Ray

Next time!

Not related but Hi from the table opposite you in the Sutton Staithe Hotel today.. I was going to say hello but you were on the phone, then your food came, then our food came and then you were gone! Ships in the night...

Glad Sydney was OK

I'd forgotten I took this, a bit blurry I'm afraid. We moor at Sutton Staithe boatyard and saw you launching in the slipway when we drove in to take our boat out for a few days. This was you pasing us on Barton Broad the same day, we spoke the next morning at Acle while dog walking and we then seemed to see you everywhere we went on the Southern broads for a few days before we headed back! Glad you had a great time!

None of us can get everything right everytime, I'd say well done for getting your confidence back, that's not an easy thing to do after a mishap!

Many thanks indeed, I will speak to the pilot on the day and if there is any doubt about doing it myself I will watch and learn from the experienced professional!

Sounds expensive dnks34! Thanks John, we have never been north of the bridge!

Thanks John, silly question I know but is it possible to ring ahead to the pilot for his reading or is that not the done thing?

Thanks guys... unless the weather changes drastically by Wednesday I really think a Safari should go through with no problem at the moment!

Will be my first time in my own boat, it's a Hampton Safari MkIII so I understand it's narrow beam is a big advantage. Looking all over the net for an official air draft is fruitless, anything from 6' 4" to 6' 10". I know how full the tanks are has a bearing and the amount of crew. My own attempt to measure our specific air draft was with 50% in both fuel and water tanks, with no crew onboard and came in at 6' 6". My crew insists that whatever the bridge height marker says we use the pilot as it's our first time and she understands this to be best practice. I know the basics, ie open the throttle, approach confidently and aim at the keystone. Do you think there is any height indicated on the bridge marker at which I should just go for it? OK, that's a big ask, I know the final decision at the time has to be mine/ours but are there any indications that I can factor into my decision positively? I want to do this... can you tell? lol

I live round the corner from Winterton Church, I've never been either lol If visiting during the summer months you can ascend to the top of the tower beteen 2pm and 4pm on Saturdays. I'm told the view is stunning!

Sounds like a wonderful break, thanks for your account, it was as relaxing as being there (almost) As an aside the Winterton Lifeboat on the plaque is being restored by a local group. The hull had ended up as a squat somewhere and the Harbour Master researched the name and offered her to village, otherwise she would have been scrapped. Maybe a future visit will coincide with one of their open days. The Edward Birkbeck lives on!

Sounds true to form and this is a type that seems to becoming more and more prevelant everywhere, not just among boaters, of all persuasions, but in society. It is neatly summed up in the phrase "sense of entitlement" Edit: I posted at the same time as Polly, hopefully indicating that I have just been unlucky lately

Bigging himself up, particularly with a lady crew member does seem to be a situation played out in all sorts of craft all over the broads, I have noticed. My particular lady crew member has singularly failed to be impressed by anything I have done or said since 1978 and therefore I don't bother with it myself!

Couldn't it just be simplified by having Rule 1 Give way unless you can't Rule 2 If you can't then signal your intentions by pointimg where you want the other boat to go. These rules to apply to any meetings between flappies and smellies equally!

I would welcome more direction from yachts, quite often it is just not possible to guess their intentions. I am more than happy to comply if directed and to hold off if required but I do find having to guess a pita! I love flappy things to look at and admire the skills involved, no "us v them" here either... I just don't have a crystal ball

Thanks Paul, I do like to understand how things work and go together, the electrical side of things being a weak spot for me so I'll be busy youtubing if anyone wants me!

Jonathon, that slow cooker sounds good! The rest is beginning to make my head swim lol

I'm seriously glad I asked for advice, once again NBN member's help and advice is invaluable!

Excellent explanation! Many thanks

Thank you, it never pays to cut corners in the end does it? I'll do it properly but maybe next year now!

I'm not good with the technicalities of electricity, so answers if possible in simple terms please. We have one leasure battery however it gets very light use, charging a phone or two while under way, a reversing camera only ever used for a minute or two sometimes when mooring and cabin lights. When out and about we never cruise less than 3 hours and often more. My better half thinks a microwave cooker would be a good addition and I agree as I don't like using the small gas oven to the point where it's never used and a bit more variety for onboard meals would be nice, even if simple ready meals. I'm really hoping to avoid fitting another leasure battery, so in finally coming to the point, will the one leasure battery cope with occasional microwave use using an inverter. I want to get one of the simple ones that plug into a 12v accessory socket (cigarette lighter type). Bearing in mind it won't be the end of the world if the battery gets very low at times and that usagae will not be heavy does this sound doable? Is there any point in looking at 12v microwaves, if available? Thanks in advance for any tips.

Welcome aboard ?

Camaraderie A forum, at least a good one like this, welcomes new members into it's family. Families squabble at times but have a "blood is thicker than water" ethos underpinning them. A facebook group is more loosley connected like a gang of lads on a night out. Bravado rules and damn the consequences. I belong to both and several other Facebook groups, the NBN was not the worst offender in the Ferry incident discussions but none come out with anything to be proud of. But Facebook group members don't have reason to care about how the group looks to others. They are not invested in the same way as in a forum. I'm not aware of any other Forums with a Facebook presence, there must be some but I'm not sure that sharing branding across 2 such different platforms can run smoothly even most of the time.

I'm not sure if I've been here long enough to intervene Vaughan but I fear you may have misinterpreted the post by Kingfisher666 I read it to mean that there would have been even more unjustified criticism on social media if it had been a hire craft.