vanessan

I think they tend to open up weekends from May to September. However, if they are working on the Mill during the week they sometimes open up then on an informal basis. If the sails are turning, they are open.

I meant also to recommend Hardley Mill as a good mooring. If you are lucky enough to get there when the Mill itself is open, it is well worth a look.

The water still tends to flow down the Bure for about half an hour after low water slack so you can leave it later. That way you get a good flow up the Yare or Waveney when you have crossed Breydon.

By the way, it probably needs the experience of an arthritic drunk 63 year old to guide the willing and fit teenager!

I don’t think anyone has tried to tell Clive how to run his business, after all he has one of the most successful hire boat businesses on the Broads! It’s all been an exchange of views on the recent changes. With regard to age, Ricardo is absolutely right to say that people don’t suddenly become responsible on reaching 18. There’s that saying - growing older is obligatory, growing up is not.

As marshman has said, Clive Richardson has maintained that the move is to bring things in line with Hoseason’s booking conditions. In that case we maybe should expect the following boatyards to follow suit in due course: Bridgecraft, Brooms, Sandersons, Barnes, Summercraft and Faircraft. It is a sad thing that everything we do these days can be subject to litigation. I know a couple of folk who would jump on the bandwagon as quick as they could if they saw an opportunity. Some actually go out actively looking for such opportunities. I have every sympathy for anyone injured in an accident, particularly if it was not their fault, and there is certainly a place for warranted lawsuits. Having had someone run into the back of our car a few years ago, I was astounded at the number of telephone calls we got trying to make us claim for injury where there was none. 14 on one day alone and the calls went on for 2 years!! It is this sort of ambulance chasing that should be stamped on. Back to the thread. From hirers I have spoken to and things I have read, it does seem to me that in a lot of cases better trial runs should be given. Whether the ‘instructors’ should have qualifications or not I don’t have a particular view on but hirers should not be released until both they and the instructor are confident all is well. How you standardise that across the industry I don’t know. Sadly solo helms and single parents are perhaps just the first entities to suffer, others may follow.

There is always the ‘sad’ icon, that could convey a variety of different things. No, we definitely do not need a ‘boring’ icon.

I don’t think you could ever ‘waste’ two days cruising. The scenery leaves a little to be desired between Stokesby and GY and on the other side but it’s all part of the trip imo. As Crooky has already booked with BB, planning the trip from Wroxham will be part of the enjoyment. I always think that the anticipation and planning is great fun - even if you don’t stick to that plan! I have to agree with what others have said about Norwich YS, a visit to the city is well worth while. Have a good holiday Crooky and be sure to come back and tell us all about it.

Isn’t that racist?

Try walking through Dover town centre. Sometimes I think they get off a ferry (or from the underside of a truck) and do not bother to try and get any further! I can imagine what areas of Spain and other places are like, walk down the road and all you hear are English voices.

Lesser spotted or greater spotted?

Probably around midday, it was scraping the gravel around and getting into nooks and crannies before flying off. Casing the joint perhaps?

The cathedral webcam is up and running for 2018, there has already been a peregrine showing interest in the location. http://upp.hawkandowl.org/norwich-peregrines/norwich-cathedral-peregrine-live-web-cam-2018/

Thank you FairTmiddlin for the destructions, I will have another go. Only problem is my smartphone was not actually showing an enter button. Not so smart after all!

£5 will last you a while, we usually find something left on a post anyway from the previous occupier. If there isn’t, your £1 will probably leave something for the next boat along. Swings and roundabouts as they say. Hardley Mill is one of the loveliest spots to moor, watching the Brundall trundle on a Friday afternoon is interesting, I wonder if we will see Independence in the procession................

If you have the new cards, they should be ok. I don’t think they have an expiry date on them unlike the ones from 2016 which became defunct in Feb/Mar last year. As has been confirmed, Hardley Mill posts take the BA cards.

The problem with the M2, M20 and A2 is the amount of lorries they carry. Any repair is gouged out again really quickly together with more of the remaining road. The A2 at the Lydden lights is dire and avoiding the holes impossible because of the lorries, try and slalom them at your peril! I think I would rather have the NDR.

Road resurfacing? How lucky are you up there in Norfolk. Down here in Kent we have potholes with a bit of road connecting them! I was listening to the radio earlier today, an article about road repairs. Apparently someone watched a truck drive up to a large hole, two guys got out and filled the hole (which had an empty tin can in it) with tarmac (yes they left the tin can in it!), stamped the tarmac in with their size 11s, got back in the truck and moved on. Close a road for 2 weeks to do things properly - not down here in Kent!

I think all will be clear soon Smoggy, a mod will probably clarify for you.

I said ‘such exchanges should be for members only’, in fact it would be better if those sort of exchanges didn’t happen at all!

Ricardo, my post was definitely not a dig at you. I was wondering where such a post (the original one) would be best and I haven’t come up with an answer to that yet. Members only would probably be more appropriate but it is not exactly ‘chat’ so maybe not there. I had in fact started a suggestion topic to see if anyone had any bright ideas but have not continued it for one reason or another. The fact that the thread deteriorated was in no way your fault, you could not have foreseen what was going to happen. You had many members (including myself) asking you to reconsider, all that in open forum was good as it showed the outside world how we really are. Then it all went horribly wrong and I am sad that happened for all to see. Such exchanges should be for members only imo. I hope that explains my thinking and please accept my apology if you think I was having a go at you. This has happened in part I think because we currently have a lack of mods. I hope this can be rectified in the short term.

It’s not the powers that be Smoggy, just the area for full members which I still think would have been more appropriate. The fact that the original thread deteriorated somewhat makes me think that even more.

How great to see Simon’s post but it is sad that he has had to edit it 20 times before posting. I think that says a great deal about how the forum is being seen by many at this time and we have to remedy that asap IMO. If we don’t, then we are going to lose the opportunity to welcome more members. I do think this thread would have been better posted under the members only forum, posters sniping at each other on open forum is not good. However, that’s by the by and the damage is done. I hope all involved can now put all this behind them and agree to disagree or at least give themselves time to cool off. Simon - thank you for posting as you did, welcome to the forum.

Not just that area I’ll bet!

That’s horrendous. I know there are many stories out there following the serious weather conditions we have had but I missed this one completely. Thanks to Helen for posting it.