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floydraser

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Posts posted by floydraser

  1. The move continued....

    Clive (C. Ricko) had advertised available moorings towards the end of 2022 but in the end Mother in law was deteriorating and time seemed to vanish into thin air. It was just easier to leave it another 12 months. I needed to have a few days to finish off making the topsides completely waterproof because the cover was also deteriorating! That never happened either.

    So I went for it this year and thankfully there was a mooring available at Clive's Cove Marina. The advice from the Chairman was slack water so slack water it was. Then it was a matter of choosing the weather and trying to muster a crew. My son's best mate is a qualified sea captain, up to 4,000 tons, so he would have been alright but he was unavailable. There was a very useful Facebook group for BGM boat owners but this has recently been shut down. Via that group we could keep an eye on each other's boats, top up electricity card etc. and report security issues. Luckily I have contact details for a couple of ex members and these came up trumps along with this forum.

    Why a crew? Mrs Raser is not confident moving around the boat. Her sister and husband who live near Dereham usually come over when I'm at the boat, but they are in Florida soaking up plenty of sun.

    I also had concerns over the fuel filter so I wanted someone at least on standby in case it blocked again on the way. I have changed the filter with the help of several members of this forum and thanked them via one of the videos I made. Unfortunately I deleted all the videos after derogatory comments so here's the clip:

     I'm relatively inexperienced so it's a fine line between going it alone and risk being an irresponsible idiot, or waiting and being an over cautious idiot. I'm used to the label idiot; the only way to avoid it is to sit on your a*se and do nothing.

    Kev (Old Berkshire Boy) offered to be First Mate. The weather and it's forecast were as usual, all over the place and other folk could only help at the weekend so I chose Saturday 23rd March, slack water being between 11.40 and 13.40. But the usually unreliable weather forecast said gentle winds on Wednesday and increasing towards the weekend. Aagh!

    Then a bit of luck: an ex-member of the defunct Facebook group was dead keen to help. He was working around Surlingham and his boat is moored at Coldham Hall. Perfect; he was the emergency cover so I could go for it on Friday. Kev was available so I arranged to get over Friday morning and go at slack water, 11.30 to 13.30. When I got there the boat was covered in small brown seed things from the trees. These were usually caught in the cover and easily ejected but not this time. I swept them into a heap and shovelled them on the Sheerline next door, to feed the spiders which are now massive. Then it was time to fetch OBB but I couldn't find the car key! There it is, hanging on a sky hook. So I found OBB and we took his van to Cove in case it rained, then back to BGM.

    Engine fired up ok and we were away. Because of an extra long boat on one of the berths I had to take a shunt to get around the first turn and this is where I first encountered the breeze. We drifted a bit but managed to get out of the marina without touching anything. Five mph comes up at 1,000rpm and the engine is very quiet. The trundle down the dyke to Cove was as pleasant as I remember it 4 ½ years ago going the other way. Engine ran like a dream and I needn't have worried. The problem came when I tried to reverse into the mooring and the breeze took over and pinned us to the boats opposite. Thankfully Clive was there to rescue the situation and shouted for a rope. He caught it with a boat hook and pulled us in. RELIEF!

    Right, back to BGM to get the Corsa and hand in my electric card and gate passes. Lost the car key again in OBB's van for which he called me a muppet. Not mutiny as he had resigned his commission by then and besides, it was an accurate description. Back to the White Heron to feed the now redundant crew, then back to the boat. I managed to clean the back of the boat and the port side but then the head fell off my brush and that was the end of that!

    The only other main achievement was to sterilise the water tanks ready for summer use.

    The only downside was the discovery of three water leaks: one in the main bedroom where it had soaked the bedding, one in the kitchen where it made a puddle in the top of the cooker and another in a cubby hole. So I need to budget in a couple of days for resin and painting but only after a dry spell. No more major surgery though.

    Sunset looking off the rear of the boat:

    20240322_181443.thumb.jpg.d0b55441abc278c6da22a636ca330482.jpg

    Then swing round and this is the view to the front at the same time:

    20240322_181454.thumb.jpg.654edc8708d2743d253282fa5bf5487e.jpg

    So we'll be getting the sun all day. I think we're going to like it here! :default_party0018:

    • Like 5
  2. The move:

    Firstly, why move at all? Well this was my first venture onto the Broads and Brundall Gardens was the nearest to home, and they had availability. After that, it was an adventure into the unknown! That was around October 2018. It's a good marina but I began to feel vulnerable due to the way the business operates; I didn't feel they were always on my side as it were.

    At this point I will point out that Brundall Gardens Marina management take a dim view of negative comments on social media so there'll be none here. I will assume they monitor the forum and hold Mark (ExSurveyor) responsible for it's content.

    On the other hand I feel a loyalty towards other boaters so if anyone is thinking of mooring at BGM and wants a fair and constructive review, they can PM me and get it away from the forum. Don't ask for gossip though; I have no axe to grind.

    Continued..............

  3. 7 minutes ago, Mouldy said:

    Reminds me of when the wife and I went to Devils Bridge back in 2016.  I’d celebrated my 60th birthday just a few months earlier and when we went to the kiosk to pay to get in, there was a concessionary price for ‘Seniors over 60.’

    Yes, it made me feel old, but the feeling of saving money was even better! 😁

    It's annoying when you're just under, 58 or 59 and you have to suffer the embarassing question, "Are you seniors?". No, full whack then.

    I remember going to Lincoln Cathedral at 62 and being told the threshold was 63. We asked why and the answer was that the managements of the cathedral and the castle were linked and one said it should be 60 and the other said 65, so they compromised at 63! We said that's pathetic and if we can be bothered we may see you next year! I notice they've done away with concessions altogether now so we won't be back at all.

    • Sad 1
  4. Just found out I'm a veteran at 67. Yep, according to the Camping and Caravan Club's definition we qualify for veteran membership. You need over 25 years consecutive membership and be of pensionable age. It's not automatic; you have to apply for it. You just have to ask yourself do you mind feeling really old or do you want 30% off?

    I'll suffer, but don't ask me to run from London to Brighton once a year. :default_eusa_naughty:

    • Like 3
  5. 2 hours ago, MauriceMynah said:

    Just a word of warning from Paranoid Percy.

    Wondering if it's wise, for private boaters to give out their "What3words" on open forum.

    Just a thought, and sorry if I've just made work for the mods. :-)

    Quite right MM, but I always reckon that advertising your bling is inviting someone to try and relieve you of it. Best to have nothing on board worth nicking like outboards or navigation gear which I understand is what most minor thieves go for. Besides, there are security measures in place.

    I remember when I was driving an artic, how easy it was to see the amount of people with big, expensive TVs on show.

    • Like 1
  6. Memories of lockdown:

    A very empty Sainsburys; empty of people and empty shelves.

    Queing very quietly around the car park of our local Aldi waiting our turn. I took a picture at the time but can I find it?

    Scum selling hand sanitizer at astronomical prices.

    The press: if you were unlucky enough to have a close relative pass away due to Covid then you had a value. If your relative passed away on the day of a party then you had even more value and all the other bereaved relatives were cast aside.

    In our 12 house cul de sac most of them ignored the rules then stood outside at 8pm clapping for the NHS. This was BEFORE the parties.

    • Like 1
    • Sad 2
  7. 12 hours ago, chrisdobson45 said:

    Where in Cove are you? We'll stop by to say "hello" when we're down next weekend. 

    Who chooses the codes for What3words? There are some good ones for the location of my boat but my favourite is: ///robot.stupidly.knitted :default_biggrin: Reminds me of the term: a camel is a horse designed by a committee.

    I don't think we'll be down next weekend unless we get the heatwave someone was dreaming about a few weeks ago. We are delivering one of the grandchildren to Okehampton in the week so it may a bit much after we get home on Thursday.

  8. Moved today. :594c04f570582_default_happyparty:

    Thanks to OBB and C.Ricko for their help, along with a couple of ex bgm neighbours who provided emergency cover which wasn't needed. 

    I did speak too soon about rain getting in; I found a puddle in the top of the cooker and a wet bed. Thankfully none of my repairs leaked.

    Then disarster darling: the head of my cleaning brush fell off!

    • Like 10
  9. Very timely. I read this at lunchtime and we've just been out to a garden centre and went into the cafe for a cuppa. There were two sofas in one part, wife on one, husband on the other with two dogs on the sofa with him. Until one of the dogs decided to go off and try and get a fuss from everyone in the cafe. Of course he very half heartedly tried to call it back but just sat there and let it drag in all the attention. And as we were all very British, no-one said a word in protest. 

    • Like 2
  10. 3 hours ago, chrisdobson45 said:

    We will be afloat irrspective of what the weather throws at us. There's a certain pleasure in listening to the rain on the cabin. 

    You should have bought the Denham Owl before I started work on her; not only could you hear the rain on the cabin, you would have had the added thrill of watching the rain come into the cabin to join you, as it passed either side of the main 240V consumer unit. :default_sailing:

    Actually, I may be speaking too soon as I haven't been over since removing the cover....:facepalm:

    • Like 1
    • Haha 6
  11. On 05/03/2024 at 11:20, FairTmiddlin said:

    " Just remember son, everyone else on the road is an idiot just treat them that way"

    Good advice but unfortunately too many people use that as an excuse to hate everyone else on the road. "My journey is far more important than yours so get out of my way". I've often been a passenger in a car and had to listen to the driver's constant insulting of other drivers.

    Millions of us drive cars, it's not clever.

    • Like 1
    • Sad 1
  12. 10 minutes ago, LizG said:

    If I am looking at the same boat, it is varnished - Delights were never varnished.  Possibly a Star from Powles?  There is a varnished Martham Boat in the Thurne picture as well.  There is definitely the rear end of a Delight in the 4 picture card which includes Ranworth.

    How did you get a sentence with "rear end" and "delight" past the mods? :default_norty::default_norty:

    • Like 1
    • Haha 3
  13. 21 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

    Yes, and in which case it would be rare to have colour photos.  I imagine this might have been printed by Jarrolds, in Norwich.

    Correct. I didn't know that until you prompted me to look. You win Vaughan, if you send me your address by PM I'll send you the card for your collection.

    • Like 1
  14. Well I didn't expect such a response but I'm glad you are enjoying the pics. I have been in conference with my sister who has the family history on file and my uncle was born in November 1935 and moved to South Africa in the 1950s we think. So most probably early fifties for the lettercard?

     

    • Like 2
  15. Sorry (not very) if this has been shown before by someone else but... I was having a tiny clearout today and came accross a box with some old family archive material inside. I found this lettercard which was sent by my uncle to my grandparents. He finishes with "P.S. Please keep the stamp." Well they did, and the card obviously. But in removing the stamp when he got home he also removed the frank with the date on. I thought you may enjoy.

    BroadsPostcard1.thumb.jpeg.804b12fe5aae2a5cbf533ec93682e9bf.jpeg

    BroadsPostcard2.thumb.jpeg.2d197008998cb2874f227e5942266b9c.jpeg

    BroadsPostcard3.thumb.jpeg.ec34ba7fffb3e13e5f1d49b19d73ef9f.jpeg

    Would you believe it? I chopped that last pic off to rotate it upright, saved it as such but it won't display upright. Ah well, you'll just have to heave your screens sideways.

    • Like 9
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