TheQ

Boats we've seen here on Hickling are taking just over 2 hours to reach the lower bure buoy ... That's going some..

First boat that has been to the lower Bure bouy has just rounded the Hickling mark. Chris Bunn in Punt 67

We've seen 35 boats so far at Hickling another 5 we ca see in the distance on the way.

First boat at lower bure buoy punt sail number 67. About 14:55

First boat through stokesby on the way to the lower bure

First boat past Hickling bouy 14:26 A rater sail number 15 closely followed by punt number 102 . Now on their way to Acle.

Half a dozen boats at Potter, Norfolk punts and A raters

First boats at Thurne mouth on their way to Potter.

Just as I say that Ludham guardship bursts into life. First boat arrived there 12:32,.

The sound of silence from Ludham bridge guardship is deafening, I suspect the lead boats have swept past Ant mouth and are on the way here to Hickling.

The buoy is put on Hickling you can see us on the end of hickling sailing club pier in the motor boat, on https://www.horning-sailing.club/webcams/ I'll try to post a few pictures later, but I need to conserve battery power. So bye for now.

It's today chaos starts at 11:00 in Horning.

Yep I agree, Time for me to get up and get ready to put the buoy out on Hickling.

I'm up too, about the make breakfast , then 36 hours worth of food and drink ( no alcohol) . The Landrover is loaded up with the buoy, radios, first aid kit, race flags, lights., I just have to add a mast to put the radio aerial up high. Then I'll head to Hickling sailing club to set up.

Just 27 hours to go, the guardships collect their equipment this afternoon,. Forecast North Easterly, 12 to 16 mph, gusting 22. Could be a fast race once boats are clear of Horning, with many boats heading for Hickling first.

27 hours to first start. Weather forecast still North Easterly, 14 to 16mph, gusting Max 22 mph, and that's overnight! Once clear of Horning it could be a fast race, I could see many trying for Hickling first.

Just lit the fire...

110 hours ish till the start, 111 entries. Current forecast Light cloud and sun... Good 15mph wind ... Good. North easterly ... Not so good. It makes the first mile and a half through the village and trees difficult as the wind has to come over the raised ground and houses. It also makes the narrow River Ant a tack up river, a 50 foot wide river is difficult enough in a dinghy let alone a 40ft broads yacht.

We've had a week of northerlies / north easterlies, that's raising the level of the southern north sea. More for another week. Broads water levels will be high

Thank you to all our visitors to the Broadland Model Railway Club show yesterday, it was a good day. I'm some what tired though, it's a long day. All the clubs layouts now need reassembling in the club house and some minor repairs carried out.

Thanks, the show went well, except for the DCC controller on Broadland died, it's not the first time, we've sent it away for repair before. We'll look at a different make replacement. We had a good attendance, and every one seems to have enjoyed it. John was extremely busy all day, and as far as I know he managed to get everyone's locos going. So the show should help fund the club, which we need, as our rent went up 40% this year. I love our catering these days, the wife of one of the club members is a professional caterer. Her assistance to the club is greatly appreciated. it also looks like we've sold a layout, which will also help. Not only that it gives us room to build another layout. We have two layouts near the start of their construction, soon to be three, One nearing its completion, and did have three completed. The enjoyment of the layouts is both the building and showing. Neither of which you can do unless you can sell layouts to help fund the next one.

One weeks time I'll be heading to Hickling broad to set up the guardship. The clubhouse will be full of people scoffing bacon butties and coffee. Then they discuss plans for the race. Current indications are it will still be a north easterly, which will be fun with the wind coming over Horning as they sail down the street. 170 ish hours to go.

I'll try to remember..

Just a bump up reminder for tomorrow. We're off to the hall later to set everything up.

The white boats of course have a spoon rudder designed to drop off weed. Modern high aspect ratio rudders just collect it...