Broads01

I set off from Ludham at 0730 this morning and enjoyed my chug to Stalham in the sunshine. I'd used 48 litres of fuel at a cost of £53 which I thought was pretty good considering the cruising hours I'd done. Thankfully it was a straightforward drive home and I was home just after 1500. I had a fabulous time overall. The meet was one of the highlights but I enjoyed the whole thing every bit as I always do. I think it was extra special this time because on my last trip on Soprano last October I was ill for the last day and the journey home which led in to a long hospital stay to be treated for endocarditis. I've been fully recovered for a few months but somehow it made my Broads pleasure even more intense this time. I took some interior photos of the boat as I was leaving and I'll post a boat review in the hire boat section.

I didn't go in the White Horse at Upton Helen, I think it was closed for the afternoon.

Another pic of the lovely sunset this evening.

The sun is still up...

Indeed Jean, the warmest day of the lot. My face caught the sun having sat outside The Ferry at lunch time. Some pics from today:

No sooner had I returned to the boat then John the Hockham Admiral and his wife passed on Friday Girl and waved. I had a sandwich and then returned upstream, deciding on Upton as my next destination. My only previous visit there was in 2014 when I last hired Broadland Wave 2 and I liked it just as much this time. It can be a tight squeeze because at the end of the narrow dyke is just a small Staithe and Eastwood Whelpton boatyard and the turning area isn't very wide. Today the Staithe was fully occupied but there was enough space at the boatyard for me to moor stern on. I wouldn't want to take a boat much longer than this one down there because it would be tough to turn and difficult to moor as I did today without blocking everyone else. The Wave is brilliant to handle in a tight space though - it swivels tightly on its axis and with gentle throttle bursts you can put it exactly where you want it. I walked through Upton Village (which I didn't last time) as far as The White Horse. It's a very peaceful village with hardly any traffic. Back at the boat I was soon on my way and decided on Ludham Bridge for my last night. Usually I'm either at Stalham or close to it but I fancied a meal at The Dog and a chug tomorrow morning. The Bure was still ultra-quiet - there was no-one in my direction and a handful coming opposite. At Ludham however at 1700 I took one of the last remaining spaces, again suggesting boating traffic is unpredictable. I write this at The Dog. I wanted the Gluten Free fish and chips but there was no fish left so I chose the chilli which was OK but nothing special if I'm honest.

Thanks for all the positive comments. I enjoy writing these anyway but it makes it even more worthwhile. Today has been my last full day as this is a 5 day Thursday-Tuesday break. For those that don't know these are brilliant value because they're priced the same as the 3-4 nights so I'm getting an extra 24 hours for nothing except the fuel I use. Before I set off from Potter this morning I wandered over the bridge for a quick nose at the Herbert Woods boats. I like the canopies they've fitted to their small aft cockpits Glimmering Light and Sparkling Light because they have removable sides. This contrasts with the cheaper version I've experienced from Richardsons which is all in one piece and like being inside a dark tent once the canopy's up. Last time I asked HW about solo hiring they said no and today I called in the office on the off chance their policy has changed - it hasn't. They'll entrust their boats to any old group, responsible or not but they won't tryst an experienced hirer on even their smallest boats - strange. I set off back down river around 0900 and headed for Womack Staithe. By the time I arrived there was plenty of space, some of the night moorers having departed. A tip from me, if you want to stop at one of the north Broads hot spots, Ranworth included, arrive there around 10-11 in the morning. Also at the Staithe was Carol and Keith who I'd met at the meet and it was good to chat to them again. I didn't stay long and set off again, not being able to make my mind up between going to Stokesby or Stracey Arms. The river was quiet once again and the sun was warm. On arrival at Stokesby I spotted Ultimate Gem 2 and The Corsican and so I stopped and really enjoyed having a drink with Vaughan, Susie, Geoff and Steve. We sat outside in the sunshine. I waved them goodbye and enviously watched them disappear off south knowing I had to head back to the Ant to return the boat tomorrow, darn it. More to follow..

Sounds interesting. Before my time so I can't comment. Does anyone have a 1976 Hoseasons brochure that might show what Silver Jubilee was like?

Spark of Light pics taken this evening. It looks stunning. It would benefit from a rear window though. I assume it didn't have one originally and they didn't want to modify.

Ranworth Island and Potter Heigham

Me on my phone at Barnes. Not the best photo in the world but proof I'm not making things up!

It's felt like Summer has really started today, full on sunshine and pleasantly warm. I'm always amazed how many boaters I see on a day like today cruising along without opening their sliding roof, it completely baffles me. I chatted a bit more to the folks at the meet this morning and then set off just before 10. I wanted to make my second attempt at unlocking the doors of Wroxham. Thankfully at Barnes this time there was a single space available in the basin. I slotted in and received commendation for my maneuvering skills from the lady on the boat next door which was nice. I picked up a few items in Roys and then returned to the boat. I texted my daughter Natalia (who'll be with me when I return in August) to say I was at Barnes so she could spot me on the Web cam and she sent me some photos. I was eager to get going again and having taken on water I decided to head for Ranworth. The river was busy but probably less so than peak times. There was still the odd pesky day boat however, especially the one who sat 6 inches behind me for some time when there was plenty of room to pass. Horning was easier to negotiate than yesterday. Ranworth is always a lottery as to whether there's a space available at the Staithe or not and this time the boat just ahead of me slotted in as someone departed but my numbers didn't come up. I considered mudweighting but it was a little too breezy for my taste so I opted to stop at the Island. It made a lovely lunch time spot. I ummed and ared about where to head for afterwards and eventually settled on Potter Heigham. As I entered the Thurne the two boats ahead of me moved alongside each other to engage in conversation whilst banging along about 10mph so I resolved to keep well back. Thankfully they turned off down Womack Dyke when I was going straight on. I thought Potter would be busy but it wasn't in the slightest. There were only 3 boats on the BA mooring and I picked a spot on the downstream end. I've seen very little traffic this evening apart from a few returning Herbert Woods boats. It just goes to show although the north Broads receives a bad press for being busy and hard to moor, all of the North Broads isn't the same and it's easy to generalise too much. I cooked aboard and then walked to the Falgate for a pint where I'm writing this.

The new look Cockshoot.

I continued to Wroxham yesterday morning. I wanted to make a short stop for water and a visit to Roys but no such luck. Faircraft Loynes was rammed and my requests to stop at both Barnes Brinkcraft and Summercraft were turned down. The boss lady at Summercraft was shockingly rude to be frank, despite the fact my request there was only to stop long enough for water. OK it was a Saturday, but there were several gaps I could have pulled in for 10 minutes and it's not as if they were expecting their Friday boats to return. I gave up on Wroxham and briefly mudweighted on Wroxham Broad before deciding it was too windy. I switched to Wroxham Island for a short stop before heading to the meet at Salhouse, arriving about 1400. I really enjoyed the meet and I've posted about it on the meet thread.

Morning reflections

Yes Griff having moored at Johnny Crowes Staithe I agree it is complete rubbish. No one should moor there, especially when I'm next here in August. It's a beautiful morning here too Jean. I set off at 0745 after a quick wander down the footpath (no sign of deer though). I've stopped at Cockshoot now. I'm not sure I like the new gravelly quayside and path, it looks like someone's drive. Off to Wroxham later, them the meet this afternoon.

Ah thanks Grace for reminding me of the name, Johnny Crowes Staithe. Poppy, my life jacket was over my coat and thankfully it did actually work very well. Good advice though. No I didn't spot the deer this time, I'll have a look in the morning.

Some pics from today

Jean. Yes, as above, I didn't want to go anywhere without a replacement life jacket. PS I discovered this evening why I hadnt been able to get the TV to work - I'd been trying to use the DVD remote doh!

You're absolutely right Helen. I'm absolutely fine. I just hope I get to stay out of the water for another 35 years. I was up at 630 this morning. As I sometimes find on a boat I end up getting up before my alarm because I just can't wait to get going. Today I knew the weather forecast was to be better later so I tried not to rush and made myself a second coffee after breakfast. That didn't last long, I was off at 0845. I decided to head back to the Ant today because, regularly starting from Stalham, the Ant comes at the beginning and end of the trip and so I wanted to experience an alternative mooch up and down. The weather this morning was damp and miserable but I was loving being on a boat here anyway. I stopped off at Ludham Bridge to visit the stores and in the vain hope the rain might ease whilst I topped up my caffeine levels but I had no such luck. The Ant was quiet ish once more, many mooring spaces at Ludham and later at How Hill when I passed. I arrived at Gays around 12 when the aforementioned incident occurred. I gave myself some recovery time and relaxed with something to eat. I phoned Richardsons to ask them to bring me a replacement life jacket which they did after a modest delay. When the guy I arrived I remembered I hadn't been able to get the TV working this morning. He wasn't an engineer so had to despatch his mate who duely arrived a short time later and replaced the TV without fuss. By this time it was 3pm, the weather had improved a little and I eagerly set off on my way. Being at Gays it would have been rude not to have a chug down Limekiln Dyke. I noticed at Neatishead there was only one space left down the dyke. I decided to continue back to Barton Broad where I spotted Bob48 in the distance heading south on Crown Gem 4. I continued all the way to Ludham Bridge where I spotted the common sight of an ex-hire boat that retained it's original name and livery, except this one was unusual because it was Thames Fiesta 3. In an instant I was transported from Wayford Bridge to Fry's Island in Reading. My boat might squeeze under Wayford if tides were abnormally low but not today so I spun round and headed back south. That house at Hunsett is an atrocity isn't it? As if the tinted windows and hideous black extension thing aren't ugly enough there's some plastic garden furniture outside that looks like it came from Woolworths when they were still trading. How good would it be to see the place restored one day. I was soon back on Barton and I decided, for the first time ever, to try out Woods End Staithe that I'd learned about thanks to Robin's Brinks Omega blog. I always find somewhere on the Broads I've never visited. It's a short but pretty dyke off Barton near the island. Alas, I think additional No Mooring signs have been added since Robin filmed there because every available quay had a sign on it. I spun around in the tight space and returned to Barton. I decided on going for a wild mooring for the night and settled on a beautiful spot just upstream of How Hill. It's one of those spots that isn't vacant very often during the summer, being at right angles to the river, on the left as you head south. There was a discussion on here a while back about a Staithe who's name I've forgotten. Is that where I'm at? I'll post photos. I cooked aboard and then had a wander a short distance down the footpath that leads away from the river. I could have walked further but it became boggy under foot thanks to all the rain. Fun day!

Something happened to me today that last happened on my first ever day on a boat when I was 10 years old - I fell in the water. It happened at Gays Staithe. I came in to moor stern on successfully, not on the main length but on the near end 90 degrees to it. I stepped off fine both roads in hand and quickly decided I needed to pull the boat sideways to the left. Stupidly and without realising, I leaned over the quayside to my left side, lost my balance and in I went. Within a couple of seconds of hitting the water I panicked because although I was wearing a life jacket it didn't feel like it was inflating. I was wearing a biggish coat and with that and my clothing full of water I felt like I had lead weights tied to me. Thankfully the life jacket did, in fact, inflate and also the couple on San Francisco 1 came immediately to my rescue and managed between them to help me back to the quay. I thanked them profusely and they tied my mooring ropes for me while I went to get in to a hot shower as quickly as I could. They even made me a coffee and left it on my aft deck. I was none the worse. They come in handy those life jacket things! More to follow, WiFi connection permitting.

As Fred says, Barnes and NBD are fully Hoseasons logo this year as far as I've seen so far, so the Blakes logo is almost gone. Barnes and Faircraft Loynes were Hoseasons boatyards until switching to Blakes in the 1980s. Sandersons however have only ever been Blakes for how ever many decades they've existed so it would make sense to keep it that way. Hoseasons could even market them as a 'Classic Blakes Fleet' or some such.

One thing I was surprised about at BBC was they've given up the left side (as you look from the river) of their basin to private moorings, so they're limited for space in what wasn't a big basin in the first place. Their boats on the right side have to be side-on.

I'm going to pootle back up the Ant today Bob so our paths may cross somewhere. If not, see you at the meet tomorrow.

As has been suggested, Richardsons have lots of space for stern-on moorings so you have am alternative to Neatishead in case the end spaces are occupied.