Coryton

It reminds me of a bit from Coot Club: "It was very lucky he knew you," said Starboard "E didn't," said the skipper. "But he called you Jack." "They calls all sailormen Jack" "And you called him Bob," said Port. "Is 'is name Bob? I didn't know. I 'ad to call 'im something"

Had a week in Portmadog a few years ago - did the Ffestiniog most days, and the Welsh Highland once. The Ffestiniog is good, but the Welsh Highland is amazing. Then we got the ferry over to Ireland and spent a week in a cottage which came with a day boat, taking it out every day on the Shannon. That gave us the confidence (and desire) to hire a cruiser for a week on another holiday. And now we've got two weeks planned on the Broads...

Sounds a brilliant day out. Apart from the 6:22 start, perhaps. Shame about the bus replacement. Blaenau Ffestiniog station is pretty impressive with the narrow and standard gauge lines side by side...not even a fence between them.

They don't take contactless then? I find I very rarely need to pay real cash for anything these days...not even catching the bus...

Don't worry - I don't tend to launch into things without some research beforehand - which is why I've joined this forum and pestered people with questions before hiring on the Broads this summer...

It's probably bad form to answer your own posts, but... I've just seen on the Richardson's web site they have a list of their customers' top ten recommendations, including: 7) Try fishing (even if you have never done it before) Maybe I should give it a go...

I look forwards to that glorious day...

Too kind!

Yep that works. I can believe that I hit 10 in a 24 hour window - I wouldn't have expected the limit to be so low. That probably means I'm spending too much time on here... Thanks for dealing with it.

It's not a big deal - the world will keep on turning if I don't give some posts I enjoyed "likes" (though it feels a bit rude not to). But if I am hitting a rolling 24 hour limit the quota must be rather small.

Thanks. However, it cut in today not after 100 "reactions" but 1. And according to my profile I've given a grand total of 45 reactions in my time on this board. So something seems to have gone slightly wrong somewhere... Edited to add: Oh, and I'm still getting the same error message.

Maybe it doesn't like either of us?

Not working like that for me. (I just absent mindedly tried to click on "thanks" for your email - it said "no" and doesn't seem to have registered it).

I "liked" one post this morning. Then I tried another, to be told that I can't "add any more reactions today". Anyone know what I've done to earn this?

For a moment I thought you meant the river there...

Ah yes that's informative. I have just asked them anyway. I suppose you could argue that as one should make sure the engine actually starts before untying, for a short period then the engine will be running at the mooring.... But then again the fob only says "Please avoid", not "Don't"

Maybe... I would hope though that by the time someone had got to the point of wanting to buy their own boat, they'd know enough to realise that it's an ex-hire boat? Wouldn't they? I don't get fooled by the things I know I'm not fooled by. Of course I don't know what I am fooled by...

The thought had occurred...

Yes well that's what I thought...but as I said above, it's left me a bit wary of anything else I might read on their web site. I wonder why they would write such a thing. Mind you, given when first light will be in August, even if I was happy to get going at dawn I'm not sure how much of an awake crew I'd have...

Which is fine in itself....but makes me wonder what else they say that I shouldn't believe... I thought you weren't really supposed to run them on moorings at all.

I'm not sure how else to interpret "engines are permitted to be switched on at 8am"..... They are saying you have to be less than an hour away in order to get there by 9 because you can't start till 8.

I've just noticed this on the Herbert Woods web site: "Don’t forget if you want to moor up somewhere on your last night, you need to be within an hour’s reach of the marina as hire boats have a return time to the boat yard of 9am and across the Broads, engines are permitted to be switched on at 8am." Where does this "8 am rule" come from? It's the first I've come across it. I had a look through the by-laws a few weeks ago and don't recall seeing like this. I believe that boats with lights (so not hire boats) are allowed to cruise at night, so if you can't use your engine until 8 am, when does it start being before 8?

Well indeed but would anybody actually serious about buying a boat be fooled by that?

That was certainly a challenge day-boating on the upper Shannon. Not that many moorings, and even fewer with toilets. We spent some time wandering round one small village in search of a loo, finally finding one in the church.

It does amuse me a little when ex-hire boats are sold as "Professionally maintained from new" They never seem to mention "Driven by a succession of amateurs..." Not exactly "One careful owner"