SwanR

Decided to go home once we’d done a couple of jobs. Stopping at one of the retail parks around Great Yarmouth on the way back. Still better than being at work!

So we thought that we would come to the caravan this morning at Lowestoft. Really nice drive over but oh my goodness! On approach we could see that the sea level looked very high. The wind is blowing a gale. Our van is less than 50 ft from the sea wall, covered in spray and the road to the back of us is starting to flood and that’s before any rain arrives! Got the fire on and have warmed up with hot buttered toast and coffee but ... we have struggled to get the boiler alight as the wind kept blowing it out. Haven’t unpacked and haven’t decided whether we will stay here or head for home! 😂

Sounds wonderful to be able to sleep so well on board. It’s interesting reading from various tales just how busy it has been at the moorings. Ranworth Island is somewhere we like and a good backup plan.

Enjoyed your write up and video Bryan. We had Moon Beam a few years back in September which is very much like Moon Enterprise. Our experience was quite similar in yours as we had good weather. Moorings got very full late morning so finding a spot in the popular places for lunchtime wasn’t easy if you left it too late. We also had a problem with shore power hookup on a different boat last March. Inverter worked fine except for when we were on shore power. The engineers eventually concluded that the wrong cable was on the boat!

Amazing photos Malcolm. I haven’t concentrated on photography for a long while. It’s become more quick snaps that go with the videos. But it’s definitely something that I want to get back to

Oooer ... thank you Jay. I will have to make sure that Mr SR is instructed accordingly before our next time afloat! :)

Ouch! Such a shame. I do feel for you. I think the ability to travel outside a lockdown area is something that’s not been made very clear in England. I’m sure it’s probably there in the guidelines but looking in from the outside, so to speak, I wasn’t sure whether it’s allowed.

For the uninitiated might I ask what this means?

Glad to hear that your holiday worked out well and you will be back. We like varying which yard we hire from as that makes our route different if we’re starting and finishing in a different place.

Vaughan thank you. Your advice sounds straightforward, easy to understand and to remember. In that moment of what I can only imagine would be sheer panic how would the helm even know where the person overboard was.

That’s a very good summary of what the weekend was like Griff. I really felt for anyone who took their boat over Friday or Saturday.

Thanks for sharing that. Very useful to know.

Actually re-reading the original post, I’m not sure that there has been any allowance for same sex couples? Jay as our NBN Equality Champion, even if unofficial, please take note!

Ditto. Exactly the same. @LondonGuy just what was the point in your post other than winding us up with such a sexist remark?!

Is that heading towards Loddon? Love the Chet. Really must get back to the southern rivers.

I couldn't quite read the bridge height marker at Wroxham from the other side of the river but it must have been around 5'9, maybe a little closer to 6'. The grassy area where the Liana launch goes from was more flooded today than when I was down there at the weekend. Part of the boardwalk was still taped off and underwater. And I am reliably informed that the water was still across NBD's car park and now right across the road just before the bridge.

If you check out Richardson's Boating Holidays YouTube channel they have some really good videos to watch before you come on holiday. Well worth a watch. I think I read somewhere that you're not coming until next summer? Plenty of time to spend the winter watching all the many videos online.

I would recommend that you read some of the holiday tales posted on the forum. There is a section for them and many members here like to write about what they've done, including myself. I've stayed on whichever side I've hired from for a week's holiday so if you're hiring on the north there's plenty to see and do for a week. But if you enjoy long cruising days then you may want to plan to cross Breydon if the tide times work out. But as I said, if you spend some time reading other folks' experiences you may pick up some good ideas for an itinerary for a week.

Just two things I would like to add to this discussion. They may or may not be factors, and for anyone who wasn't in Norfolk over the weekend, the weather was truly atrocious! I frequent a number of Facebook groups and through posts on social media it does seem that we do have a high number of people booking boating holidays who might not have done so as their first choice in other years. Boats have been in high demand and so it may be that a novice helm, possibly with only one other crew member, may end up on an older larger boat that ordinarily would not suit them at all. But it was all that was left so they took it. Secondly I do like to take photos and videos myself when out and about around the Broads. The opportunity hasn't really presented itself to do so this year for a number of reasons but ... I would never include a video of someone in a difficult situation or struggling in some way. And if I did happen to catch that it would never be made public for the amusement of others. That's my self-imposed rules and if only all YouTubers acted in this way then we wouldn't have this problem. It's not nice to made fun of. If a situation warranted it then I would report it appropriately.

I would suggest that you could watch the YouTube channel Admirals Adventures. Check out The Great Norfolk Broads Adventure IX from July 2019 posted up about 10 months ago. He was on board with a family, crossed Breydon both ways and spent a couple of days in Great Yarmouth. They're quite long videos but I'm sure he spoke about crossing Breydon and how to moor at Great Yarmouth ... and get away again. Well worth a watch. I've never crossed Breydon myself but am sure that I could do it because I've watched so many other really good videos of other people's crossings. I learn visually and so seeing what other people have done is better than a map for me.

Still very high water levels at Wroxham. Earlier this evening we went for a walk down near the stern on moorings at Hoveton. Sat down for a few minutes and could hear a strange noise of something being dragged along. Several men appeared pulling large blue drums and headed for an old Richardson's bathtub. I can only presume that it was due back at the yard tomorrow perhaps .... whatever the reason they needed to get back through Wroxham Bridge. It was interesting to watch as probably eight of these large blue drums were loaded onto the boat, a few at the front, a few at the back. Then they fetched a hose and a generator and proceeded to pump water out of the river into the drums having swung the boat round to be side on. And then, all on board, away they went. Slowly, carefully, they turned the boat round ... and proceeded to get it back under the Bridge with a little cheer going up as they made it. Very interesting to see how it was done. :)

Hurray! Have a lovely day. I just watched the local forecast and it should be a better day. Looking forward to hearing where you go. :)

Wow! I had heard about at least one tree down across the river. Read online that there have been 200 trees come down in Norfolk over the last three or four days. And Hoveton Hall Gardens have closed their season a few days early because of all the trees down and debris everywhere.

What a lovely surprise Helen. And great that he wants to come and join you. We had our son over for lunch today which was really nice, a bit of family time. :) Just been looking at the webcams and it does look high.

Someone I know drove through Wroxham this morning. The river had flooded across the car park at NBD and halfway across the road.