SwanR

Definitely looking forward to reading the rest of your tale. And my thoughts and best wishes for the summer ahead. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

It was a Sheerline 24, a private boat now but checking it out online it had started life at Aston Boats then been at Ferry Marina for a while before being sold into private hands. Looked cosmetically in really good shape and sounds from the spec as if it has had quite a bit of money spent quite recently. If I had £20k sitting around doing nothing I might have made an offer!!

Congrats! We were wandering around the same place last weekend. Saw a boat we really liked had we been seriously looking. Have you got moorings lined up?

If you're on the A140 you can't beat Goodie's farm shop. Great fresh produce and a very popular cafe. http://www.goodiesfoodhall.co.uk

Thanks Grendel. That makes sense. And thanks Oldgregg. I'm sure there's a lot of things that I don't know how to do with my phone! Lol! :)

Thanks Grendel. I'm not actually using any emojis at all. It's hard to describe the problem because I can't easily screenshot my phone like I could my computer, although I suppose I could take a photo of it with my camera. Best way I can describe it is ... if you click on the icon on the posting window to see the emojis, but instead of choosing one, hover over it and you will see the text that you can type to call up the picture. I'll make one up so it hopefully doesn't put anything in ... ":_sunshine_rain:" Where anyone has used an emoji in their post, I see the text instead of the picture. That makes the posts very hard to read because the text sits everywhere the picture should be. Here's another made up example that might give you an idea. Today I went to :default_garden: to get some :choose_a_flower: but all I could find was a :two_petals_123:. Hope that nonsense makes some sense!!

Does anyone have any thoughts please on all the problems with the iOS app? Is anyone in touch with the developers?

Typical. I typed the code and the picture appeared but everywhere else I can only see the code! And then I couldn’t find a way to edit my post. I think this is a thumbs down and I may well uninstall it. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Still getting the code not the emoticons such as It makes the threads very hard to read. Also can only like a post. Can’t seem to get the other options. And I don’t think that notifications are working. I am using the app but it needs a lot of work still. Would have to give it a low rating at the moment. Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

I'm glad to see that you got sorted out. And I can vouch for this lovely group of people providing very helpful advice and suggestions when one is out on a hireboat and might have a problem. The members have helped me a few times. :)

As a hirer, the only time that it’s really about the destination is sadly having to plan our arrival back at the boatyard at the end of our holiday! Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app

Going to have to disagree with you on this one Speedtriple. I like the look of most of the newer boats built at Richardson’s, Ferry Marina and NBD over the last few years. Each to their own.

Goodness. I do hope that your good lady is ok Griff. Things like that can really shake you up.

Safe travels Ian. We’ll be heading for home ourselves soon. Been to Lound Garden Centre this morning for a look around and a cup of coffee. That place was a great recommendation JM.

For anyone in the area but not afloat, I have just found out that it is the Tour de Broads tomorrow. Sounds like this is a fun ride of various distances for up to 3000 cyclists mostly riding in groups. So watch out if you're on the roads. http://www.tourdebroads.com

Looks good. Finding my way round it. Have noticed that the code behind the emoticons appears where they are used in posts instead of the picture.

There was no damage to our boat thankfully. We would definitely have reported it to the yard if there had been. It just felt like the other people were still out there and may not have had a clue what they were doing or may not have cared. I appreciate that it’s not like dialling 999 and getting a police car out looking for something in minutes but it felt as if we should have told someone, we just didn’t know who that someone should be out of hours.

We were hit by a hireboat after dark at St Benet’s last year. They had lights on in the boat and reversed into us seemingly without any idea we were there. Nearly knocked us off our feet. They gave up trying to get in whereas had they approached more slowly people would have taken their ropes and helped them as it was only a small boat. I did check our Skipper’s Manual to try to find where I could report them to because they were still out there somewhere in the dark. But there was nothing there. It might be helpful if this was included.

Sounds perfect. We’ve arrived in Lowestoft and it’s a beautiful morning. Have a great time.

Thanks for the info JM. Stayed at Kessingland many years ago but haven't thought to explore that area more recently. Have been wondering what we might do tomorrow but not made our minds up yet. Want to go out for the day but we both prefer to avoid the crowds ... a sunny bank holiday will certainly make a lovely change. :)

Happy Anniversary to you both! Hope you're doing something nice to celebrate. :)

We stayed at Corton once but never got around to Gunton Hall. Would be interested to know what it's like there. Given that we have the caravan just along the road from there now it's not somewhere that we are likely to stay.

Enjoyed your write up and will enjoy watching your video tomorrow Bryan. So interesting how many people praise the ex-Swancraft boats once they take one out. You are right in that the one thing they did miss was an electric winch. But in so many ways they beat so many other craft in my book. You mentioned about not being charged for the pumpout because you had hired from Richardson's. The same was true of Ferry Marina when we were on Bronze Emblem last year. I still think that many of the yards overcharge on the fuel deposit given the hefty refunds that so many of us get. Sounds like it was a very economical week.

Have to admit that I have often wondered whether there are any "drink-helm" guidelines like the "drink-drive" laws on the road. I appreciate that the same amount of speed is not involved but nonetheless ... we never drink unless we are safely moored up for the rest of the day.

Enjoyed the video Robin. And very interesting, as a hirer, to read about your handover and see you having to use the engine at the moorings late on in the day. This is exactly why we are sometimes forced to do so. As people who listen to what is said and read the Skipper's Manual on board, we do feel that we should follow what the boatyard tells us to do. This is also why we tend to go for boats with electric hookup if hiring early or late in the season, so that we can get some heating without having to worry about running the engine. It really does make a difference. Looking forward to the rest of your tale.