I've been lurking for a while, reading everyone's holiday tales and some of the other posts with interest.
I first went boating when I was about 7 (mid 70's) on a canal cruiser with my mum, dad, two of my siblings and the dog. We travelled from Sawley (I think) to Leicester. I remember being moored up one night near a huge bridge. The Queen was due to travel across that night in a carriage for some event and I remember being mesmerized by the lights from the bridge. The following year we travelled again from Sawley to Foxton Locks.
My first Norfolk Broads experience came in 1991 for the Easter weekend. The boat wasn't what I was expecting, being quite old. We ran out of water on the first morning, the 2nd afternoon we were heading back to the boatyard to spend the last night there. We stopped off at what I think was Cockshoot Broad (it was quite different then). When we came to start back up we couldn't. We had run out of fuel! My other half had to flag down a passing boat to take him to ring for help (we had no mobiles back then!). Although I wasn't happy with the boat/yard I was very taken with the Broads. We had a week away on Grey Goose II from Whispering Reeds in the September and I absolutely loved it. The following year we hired a Connoisseur from Wroxham with my in-laws.
25 years went passed without sadly another boating holiday due to costs etc. Last year we decided that come whatever we were going back and taking our 18 year old lad with us. We hired Sunlit Horizon 1 from Richardson's for a week in August. The Broads were certainly a lot busier but they hadn't lost their charm. This year we are off again in August, only for 4 nights sadly but it will just be the two of us. We are hiring fair Ambassador and to say I am on countdown is an understatement! I can't wait, so reading everyone's tales and seeing all the photos gives me my Broads 'fix' for now!
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