Markw

We are having a long weekend on a Broom Captain in 3 weeks time - has been at least 3 years since we have been able to get back onto the Broads - very much looking forward to it

My guess would be £125.00

Chris - we have hired from Brundall (Brooms)for the past 4 years or so... on our last night we always head for Rockland short dyke (if heading back to Brundall from the south that is the first turning to Rockland Broad) - lovely remote moorings - decent walks etc and only 20 mins back to Brundall in the morning - there is of course the option of heading further down into the staithe - just add 10 mins. Sure there are other options depending on pubs etc - but works for us and never had any issues getting onto the moorings.

Had exactly this just last week - as always, i never click on any links - either on phone or within emails - went & checked my EE account just to put my mind at rest - all fine of course. It just really annoys me - the whole scam thing these days.

Some of these scams are getting very complex - especially anything IT related. If you have a look on YouTube - search for baiting scammers - there are many people actually catching some of these scammers out & completely wasting their time, even turning the tables and connecting back onto the scammers computer and supposedly deleting all their files - it is very entertaining to watch & judging by the comments - many people have been caught out... The scams are really complex - in a nutshell - scammer calls to say they are from Microsoft or Apple (as most people use either / or ) usually & that your computer support is ending & they owe you a refund. They ask to connect to your system (via Team Viewer or similar software) - ask you to log into your back account online - they then 'upload' a form / page for you to fill in online - they ask you to type the amount of the refund in and as you are doing this they add an extra zero or 1 and hit enter before you get chance to query it - bear in mind this is the refund to you - supposedly - during this time they take various screenshots that you are sharing with them to make it look like you have been credited too much money into your account & start threatening legal / police action if you do not refund it to them. How do they want the refund? - in store cards (such as Costco etc) - they want you to go & get store cards & give them the card codes over the phone - they even stay on the phone whilst you drive to the store... etc etc etc - presumably then they are selling these codes online to others... This really does sound so far fetched - especially as i type it - but there are many people on YouTube catching these guys out & recording the calls / screenshots etc - go have a look. I work in IT myself and was amazed at the lengths they are going to....

Merry Christmas all.... have a good one... Mark & Jules xx

On the topic of Insurance - for years both my wife & i had company cars as our daily drivers (mainly due to fact we both worked for a large vehicle rental company for 15 years or so) - so we never needed to worry about insurance etc. Having then been made redundant 3 or so years ago - and finding ourselves working in a completely different sector - we then had to source our own cars & of course insure them. We had our house policy with Aviva and just went to them - so easy to do (especially online) - quotes were comparable to others - and they also were great at accepting 10 years plus of no claims on our 'work' insurance policy - employer kindly provided a letter stating our driving history with a company car. Have had to make a couple of non fault claims over the last year - but all sorted quickly (last one i did all online - including uploading all photos of damage - was approved same day - including hire car booking & body shop phoned me next day (as was a Sunday) to sort collection of the car - cannot fault the service at all...

For the last 3 years we have taken a couple of weeks in Fort Lauderdale on the east coast of Florida each May where boat hire is actually pretty much 90% private owners - it is as easy as hiring a car - but mostly focused on day hires here & there rather than a week at a time - although one guy i was chatting to last year when looking to book again, and mentioned that i might take it for 2 days - was more than happy for me to keep it at our villa we had rented overnight (had 100ft of waterfront dock - on the main intracoastal waterway) - without blinking an eye. Booking is all done through a website - all rental agreements / legal agreements with them - obviously the owners pay fees etc - but it does seem to work really well. We have hired different boats over the last few years and never had a problem. Pic of last one below

I was going to ask the question - with boats sat on the mud - presumably with the props and rudders now sunk in the mud - is any damage ever suffered because of this? - or with the mud being very soft - do boats tend to be ok?

Just catching up as well.... very shocked and sincerest condolences from us as well... Mark & Jules

When we returned our Hireboat last Monday (17th Sept) - Malcolm did the usual fuel etc and as i walked into the hut for our refund i as usual said nice to see you etc and the fact you are here year after year... he said unfortunately that he would be gone this week as he had been unsuccessful in reapplying for his position (his words were not quite as eloquent as that) and that was that basically.... I have been in a similar position some years ago - with the same company for nearly 15 years and more than twice had to apply / be interviewed for a position that i was already in (or very similar to) - usually happens when companies are downsizing and if there are no voluntary redundancies (or the company is not offering a redundancy package) then they are obliged to allow people to apply for other positions within the organisation etc etc - most of the time it is a 'tick box' exercise to keep within various employment laws - but a process has to be followed...

On countdown now - about to finish work in London - train back to South Sheff.....- pack car tonight ready for 07.30 departure to Brundall tomorrow morning - really looking forward to this weekend....

Understand what you mean now.... my hat on.... lol

Very true & there is obviously a market for them as like you say - the boatyards would not make such an investment (i would hope) - they must be very well appointed inside

Agreed...... although we do like / appreciate modern day luxuries when we are on the river - still want the boat to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye....

lol.... not a problem.... was not aware of the Broom FB page - will have to have a look....

Hi all, Thought the below might interest one or two fellow forumites today.... Whilst i live in South Sheffield, my office is based in London and lately i have had to be in the city 3 or 4 days a week. However, it is only a 15 min walk to St Katherine Dock, and most lunchtimes i take a wander down there - always something to see either in the dock or on the Thames (see last pic). Over the weekend they held the Classic Boat Festival and whilst woodies don't really do it for me - there were some lovely boats leaving as i was down there earlier today - the first pic being a very nice (and i should imagine - very expensive) example. The last pic is of a super yacht - Aviva that has been moored here for a good few weeks now (on the Thames that is), incidentally - i actually saw this yacht in person whilst we were in Fort Lauderdale at the beginning of May this year - must be following me around - lol (really must post some pics / details of the yachting world in Fort Lauderdale - 100's of ridiculously expensive boats everywhere). Mark

Already booked The White Horse for Friday night dinner - and tend to breakfast whilst underway on Saturday morning..... but we will try Rosie Lee's at some point as we have not heard (or seen) a bad word whenever anyone comments here.

Hi Susan, Yes to both - we have hired a Broom Captain 3 times previously and they are quite well stocked with utensils / cutlery / table & glassware - we still bring some odd bits & pieces with us (chopping board / couple of sharp knives etc) - if you have a look in the Hire Boat discussion thread - i did take some pics of the interior of the boat as best i could when we picked her up in March. If you have any specific questions - let me know & i will have a look once we are onboard this weekend (rather than trying to rely on an a very reducing memory). Mark

Thanks Scrumpy - we have hired from Brooms 3 times previously - always on a Broom Captain (was out early March this year - but had only just ordered the burgee and was too late to take with us). We are actually out a week later this September - we were out September last year as well and think we may have passed you on your last day when we were heading upto The Waters Edge on the Friday afternoon.

Hi all, We will be having another long weekend on Broom Captain shortly - will be on the river from Friday 14th Sept to Monday 17th Sept. Will post another holiday blog with pics again - but our plans are as follows; Friday 14th - Brundall to Loddon - overnight Loddon staithe Saturday 15th - Loddon to Beccles - overnight Beccles yacht station Sunday 16th - Beccles to Rockland (via Oulton Broad) - overnight Rockland short dyke Monday 17th - Rockland - Brundall We will be flying our NBN burgee (not quite sure where to temporarily attach it to - but have cable ties on our boat list) so if you see us - give us a wave and if we are moored up - come and say hello - the bar is always open.... Weather not looking too bad either (at the moment) which will keep Jules happy - glass of champagne in hand whilst sunbathing in her bikini (also makes me a very happy man) Mark

As has previously been said - it can be horses for courses - we travel all over UK with work and have on many occasion ended up in a completely strange city (to us) & rather than eat all the time in hotel restaurants / bars - we do like to get out & about. The usual way we do this is by looking at online reviews (usually trip advisor or open table - we find the latter seems to be better - but the restaurants need to be signed up to the booking facility on the website). We also ask the reception staff where they would recommend a good place to eat - always goes down well that one.... Generally - unless an establishment has lots of very negative reviews then we will make an educated decision from what we can read / see in the reviews and go from there. We still get caught out though and have eaten in places (both on the broads & further afield) that have had very good reviews - yet we have come away from the odd restaurant not having enjoyed the meal and been quite unwell - we don't then add a negative review as we feel that probably the food was just not for us & we will leave other people to decide. The only time we may leave a review on any website is if we have either very good service - or very poor service - that for us can make or break an evening out...but we have had many a great night out at lots of places based on reviews & feedback online - both here in UK and when we are in the USA.

I know what you mean - and looking at the faq's on the website - it would appear to be a very common question that is asked.... so you are not the only one....

Hi I have just found the below on the PRM website; Q: HOW DO I CHECK THE OIL LEVEL OF THE GEARBOX? A: To check the oil level, the dipstick must be fully screwed down and a level can then be taken. DO NOT over fill your gearboxes as this is detrimental to their performance. If a mechanical unit is overfilled, then this will cause the clutch to wear out and the performance will continue to deteriorate. I was assuming before i found this that it was the case that it should be fully screwed in to obtain the correct reading Hope that helps Mark

Just catching up on the forum after being away for a few days - lovely write up & some fantastic pictures - thanks very much. We are back on Broom Captain for a long weekend in 3 weeks and cannot wait...