marshman

Ok Eddie - I seem to have been misinformed and like the fish tale it obviously got embellished in the telling!!!!! I was told you had to tow the shed back!!!! With apologies - shame really that would have been a good piccy!!!!!!

Eddie - still hoping for perhaps a comment on your new "craft" I understand you towed back to the WRC after the high tides - or better still a picture!!!!! Or am I asking too much???

Anyways Eddie, just to lighten this up a bit, I understand your boys WERE seen towing a new "craft" up the river the other day following the high tide!!! To all of your detractors,I am sure this would have offered commodious accommodation - perhaps you should offer this for hire. Perhaps someone had the presence of mind to take a photo for your brochure - if so can we see it and all have a larf? P.S. Lets use this to change the tone - pointless ranting over a changed business decision. If I made such a decision, a forum is the last place I would discuss it given the kind of indepth discussions one usually gets - as Jonny says the decision has been made so lets leave it!!!!!

Eddie - I could not agree more with your latest comments but that of course is the problem with a Forum. You get many informed comments but then you get a ranting one to spoil it , often without justification and often without having any knowledge on the topic other than an ill informed bias. But thats life as it happens every day in the Press and on television. In reality I doubt it takes much to get a little deeper if you think about it rather than just pile in without thought. My guess is that early bookings were not what had been hoped and that perhaps they had enquiries for those boats on the Northern Rivers - what would anyone do in those circumstances? However there may be other reasons and if it is said that they will trial other boats in due course then so be it. At least it shows some thought went into the decision and you can never accuse the person concerned as not being a successful business person!!! On balance he probably knows as much about being successful as most in the leisure sector in this area!!! Ah well Eddie, we will wait developments with interest. One final point however does reflect perhaps the continuing trend for shorter breaks - in the South distances between points is greater and many might also perceive there is less to "do". There are certainly fewer facilities and casual moorings have all but disappeared. After all presumably that is why there are actually fewer yards and by and large this is a trend that has been continuing for some time as pointed out. It will be interesting to see hoe Le Boat get on - does anyone know how many boats they are going to operate from Somerleyton?

Whilst I know some of you have a problem in accepting that the BA should do anything other than dredging, there is some sense in the fact that they control planning on all the rivers. Of course your answer will be that that the BA past record on planning is not a good one and you disagree with some of their policies but to be honest does it really make sense to have a large number of District Councils operating slightly differing planning views over different parts of the river?I think it all fairly logical, for what its worth. In similar situations countrywide that has also happened. On the issue of the hotel and NBYC my guess is it may be something to do with access - although i don't know for certain.

All interesting stuff but it would all have been avoided with a bit of common sense and patience. How easy would it have been to have moored in Blackhorse Broad and had lunch and waited until they had all gone? I respect my boat and would not have gone anywhere near Horning Reach between 10 and 1 - still it takes all sorts!!!!

The Diamond 35 engine is mounted amidships under the helmsmans seat. it does make it a bit more intrusive if you have to have the sliding roofs shut but its not really an issue IMHO. You are right - they are great boats and I love mine!!!! Strangely they were never particularly popular and only a fairly limited no. built.

Yep - No 1 has gone to Ferry although I dont think completion will necessarily be this season - they have almost finished the 36 which looks great. Very pleased to see they have at last moved away from the black window surrounds to the anodised ones and that that looks so much better. She almost looks too good for the fleet. Its just great to see the continued commitment by a few to putting new boats into the hire fleets - just a pity that most yards cannot just find the cash and possibly the labour to fit out these shells with only the bigger yards generally able to fund them.

Ferry have an Alpha 36 being fitted out - they recognise that not everyone likes the bridgedeck cruisers.

Be grateful it was not all our money but I believe EU money so the whole of Europe contributed - on a pro rata basis anyway!!! Yes i am afraid it was always going to be a white elephant but I would not go as far as believing the conspiracy theory about shutting the road and pier - thats a bit far fetched as you can see whats going on from many other places in Yarmouth!!!! However it is a great pity that despite the good intentions of bringing work and investment to a very run down area it was to no real avail - Yarmouth really does desperately need new investment but just how do you get new companies to move to the area? I am sure it will pick up work from the wind farm industry but work that Yarmouth would not have otherwise got? I doubt it - sadly.

That new Ferry sliding roof jobby is a nice looking boat in the flesh too - a sort of bridgedeck with a sliding roof. Everybody always knocks these types of boats and for extended cruises I tend to agree. But remember many punters now only come for short breaks and for these they are ideal. But to cater for those who want a lower roofline I am pleased to say good old Len has not forgotten you - what should have arrived in his shed for fitout but an Alpha 36 to be ready by July and is further proof,if you want any, that LF continues to invest real money. I have quite lost count of the no. of new boats he has built in 3 years but it is good to see he varies the designs and sizes too. Whilst I know some complain, but he does put his money where his mouth is!!!!! I think its great to see the commitment of him and his staff.

Dave - just to put you in the picture on the BA moorings - I do not think that they actually own any of them.They are leased mostly. Whilst i know its frustrating do you really think it an acceptable use of funds to spend perhaps upwards of £500k just to buy a few overnight moorings? The cost of riverside frontage in Wroxham is prohibitive and that kind of money would buy very little. Seems to me the answer may to spend a few bob yourself and make your screen a little easier to remove/lower.Is that a difficult exercise? Not sure what your airdraft is but i am rarely prevented from going under in the summer with an airdraft of 6' 9".

I know of a local boatbuilder who will no longer use brass screws because of the poor quality - now uses only stainless.

Sound business sense to keep adapting but at the same time get as much out of the hull mould as you can!!! Say what you like about LF, he is nobody's fool.

Always difficult to see from line drawings but I like the idea of some of the innovative ideas. You have to keep up with expectations and Benetau have always been in the forefront - just look at their sailing boats and how we all sneered. But as a result Westerly went bust more than once!!! I bet they will be booked solid and thats the judgment any operator will make. I do think here on the Broads we do not look too hard at new ideas and some things need changing - not necessarily design profiles though.

Horning Ferry me too.

Met Office have downgraded it a bit - perhaps the low going through is not as deep as it could have been. Still looks pretty breezy though. One of the reasons for the discrepancies may be with shore stations and a w s/w at the moment, you can knock at least a Force off as it it is off the land. Offshore it will be that bit stronger. Can't find the website with all the buoys on at the moment but it still looks a bit brisk in the Southern North Sea but easing somewhat as that low scurries northwards. Why not ring up the forecaster and have a chat with him? On balance I do think the Met Office overcook it a bit but to be fair they are only erring on the side of caution when they do that and they don,t always!!! Good luck in your conference and have a good one if you go!!!

Just checked out XC weather - not sure where you are looking but they are showing 25+ mph for the Sandette tomorrow thats not gusts either!!! By my reckoning thats F6/7 at a minimum. Still your skippers call though!!!!

I would NEVER disregard a shipping forecast - thats just how accidents happen. A good website for wind is here http://www.windguru.cz/int/index.php?sc=47929 Dont forget these are with a westerly wind so offshore it will be worse. Its going to be a pretty breezy week except perhaps for a pause in the middle ,even more so later so it is not one where I would be happy out there - weather does not fit your timetable sometimes but whilst they do tend to overdramatise at times, and err on caution, better that way than the other. All decisions have to be made by the skipper who is ultimately responsible and not a decision to be influenced by others whilst sitting indoors at a computer!!! Take a very close look at the synoptic charts too - they can be found here http://www.mwis.org.uk/synoptic.php Good luck but make your own decisions and on your judgment.

And of course it will be Barton Regatta that weekend - that will make the Ant a no go area for some of that weekend!!! Either that or a big laugh!!

Perry - that was really great!! It reminded me of the times I went "foreign" - now that just entails going to the Southern Rivers!!!!

Sadly guys Lord Roberts is not a viable option - she is just too far gone. To me the best option would be to build from scratch a smaller version of Albion/Maud - everyones conception of a Wherry are the large examples seen today but look at the evidence and you will see their were many smaller wherries. How about a 45/48 footer? Conservative estimate to build? Around £1m but you then have to have the money and the individuals to run and sail them - no small task. Good idea but not sure it would get off the ground - both the Norfolk Wherry Trust and Wherry Yacht Charter Trust are always looking for volunteers and new members. Why not support them?

Trouble is on the broads they don't really work. Or do they? Because of the river flows, normally the ebb flows for longer and the flood for rather less. Certainly up here on the Northern Rivers I always tend to use 5 hrs of flood and 7 of ebb!!! So that b*****S that up then if i am right!!!!!

Manko - i apologise that I misread your post but not sure it alters my overall opinion. Whilst it is so easy to knock the BA and its planners, I do see where they are coming from. Whether in the end it ends up with the desired effect, I do not want to see creeping onto the Broads what has happened in some other waterside locations.Again i am probably out of date , but I recall many moons ago thinking how the approach to Cambridge, a very beautiful waterside town, was spoilt by the string of floating shacks. Just shows i suppose how one can be influenced by things from the past. There is perhaps an analogy with residential caravan sites where again there is a real reluctance on the part of Councils to approve new ones. Perhaps it is again perceptions but even you must agree that your cause is not helped by SOME of your neighbours and those others close by. The problem is how do you stop them and encourage the better ones? And at the same time regulate expansion just as planning laws have always done on land?

Usual old rubbish now popping into this post so like Rod i will put my head above the parapet too and have voted no!!!! Cannot see why the old National Park red herring came into the story - it isn,t, it won't be and for the life of me cannot see why, even if it were, you would expect to see boats banned and wildlife encouraged!! It has not happened in other Parks - they exist to encourage visitors and please don't throw into the equation the Sandford Principle until you can give me an example of when that has been invoked!!! The argument that residential boats help prevent crime is totally falacious - since when has a next door neighbour being around prevented theft in a housing situation - it does not happen!!!! So how many of you would vote for a caravan to be parked outside just to prevent crime - cannot see the difference. Manko proudly says earlier on that the Thorpe Island residents do not pay Council Tax - why ever not? I suspect some of them actually step off the island to use facilities which they take for granted but now get free!!! In fact i would be seriosly worried if I did not pay tax - payment gives a degree of legitimacy and it is for that reason and that reason alone the Council will not claim tax!! They do not want them around either and to stop residents paying is just that, not a victory for the residents!!! And none of you going on about the demise of the smaller yards and their development seem to be aware that it is in fact BA Planning Policy to insist that a yard remains. Now I know that the Pegasus situation is ongoing and yet to be resolved but the intent is there - it is no good keep going on about yards closing if you are not prepared to put your money where your mouth is - how many people in Norfolk apart from 1 or 2 are prepared to invest into new yards and new facilities? And no doubt many would be up in arms if you were prevented from developing the bottom of your garden for housing if you were able - it just would not be possible to invoke a policy banning this type of ongoing development especially as the yards such as Topcraft continue to decline. These places close down often for many reasons and the Topcraft situation is typical following the tragic death, but are you really advocating denying an individuals freedom to perhaps sell to another person? Try selling it with such a restriction and see the kind of offers you would get!! Sorry JillR and all that but you can see why they wish to regularise the situation. And if you have to start from somewhere without any precedents being made , you start from a Nil situation - although in the end i hope common sense prevails!! So its a no, with reservations!!! But you must admit your cause is not helped by the fact that many, but not all, give the cause a bad name. Generally people like the romanticism except when they are in their back yard!!! Of course these comments will be picked to pieces by many but hey, whats new!!! Its water off a ducks back!!!