Lulu

Only four door handles, please don’t exaggerate my new found skill with flatpack furniture!

Definitely made it feel more homely. £37 off good ole Amazon

A lovely daily write up, thank you for taking the time while on holiday. Will you be putting up anything on your Youtube channel? (I’m subscribed;)

Renovation episode Last weekend we went up for the day to sort out the rotten drawer situation in the bedroom. Desmond and I stayed out of the way in the saloon. Lots of noise and splitting wood, then an ominous silence followed by ‘Sam, you’d better have a look at this’ . Worse than we thought. I could have cried. Graham just said it would set him back for the other jobs planned and would concentrate on that side of the boat.A couple of hours later…..rebuilt and primer on We did manage to put up our bargain buy of another grey cupboard which boosted our spirits. We now have all the galley space we need. This weekend Graham finished the ‘holdall cupboard’ which is now a fantastic space for our bags so out of the horror that we found, it’s actually done us a huge favour for space and storage. We have now decided to add a shelf above the bags as we think we can put the microwave in there and handily there are already some sockets above unlike in the galley where we have to run an extension lead each time. The damp meter showed 19% so considering it had all been saturated the week before we and it has rained since, we were very pleased. Next job was to see if there was any more horrors on the other side. There had been a small leak which Graham had fixed previously but now it was about seeing if there was any hidden rot. The vinyl under the gunnel? (Think that’s what its called) was all brittle, split and falling off but the wood was completely dry now so got covered in some vinyl flooring. No one can see it but we know its there and smart! Next job was fitting the shower bar and new sink taps. Unfortunately after dismantling the old fittings, we didnt have all the parts so they are now on order. Not a problem as the plumbing jobs Graham can do while we are out and about. We hope that is it, at least for a while or anything else will just be what we call ‘pottering jobs’ and we can enjoy the season, fingers crossed. Beautiful sunset last night to finish off a very successful day.

https://wroxhamlaunchhire.co.uk/about-us/live-camera

It does on my ipad and iphone :)

Finlay is so adorable. I do envy the obedience! Desmond definitely has selective hearing

Have a fantastic time!

Friday 29th March Surprisingly, we all slept really well despite the wind. The plan was to go back to the marina early. We were moving berths as Luna’s old berth was for larger boats but we now had a lovely spot further down. I knew where it was from land but approaching from the river everything looked different! We went past, turned around and found our new berth. Next job was Graham to take up our anti slip treads from the old berth and put down on our new pontoon. All set up we unloaded as much as we could and packed the car. A little while later we had our second visitor onboard, JawsOrca. Absolute pleasure to see you Alan and meet you properly after only a brief meet at Horning Boat show many years ago. We had a good chat and I hope you can get Orca back in the water soon. We decided to stay in the marina for the last night. The weather forecast was calm but a bit chilly. In the evening I went to fetch the ceramic heater from behind the bedroom door and it was wet. There was also a large puddle of water on the floor. I should have checked under that window after the leak on the other side after the torrential rain. Looking under the shelf there was white fungus stuff and the drawers also had it when we pulled them out. We had wondered why the drawers had never shut well. All week Id been saying I didnt think we needed drawers and wanted a cupboard or just an open space to put our holdalls in so decision made, drawers removed, panelling cleaned up and Graham temporarily covered the leaking window. The third leak we came across was from the shower taps but we have already bought a shower bar so that will get rid of that issue. I will admit I was a bit disheartened about the leaks but Graham is his usual practical self and said its all fixable. Also it resolved my indecision about the drawers. I’m also glad we were onboard to find these things during bad weather before it dried out again and we wouldnt have known. On Saturday morning, we packed the rest of our belongings into the car and set up the dehumidifier so that will help the drying out process before we go up at the weekend to fix the windows. Overall a fantastic first week on Mermaid, met great people as ever, incredibly lucky with the weather when cruising, learned a huge amount about Mermaid, her handling quirks, tank capacities, finding places for everything, what we do need and what we dont and finding the faults and a plan to rectify things. Thank you Mermaid x

Thursday 28th March Well what a night, wind and torrential rain. I woke up a few times with drip drip as water came through the window by my pillow. Once the rain had stopped, Graham temporarily fixed it with tape as we realised we had no sealant on board. My fault for saying we couldnt have the equivalent of Screwfix’s warehouse onboard unlike Luna! The blue sky came back and we set off early with the aim to arrive at Marine Tech when they opened at 8.30 for a pump out , fuel and water. We got there just after they opened and reversed in as the pump out was on one side, fuel on the other. Pump out done and we now had a good idea of capacity. They reckoned it was nearly full so now we know it lasts a week. Water, we had used probably half and fuel, not used a lot. We’ve decided not to bother with any gauges as we can work it out now. How many days on board and just using a torch to peer into see what fuel is left. £80 spent in all. Absolutely excellent service from Marine Tech as usual. They even turned the boat around on ropes to do the fuel as they didnt want to damage the paintwork. Its definitely our place of choice over anywhere else now. Graham did some figures and Mermaid is a lot cheaper to run than Luna especially with less mooring fees and less toll to pay. We needed to start making our way back so decided on Irstead if it was free or Paddy’s Lane if not. The forecast was for very strong winds that night so we wanted somewhere sheltered this time. We had a lovely sunny cruise up the Ant. So relaxing not having to worry about bridge heights. We went under the bridge and saw a camera so assumed we would be on YouTube again, which we were. Relieved I didnt mess up. Barton was busy with some sailies and we arrived at Paddy’s lane late morning, deliberately picking the stretch in between the trees after Graham worked out where the wind direction was going to be coming from later that evening. I could only walk down to the end of the boardwalk with Desmond as it was so muddy after that but he wasnt fussed about going far as usual. We battened down the hatches in readiness and sure enough it was soon blowing a hoolie but Mermaid hardly moved and no fender or rope squeaking. It was a bit scarey when i took Desmond out for his last comfort break before bed. The wind was absolutely roaring. We were pleased we werent at Acle! I think there were only about three other boats there that night.

We’ve never had phone signal issues there. We are on Vodaphone, but never had tv signal which we had forgotten about. In the photo of us moored you will see the telescopic pole with the aerial at full height but nothing. So we were properly off grid! Fine for one night but I do like my tv.

We do often check the webcam but it really helped knowing if we got there early the chances there would only be the few boats there you mentioned. Basically, because we went there and got the magic olive blanket for Desmond, you saved us from more sleepless nights! Wednesday 27th March A peaceful night comfortable night and awoke to an overcast sky. After a walk around all the various paths with Desmond, I decided to try and capture the same scene with myself and my mum from 1970. Because the trees to tie up on have gone and no beach due to the quay heading, the only clue was to look at the tree line beyond. I think I was in the right area. It took me back to many happy times and also made me a bit sad as I know those days are long gone. My parents are in their 90s and dad didnt take up our suggestion of hiring and we would be the crew. I can understand it and also it just wouldnt be the same. After a lot of discussion, our initial destination was going to be Womack Staithe for the first time but the weather was looking awful and we wanted to be somewhere we were familiar with. We decided to go to Bridgecraft for a pumpout, water and refuel before the weather got bad and then decide from there. I was glad to see the pub is starting to be repainted. I’ve never liked that brown beige colour. We got to Acle but unfortunately there was no space at Bridgecraft so we dithered a while before deciding to stay at Acle again. Decision made we hooked up to the electric. 73p left on the meter! It was also nice to see that the abandoned saily boat had been removed from the mooring nearest the cafe. We had seen the rangers looking at it when we were last there and said they were making some calls. We went to Dunes where Graham ordered a bacon roll, I had carrot cake and Desmond got some of those Pooch biscuits. The river was choppy and the wind was getting up amongst a bit of blue sky. We had a chat with Dan who had moored further down who recognised us and we explained our reasons for selling Luna. We hunkered down for the night knowing the weather wasnt going to be fun with the wind forecast

Yes, I doubt we will visit Potter again until the season ends and no you didnt disturb us at all, its just always a surprise to see a boat moor up when its dark!

Just to add, the picture of Desmond staring out of the window shows our fix for the drafts along the sliding canopy. Cheap and easy solution.

Tuesday 26th March What a great night’s sleep! The magic olive blankie did its work. So reinvigorated we decided on a longer cruise and something different for us. Destination Salhouse and take advantage of our stern on access. We also wanted to go there before the season properly started. As I pulled out of the moorings , Dan from One Dan and his Boat approached in a Brinks Duet. We waved and realised he would have no clue who we were as he would only know us on Luna. Something we had to keep remembering if we saw anyone we knew! We chugged slowly down the Thurne and turned onto the Bure. As we approached the Ant mouth, we saw Moonlight Shadow pull out. As I waved madly, Helen realised who we were as we went past but we were both concentrating on a small boat whose bow was extremely low in the water at the time. We went past an empty Cockshoot Dyke and through Horning and eventually reached a very empty Salhouse Broad. Ok, this was my chance to have a go at this stern on malarkey. Oh wow does she crab but I kept tweaking the throttle and slowly went back in quite a straight line, then messed it up a bit at the last minute thinking i was in neutral but wasnt but overall quite pleased and surprised at how much visibility I had. It was lovely to have the place to ourselves for a while and Desmond loved exploring. He found a big hare. Lots of sniffs and molehills to wee on and squirrels galore. He was as fascinated by the cows as they were of him. We had absolutely no signal for the tv but wasn’t expecting to so we carried on listening to the radio for the rest of the day. A few boats came in and out and then about three stayed over night. We were all falling asleep by 9.00. Its always like this on the boat. It must be the fresh air and relaxation

Not the ideal place but we’ve nowhere else to put it unfortunately

Monday 25th March Brrrrrr it had been a cold night. Ceramic heater went straight on as soon as we woke up as well as the normal heating. Spent some time getting rid of the condensation but what we’ve noticed is there is far less condensation than on Luna. I took Desmond for a very brief walk and in front of us was Karizma. Desmond was quite calm with Cody dog. He’s definitely getting better with other dogs. After a nice chat and catchup we as usual set off early with a plan to go to Potter. We only considered this after reading Broads01 saying there were only a few boats there. It was so good to see the wind pumps are having work done. We had a look at the webcam every now and then and could see there were spaces. I had a list of what I actually needed from Lathams so that was the mission. We passed Broads01 coming down so we knew there would definitely be a space! Graham turned Mermaid easily (she turns on a sixpence, pity about the reversing!) and we moored at the start of the moorings. I went off to Lathams for scissors, bin bags, bread, and Toastie fleece blanket for Desmond to stop him migrating into Graham’s sleeping bag at night and most importantly Haribo Gold Bears (Grahams favourite). Later on there was work done to the path, laying down that grey stuff. As I write this, its just reminded me that I must take a small brush next time as we kept bringing it onto the decks but it did need doing. I guess a lot of it must have been washed away in the floods. I took Desmond for a long walk (for us , certainly not in the Kate and Helen range!) I’d noticed on the way to Potter that the plastic pig in the garden now has a fence beside him so Desmond couldnt see it anymore to bark at it unlike last year. We hoped for a better night now Desmond had his new olive toastie blankie

Sunday 24th March We woke early after not having the best night’s sleep after hearing the bittern boom all night. Amazing sound but the novelty wore off a bit at 3.00am! After a lovely walk, we had toast and tea before setting off by 8.00. There were only a few other boats at How Hill and not many at Ludham. We had decided on Acle as we wanted electric because the forecast was going to be a cold night so wanted the comfort of being able to put the ceramic heater on for a quick boost of heat. As we turned the corner and went past Boundary farm, the river got very choppy. It doesn’t really show up on the photo. Maybe being lower down the waves seemed bigger! It was a lovely cruise, beautiful blue sky again. We arrived at Acle and plugged into the electric. Dunes cafe unfortunately wasnt open. We spent the say doing our usual thing of not a lot although now we have the radio on quite a lot as Mermaid has a great speaker system. We waved at Broads01 as he and Suzie went by and saw them come back a little later. It was getting a bit chilly so the heating went on and Desmond wore his natty new cable knit number. There wasnt a spectacular sunset but it was lovely all the same. A little later in the dark a boat moored in front of us but it wasnt until the following morning that I realised who it was…

Moving on from loos…. All is well and we have decided we will keep the existing one for the time being Saturday 23rd March 2024 Finally a whole week onboard. We left home about 7.30am. The roads were pretty quiet. Loaded everything on board, including new cushions to make things more homely and set off for How Hill as our first destination. Barton Broad was interesting. Very choppy and we even had spray over the bow, not that it would take much! We picked our favourite spot, Luna’s Nook then it really sank in how small Mermaid is in comparison. No need for a rhond anchor as she fitted neatly between the two posts. So Mouldy is no longer on standby to pick up our forgotten rhond anchors…… ;) The Toad Cottage garden was looking lovely. The bittern was booming, blue sky, fluffy clouds. All was rather nice. Kate came over later and was officially our first visitor onboard. Obviously we cannot have many visitors onboard at anyone time as it is rather bijou. Had a lovely catchup. Always an absolute delight to see you Kate x After our usual first night onboard meal of pasta bolognaise, we carried on finding places for things. A permanent place for Desmond’s water bowl, somewhere to put the dehumidifier out of the way, easy access for the bottled water, a torch by the back door. It was all about using the space efficiently and this would go on all week! After watching a bit of tv we retired early very happy that we had loads of days ahead of us.

A warm welcome to the forum Alison. Graham and I took ownership of a Hampton ( it’s been a huge learning curve ) only 6 weeks ago and have been following how your weekend has gone with great interest. Looking forward to hearing about your future adventures :)

Exactly the same as Mermaid. Is this a Hampton thing?

Great write up Simon and good to see you even if it was only from the other side of the river each time! Looking forward to your review and also your Thames trip

Lovely and interesting right up as always Helen. One day we will meet in person rather than just waving madly at each other! We keep saying we will have days out but never do. Maybe when we can have more than one week on board we will. You have definitely given me some ideas of where to go.

6ft 6

Oh how I can relate to this 😂. Having now downsized to a Hampton, we were absolutely determined to be ruthless of what we keep on her. It’s so difficult and there’s been a couple of occasions this week where Graham didn’t have something on board to fix issues whereas Luna had everything for the ‘just in case’ times. is the telescopic thing for a tv aerial? Thats what we have for ours.