TheQ

This was one of three Cruiser starts each lunch time, I think someone is over the line ( the yellow triangle in the distance, from a triangle just behind the camera.

This was during one of the races on the Saturday or Sunday on Black horse broad taken from the other end of the broad, the boats are at the Horning end.

And sadly we don't provide many obstructions some times, this was the only entry into the Watermans trophy this year ( you must earn your living on the rivers and broads, eg sailmaker, river ranger, boatyard worker)

Sometimes there are little obstructions in the river

That broads authority statement includes a lie... The water on the broads is not always cold. I can assure you that putting you hand into the water on black horse broad on a hot sunny day you will find the water warm. Well what would you expect with an almost enclosed body of dark water in the sunshine. Aside from that you would expect the broads authority to say no swimming, because if someone did something stupid and swam in the wrong conditions or weren't a competent swimmer. You can guarrentee someone would try to sue the BA..

Tuesday, Morning routine as per above, Then out to the river to the first corner for the first series, then as as usual dydlers mill end for the rest of the day. Had a couple of private boats totally ignore me the helmsmen stared straight ahead and refused to acknowledge I was there, and proceeded to drive down stream 20 to 30ft out from the bank. Later on I spoke to a hire boat which was ou from the bank and travelling rapidly, they went into the bank for a bit, but then proceeded to do figure eights through the fleet. Giving the finger to a rescue boat further down. The boat number was taken and the boat yard said they would have words when they returned. The evening event was a quiz night and do your own BBQ, (equipment supplied) which was very successful, we ran out of chairs people were digging chairs out from all sorts of hidy holes on boats, 19 teams of about 6 people each plus others not taking part. Wednesday A quiet day up the mill end until the wind got stronger, then I had two capsizes at the same time, both lasers, both young ladies, a few feet from each other. Once we had fished one from the river, the other didn't get her feet wet. getting two boats upright and under tow was difficult until assistance arrived. Also one of them needed her inhailer which was of course back in the club house The evening do was a bingo and hog roast night, again very successful, and there was plenty of loverly crackling. Thursday A very quiet at' mill, except for me shouting at boats, no rescues to do. Which was just as well, as we as usual for the Thursday we have a lot more boats. Thursday is the traditional day, spoons are awarded, Tea spoon for third, middle spoon for second, and table spoon for first these you keep. Returnable are however are individual trophies awarded for and on the day, where as most other trophies are for the week and awarded at the end of season prize giving in October. The evening do was a disco, and diy BBQ again, as I have never been TO a disco and at 57 still have my hearing, I went home, so how good it was I have no idea. Friday, I had to get up a bit earlier to be at the club for the usual morning routine. So off to my normal patrol areas, But there was very little wind and a strong tide, the boats arrived slowly and then turned were often slower. Leading to a build up of motorboats following the boats down stream. Opposite to the normal instruction one of the rescue boats down had to ask the motorboats to go through a gap in the middle of the river to clear the traffic jams. During the chaos a maximum size richos boat somehow managed to get its nose into a small dinghy dyke leaving nearly 30ft of boat sticking into the narrowest bit of the river. But the helmsman managed to extract himself before I got there to help. At the end of racing for the week are two more races, starting just after 5pm for novices and a junior races. The very last boat in gets a double cannon firing. During the last bit of rescue boat duty I got thoroughly soaked by back wash from a motorcruiser. After that it's glasses time, during the week you build up points for each race, once you get a certain about of points you get a glass. The number of point you need depends on how many races you can compete in. If you are really persistant you can win two glasses.. I am grateful to one club member who gave me one of his glasses for doing rescue boat duty.. After this we normally have water frolics, several silly games for the children where they get very wet. They were cut short as we were running very late but by this time I had gone to the landrover to get into dry clothes. So I became the only Kilted rescue boat driver the club or probably the broads has seen. The evening do was a Jamaican event, jerk chicken, rice and beans. With the spangles steel band. Again it went well and I enjoyed the band and food. They finished with American patrol(Glenn miller) which was strange but worked. I forgot to mention that on Monday as I was picking up the bouys at then end of the day I told a fisherman in one of chalets that we were finished till 09:15 on Tuesday he was not happy, he was even less happy when I told him we were there all week. Then later on in the week at the end of another days racing, he called me over I thought I was going to get an ear bashing. But instead he was asking how the great variety of boats could race together. So I spent half an hour explaining the rules , handicapping, the fact that it's the only sport I know of where an 80year old can race equally against an 8 year old and at all levels of fitness. Also I mentioned the history of the club and the is a history of racing at Horning Even pre 1900. Well overall a good week, no major disasters, ( well there aren't any normally). The hire craft and private owners were for the most part well behaved. As were all but one I know of, of the competitors. Most enjoyable. Photos tomorrow if I can process them.

Having spent six years flying in and out of the UK to Saudi I promised myself not to do it again, now it takes longer to get the dinghy out and row across the river to the motorboat than to drive to the club.

I have been sailing on the broads for 40years mostly at Horning down river own from salhouse, we have members of the club who have been sailing for double that. The children of the club are often in the water. As a dinghy sailor in the past i was often in the water, The adults are often wet with river water from ropes (mainsheet etc) falling in. We had lots of children in the water (without boats) on Friday at the end of regatta week as we have done always. In all that time I have never heard of anyone at our or any other club picking up anything nasty from the water.

I'm sorry, I had recorded each day a record of what had gone on on regatta week but I go to my record today on this tablet and it's disappeared so here goes again from memory (poor) Saturday On Black horse broad, starting from the Horning end of the broad an M shaped course starting on the left hand leg of the M. And then repeat. We had a no rescues to do just a few boat to tow from the club to the broad and assist through black horse dyke. We heard there was a coming together at the other end of the broad involving a broken bowsprit, but I have no other details Evening function, a karioke night, not my scene so I can't report on that. Sunday, raise the club flags at 08:00 exactly surprisingly to the strains of revalee being played on a bugle from somewhere down the street in Horning, slightly windyer, but blowing across the broad from the river. Starting from the main road /Horning corner, up to the broad entrance then turn right parallel to the river, back to near the start line them up to the main road / Hoveton corner the return to the start and repeat. Due to the first short leg across the broad a lot of boats arrived at the first bouy together mean lots of water please, and starboard. But other than that quite routine sailing. The evening doo A Mad Hatters tea party, you bring a plate of food and wear a silly hat. There was plenty of good food and a few silly hats including a magnificent swan sat on one ladies head! After which it was off to bed in the back of my landrover. Monday on the river. Up at 05:30, hit the shower block before the cleaners arrive ( Hornings only paid staff). Get the equipment out for the four dory's, radio, first aid kit, throwing line, paddles, boat hook, fuel the bouys for the course. Put the kitchen boilers on, Brush the bird c**p off of the decking, go in and have a coffee now the boilers hot. Attach the flags to their ropes and wait for 08:00, raise the flags to the cannon firing. Time to put the bouys out We have two gentlemen volunteers who no longer sail but still put out the buoys all year round Snowflake SC and Horning SC, I'm just the reserve for this. 09:15 First race series, three classes of dinghy's including the very beginners. Head up river to shout at motor cruisers to keep close to the bank. Racing continues to till the last race start at 17:15 most races last an hour, the second, third and fourth series include all classes and we could reach over a hundred boats out!!of this there are a great many dinghy sailors being produced by our very successful sailing school. So some time around 18:00 collect the bouys, return the dory to the club strip it of equipment and lock it up. Tonight's doo Piella and Pimms, £8 for the piella And if you want it £1.50 for the pimms. This was accompanied by the Norfolk Shanty Men.. To add to the international confusion, I decided to wear my kilt. I doubt many of you have tried to put a kilt on in the back of a landrover it's not easy, and then trying to keep some decorum getting out was difficult. The event went well most enjoyable. I have taken some pictures of the racing using this tablet computer ( there's no way I'm using the wife's camera on a little dory), these will follow part 2 of the text when I have processed them to remove large areas of water and my finger.

If there is anything interesting to say about the week I'll let you all know when I've recovered!!. Time to go off air for the duration.. Q

It's a the final bump time, I've got too much to do between now and 10 o'clock tomorrow, when I need to start getting the bouys out. I hope to see you safely down the river sometime. Thanks Q

It's not the first time Microsoft has given software away, back in the days of DOS, when disk drives got too small for their software, they included a piece of software called drivespace which compacted all the programs and data on the disk. Unfortunately for them they contravened someone elses software and had to rapidly give out a new version of DOS (6.2) with doublespace on it. it was given away free on the front of magazines which meant I went from Dos 4.1 to 6.2 at no cost! For the last few years the company I work for, has had a deal with MS, because of the huge number of copies of windows and office we use. So I got Windows 7, then 8, and Office Pro for 10 dollars a time with a two computer licence (download price) It is possible that those letting windows 10 Download In the background would get a download failure indication if they turn off their computer during download. However this should correct itself once it has all downloaded (mine hadn't finished when I last turned off.) You don't need to download it all at once, which is just as well with the slow Broadband speeds in many areas of Norfolk..

I noticed her moored at Coltishall a very nice looking boat. Good job we going into a high air pressure that should give her room to get out!.

Forecast is looking dry, but with light winds Almost time Bump

Saying that , I have no certificates, just 40 years experience of sailing in ever decreasing circles.

You'll notice I said if you go for some certificates!!

:SailingAs for sailies advice,? Read my notes on Horning regatta 2015, as most of it's covered in there. Oh and if you do go and get some sailing certificates, you'll find sailing in reverse is covered!

Soon to be none, nat west stalham is also closing as of Dec 3rd and the Hoveton branch will close Dec 2nd.

Well yes I did come via Inverness but that was 40 years ago when I was at school there, I came across via the A68 and A697and had a wonderful quiet and quick run through. I made Scotch Corner on time, it was the journey south of there, that was the problem, it being the first day of the school holidays, it was nose to tail all the way down the A1 coming to a halt many times, yet there were no accidents, it was just a huge amount of traffic coming to halt at every major road junction and then at Newark the Rain joined in!!

The high speed link to Norwich would be a good Idea, It would be better than the 12 1/2 hours!!!! it took me to get from Bo'ness to the Broads on Friday

Soon to be one

One week to go, I hope the weather is better, ☺ Bump.

My Halifax credit card was stopped due to an attempted fraudulent use of its number. They asked me to report to my nearest branch. Stalham gone, wroxham gone, north walsham gone, So I cancelled the card and went elsewhere. They rang me to ask why I had cancelled I said because its now a 40 mile round trip to find a branch but they said there's a branch in north walsham and gave me the address of the branch they'd closed! I predict outside of cities everyone will end up all being members of the sole remaining bank ( nat west in the case of stalham) or the post office bank.

I had haggis burger yesterday while wearing my kilt, well I am in Scotland at the moment. But I was wearing my kilt in Horning a fortnight ago and will in another fortnight. Anyway haggis is one of Norfolk's finest exports to Scotland.

I think I said that, Anyway, from up here in Scotland, Bump!!