Vaughan

Timbo's thread on the subject is called St Benets LIDAR images, in the history section under archeology. It was actually 6 years ago. How time flies! It is perhaps well worth a read again, for those interested.

I am personally convinced that the course of the Bure went round north of the Holme, on which the abbey is built. There is still a dyke running round there, which is all still clearly visible on Google satellite. It would have been the natural course of a meandering alluvial river, which is what the Bure used to be in those days. It would also explain the position of the gatehouse, with a river bridge leading to the causeway across to Horning. Timbo and I had quite a long chat about this, in the forum archeology section a couple of years ago.

Just for info, that is Coldharbour Farm, where the artist Edward Seago used to moor his big seagoing cruiser as he couldn't get her up to his own moorings, on the south side of Womack water. It is also where the original course of the river Ant, from Ludham Bridge, used to join the Thurne, along the course of the Hundred Stream. The original course of the Bure went down Fleet Dyke and then looped back in a big meander up to what is now Ant Mouth. The present river, going past St Benets Abbey, is a canal, dug out to cut the bend off.

Thank you very much for sharing that, Liz. I especially liked the bows - on shot of river cruiser No 177 Breeze, at 1 min 57. I have had that long bowsprit following me up and down the Bure and the Yare on more than one occasion, about 3 ft off the transom and trying to get through to windward! A great boat to race against. I am afraid to say that a lot of those young people being interviewed are now the grandchildren of those people I used to race with. I didn't know the eventual race winner but I remember he was known as rather a "wizz-kid" in dinghies back in the 70's. I had to laugh though, when he was interviewed at the end, wearing a protest flag! No tying a white handkerchief to the rigging for him - he had a purpose-made flag "B" ready to attach to the shrouds! You have to be a real competitive helmsman to protest in that race. One wonders what he was wasting the race committee's time protesting against? Another competitor? The race committee themselves? Or perhaps the builders of Potter Heigham Bridge?

What a wonderful image, and thank you for sharing it. This last weekend has certainly been a triumph - "For Queen and Country".

You could indeed! It was a day trip, there and back, so the only way to do it was at very high speed. She was, in fact, a blasted nuisance to the navigation. There were no speed limits in those days and encountering her coming round a bend between Horning and Salhouse was worse than encountering a coaster on the Yare. She was long and deep, so the "squat effect" in the shallow water would create a wave between her and the bank, about 4 feet high. Enough to sink sailing dinghies and day launches, as she swept past. I know! I was sunk in a dinghy just off the entrance to Wroxham Broad and had to get my mother out from under the sail and somehow get her to the bank. I would have been about 8 years old at the time. Something I don't tend to forget!

Must have been an impressive display. Hopefully without too many clouds of white smoke. I don't want to sound pedantic but I have heard the Broom owners' club are a bit choosy as to who they admit. They don't seem to like the Ocean 30 for instance. In which case I wonder what they think of the Emerald Star. Fitted out by Brooms perhaps but with an Aquafibre mould made exclusively for Crown Cruisers as the Classique 42, with a modification of the flying bridge, done later by Emerald Star Line on the Shannon. Just asking . . . It is a very nice boat, all the same.

You are more than welcome! I like to think that is what some of us are here for, on a forum such as this. We can only give general advice, all the same. Working on a boat is very much "hands on" and all boats, even of the same class, are different. The only way to really be of help, would be to get on board the boat and have a look!

Sod's Third Law of engineering! A 90 amp alternator on full charge will take 5HP off the engine. And as you only have a 40HP engine in the first place . . . .

I quite agree! Or perhaps have one for shore power only.

This is absolutely true. I think we are talking of only a 1KW microwave here, but all the same . . . Trucks have 24v circuits as they need the CCA (cold cranking amps) to turn over a big 6 cylinder diesel. There is nothing wrong with having both 12 and 24 volt circuits in a boat, but just remember that for battery "capacity" on a slow discharge, if you connect two batteries in parallel, you double the amp/hours. If you connect them in series, you only double the voltage.

Going off topic for just a moment, I have been thinking of installing a generator, in case of power cuts in these days of uncertain electric supply. But with a set-up like that, you could run a fridge freezer and the electrics for the central heating, whether gas or oil fired. So long as there is still a fresh water supply, you are independent!

Just remembered - ventilation! Things like inverters and battery chargers give off heat, and they must have good ventilation. If you stick them in a cupboard, or up under the helm seat, they will get too hot and fail. This is the most common cause of problems with battery chargers. Same applies of course, to fridges.

Using 2 of your existing batteries is a good possibility but you may then need a third battery on the "domestic" bank. Don't forget that one electric fridge will need the capacity of one battery all to itself, over 24 hours. If you also have electric toilets, then maybe this was why the previous owner installed plenty of batteries! I would fit the solar panels to the domestic batteries. This gives them a top up, but also means they are on a trickle charge all the time in daylight, even if you are not using the boat. So long as batteries are "on charge", they will not suffer plate sulfation and will last a lot longer. Although your inverter circuit will use a lot of amps, it will only be for short periods, so it should be re-charged all right during a day's cruising.

With a big inverter you are also going to have to think about how you provide the DC power to it and how you re-charge that power. Most microwave installations have a separate bank of 2 batteries to power the AC circuit alone. This sometimes means you need a second alternator, to charge them. This is also why most boatyards say you should only use the microwave when you are running the engine. Which presumably means - on a mooring!

By the way, am I correct in saying that an 800 watt microwave is actually using about 1200 watts of AC current? Always read the label on the back of electric appliances.

I agree with what Grendel says. Question 2 : The problem on a Broads boat is that almost all are wired "earth return", just like a car, where the engine is used as the negative return to the batteries, for almost all circuits. This is why there should be only one main negative connection to the starter batteries. Both starter and domestic batteries are on a common negative return, even with mixed voltages of 12/24v. The regulations state that for shore power, all 220v AC circuits must be earthed to the shore. You are not allowed to earth these circuits to the same return as the DC circuits. This means you cannot earth to the engine or anything connected to it such as the prop shaft or any raw water or exhaust pipework. Probably the best place would be the metal skin fitting on the galley sink, but not if this comes out above the waterline. The rudder post is also a possibility. All AC circuits in a boat must be installed in a protective gain, or conduit, all fittings must be protected just as they are in a house. Most boats have a separate circuit and separate plugs for the inverter and the shore power but as Grendel says, a changeover switch can be used. I would still like to know more about your boat before I recommend you do this yourself. For instance, why do you have two sets of domestic batteries? Are they connected or do they do different jobs? There's an old saying on boatyards : Mains electricity and water do not mix! I would still prefer that you had your AC circuits installed by a marine electrician.

Yes, I always clean parts with paraffin. Petrol is good, but expensive and rather dangerous! If you are leaving it for a while un-used then use an inhibiting oil after cleaning.

You can't look at it in those terms, as it depends what speed you are doing, and what the tide and wind are doing. On the Broads at 5 MPH I would hope for about 2.5 litres an hour. A Perkins driven carefully, will do as little as 1.6 per hour. A Nanni 5 cylinder at 2800 RPM, over 7 litres.

As far as I am concerned, she got there for the Trooping, so that is the job done! Seventy years not out. If she doesn't appear on the balcony in future, I wish her a happy and uniquely well deserved retirement! The "Firm" is obviously well able to support her. Interesting to see Prince Charles taking the parade on horseback. The last time the Queen did it was 1986 I believe. A foresight of what we shall see when Charles eventually succeeds. What do I remember of it? Excellent marching drill to the highest standards and of course, the sound of eight Rolls Royce Merlin engines, under power!

Marine Transmissions are now working in conjunction with Simpsons Boatyard. Ask for Toby or Daniel on 01692 580288.

I should think that is pushing it a bit. You can get one out in under an hour, but putting it back and getting it running, as well as aligned, is about an hour and a half. The reason why you got it out in the first place, might take a few days in the workshops!

Routine practice, when TV celebrities come to "discover" boating holidays!

If they are going to "eat their way" from there to Yarmouth, that will be two lunches and a dinner. There is nothing else left open down there, at the moment.

There is a headline article on the EDP website about it this morning. It seems the staithe will now close altogether for public moorings except for dinghies, as the BA have refused to pay a rent on the staithe, as well as maintain the quay. I don't quite understand this. I pay a boatyard to moor in their basin. For this fee, I expect them to maintain the quay. Does this mean I have to now do it myself? Why do the BA need to pay for the maintenance, and pay commercial rent? The council say they could get at least £1000 rent from a landowner, and other places on the Broads are doing it. This sounds rather like greed to me. It is a public staithe, looked after by the BA, while the council mow the lawn and (sometimes) empty the bins. I see nothing wrong in that.