NotDeadYet

One of my targets - never found it empty yet .....

An amazing piece of love and effort! Makes my barely legible scribbles on well worn maps look even worse. I'll put it to the test next month. I think the other underground style map you mention was produced by Clive Ricko at HPC - pretty sure it's on this forum somewhere. Thanks and best wishes.

Thanks for the good wishes. Last time out we had Skyway, who is a large lady! It's nice to get up high now and again, but we wanted a change and had booked Clearway for last year, before having to cancel. Thanks to HPC and Hoseasons, it wasn't too painful financially and we're delighted to be able to pick up where we left off. 7 weeks to go!

Well, you asked! We'll be collecting Clearway from HPC on 31st May, unfortunately for just a week. We had to skip last due to Mrs NDY's sudden illness, so are now very excited. We'll look you up before heading off. Thanks for your excellent musings, pictures, and food pointers, much valued over here.

Ha ha. Our last visit was much enlivened by crowds of opposing football supporters (Norwich and Spurs - last game of the season) offering drinks and advice. All pretty good humoured, hope it stayed that way.

FWIW, we took Skyway from Horning Pleasurecraft up to Norwich 2 years ago. At 9 foot, she's a big girl but only the Trowse bridge was really tight - can't recall the tide state.

Well, they think we're idiots! My medical person stops at the of every sentence to say 'is that OK?'. I must try 'No, I don't follow you'.

We were last on the Canal du Midi in the 1990's. It was a very dry year and the western bits up to Carcassone and beyond were not accessible, so we turned right towards Bezier and the Rhone. I have a very strong memory of those trees and the speckled shade they provided. luckily, I took many photos! It seems that the plane trees were infected by an untreatable fungus, and all 42000 trees will be replaced - amazing.

I think Grendel may have at least one.

I love the gentle drift of this thread, something you don't get on most social media, where everything has to be instant. For what it's worth, I've navigated myself around many undeveloped bits of Africa, plus some of that big blue salty thing that lurks beyond the Herring Bridge, using non electronic means. However, being pretty new to The Broads, and generally only getting there once a year, I do find the Aweigh app to be a handy thing. But I love a map/chart and my own eyes plus what remains of my brain!

I still have the same map, now somewhat tired with tears on the creases and many barely decipherable notes of wild moorings, good and bad pubs, and other out of date stuff. I love maps and charts so I can't throw it out yet!

While I've been away, the pretty useful Aweigh app seems to have morphed into, variously, the Norfolk Broads Direct app, the Visit the Broads app, the Richardsons Boating Holidays app, and perhaps others? A couple of these are rather hefty sizewise, what with all the extra stuff packed in with the useful bits. Commercial reasons, I guess.

Thank you Helen. As we are unavoidably absent from Broads boating this year, it's especially enjoyable following your cruises. Your Beccles leg in placid conditions made us smile - the wind and rain was relentless for us last year!

Yes indeed. I was caught out like this at Reedham three years ago. Not desirable.

Sounds painful ........

I hope everyone has a great time, and publishes lots of pictures. We can't be there as we have a long planned visit to the Southern Broads, involving non-floating family. Will nonetheless fly our NBN pennant - folk may think we took a wrong turning!

Well no, they won't. Perhaps we could try harder to show them that they are not going out on their local boating lake, there are some dangers, but this is what you can do about them. I know this is done, but I don't think it is expressed strongly enough. Some people don't understand carefully worded stuff, they need to be told in simple terms (and even then, they probably won't get it - as said previously, you can't teach stupid).

As I'm soon to be venturing out on a dual control boat for the first time, I'm very grateful for the insights I've picked up reading this thread - I can now look forward to the boatyard briefing with interest, and I hope to be told all about the idiosyncrasies of the dual throttle setup, plus anything else (non standard) there may be! Thank you to all our experts for their valuable comments.

Thoroughly enjoyed your tales and glorious photos, thank you.

Agreed. Hence I added a small edit. I only turned because of a ranger's instruction.

A couple of years ago, I was downstream the Bure on an ebbing tide and called ahead to GY yacht station who told me we would be OK to run through the bridges. When we were abeam the yacht station, a somewhat excited ranger told us to turn before the bridges and moor at the yacht station. I assumed something had happened out of sight ahead and followed instructions. Although the ebb was very strong, there was no real problem doing this. It later transpired that the ranger had not been told about the earlier conversation and assumed we were wanting to moor. I mention this episode for general information - you can turn before the bridges on an ebb, if you have to.

Not if visibility is limited from 'down below'.

It's 9' longer than Skyway, so I'm much reassured! Apart from the massive windage, that is

Wow Polly, that is a big boat! We'll be around on Skyway from 20th, but heading South initially. Will certainly give you a wave from behind our NBN pennant/ burgee if we see you on the dark side later in the week. Have fun!

I'm reading a book about Broads boating written in the 1880's. I recommend it to all, especially those tempted towards the dark side of over regulation. It can be downloaded free from various places, including Google books. Search for 'The handbook to the rivers and broads of Norfolk and Suffolk' by George Christopher Davies. Freedom, fun, a bit of adventure, respect for the environment, mishaps et al, largely without engine power, but supported by Victorian common sense. Yes, I know it's a bit busier out there now ..... actually, that might be the problem.