addicted

Really saddened to learn this unhappy news Such lovely photos to remember your little friend by in the years to come. Carole

None whatsoever nor with bevies of beauties drinking gin and tonic. It's derivation is a long story. Carole

A few years ago we were moored on the quay in Ely in our Sheerline 950 when we saw Griff Rees-Jones coming towards us in a rowing boat. What we didn't realise until we saw the programme about a year later, was that he had pulled alongside us, stopping to conjecture on how our boat came to be called Hot Gossip. Suggesting it was because the owner who he called Ted had a reputation with his neighbours for having bevies of beauties on board and plying them with gins and tonics. Carole

Always sad to see a boat like this. Something I've never got used to. Each time I see a boat this has happened to I feel really sad, no matter how old a boat it is. In it's day it has looked beautiful and been loved by someone and if it's been a hire boat by many people and given pleasure. to many. That's what I always find myself thinking. Carole

Yes, ditto all the above. So exciting getting a new boat. I bet you can't wait. We're anxiously awaiting the fitting of our new canopy which is all that's outstanding now and once that's done we can get going on her.It can't come soon enough. Carole

We've been watching canal boat diaries on channel 5 I think. You might find it informative and helpful. It was on last night for the second time this week at 7.00pm. Carole

We had a full canopy over the stern. It made very little difference to the lack of comfort and cruising in the rain was a real problem with no windscreen wipers and a windscreen made of clear vinyl which used to mist up very badly. This was one of the reasons we hated the cruising aspect of narrow boats. 2 people could never cruise comfortably together in the "cockpit" as the tiller was very intrusive on the space available and the person not at the helm was always in the way of the tiller at some point. So you ended up with one at the stern and the other one in the cratch (bow section) not very sociable and not how we like to boat at all. Carole

We had a narrowboat built back in 2006-7. We loved the lay out and the space but hated the cruising aspect. As it happened, it was so badly built that after only 10 months, on the advice of the BMF whose opinion they sought, the boat builder took it back and gave us a full refund we were grateful to see the back of it and promptly bought another cruiser. Some people love narrowboats - one man's meat etc., but they were not for us. Carole

We paid £900.00 plus cranage when we had our boat road - hauled from the Thames to Tingdene's, Brundall Bay last September. Carole

Right from when my husband introduced me to boat ownership over 30 years ago I always said how magical the river must look during winter and always fancied seeing it for myself. Picturing in my mind's eye banks and fields covered by frost or a fine coating of snow and thinking just how beautiful that would look. Tony was not so keen being a bit of a hot house plant, he doesn't "do" cold, We have spent the odd New Years Eve on board but the weather has always been fairly mild so not magical frosty scenes. What deters both of us now from winter boating is the risk of having to get off the boat on to icy pontoons and coming in to moor safely. I think I'll just have to settle for the graphic accounts posted by all you more intrepid people on the forum, so keep them coming please. Carole

The Ouse is very different. Nothing like the amount of hire boats and you are unlikely to ever see a water bailiff. However there are locks to contend with unless you stick to the Ely Ouse. Mooring and pump outs were free when we were last there but the former has been severely compromised in quantity by the influx of narrow boats that have been slowly becoming omnipresent in recent years. the cruising is very pretty in places particularly upstream towards Bedford. The whole river system there is much quieter than the Broads. Carole

Went to spend some time on Hi-Jinks today. She's on hard standing but once we're aboard it feels as if we are on the boat in the usual way. We finished hanging the new curtains and are very pleased with the way they look. Also finished polishing the woodwork which has come up better than we could have ever imagined. We're slowly getting little jobs done while awaiting for the fitting of our new canopy. Once that's done we will move her to her new mooring. Then, finally we can start to load all our paraphernalia, what a happy day that will be. Can't wait but suppose I'll just have to be patient. Got the little mattter of a further operation to get through yet - the magnitude of which will be determined by the outcome of an MRI scan I had a fortnight ago the results which I will learn about next Thursday. Fingers crossed please. Carole

Gosh that looks like a lot of very hard work you've done there I felt tired just looking at the pictures. Tony and I are both passionate about gardening. We both disllike it with a passion! Well done you. Carole

If your boat is the same one that used to be moored at Ely Marina on the river Gt. Ouse during the noughties we knew both it and the owner very well, Beautiful boat. Carole

A warm welcome from me also. Hope you find the forum entertaining and informative which most of the time it is. Carole

I have to wonder if the close proximity of the railway line would impact on the desirability of an upmarket development or marina. Personally I wouldn't want to moor that close to it never mind live there. Having moored for many years in a marina where a railway ran around the perimeter I know from first hand the nuisance the resulting smuts and noise can be. The former taking its toll on the boat canopy big time! Carole

That's great news Ian. You must be very excited. I know we were when we bought Hi-Jinks back in September. We too have now secured an ideal mooring having travelled up to Norfolk yesterday and trawled round round our various preferred locations. Unfortunately our excitment has been slightly diluted by the uncertainty that I have with health issues at the moment but we're enjoying the moment. I'm sure you have lots of enjoyment to come with your latest boat, I certainly hope so anyway. Congratulations. Carole

We've used the Yare for well over 30 years. We're not that easily pleased so that must say something in it's favour. We spent a season moored on the Northern Broads and try as might we never found a pub we enjoyed using anything like as much as the Yare. O.k. Paul didn't fall over himself to make you welcome, But some of the staff certailnly did. and once you got to know Paul he was very helpful and obliging. If it doesn't return in a fairly similar form it will be greatly missed. The only thing I wouldn't miss is the horrible fencing panels that concealed the ceiling and also the loos could do with a bit of a face lift too. Carole

It appears that things commercial are hopefully slowly returning to normal post covid. No.1 granddaughter who has been mostly working from home since 2020 has just been informed by her bosses that she can expect to be in S. Africa for 3 months during the coming year in 4 seperate trips each of 3 weeks duration. These trips won't include the the trips to Italy, Denmark and Germany that she will probably have to make as well She is a branding consultant with a London agency but as a 20 something girl with a regular boyfriend and a very full on social life she is less than impressed to hear this news. Carole

I'm guessing you probably do. It was a terrible mess wasn't it? Passed it this morning and they've done a sterling job of straightening it all out I don't think it'll be very long before it's up and running again. Carole

My day didn't get off to good start today. Walked to the high street to get our papers as usual. We buy them from a Nisa corner shop mini market. Well we won't be getting them in there again any time soon as last night some scumbags tried to ram raid the place in an attempt to get the cash machine and the whole of the front of the shop is demoilshed. Fortunately there is another similar but smaller shop a bit further along the high street owned by the same owner but I'm not sure whether that one has all the same facilities. ie:cash point, Hermes agent, utilities bill payment. If not a lot of inconvenience is ahead for a lot of their customers most of which seem to be like us - elderly. Carole

2022 has got off to a pretty sad start for us unfortunately. Received a call from Spain last night to tell us that an old boating companion and a much loved friend has died very suddenly from a bleed on the brain. We're deeply saddened and will miss her very much . She was a force to be reckoned with and an e mail from her could make my day. So amusing were they. She would write accounts of their experiences with the locals in the remote part of Spain they once lived in that wouid have us crying with laughter. Her departure has left a big hole. Carole

Conversely, we've experienced far less animosity from anglers on the Broads than we ever did on the Gt. Ouse where in the main they were just plain nasty.

Having had thrusters on our last three boats we wouldn't be without them now. That's why our latest acquisition was delivered straight to Sheerlines in order to have fitted (amongst many other things) thrusters with remote control to both stern and bow. We're now awaiting the fitting of a new canopy. Now that the New Year is upon us we will seriously start to look for a suitable mooring so that we can get started on our boating soon as the weather allows. Carole

Yes of course it is and after 4 decades of boating we are well aware of that, However I'm referring to the occasions we have experienced when passing across the stern the sailors have thought it good sport to do an about turn mid river and head straight for us. Carole