Davecc

From Blakes '67, with an extra 'E'.

There goes the neighbourhood! Queen of Hearts 1971 I think.

I'm not sure if this should go here, but this is the dinghy included with Gray Malkin 1964.

Thanks very much Neil. San Pedro, formally Tideway(class of 4), is merely a sketch in the 1967 Blakes brochure. So I'm guessing it'd be ready for the '67 season. I'm surprised the longevity of the GRP's. It's not a "Trigger's broom" thing is it? Two hulls and three decks?

We had trouble with Fair Duchess back in 2009. It was labeled a 'Premier' or 'Blue Chip' or whatever equivalent at the time. Curtains were raggy, the seat back fell off, batteries died and one of the toilets leaked under the floor(that needed time fixing). When we politely mentioned this on checkout they looked at us as if we were from the moon! Probably all changed now. Anyway, Executive looks to be in a different class. I think two weeks is needed to cruise north and south comfortably. With some older, rougher boats those long hauls down south can be punishing.

Thanks, very interesting. I was wondering about the average hired lifetime of a boat. I'm assuming 20 years approximately but do styles go out of fashion and those are sold off earlier?

I bought a new GSXR1100 in 1993. That was the first water cooled one(WP). Yours would be the oil/air cooled model which is much more stylish. I enjoy my Royal Enfield 650 nowadays.

I know the date precisely, 22nd June 1985, as I already had a heavy rendezvous.. So, my parents would drop me at the hire car depot close to Knebworth and travel on to Norfolk, while I went to the gig, had a boogie then follow them up later. Well, it rained, rained and rained some more. It didn't stop all day, so once the penultimate band Scorpions finished rocking us 'like a hurricane', soaked to the skin I left early. Driving an unfamiliar car through unfamiliar roads in atrocious weather I finally arrived at Potter Heigham. Somehow my father had persuaded my mum to try a sailing boat for a change. Now, my dad loved his sailing boats, always reading Practical Boat Owner, Wooden and Classic Boat, and sketching craft in detail on the backs of envelopes. He'd already taken my mum(pre-kids) on Gay Lady in the '50's and my brother and I joined him on the Broads with his own Lysander in '78. He'd built at least two mirror dinghies from kits, a GP14 was around once, and we owned a beautifully varnished 505 which took off like a scalded cat at the slightest movement of air. A Micro 18 too. In later life we had a few hours from Hunter's yard. So he had the knowledge and the will but, due to an old rugby injury, a simple limp on land became a worrying wobble on water. Not confidence inspiring. However, I think he chose a sensible boat on paper: I arrived and mum wasn't happy. Not surprising as the weather had been just as bad here and shut below decks being tossed around like salad(an uncruiser-like 8' 8” beam and lightweight) waiting for me must have been a tough trial. We decided to (try and) sleep on it and see what the next day would bring. In the morning it had stopped raining but the wind was strong, too strong for comfort. We started the motor and moved off, hoping for a change in the weather. Once out of Potter, dad decided that it was time to hoist sails, well, the jib only, but on the main river, highly exposed by the Acle turn-off. It was extremely windy! Rhond anchors were ploughing the turf, the sail was flapping alarmingly and mum was spinning in the washing machine. Disaster movie stuff! If either of my two older brothers had been there, it would've been okay as they have good sailing experience. I tend to just wing it really, point in a direction and hope. With dad's wobble, my inexperience and mum's discomfort(definitely not in that order!), a meeting was called and the decision was made to return to the boatyard to negotiate an exchange. They kindly gave us this: I think it was Crystal Light, but could have been Western Light, and all I can remember is that we had a great, if conventional, time. Even if we'd held out for the better weather which eventually arrived, the boat wasn't pleasant enough for mum, which was understandable. I think everyone on board needs to be 100% committed with a boat like this, able to deal with whatever comes your way. From purple to crimson to crystal! Sounds like a road to enlightenment story. Just a little tale to hopefully amuse and entertain. I'm sorry if it's a bit negative, but it's all I remember from that holiday. Probably says a lot about me!

As we were an all male party I reckon we drew the short straw. I think they hired other Radiant Lights that day and we got shuffled down the order as, with hindsight, the boat was ill-prepared(batteries not ready, more cleaning needed, way too much bedding for two). I stated earlier that the cooker blew out whilst motoring. It was only the oven with this problem(which makes it worse as it's not visable) and not the hob. I like to rough it a bit, rather than reclining on a gin palace, but this felt a drop too far. Still enjoyed it though.

I can't be angry about this as it provided a very humorous anecdote. She was clearly having a bad day, but I felt for her man who was stuck in the middle. They said they'd been coming for 40 years which I thought to be unbelievable.

Or: “Is 3.7mph Too Slow in a 4mph Speed Limit?” Radiant Light 1 from Herbert Woods. Four nights with my brother(62) in mid-June. The criteria for the boat was: Two separate cabins for bedrooms Sliding roof over wheelhouse/settee area As short as possible Not too expensive The first two were achievable, and cut down the field. Length was for the mooring, but wasn't possible with choices available. It didn't matter in the end. Personally, I don't want the latest thing, so going a little cheaper works okay, as long as basic standards are kept. My brother drove and, listening to Radio Caroline on MW for the journey, we arrived at Potter Heigham without any delays. My hay fever went ballistic, and was pretty much full-on the whole trip but it wasn't going to get me down. A quick shop in Lathams and then to the boat. Oh dear, the batteries were being changed. This irked me slightly as it was a short break and we needed to be off. However, by the time we'd loaded our stuff, we hadn't lost any noteworthy time at all. We struggled with those new(?) self inflating life jackets, trying to figure out how to put them on. A non-stop cruise to Ranworth. I think just one boat overtook us the whole way. Lovely. The weather was perfect too, sunny but with a fair breeze, moving occasional clouds to cover the sun for brief and relieving periods. With no mooring spots, we dropped the mud-weight and revealed our secret weapon! Thunderbird 4?! No, our sailing dinghy. For me, a dinghy is an essential part of the holiday. Just going for a row to get away from the numbers and enjoying the peaceful stillness. I always upgrade to the sailing option, although they're notoriously badly maintained. This one had poor rigging, but the basic boat was passable...just. It rowed ok. Sailing at Ranworth is always tough, the wind seems to swirl around, confusing me. A protruding screw tore my shorts! A tender behind! We rowed over to the Maltsters pub. Brother ordered the rib-eye steak, which was brave I thought, but he's more widely traveled than I, so I copied. Mistake. It was the worst steak I've ever had. He ordered rare, I went for an easy medium. Both were grey bricks akin to a freezer supermarket brand. At 15 quid it could have been forgiven, but it was 25! Did we complain? No, as we were knackered by now and we would've scoffed anything. Beer was great. Rowing back I noticed how beaten up the hull of our boat was. Scratched and scraped, it looked like it'd been through the wars. A lovely sleep under a pink moon. Up the church tower in the morning. The second day's cruise took us up the River Ant to Stalham incorporating a stop at Irstead. Stones and church. I was intending to moor on Barton Broad, just beyond the green posts on the east(?) side, as I often see boats moored there, but I don't really know what's underneath it all, so left it. I like to moor at the very end of Richardsons jetty, the division between their public yard and the spur that leads to the Museum, and there was plenty of room. We ate on board after a Tesco trip, but later traveled into town and got a little Chinese takeaway from one of the three! I had a quick row whilst being hassled by an overprotective daddy swan, brother observed an unabashed kingfisher. Next day we found an excellent mooring on the mouth of the Ant going onto Barton Broad, so we stopped and set sail! Yes, the dinghy's poor. Against the tide running out of the Ant, the thing just kept going sideways on the tack so you couldn't get back to the cruiser without oars(although my brother managed it...just). A leisurely cruise down the Ant when, passing How Hill I hear a “BEEP” from behind. I think that some kind soul is alerting us to a loose dinghy or some other problem but, no, “I nearly rammed you!”, shouts the helms lady, approximately my age(58) or older. Apparently, we were going too slowly. I check the GPS. 3.7mph. Check speed limit. 4mph. I thought the GPS was a little slow as I was always told to watch the bank, a brisk walking pace equates to 5mph approx, and this looked fast to me(although the bank is close here, accentuating the speed effect). Anyway, we're on holiday and can do whatever speed we like, under the limit of course. Soon afterward they come steaming passed, a smallish private cruiser sending wash everywhere. My brother grabs his Iphone and videos, stating his intention to report them to the Broads authority for speeding(wind-up!). These guys are clearly indulging in the wrong activity! Sure enough, at Ludham Bridge they were moored getting supplies. Brother asks if all that rush was worth it, to which she shouts abuse about a complete donkey or something. We moor on the opposite side to the Swan in Horning, unleash the dinghy and take a walk to The New Inn, on up to The Ferry and back, checking out the food. The Swan wins, and the meal there(pork with black pudding mash, cheesecake, sticky toffee pud) was excellent. Beers too. There was an incident on the river whilst eating. I think a lady of reasonable age(older than me) fell in on the way out of Horning heading toward Wroxham. The lifeguard was out in force, aboard the hired cruiser, on their inflatable and on land. No ambulance though. She was okay, apparently. Last full day we motored to the Horning church mooring, visited it and moved on to Womack Water. Alot of boats moored up along the river, one guy saying that there's no chance of a space, but we have a dinghy! It was full on entry, but as we were mud-weighting someone pulled out! So get in! It should be noted here that my brother is extremely lucky getting car parking spaces, and his luck seems to run to moorings as well as we got every one we wanted over the break. Looked in at the village (pork pie from butcher – great!) and sad to see the Fish and Chips gone. We ordered from Wroxham's Indian Spoon which was fantastic. And so the final morning back to the yard. To summarize; The weather was perfect. The boat handled very well, my two stern-on moorings a piece of cake. But; It was very tatty outside. The cooker blew out if used on the move. Dinghy was rough, tearing my shorts, and the sail particularly bad. Money spiders! Maybe not exclusive to this boat, but it indicates uncleanliness. The design, whilst basically what I wanted, has drawbacks. The side door isn't as good as a rear door. The sliding canopy leaves a huge gap to negotiate without handrails. We sometimes put the roof half up to shorten this(and leaving the side door clear). I rented a Connoisseur back in he '90's and wasn't overly impressed(especially at the price then), but I liked it more here, despite the problems. In short - We came, we banged our heads, we left(happy).

Thanks for the warm welcome. I probably won't be able to contribute much, but I'm enjoying the read and will chip in when I can.

Gray Malkin 1964. It's the only picture of the boat I have.

Hello, My Dad first visited the Broads in the early '50's with a friend. A few years later he went back with his wife(my Mum) aboard an engine-less Gay Lady, which promptly got stuck in the reeds north of Potter Heigham bridge. My first, and being the youngest of four kids, my family's first visit was in '64 aboard the stationary MTB Grey Malkin at Brundall. I was in a carrycot being only a few months old. The houseboat came with a nice dinghy(Y137) with a Seagull outboard. Our American cousins visited in '69, who occupied the newly built Discovery Bay houseboat in Horning. We hired the soon to be condemned Botany Bay. Dates get a little sketchy now; Queen of Hearts(Y408) was '72 approximately. Waterway V(D482) the following year, possibly. Tidecrest from Stalham was definitely '75. Bermuda(E479) from FB Wilds in '76. A houseboat on a snowy Oulton Broad followed by Star Glory in '77. Dad took me and my brother on his own sailing boat in '78. Anson Bay houseboat in Horning was around this time. Glen Eagle on the Thames in the late '70's Treasure Ranger(G799) 1980. Not me, but my brother and father attempted to sail Sandstar(M3) sometime in the early '80's. It gets very hazy now.. 80's+90's – Roncado(P192), Royal Siesta, Tidecrest(again, but a different boat maybe?), Compass Prince 3(J625), Loch Loyal, Lady of the Lake(Topcraft - a Bermuda style with a rooftop steering option), Connoisseur, New Generation… Bahama Major '04 Fair Duchess '09 Brink's Duet (me solo) '16 Radiant Light (Connoisseur) '22 There is probably stuff I've forgotten, and I'm trying to piece it all together with photos and brochures. I'll try and put up some photos., or should I use Broadland Memories? Cheers.