the rebuilds/refits I think it is something akin to Triggers broom all be it a very nice one! Neil

Hi Broads 01, Martham Ferry are an interesting little boatyard which as you say used to have a cruiser hire fleet. I believe they operated 5/6 boats at one stage including 4/5 Horizon 35's Triton and Tranquil Breeze and a Bounty 27 Elysian now at Barnes plus two houseboats. In the latter years they even operated a unique Alpha 38 called Ferryman which was a shortened version of the Alpha 42 Rapide/Concorde lowliner dual steer boats. I imagine they must have had fun trying to get that through Potter even in the 90's. More recently the King family (ex Ferry Boatyard Horning) bought and developed the yard building holidays homes and a new boat shed on the site which was falling down if I remember correctly. I don't know when they acquired the yard however It must be atleast 5-10 years ago and a varying day boat fleet has been offered for some time. Most of the current fleet is recently acquired, they did build a number of Ensign 21s and had a couple of ex Pacific day boats at one stage although boats move between the recently acquired Wayford Marina. In the past Jumbo was also offered for hire which was an earlier version of Appollo and some electric day cruisers from HW. Olivers sailing hoildays operate 2 yachts from the yard although I don't know whether Martham Ferry own these as they marketed separately, of course back in the 60-80's the Cresta sailing fleet (12+ yachts?) operated here but thats another story. Neil

Okay so in addition to the three I mentioned we have Bridgecraft, Freedom and possibly NBD so at atleast 6 yards therefore I don't think you will have too much of a problem. Good luck Neil

Hi, You need to approach the yards directly. The agents such as Hoseasons don't allow it however some yards do if booked direct. I know Richardson's and Herbert Woods don't and I thought NBD (Faircraft) didn't however I have just watched Russell the Admiral vlogs confirm they do , atleast in his case. So a call to any yard other than the two mentioned above is probably worth a try. As mentioned by others, Barnes, Pacific and Martham definitely do Neil

Grendel, I believe the Silver Jubilee's, Juliette, one of the Judith's and Tumble home have recent Nannis. The remainder are good old fashioned Bmcs or similar.like you I hired Janet and I was told it had a London taxi engine! Neil

Hi, I keep a spreadsheet monitoring the bookings of three hirefleets for the past 4/5 years and the biggest change I have noticed this year isn't so much fall in bookings (although they are), its that the school holiday periods are significantly lower. In the past the school holidays were some of the first periods to be booked and you could almost guarantee that the bulk of a fleet if not all would out. Bookings for August are only just starting to pick up. One fleet with 22 boats has only 9 boats out for late August vs double that for a week in September. On a positive note bookings for May are up on last year and September is looking promising. What is worrying for the yards will be the reduction in revenue from the high season (upto double off peak) and the discounting taking place. It would certainly appear that family groups are holding back this year on a scale I have never seen before, not sure whether its down to Brexit/the weather or high season rates (all of the above) as bookings outside of peak are still solid for the yards I have reviewed. Neil

Hi the sheds on the left are Ernest Collins and became Barnes Sailloft property and the mooring in front, in the far centre you have Jack Powles. Presumably this photo was taken cc 1980 based on the boats and sheds remaining. Great to see these photos seems like yesterday. Before my time however I believe Powles used to be on left and Collins on the right back in the 50s/60s Neil

Herbert Woods also provide a detailed map or atleast did when I used to hire with them Neil

Thanks Chris, I remember a yacht a called Welcome being moored in front of us in Langley Dyke a few weeks back and thinking how beautiful she looked not appreciating that she had just been relaunched. Great to read the history and effort s that have gone into her. Neil

I remember mooring like that as well, what I don't remember is how we got off, jumping off the bow and paddling perhaps, I don't remember getting wet perhaps we did back then or am I being really thick? Neil

Indeed, great looking boats particularly as they are upto 42 years old. What was the first boat I saw after typing the above at Holywell another Sancerre on the Goba mooring! Neil

Hi, Currently on the Fens, loads of Broads boats around including atleast 6 Bondons Sancerres seen so far including 4 at St Neots alone. Plenty of Sheerlines, a new Starlight 24 apparently bought from a boat show, masses of Broom/Ocean 30's . Horizon 35 and old Broads boats Inc what looked like a Brinks 35 footer Bourne 35 Sorry off topic but I have never seen so many Sancerres in one place. Neil

Hi As David has stated above there are three Commander types according to the Richardson's website Commander, Commander A and P. I am also fairly certain the two new builds for 2019 are ready as I saw Commander 5 in the yard a week or so back outside the office. no.1 & 2 were built in 17, No. 3 in 18 and 4/5 in 19. I am not sure whether any more are planned as I believe a new sedan boat is due later in the year. Neil

Hi, I am a bit of an anorak when it comes to boat bookings, interestingly the overall booking weeks are quite good compared to previous years however the weeks that are down are peak periods, school holidays etc. September is doing well yet in July/August some boats are aren't out at all! Therefore suggests its familys who aren't booking. Certain boats are out come what may (ex Swan boats). The yards wont be liking this as the big money is made in the school holidays, out of season bookings are never going to make up for in season rates. Neil

I have hired three similar Alpha 35s Jade Emblem, Swan Romance and Braemore all needed about 6ft 10 at Potter according to the pilot and I failed to get under therefore I am afraid you will be very lucky to get through. Wroxham shouldn't be problem unless the tides are very high however. Similar but shorter Swan Reflection is a couple of inches lower and Brinks Encore, Broom Bolero, Silver Coral all need about 6ft 6 if you want to hire similar style of boats in the future with slightly better chances. Neil

Sanderson's are one of the few remaining long established family run yards on the Broads and I wish them all the best for the future. I think it's possible to just about manage a very small independent yard on the Broads however you have to build a regular base of customers and a good reputation with regular investment, if they follow the Pacific cruisers model they should have a future. If they're not prepared to change a little then the market may not be there I sorry to say. Neil