Turnoar

Sorry to hear this CambridgeCabby, I hope the operation happens asap and the recovery plan includes leisurely relaxation and I can't think of a nicer place than on a boat like yours! Granted it won't be easy stepping on board to begin with but be shore to take your time before alighting... take plenty of time, as much as you need! You'll be no use at home so may as well stay abroad!

The shared ownership model is to be applauded, especially when it keeps history alive as BA does, thinking back to the early 80s I can recall an instance where a so called lover of wooden boats would simply buy one from a boatyard, with the desire of keeping it in good order only to run a mile from the yard and then give up as the repair costs became unviable, abandon, buy another one, then another one at the same time even as they seemingly became so cheap it was like 'banger cruising'. A lot of what would have been lovely boats to see around now sadly saw their last voyage via the the bonfire as boats were hellmed into the sky. Fortunately the best of the said lovers fleet of fancy has survived but by luck not design. The boats would have been fully utilised under a shared ownership model but definitely wouldn't have seen maintenance costs multiplied by the number of owners, almost the exact opposite, and some instances of neglect would not have occurred with, e.g., a decent cover for, say, 1/4 of the price per owner!

Boat looks clean and smart, did it have a good polish before the first lockdown?

Having (carefully) researched Pawnee tug online viz the piper aeroplane I was fascinated to find this is the maritime equivalent of a canvas canoe. I think I can recall seeing such planes spraying over broadland fields in the 1970s. Very distinctive with the high cockpit, right tool for the job!

For this time of year I would say the touring caravan parks are busier than usual. I guess many of the visitors have had their jabs and fancy a change of scenery, good for them. The Whitsun week may see the return of the silly season!

Could have kicked off as a result of folk not social distancing as was the case at Heathrow; queues of passengers on a flight from India reported by a passenger to iNews. Can only assume these are business travellers. As with previous lockdowns either tighter controls or embargo’s could avert these problems otherwise we could be booked on the flight path into lockdown again...

Think there’s a merchants of spice in Colegate too, very nice. Prince of India in Prince of Wales rd opposite the PoW pub, not sure if the passage to India is still open in Magdalen st by the flyover, lots of choice in the city, can’t wait until things are back to normal, lots of alumni to catch up on! Enjoy Andy!

Thanks for the replies Jbx & Btr, very enjoyable journey via the ferry both ways, I had to wait 3 mins going North on the retrun leg but only on account of a van plus trailer. Looks like the pub is opening from 19th May. Ferry was closing at 8pm tonight and poster for a ferry operator as noted above, think my youngster daughter is interested in the thing like a bridge that goes across the river with some other things where the man goes inside to drive the bridge; 1 hour ten mins including crossing excitement! Her indoors thought I'd gone the wrong way when I pulled up at the dead end outside the pub.... 15 mins early for her jab in the end lol

Heading out of the county (just), North Walsham to Beccles tomorrow. Quick look at NCC roadworks link & map is making me think neither via Norwich nor GY look free of roadworks of some description somewhere along the line so thinking the scenic route via Reedham ferry to make it more pleasurable. Forumites local knowledge/ advice welcomed!

I concurr with FT except when it’s just plain singular Burgh, near Aylsham, in which it’s just burr like the Norfolk boy said. Shame there isn’t some old boy sat out by their front gate watching the world go by to ask, I only see one doing that regularly nowadays outside a care home.

A while back I invested in another cycle helmet and it’s aero style with two top vents and tails to a point. Makes my neck ache in a strong crosswind but could do with ear plugs sometimes, sounds like an aircraft is overhead. Obviously that would be dangerous but even without plugs I keep looking back to see if a car is approaching my chuff! Strange as years back I had a fairly aerodynamic Audi coupe and remember how quiet it was at speed, a nice place to be.

The dipping place on Hickling Broad, by row boat or canoe, nice hard bottom, simplest way to describe where it is imagine the broad as a map of the UK, it’s the north Norfolk coast bit jutting out facing north, there’s a mill nearby with a glazed turret where the cap would originally have been. Enjoy your swim, safe enough in my childhood.

My wife needs one of these despertealy, I’ll enail you...

Do registered drone users have registration marks on their drones? If so looks like I need a telescopic sight just to be sure. Gun, catapult, kite and barage balloons can then be ordered. Said in jest of course, downing one could be very dangerous for anyone in the way of a crash landing which is my next worry after privacy. Seriously though, this particular drone does seem to be a biggy so may be commercial and I have seen it also following the nearby railway line at times. The back garden fly pasts do make me curious... if its big brother are we about to get taxed for how many square meters of vegetable patch or hard landscaping we have?

Once or twice a year some numpty hovers over our garden, maybe more often, but noticable when having a bbq etc. Invasion of privacy springs to mind. Appreciate this pilot may not represent the majority but I hate the things for this reason alone.

Have a very late night before! The decks will have thawed by the time I wake up!

I love the Bates star crafts, seem to think there was one on the broads for a while, Horning or Wroxham I last saw it a few years back.

Hmm, just looked at some pics, stern on I would think you’d be ok given the walkable albeit tightrope one foot 🦶 in front of the other side deck so long as you’ve got a handrail to grab on. Worst case you’d do it Mr Bean style passing the lady on the stairs if you missed with both feet! Alternatively, side on, go in the side Dukes of Hazard style but head first instead maybe depending on the mooring scenario or state of the tide or both. Recommend a safety ladder regardless, even if you’re not on your own it’s a pain to get out if you do go for an impromptu swim!

£256.02

Well, I’m a cyclist and I pay road tax as I own cars. Even if I was carless I’d still be happy to pay a licence to use a pushbike on the public roads. In fact I would prefer that as I’d feel a genuine stakeholder in the debates around the creation of cycle lanes in our fine city as well as my local town. I would object to many of them, sleeping kerbslands, flattened wands, 2 way tracks the width of one... disjointed and poorly planned in my experience. Canoeists don’t have to pay a BA toll if they’ve gone down the canoe union subscription route. Believe the same or similar for stand up paddle boarders. And third party insurance is included so for the duration of the licence you know they are covered. Why? In answer to your question I think, like the dinghy sailing revolution of the early sixties particularly diy home builds, means of getting on the water at a low price point are presently very attractive and with a lot of folk being laid up for a year any combination with exercise in the mix is an added incentive. I think this venture is simply seizing the moment.

Yes, having been knocked onto the pavement once by a car turning across in front of me into Recorder Road off the (at the time) most dangerous street in Norwich, I tend to stick to quiet lanes, ride solo and avoid confrontation by pulling over and letting cars, tractors etc. past, no enjoyment to be had with a ton or two of metal up your Chuph. Getting back on saddle I’ll be giving this catacyclic idea a wide berth, as some have said they could by dyke blockers at the relatively slow pace. If they catch on and progress to a cross with a wing bike then that might be more interesting... and better suited to open water. The Dutch seem to be developing that idea with no board or floats but just hydro foils; I’m not shore the punters will be up for having to pedal from point of launch continuously until the end of hire, even just an hour. Sink and swim!

As a cyclist I feel there is a distinct risk of being tarnished with the same mop as these hulls angels! I wonder if back in the respective days the same thoughts existed about catamarans and then sailboards, granted both found their suited havens at Hickling. If Wroxham doesn’t work out it’ll soon find an appropriate place like power boats at Oulton for instance and water skiers.

Too tame for Hickling I’m afraid, surf and bike is the way to go viz a mono board setup, the image is like the surf and bike equivalent with stabilisers... what is interesting about some of these newer ideas though is it’s bringing more people onto the water and at such point as Wroxham is saturated then Hickling will eventually take up the slack!

I think that was the BA guidance at one time, at which point I elected to defect to national! Just checked back on my previous posts so didn’t imagine it. Not going silly on the day trips though, trip to the local tyre man today to get spare resealed and revalved on the backup vessel. Lots more traffic out there today.

What is that yacht? Almost plumb stem, flat if not reverse sheer’, cabin mounted tabernacle, enterprise blue sails on a Bermudan rig. Comfortable vessel I’m shore!