socrates

Just watched it, thanks for posting such an interesting film. Love the RP of the narrator.

Spotted leaving Norwich.

It was good to be part of this great team effort, which enabled Jim to make his final journey on his beloved Manxman. It was like one of those "getting to know you" team building exercises. To paraphrase Griff, this is an event that I also feel privileged to attend and be involved with.

Thank you for sharing your experiences, a most enjoyable read. It is good to see Water Rail out on the Broads, a boat we have always admired.

Very much enjoyed reading this thread, thank you for your holiday musings. Hope to see you at some point.

The decision has been made. The Bereny Arms will remain closed because the application has been rejected. The moorings are going to be closed by the landowner because he can no longer afford to maintain them without income from a working pub. The BA are claiming that the moorings are unsafe. The license was also refused on the grounds that the noise would affect the local residents. A change of use has also been refused. Looks like it is back to square one, but with the prospect of no moorings. A sad day for those of us who wanted to see it re-opened.

https://www.becclesandbungayjournal.co.uk/news/owners-of-berney-arms-to-learn-fate-of-bistro-plan-1-6755611 The decision is being made today.

We intend to be at Stracey Arms moorings overnight on Wednesday. Good idea for a DTS at the Duke's Head - our local.

It means I am working. For those who may not think this is real, I am working 7 days a week and have never been so busy. Just for information, I would expect to do around 3 funerals a week at this time of year, there has been around 3 every day the past couple of weeks. Like everyone else I would rather be on the Broads than dealing with this situation.

I am now able to inform members that I have the honour and privilege of arranging and conducting Jim's funeral, which will be a celebration of his life and love of the Broads and his other interests. His funeral will take place at Thornton Crematorium on Merseyside at 3.30pm on Wednesday 27th May. We might be able to film the funeral and post it on a relevant Facebook page, I have done this with a few funerals these last few weeks. As Jim was so well-known on the Broads, we are sure many people would like to attend "in spirit", if not in person. In accordance with Jim's wishes, We hope to have a suitable ceremony on the Broads when we are able to do so.

That is right, they used to hire from Herbert Woods with their parents, and eventually bought her, the original name escapes me just now. They re-named her Manxman after one of the Liverpool-Isle of Man steam packet boats. Jim also had a passion for these classic ships which graced the Irish sea in the 1950's-1990's, he had a wealth of knowledge about them as well and had a huge collection of memorabilia, this included several brass fittings from the ship which adorned Manxman the Broads cruiser.

It is with sadness that I announce the death of Jim Sharpe, owner of Manxman. Manxman was a familiar sight on the Broads, crewed by Jim and his late brother (not forgetting their dogs). They were regulars at the various wooden boat events and in later years, Jim continued to holiday on the Broads alone with his two dogs for company. Some of you may know that I am a councilor and Jim was a journalist on our local paper, as a result we knew each other in another context. In the midst of a discussion about a local issue, we would often end up discussing the joys of wooden boat ownership and the delights of cruising on the Broads. When we purchased Broadland Grebe, Jim and his brother (along with a few others) were a source of encouragement, and always willing to share knowledge. Jim was very involved in the Liverpool YMCA and they would help him with transport to the Broads. I am told that Manxman will be left in the custodianship of the YMCA. Jim loved the Broads and had been visiting with his brother and his parents since he was a boy. He had a wealth of tales to tell and was always willing to tell them. A good who is a sad loss to the Broads community. Fair winds and safe moorings to you, Jim. Funeral and memorial arrangements are very much subject to COVID restrictions, no details are available.

My other half probably isn't up for it either. if you are ever up this way I and need company just give us a call.

Can anyone recommend a decent varnish for interior mahogany deck boards? It needs to be non-slip and hard wearing, I am thinking about using D1 varnish, has anyone used it?

Anyone had any experience of using a Sterling Pro Charge Ultra 12v 30Amp? We are considering fitting one, but not sure of how effective one would be with 3 domestic and 1 starter battery. The other option is to go with a combined inverter/charger.

Whilst browsing, I came across this thread and was most interested to read of the variety of badges. I don't suppose any one reading this knows where I might be able to obtain a Ripplecraft badge? This photo was taken of the badge worn by a family member of a funeral I conducted. (Will tell the full story on another thread)

We also keep our boat on the Southern Broads (Somerleyton). I have been pondering the anti-foul and anode question for a couple of years. It seems to depend on who you ask as to what answer you will get. Up to now, we have put a coat of anti foul on every year, we use Broads anti-foul and it is a nasty job to do. Being as the boat spends the winter out of the water, I am still not sure if it is best to do yearly or two yearly. The previous owners seem to have occasionally used tar varnish which, although still available, is no longer the same quality that it used to be. Like Griff says, it is probably a a case of personal choice, rather than received wisdom. A trawl on the internet provides as many different answers as you have time to read.

We also used to hire from Silverline before we bought our own boat. I concur with what others have said about their boats, always well looked after and clean even at the end of the season. The only downside was having to encounter a somewhat ferocious woman at reception and the regimental parking system. I suppose it was part of the efficiency of the whole operation and provided a certain about of amusement, once we were underway. Would recommend them without hesitation.

We are out on Broadland Grebe every summer, so we would love to meet up with other restored boats. This year, we spent 14 weeks on the boat which makes all the hard work and expense worthwhile. We intend to be afloat again during the first week of April.

Will be a while until the next one, letting the boat dry out a bit before putting on the new deck and roof. I will be back in January to sand and prep for painting. Thanks for your kind comments, it is one of the reasons why I started posting again.

Just returned from a week of work on Broadland Grebe - cold and damp in the shed, and a dose of "man flu" didn't help. Fortified by hot coffee and the dry humour of fellow shed workers, work began on the ever expanding list on Monday. The first task was to sort out the heater. I lowered the heater unit by a few inches, so it was at a lower point than the highest matrix, this was easy to do. I then fitted a bleed valve to the matrix in the centre cabin so any air in the system will vent. Running the system up in the shed was interesting, but the system worked - problem solved and the first tick on the list before lunch. The next task proved somewhat more difficult and took considerably longer. Removing the old track mark from the front deck and preparing it for glassing. It is funny how the track mark lifts when you don't want i to lift, but sticks when you don't want it to stick. The easiest way was to go at it with a multi-tool tile removal blade. A slow and laborious process whilst listening to Radio 4, nothing for it but to put the headphones on and blast my ears with some good old punk. Even with such delights as Transvision Vamp and the Sex Pistols, the day dragged on and the track mark fought a battle worthy of General Custer's last stand. It was close of play on Tuesday before the nasty track mark had been removed and it was time to tackle the toe rails. One thing I don't like doing is removing pellets and screws, I centre pop, drill, prod and scratch to find the elusive screw head and then fight a battle to remove the screw. It is strange how, even greased screws fight every turn before they eventually yield. Am I the only person who has this problem? I suspect so. I am now looking forward (once again) to the prospect of making new pellets during the dark winter days to come. The track mark had been stuck down with what looks like a combination of Evo Stick and a rather dubious fibreglass substance. This amalgam of chemical sticky stuff had to be scrapped off before the deck could be prepared for glassing. The easiest solution was to attack it with a belt sander whilst avoiding being dragged across the deck and catapulted to the concrete floor of the shed several feet below. Avoiding becoming a name on the list of industrial accidents, I succeeded in getting a reasonable result. I removed the deck skylight for the front cabin cupboard which will be replaced with a brass mushroom vent, and carefully avoided stepping back to admire my work on Tuesday afternoon. The rotten plank on the starboard side was easy to remove (under supervision), and we inspected the wood underneath. We found that the seam was where the problem is and this will be easier than we first thought to solve. Once the joint is re-sealed and treated, a new plank will be fitted on the waterline. A fairly easy job, the boatyard are making the plank and I will fit it in the Spring when the boat has dried out a bit. The other small bit of rot on the starboard side was also removed and it will be a simple enough job to scarf in a piece of wood as it is above the waterline. During the summer, our back roof began to detach itself from the boat, the result was that by October, there was an almost constant flurry of white paint flakes on the cabin sides and inside the boat. Not a good look! We decided to glass the roof this year and re-paint. The trusty multi-tool was deployed and the shed soon filled with a snow storm of white paint flecks. In order to avoid becoming as popular as a fart in a space suit, I covered the neighbouring boats with sheets. The old roof was covered in scrim and layers of white paint, most of it came off fairly easily, but some remained stubborn and had to be scrapped off bit by bit. This task was almost as bad as the front deck but with perseverance and nautical language, the task was completed by Thursday. The wood of the roof seems to be generally free of rot, but it is a little damp in patches. I suspect if we had left it any longer the plywood planks which make up the roof would have started to rot. This will be left to dry out for a few weeks and the glass work will be done in Jan/Feb. The intention is to use mat and then paint over it. The other task was to remove the galley floor boards in preparation for sanding and varnish, this was done and the boards cleaned ready for sanding. All in all a productive but hard week.

I was very impressed with Dominic Buckley, and have no hesitation in recommending him. He produces a very comprehensive and easy to read report at (what I think) is a fair price. He also takes photographs and makes realistic recommendations for repairs. Our survey came in a nice little book and a CD which can be downloaded and sent to anyone who needs it. Steve Truss was also excellent and did our original survey, I have heard he is no longer on the Broads, but I could be wrong.

I meant to add, if anyone is around Somerleyton next week, please feel free to come into the boatyard and say "hello", I am down for a week from Monday and will be working on the ever expanding to do list. Madam Captain has decided/decreed that shore power and battery charging system is now on the "essential" rather than the "maybe" list for this winter. In part this is because of our impending exciting change in circumstances which well be revealed in due course. There is still the matter of the front deck to be stripped prior to resurfacing, cabin roof to be stripped, main cabin to be sanded and varnished, and all the usual winter maintenance. We have to be back in the water at the beginning of April as we have to be shipshape for an important visit. (more of that later). Hopefully, I will have tome to post some updates and pictures for those who like such things.