marshman

Quite correct Vaughan - and in addition to that, when the new keel was added, further weight was added low down too..

Never mind the cost, it would be impossible to even get the straight wood these days in that kind of quantity, and as Vaughan said, there would be no timber specially grown for the frames which would all have to be laminated - more cost! You would have to laminate the mast too and finally get hold of the sailcloth - stuff doesn't grow on trees!!! The biggest problem however, would be looking after her and setting up the necessary organisation, and finding the ongoing funding and especially volunteers - people these days are just not interested - they are all busy doing something else. In any case what would you build? Why build a big wherry like Albion or Maud - more typical ,and easier, build a smaller one! They weren't all big - there are plenty of records showing much smaller ones, and many of perhaps 40' and even smaller

Well well well, you learn something every day! Keith King being the son of Archie King Now Keith was a really really nice bloke - now doesn't his son, Mark, run one of the yards at Wayford? Sons don't always inherit the traits of their fathers then? The coasters were always a laugh as were the string of barges going up to the gasworks. I think the tugs towed 3 or 4 barges, each with a steerer- must have been frozen stiff by the time they got to Norwich. Men were real men then!!!! Often the last barge could not see the tug, the tows were that long!!!! And as for crushing boats, I remember Vic Bell launching a new private boat for the admiring owner, only for it to be squished by a coaster going downstream - neither Vic or the owner were happy bunnies!! Trouble was you there were always getting into difficulties - two meeting on Postwick bend sorted out the Skipper with most balls!!! And as for Carrow Bridge, always a good excuse after nipping down to the Woods End with the telephonist for lunch!! P.S. I think Carrow Bridge does or will work again soon - its Trowse which is the bridge which needs 6 mths notice to open and then only between, 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.!!!!!!

They must have known about it - even I did!!!! But my guess is that 2025 will become either a cut or pipedream and if its anything like N Burlingham, they will defer it time and time again! And then of course the Bicycle Party will get involved to delay it further - which they have promised to do!

Just like the two bypasses finally funded, the Greens in Norwich will be applying for a judicial review of the Thickthorn project quoting all kind of squit. You could build a bridge but some silly irriot would just climb it to protest. Whilst I do approve of living in a democracy there are just too many people think that they, in isolation, are right , and the vast majority of us should think like them. Whilst I am sure this post will be deleted because of the political bent, why on earth are the Greens taking over in Norwich - do we need any more roadworks in the City to create more unused cycle lanes????

Gracie is of course exactly right - many of us sitting at home often have little choice how far we walk!! Oh how I envy those with the ability to walk 10 miles or more, which used to be my norm! As we get older, often for one reason or another, our mobility decreases and I am now down to 3 or 4 miles and some days even that's an effort - others its better! So enjoy it whilst you are young, or fit enough to do it - you do miss it and worst of all its actually a toss up whether some days I go out and face the pain or stay in doors!

Lets try and narrow it down - north of Potter Bridge? It looks like it but the only one not mentioned so far is is Heigham Soun or White Slea - and its certainly not Blackfleet Broad - or if it is you should not be there!!!! Could be Horsey Church but you say its not Martham (South)? I think you can discount Martham Church as thats on a little bit of a hill. Oh well - if we are patient he will give us a clue!!!!

Probably little that old that Andrew suggested!! Don't forget that the Broads themselves were not dug until much later and whilst the rivers may have been there in some form or other, unlikely ,as the course of the rivers will have changed a lot as the years have gone by. It would have looked a bit different I suspect in Roman times!!!!!

Yes - anyone here tried to pick up a mooring with a mop? Thought not.....!!

She might retreat before an appropriately handled quant on Albion!!!! To think, I used to throw them around like matchsticks; not sure I could even lift an end these days!!!!! The joys , or not, of getting old!!!!!

I suspect boat sales persons are a bit like estate agents - they no longer do the work of looking for you!!! You have to do the research and contact them - looking at NBS they seem to have a number of new offerings, and indeed Richardsons are continuing to downsize. However what you won't get is a bargain - Broads boats rarely, if ever, go down in price and I do doubt whether the current situation will alter that reality. Most Brokers still seem to be selling the right boats at asking prices and if you want a bargain I guess you may be disappointed. If you cannot find the boat that suits your specific requirements then may I be so bold as you look again at what you want and be prepared to compromise a bit - the market is out there but bargains are never easy , if ever, available unless you are very lucky!!!

Its only for a bit of wind short term - you watch it Martham way! Bit exposed up there!!

Good post! I would reiterate a point I made earlier and that is that the EA's primary function in time of flooding, is to save human lives - fish procreate at an astonishing rate ,far far faster than humans. It is NOT the end of the world and I doubt if next year will find fishing a lot different - when this high water level goes away, as it will, it will be interesting to see there are fish around. Would the boys with rods let us know? My guess is that they will still be around - but don't blame the surge unless you were convinced its not your ability causing the problem. Most pictures I saw were of very small fish but I guess some of the bigger ones were affected too. Pike are particularly susceptible to these incursions- they would be helped immeasurably if we saw a moratorium on pike fishing over the summer. How about that pike group getting on with that - even 10/15 years ago you hardly ever saw pike fishermen before the 1st October. Now pike floats are around every corner, often unattended, like a rash all summer! Now you are not telling me thats good for the pike population!!! Yes the fishing will recover just as it did before and sometime, would someone either at the BA or EA let us know exactly how far this surge reached? As I said at least a decade or so ago, one reached Horning Water Works and no, I don't take a hand drawn map as definitive proof of the extent of this one!!

Looks like it is going to get a tad breezy for 3/4 days over the weekend - might get a bumpier than normal crossing but if I were you I would also check Vauxhall clearance before you get there as the rivers are not going down yet. Initially on Friday the wind will be going southerly but back to NW later in the weekend. By then the tides will be moving to neaps and after the middle of the week wind will be back to SW which will blow it all out of the North Sea again! Good this game of second guessing Broadland tides!!!!!!

Far from being dead ends, the upper limits on the North actually drain a large area of north east Norfolk - the river up to Aylsham was very important and carried a lot of water downstream, the Ant less so I admit but Meantime is of course correct and I may have alluded to earlier, in suggesting the dry summer may have limited the amount of freshwater coming downstream allowing the salt incursion to come further inland than previously. About 15 years ago a big surge came up as far as Horning Waterworks and according to BASG map, this one actually reached Swan Corner although to be honest I doubt it "officially" got that far! Never tasted it, but I think it is wrong to assume it actually tastes like the sea - my guess humans probably may not even detect it but freshwater fish are quite sensitive to it. Probably more likely to be a mildly brackish solution hugging the bottom! Going back to HW basin, it was always my understanding that it was used because a) it was there and b) fish coming upstream in front of the "salt" water went into the basin, simply because the bridge itself was a barrier of sorts and they just "dived" left!!!! Seems pretty plausible to me, a simple minded chap!!

Griff - as I pointed out the EA's primary responsibility is to save human life and prevent flooding, not save fish which, as before, replenish naturally. It is for this reason that they have spent lots of money in GY raising the harbour walls. I know that for years you have been concerned with the "Bure Hump" if there actually is such a thing which I can neither confirm or deny, but like others probably believe there is no one simple solution - everyone should always beware of the Law of Unintended Consequences! This time the surge has occurred during a period of strong north westerlies over a period when tides are naturally very high - flooding could have been much worse elsewhere. Overtopping at GY could have had disastrous results to the low lying areas in that Borough.

I think it was the EA originally Grendel, but I could be wrong!! One thing you all have to remember is the EA's primary function during flooding is to save lives and not fish. As I said earlier I really doubt the long term effects of this surge will have been worse than others - for example neither Hickling nor West Somerton seem to have been affected, both areas are hotspots for previous surges. Not underplaying it but fish stocks following previous surges, usually replenish fairly quickly so I doubt all is lost!

Smoggy is of course exactly right and for all those who advocate its removal, even if it exists, have absolutely no idea of the impact in overall terms. Weather conditions play a major part on the tides in Broadland but what is unquestionable, is that the surges continue to move upstream further if you look at them from an overall basis. This seems a difficult one to make a real judgement on as different surges affect some areas more than others at different times - I have seen bad ones north of Potter but this time that didn't seem to happen. What did happen is because of the activities of the BAG (Broadland Angling Group ) this got huge publicity - to me it seemed no better or worse than other surges and unaffected fish will quickly move into those affected areas. The effect of previous surges have not had serious impact on fishing generally and the rivers will recover quickly. However we have to live with the consequences of rising water levels, enough now to be noticeable, and this is just another one - overall I suspect it will not be any worse than previous ones and there are plenty else we can do! How about a pike fishing moratorium, to start with except for perhaps designated periods - everyone fishes for pike now virtually all year round. It never used to be like that!

No - you are right there is a slip. I remember sailing the Silver Streaks from it but to be fair that was well over 50 years ago. Not sure though if its a proper slip or merely a dinghy slip - not sure if Paul Wright ever worked on full sized boats but someone will come along soon and put me straight I expect.

That sounds about right - never actually looked like the actual New Cut to me other than the very bottom end and thats some way from the gabions I think.

There is a great difference here as there is no access from the river to the shed as there is a bloomin' great flood bank in the way - you would physically have to lift boats over the flood bank if I remember rightly. It a long time since I have been down to the Beauchamp Arms!!!

Not really a boatyard is it? Its a bit more liker a shed adjacent to the river where he moulded sailing dinghies, particularly in the 60s/70s - and perhaps later?

No it was not a normal salt water surge, and each time we have a large one like this, they tend to get further and further upstream. It will not have been helped by the fact that as we have had a very dry summer there is perhaps less fresh water coming downstream as I suspect it is that action, which must help limit the upstream limits. Sadly its all evidence of global warming, or not, whichever camp your foot is in!

Never really understood why Broads boats should not have proper propane gas central heating like canal boat with a boiler and hot water in an airing cupboard and radiators in the boat itself - I am sure they would find plenty of room for the rads if they thought about for a little. Ah but then I remembered it was Norfolk - cannot include anything useful like that! Would certainly make moorings quieter without having to run the engine for showers!! Thats what canal boats had 50 years ago - won't catch on here yet!!!

Yep - Ferry have over 40 boats so its not unusual to see quite a few in the yard as changeovers these days are staggered all through the week. Been down this week a couple of times and the tides are currently very high - a lot a fresh water coming downstream I expect and with a NW wind forecast I am expecting a few flood warnings this weekend. However a week is a long time in Broadland tides. Ferry were busy servicing and getting their pump ready!!!!!!