SwanR

Good to know that one of the Emblem fleet was out. You reminded me that I hadn't mentioned our fuel usage. We had used £41 of diesel this time so that was £79 back. Admittedly we managed to go with the tide on most days, partly due to luck and partly down to planning.

I'm the same Neil. Hubby and I were talking about whether we should book early if we want to do the same next year or whether to chance waiting for discounts from other yards. Ferry Marina had some offers which I don't think I had ever seen them do but of course they changed hands this year. Didn't see any of their boats out apart from a day boat. Thing is that we are quite particular about what we need and of course if you get next year at this year's prices then that in itself may work out to be cheaper depending on any price rises for the next season. The couple who had been out on Swan Radiance last week seemed to be considering rebooking and the chap in the office told them not to hang around too long.

Thanks Griff. I’d forgotten about that thread.

So there were a few of us around last week. Do we have a calendar somewhere on the forum that people can post when they're going to be afloat, if they so wish? I have always been reticent in the past to advertise that I'm away from home but there's no doubt that it would be nice to know which forumites are around and give them a special wave at the very least.

Thanks for the reminder that the shop is now in the pub. I daresay that we will venture over to Salhouse at some point when we're in Lowestoft one weekend. I will be interested to see how that is working out.

I would definitely say to go for it. The ease of mooring, and the peace and quiet of being on your own at moorings that are full in the summer, was a big plus for us. I could see that a lot of the bushes and trees were coming into bud and it won't be long before it's all looking a lot greener. There were places where we could see that the reeds had been cut back and trees cut down so at times it looked very bare. With only one sunny day really, my video clips may well look quite grey and gloomy but there was so much wildlife about, more than I think I've seen on other occasions. And patches of wild daffodils that lit up the riverside with their beautiful shades of yellow.

Thanks Speedtriple. Before we bought our static caravan we did consider various aspects of boat ownership including syndicates. I can see the attraction although it doesn't give you quite the same flexibility as owing your own boat would but presumably takes away some of the worry of maintenance etc. for someone who knows nothing about the technical and mechanical side of things. Right now I still work full time and certain times of year are not good for me to get away. Plus I would never want school holidays. But I can see the attraction. Someone mentioned recently about buying a second share in one of the syndicate boats once retired and I think if we could afford that, then this increased option of time afloat could be a winner. Our caravan allows us to get out of the city and up to the coast, reasonably close to the Broads. That option to escape almost every weekend in the summer is a big draw right now. But whenever we come back from a few days afloat, the bug is well and truly back and we start to look at what might be next.

You reminded me of something else I meant to say. Almost all the hireboats we saw were from Richardson's. Saw two from Barnes Brinkcraft, one from Summercraft, one from Broom's and two from Herbert Woods but nothing from anywhere else that I can recall. Of course that doesn't mean that they weren't all diddling around in the opposite ends of the rivers to us. But we did keep seeing the same boats around and about, including the private ones. We passed a number of the syndicate boats including Silver Cloud, Thunder and Gooseander. The ex-Swancraft fleet were out in force as we saw probably another five of those, quite possibly all of them apart from Reflection 2 but I'm fairly sure that was out as it wasn't available when we booked number 1. They certainly look to have been a good investment for Richardson's. Also saw a private Shadow 31 moored up ... I'm still waiting for that lottery win ...!

We've been looking at possible boats for the same kind of time next year. Or wondering whether to look at end of April after the Easter break in 2020. Even October can be busy at the most popular places. Might consider early November but it looks as if you would have to contact boat yards directly for availability as most don't extend online booking past half term at the end of October ... and I'm definitely not going that week!!

Home again ... we hadn't been on the road for long this morning when I wished that I was out of the traffic and back on the boat! And it always seems so funny that in ten minutes you drive along from Stalham, past Sutton and on through Potter Heigham whereas we all know how long that journey is by boat! Anyway ... time for some Reflections on Reflection ... The Boat - Swan Reflection is still a great boat to hire. Compact at 31 feet it is a little tight for space on board but ideal for a couple especially if you haven't got much experience. Plus it warms up quickly once you get the heating on. Great to steer - you can set the revs, set the steering and it will go in a straight line for as long as you need until you reach the next bend in the river. Comfortable bed, the seating has been re-upholstered at some point, decent size fridge and ice box plus a gas cooker as well as a microwave. Electric flushing toilet which does use a fair amount of water but is a nice little luxury! I would always highly recommend this boat. The Yard - We had only hired from Richardson's once before and that was at a busier time. It still feels like a holiday camp kind of check-in to me but the system works well. The staff were all very friendly and the young lad who did our handover and refuelled us this morning, was great. He asked how our week had been, asked if there were any problems with the boat and wished us a safe journey home. That counts for a lot with me and we would definitely go back. The Food - Always a highlight of my holiday because we don't eat out much at home and it's a treat not to be cooking. The Sutton Staithe Hotel was first class, Bridgestone's Tea Rooms in Potter Heigham was excellent, the New Inn was great value and good food as always. The Swan Inn was my least favourite, good service but overpriced and not as good food as everywhere else. That's just my personal opinion based on the meals we had on the days we dined in each of these establishments. Incidentally the Staithe & Willow in Horning was closed and looks to me as if it has just been sold from something I saw on a property website. The Wildlife - there was a lot of life in the wildlife ... if you know what I mean. Plenty of birds flying around in pairs. ;) But what a delight to see an otter and to see a good number of kingfishers around Irstead. Plus the sound of the owls in the trees after dark was amazing ... I don't get that living here in the city. The Firsts - I always like to try to tick some items off my "still to do" list. This week we moored at Irstead, we went right down Lime Kiln Dyke, and we moored on the public staithe in Horning. That was good enough for me. All About March - Finally my thoughts on hiring in March as this was only the second time that we have been out this early in the season. Don't forget that even if it is going to be mild for the time of year, you are not at home in your double glazed centrally heated house. So for me it is always going to be cold and my thermals were required every day! We had one sunny day, the rest was overcast and grey but it was dry although the breeze picked up on our last day. No bright sunny frosty mornings but I'll take that over wind and rain and ice. But best of all was the ability to choose where to moor at any time of day and be almost certain you wouldn't have any problems. We were completely on our own overnight at Irstead, Womack Water and Paddy's Lane. And it would have been a full set if someone else hadn't turned up when it was getting dark at Cockshoot Broad. The photos through the week were from my phone so below are just a few off my camera. There will be a video as soon as I get time to put things together.

You must be looking forward to that Ian. Next weekend may also be our first trip of the season to our caravan. :)

We don't mind paying for an overnight stop and might stretch that to lunchtime, especially if the money is helping with the preservation of the broad and the nature reserve at Salhouse. But paying for a short stop to get water is a little cheeky although even at Ranworth there is an honesty post for donations. Guess if we want the facilities maintained then we have to pay. Left the usual £3 at Womack Water last week.

What a great community of people this is. I’ll be around and about throughout the season at my caravan in Lowestoft, easy travel distance to the Broads so who knows where I might pop up!

I hadn’t met any forum members in person until this week when Seagypsy was kind enough to seek me out at the New Inn. It was wonderful to chat with him and his good lady. What a day it has been as another forumite snapped me coming into moor at How Hill and now it seems we may have also been almost same place same time! The interaction here on the forum through my few days afloat has all been part of the fun. Hubby and I would be only too happy for anyone who sees us to say hello.

So day 4 went something like this. Filled up with water at Womack Water this morning ... because we could! No one else had arrived so we left the public part of the moorings empty and headed for Potter Heigham. I like the Thurne and wanted to take a look while there were no fishermen and no other boats around. Headed back up the Bure to the Ant, easily through Ludham Bridge and then onto How Hill for a coffee stop. The day stayed grey and chilly and a bit breezy throughout so my photos and video clips may not look that inspiring when I get home and load them up. Carried on to Sutton for our lunch stop. Then took a cruise up to Wayford Bridge before coming back down to Paddy’s Lane for our last overnight mooring. And yes, we’re the only ones here! We will be taking Swan Reflection back to the yard tomorrow morning before driving home. But I will be adding some further thoughts over the weekend once I’m back posting from something other than my phone!!