[There And Back ,to See How Far It Was .]

well what an eventful four days that was , it started well , usual headless chicken routine on Monday morning getting everybody organised for the trip , so where to begin? i suppose it would have to start with the taxi . i called our local taxi company to book a taxi for 6 people plus luggage to go to our railway station , we get a saloon car show up , clearly not suitable for task so i get the driver to get an alternative cab, this shows up still not big enough but time is running out and we have to get to the railway station so we all cram ourselves into the cab . from here on things get much better , the train is on time ,  get off in Norwich , a walk up to Castle meadow for the bus to Stalham , again nicely on time so no hanging around .next stop the boatyard , Tobago sits waiting patiently for us we leave the boat yard at 2.15 , now my original plan is going somewhat awry at this point , needless to say we didn't get to Salhouse broad on the first night , so it was Ludham bridge , a fine meal in the Dog Inn  and a drink or two ,  we head back to the boat and have another glass of wine, i must mention the beauty of the night sky , at Ludham the sky was really very clear  it was incredible to see , we live in a city and the sky , even on a very clear night never looks like that , it was a very long tiring first day . Tuesday an we awake to a beautiful clear morning ,sadly my dear Mum had a bit of a trip at the public toilets and  as it turned out later had broken a bone in her foot. our lad did a spot of fishing  and had a few " tiddlers " , so now that we have to revise our plan we head down the Ant to the Bure and turn toward Horning, a fine gentle run  along this fabulous stretch of water things took a strange turn at the Ferry inn , the Woodbastwick staithe moorings have sprouted  signs that say " private property , no mooring " this is because the land lord of said hostelry has bought the land and closed the moorings , i am also led to beleive that the moorings outside the pub are now " stern on " can't see how this is safe to be honest , just my opinion . anyway we make it to Salhouse and get moored up , a fine evening awaited us , not too cold ,my wife cooked Spaghetti bolognese aboard and it was fantastic.Wednesday we wake to find a stiff breeze from the SSE we had already abandoned our plan to go to Coltishall on the Tuesday morning due to things beyond my control so we headed for Ranworth , it is interesting to note how much havoc ,chaos and mayhem the wind creates in Ranworth, there were boats of all shapes and sizes being blown all over the place , we got in relatively well without to much drama thankfully ,at this point i must mention how well behaved Tobago 3 is , she is very responsive to her helm , much more so than her sister , T3. i found her to not need the constant input and trim/re-trim , her engine i thought was very quiet despite having a hydraulic drive, her quarters are very comfortable , and i shall definately be booking her again. so we are at Ranworth , the old boy had some cracking perch from here , we ate at the Maltsters this evening and a fine meal it was too, good portions at a very good price , a few pints to wash it down and some conversation and a couple of games of pool for the wife and kids , ( the pool table , if you are interested in such things , is situated outside under a gazebo ) back to the boat for the remainder of the evening  a few glasses of wine to while away the time and our thought return to having to take our selves back to the boat yard . Thursday morning breaks bright but not so breezy , thankfully , bacon sarnies all round and a cuppa to get us started , then we are off again, a short hop to Horning marshes , and some more bait from the tackle shop .we stayed for a few hours before a slow run back to the boat yard , and this is where the fun began , we go back to Richardsons yard about 4.30 , to find 2 boats moored up beam on in the Swan quay , , one of which the person on board said " i can't moor up stern on i have never been shown how to do it " to one of Richardsons' yard staff after this it got silly , just before dark another boat came into the yard , and moored up not far from the wetshed , there it stayed , until the light was almost gone then the people aboard decided it was a great time to go and moor up somewhere else ,  so here is the scene a 40ft boat with a dog loose running around the freeboards , in the dark while one of it's owners is calling it  a " naughty boy " while the other owner is trying to stern moor , utter madness . we  had a great time , as for Mums foot she'll be in a " ski boot "  thingy for 6 weeks while her bone heals .

if you have been , thanks for reading our tale .

stay safe every body .

Bob

 

[5 Days Left]

On 30/09/2016 at 9:12 AM, charlesa said:

Hello Bob,

I'm on Judith 3 from Martham on Monday for a few days. What boat are you on so that I can keep a look out ?

I have to say that I usually spend most of my time lurking on the East side of PH bridge but I will venture out at some point !

Weather looking pretty good at the moment.

I get unbelievably excited too; my wife less so. She hasn't been for decades having found the "holiday" there which she spent huddled in the front cabin reading a Jane Austen novel somewhat trying.......

 

Best wishes

Charles

Hello Charles , we are on Tobago 3 , members poster portside front window , we are heading to Salhouse on Monday then Coltishall  so all being well we should be somewhere between Wroxham and  ludham Bridge on Wednesday,  my wife and i are both climbing the walls the count-down has gone from Months to weeks to now hours , , we Saw Judith 3 in May last year , fabulous vessel , i'll kkep an eye open for you , stay safe .

[5 Days Left]

11 hours ago, Broads01 said:

Monday 24th to Friday 28th October.

much later on then,hope you have a great time , see you on the water , stay safe

[5 Days Left]

On 28/09/2016 at 1:41 PM, Broads01 said:

I'm on Tobago 3 (same as Bob) next August but I've got 2 trips before then, being Soprano next month and Broadland Wave 2 in May. I feel lucky to have all that to look forward to, albeit I've had to endure over 12 months since my last visit.

It'll be my second hire of Broadland Wave 2. My first was in October 2014 and I recall being so excited about that one the night before I had a lot of trouble sleeping. I'd planned to leave home at 6-30am but ended up leaving at 5-30 because I didn't want to lay in bed awake any longer!

when in October this year are you on Soprano ?

[5 Days Left]

ok, so a lot of people get excited about going on holiday , i was just wondering how many members of the NBN get excited about their next trip , i have been climbing the walls since we got home after the week we had in May , we are at  T minus five days , and to say we are excited is possibly the understatement of the year ,

hope to see some of you soon , stay safe

 

[Only 9 Days Left]

the time is upon us where we have started the count down to out long awaited trip back home , this time out it's Tobago 3 from Richardsons, Stalham , the usual suspects will be aboard , including a newbie to the Broads in the form of my 19 year old daughter , she is excited about it a great deal, on our return i shall be posting a full report of the goings on , where we had been , what we had done etc and a first for me , as i haven't seen a review of Tobago , i have decided to give people a walk around of the boat. 

so until we get back, toodle pip for now , our NBN member poster will be in the portside front window , if you see us give us a toot and a wave , stay safe .

[Tobago V San Diego V San Elena]

we are on Tobago 3 in October , 3 - 7 i will post a full report on said vessel on our return which will be the 8th  along with a whole bunch of photos . failing that if you would like to visit us you would be more than welcome ,if you are afloat we will be at Salhouse on the evening of the 3rd

[Tobago V San Diego V San Elena]

we took Tobago 2 out last Sept/Oct , and had a whale of a time , i would recommend her to anybody to be honest ,  lots of room in all of the cabins the forward cabin has an en suite , for a bit more privacy , which is why my Mum and Dad had it, also the galley is large with a folding table and 4 stools  the state room is great with lots of visibility for both helmsman and " crew " as well as having more than enough room for the maximum 9 people to sit in comfort , the well deck at the back of the boat provides good access with a big full height sliding door that makes getting your luggage on and off a breeze. this boat has a good heating system too , not that we needed it , i have seen in other posts info about the T.V. , only one question where this is concerned why are people watching the T.V. when there is so much to see outside ?   back to the cabins , the beds are very comfortable  , and the saloon deck pulls out into a " more than double " bed , which my son slept on  and was very comfy apparently,   if you are going to be helming the boat as i said with the canopy down there is great all round visibility ,  which is useful when stern on mooring  , the throttle is responsive as is the massive  steering wheel, negatives i  think that the rearward view will be restricted  quite considerably if the canopy is up  but you can leave the rear panels of the canopy down, the window wiper is of the manual type so this too could cause a few issues if navigating in the rain or inclement weather , this vessel has no bow thruster , which can make mooring beam on interesting , having said that this was the second vessel i took out after Crown Gem, which is half the size, 25 x 9 instead of the whopping 44 x 12 of Tobago, and i didn't have any problems. all in all a great boat and i don't think you could go wrong with it . have a grand old time , stay safe , see you on the water  

[Oby Makes A Passage - Edited Highlights]

On 28/05/2016 at 11:07 AM, Broadsword said:

Well, the first extended stay on our new boat 'OBY' has taken place!

Our little ship would seem very tiny to some of you - but we bought her so that we could stay aboard more comfortably (!) than on the Prelude... And reasonably comfy she is...

Day 1 - Friday - a slow start as we finished packing, Mrs Broadsword revelling in the anticipated extra space, attempting to squeeze the kitchen sink in, but we finally arrived at Potter around Midday.  First surprise, looking down from the Bridge was that the boat wasn't visible on her mooring!  Momentary panic gives way to relief as I remembered that Harry May was going to fix the wobbly stanchions on the starboard side.  James May was at the staithe to confirm that they had indeed nicked the boat and made up for the offence by ferrying us and all of our luggage downriver to Maycraft.  We sat and watched as he finished fitting the 'Stornshuns' (his preferred pronunciation!) and finally got away at about 4 p.m.!  Had a pleasant little sail in light air down to Thurne and then back to Womack Dyke for our first night aboard.  Passed Bob (Bob48) on the river, who was accompanied by a young lady, presumably his daughter? 

Womack Dyke, or cuckoo land as we now think of it... Lovely and peaceful. I tried to see the cuckoo through my bins, but only heard the little blighter... beautiful, almost non-stop call!

Visited our friends at Hunter's Yard and got the code for the showers... Cooked Mrs Broadsword a nice supper of Chicken in White Wine Sauce, with rice and veg... Bottle of Poachers Choice to wash it all down with... Ridiculously early night...   Decision 1... Get the bunk cushions sorted, the foam inside is fairly old and flat - and, as I am fairly old and fat, the combination is not a good one!!

 

i have mentioned the fact that the young lady aboard the boat that you thought was my daughter to my dear wife, who was rather pleased with the fact that you thought this way, as my daughter is 19 years old.  i do hope that you and your Lady are both well. stay safe Broadsword, see you on the water

[Horning Busy This Weekend]

15 hours ago, TeamElla said:

It was as busy up to Wroxham as I have ever seen it in mid season.

Plenty of room at Coltishall though.

 What do you think of the new night time view at Coltishall (complete with blunderbuss white floodlights)?

 

four weeks tomorrow we'll be here for the best fish and chips ever .

[Breaking News]

6 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

Folk might be interested to know that apparently the hospital treatment is without complications, thankfully.. 

some good news at least , i saw a photo of the other boat , a woody with a hole in it's starboard side , must have been really on the throttle to done that sort of damage .

[Breaking News]

terrible accident , why does it always have to take a tragedy like this , before something is  done .

 

[Back To The Broads]

we stayed over night in Sutton on our last night out of our first trip back in May last year , lots of saillies, a fantastic time was had , we walked to Hickling which was surprisingly close ,  , can't wait to get back my crew are all " champing at the bit " so to speak , there will be a full report of our 3rd great adventure  made when we return home .

stay safe

[Breaking News]

i was talking to a body this morning who told me there had been an incident at Breydon, turns out that it was this incident at Oulton , neither scenario is good , just hope nobody is too seriously hurt .

 

[Back To The Broads]

right then the count down has officially begun 37 days remaining until the great Norfolk Broads return trip , if i said i was excited it would be the greatest understatement ever . stay safe everybody see you on the water

 

[Back To The Broads]

14 hours ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

And with a fixed plan like that, i hope you can get under Wroxham bridge?.

 

i don't think there is such a thing as a fixed plan on the broads but it's what we'd like to do , all dependent of course , on whether  we change our minds and go somewhere else .lol

[Back To The Broads]

well it'll soon be that time again , in 6 weeks actually, the wife and i plus others , those being mum and dad tthe old bot ,daughter and a few special guests will be with us on our latest and possibly most anticipated trip of the year leaving Stalham for salhouse then up through Wroxham to Coltishall via Belaugh for fish nd chips at thre rising sun , then a return journey to possibly Ranworth or Ludham bridge . really can't wait will have our NBN window poster proudly flying portside, if you see us give us a wave will be out on the 3rd of oct returning to Stalham on the 6th. whoo whoooooo

 

[Back To Coltishall]

thanks for the info , we went up to The Rising Sun in May , it was fantastic , we had Crown em 4 from Richardsons, cracking boat aand very well behaved , when we come home in October we'll be on Tobago 3 which is almost twice the length ( 44ft ) and 12 ft wide , i'm sure she'll go under the bridge , well at least i hope so . Happy days all 

[Back To Coltishall]

Hello everybody , i do hope you are all well and enjoying the weather , i have a question to ask , has anyone been up to Coltishall recently , i know i keep rattling about it , we my wife and the rest of my family are back to our favourite place this October and was looking for a heads up on the conditions up there with regards to reedbeds and overhanging trees, any info gratefully accepted  .

[Hello]

Howdy doody there Gareth, welcome aboard , we were on CG4 in May of this year , and as you do you have a nosey around the boat yard  at other boats , i think we saw  your Boat . a cracking little ship if ever there was , we my wife and I fell in love with Crown Gem 4 , back on her again next May can't wait .

[The River Bure , Upstream Of Wroxham Bridge]

On 18/06/2016 at 10:42 PM, BroadScot said:

Not that I know of Lori. Someone may know different?

Iain

we moored up right in front of the Rising Sun ,and because i was brought up ,rather than just assuming i could moor there for nothing , I went in and asked a very pleasant and helpful member of the staff if there was a charge , she told me that there was no charge and i could moor there for the evening ( big thanks for asking first ,manners cost nothing ) as long as i was gone by 11am the following morning . we had great fish and chips in the evening so much food i thought i was going to Pop ! Visit " the Rising Sun " have a meal you will not be disappointed .

[Lifeboat Called To Ranworth Yesterday]

i ,for one would , if i got into any " trouble " on the broads be very grateful to see the Hemsby Lifeboat and her valiant crew ,  sterling work lads .

[The River Bure , Upstream Of Wroxham Bridge]

18 hours ago, A.J.B. said:

The river above Wroxham is being clear of weed over the next couple of weeks, plus the section above Coltishall was dredged a couple of winters ago, so it's clear all the way to Horstead mill. There is good bank side mooring near the lock and only a 10 min walk into the village.

that is great news thank you  A.J.B. and thankyou everybody for the very useful information .

[The River Bure , Upstream Of Wroxham Bridge]

thank you Danny

[The River Bure , Upstream Of Wroxham Bridge]

i was planning a visit in October to Coltishall , however when the good lady and i went in May we noticed that not far from Belaugh the reed beds seem to be doing rather a good job of invading the river , not only that but after all of the rain we are led to believe it's going to be nice and sunny ( ideal for growing reeds ) can anyone who has been up that far tell me what the Navigation is like through to Coltishall please