tim

Having had a bit an ‘episode’ with the dog at Surlingham we had to return to our boatyard (Pacific) she pulled up lame chasing a stick and yelped and had to carry her back to the boat Fiona and Richard were (as expected fantasist) organising an emergency vet and getting our car ready to take her Strained tendons and £220 later we made our way to our booked mooring at Lord Nelson at Reedham! Now, the Ship is closed, The Ferry doesn’t do food after 4pm and the Nelson closes it’s doors at 7! is it me? But after 40 years in business I just can’t understand in a staycation year with every hire boat out why everything is closed! not a problem for me as a more mature drinker I tend to do my damage early 🤭 I just find it strange! 😲

Not been under ‘that bridge’ for a while so booked a day boat for Wednesday week the nice lady asked if I was going under the bridge, when I replied I was, she asked if I was an experienced boater? They only let experienced boaters under the bridge due to the weed build up, when I told her I’d been hiring each year for the past 12 years, she said I was ‘experienced’ 😲 anyone been under there recently? is it very weedy?

Thanks Guys Seems I shall have to review my shorts and flip flops while on The Broads policy!

Just doing a bit of 'pre-match' planning before our week on the broads from the 26th June Can anyone tell me if you can walk along the river from Potter to Womack Staithe? It's not totally clear looking at google maps Thanks in advance

Enjoying your tale not enjoying how busy it is with moorings! Were up on the 26th June and not looking forward to the mooring bun fight! Just a quick question can you mud weight overnight in Womack water then? I have a dinghy so I could mud weight row to the bank, from memory there's a small area to be able to moor it for a couple of hours?

Absolutely spot on, I like to visit as many pubs as I can, Mandy likes to eat out every meal except breakfast, I'm not the greatest cook, the average galley isn't big enough for Mandy to use every utensil and pot to create one meal! We both like older style houses, cars, furniture etc, this rule also applies to boats, I cant stand some of these new 'floating caravan' styles that Ferry marina seem to have loads of! Definitely no bath tubs! We've been with Pacific for years now, good traditional, clean, well maintained boats at silly prices and a loyalty discount on top of that Great service friendly approach, every year I think about going somewhere else for about 10mins and then book again with Fiona and Richard Just a tip for those looking for comfort, if you are uncomfortable you're not drinking enough!

I always have a dinghy so that if necessary I can moor on the island, and row across to the dinghy dyke, but if I've read this correctly, I could drop Mandy and the dog off at this area, leave and mud weight in the broad and row back. I could reverse the procedure to pick them up? I dont have a problem going from boat to dinghy but It's a no no for Mandy, and the dog's not over keen! Sorry if this has already been said but is there a time when a boat might be permanently moored in the evening, preventing me getting back to collect them?

Thanks for the replies, we've got the same boat as last year, went under Vauxhall with about a foot to spare about 15mins after slack water so doubt I'll have a problem However I've been looking at this site https://broads.bridgeheight.com/ and it appears that very rarely it might be tight! Plus I have a table and mooring booked at the New Inn Horning on the Monday to avoid the madness of late June with all the staycations, so desperate to get under!

Thanks for the reply, yes did that last year, this year I will have to leave quite early from the southern broads to make slack water at Yarmouth, probably leaving at 6am (which I love early cruising) but would they appreciate a call from me at 5.30am? I know the simple answer would be to call them and ask, but would they know several days in advance what the likely clearance would be under Vauxhall Bridge?

As the saying goes, 'there's no easy or hard questions, just one's you know the answer to, and those you don't' As someone who has been on the broads a number of times, I think I should know the answer to this but I dont Looking at BA's Website for tides, you have a time for high and low water, there is also a 'M' in the column next to the time. Now I assume this is meters, but what does this number mean and how would you use this to calculate the height under say Vauxhall bridge? Bridge heights have never bothered me too much in the past as we have normally had a low airdraft boat, but last year and this year our boat is 8'6'' which has made me a little more aware of them Hopefully, this isn't a stupid question and one of you cleaver people can explain it to me! Thanks in advance Tim

We've been hiring from yards down south for a number of years, first stop is always a meal and a few beers at the best pub (imho) on the broads, Ferry House with a bookable mooring! We then normally head north for a few days how many normally depends how chaotic it is over there then head back down to Beccles! I have a feeling that this year my stay north will be much shorter!

Pardon my ignorance, but is that type of boat likely to be a bit unstable at sea? I admire the bottle of the skipper!

Fully agree with this, so I'll join you in the stocks I read a stat early this year that once the groups in the 50's and above are vaccinated that will account for 99% of the deaths, whilst not under estimating the value of any life, we must also be aware of what lock down is doing to mental heath! Mandy is a voluntary counselor at MIND, they are at full stretch with people needing help, I haven't any numbers but continued lock down can only result in more people looking for a way out

What a lovely story thanks for putting on here, and 3 months before I was even born! How times are changed Can you imagine telling someone back then that one day your 'scrap book' would be a blog on an internet site that you could access via a keyboard/monitor or even your mobile phone!

Not that rare, Mandy has just completed 2 weeks of working in vaccination centres as well as her day job, she did tell me how many needles she'd stuck in peoples arms in that period, but I cant remember, she has now got 3 days off to put her feet up before starting again Any doses that are left at the end of the shift are given to the doctors / nurses / volunteers / people who are local so they are not wasted Unfortunately living 20 miles from the centres where she works I couldn't get there in time, but they try not to waste them I'm 63 so will have to wait a few more months before I get one! But as I said earlier on here Mandy has had both her doses, she is 60 and had very little side effects from it When you get the call get the vaccine please

Hopefully I’m back on the broads late June, it’ll be my mission to help boost profits in as many pubs as I can (except Waters Edge 😉)

That’ll be my motivation, I like a beer at home, but it’s not a patch on real ale with real friends in a real pub!

Mandy was fine after her first dose, but felt a bit ‘rough’ after her second for a few hours A day later she was as ‘normal’ as anyone married to me for 35 years could hope for! 😉 When offered, please get the vaccine!

My wife is a ANP in a doctors surgery, she has volunteered and already done several shifts in two vaccination centres in the Bromley area. She has now had both her vaccinations, as has a couple of nurses that also work in these centres including a partner of one of the nurses Now this isn't perks of the job, apparently the Pfizer jab comes in vials with 6 doses in each, once opened it has to be used within minutes or thrown away At the end of one of her clinics, due to people not having turned up a vial was opened with 4 doses remaining, so three nurses had a bonus of the second jab, plus one nurses partner who live very close to the vaccination centre got a jab, rather than just throw it away Alas, we live 45 minutes away from these centres so there's no way I could get there in time to get one Hopefully rather than throw away a perfectly good vaccine someone local will benefit

Last time we went up there was 2/3 years ago, they were definitely doing charity collection then I would think once started it's something that's difficult to stop, must have been going on for 30 years or more

That would be Grain Road, every house bar a couple were festooned with lights and indeed it was for charity, it later extended to other streets. When the kids were little we always took the short drive up their to see the displays but......... we did it the week before Christmas as not to over hype the kids who were already over excited with the school plays parties etc! I love Christmas, I love the special feel it gives you, different to any other time of the year but I'm with Helen, do it too early and it dilutes the experience! Depending when the weekend falls our Decs outside and in go up 10-14 days before the 25th

As I've said on here previously Mandy is an ANP in a doctors surgery and is also a fully qualified counsellor and works for MIND on a voluntary basis Since March, all consultations have been either via phone or zoom, not only has the need for extra counsellors increased but she is dealing more with the mental than the physical side of patients well being in her day job! Whilst we must do all we can to prevent deaths through actually catching Covid we must also be aware of the potential for loss of life where some people are getting no interaction with other people I'm lucky, I've never been lonely, have a big circle of friends, make conversation easily and have a loving family to help when I have felt a bit down Some peoples only company is through work, wandering around the shops, sitting with a newspaper in the pub or a cup of tea in a cafe These people are getting none of this at the moment and whilst we must stop the spread of this virus we mustn't forget the possible toll on life through mental illness

I apologise for trying to get back on track This is moored on the River Medway between Maidstone and East Farleigh and used as a liverboard Is this ex Broads, and if so is the outside helm a modification?

Sometimes it pays to keep it simple! I used to service my car myself when I first owned one! Now I lift the bonnet, shake my head, close it and pay a mechanic!

Not to mention trying to get back into their yard after a hire! We had Sabre a few years ago, an Alpha 42CC, that was fun trying to get her back 'home' with the yard staff just waving at the spot they wanted me to reverse into! They clearly had more faith in my ability than I did! The bow thrusters got a good work out, hardest I'd worked all holiday! Got her in though!