Broads01

I shall be visiting the London Boat show this Saturday for the first time in 9 years. It's a long trip for me to get there but hopefully worth it - I was lured by Richardsons offer of cheap tickets and the chance to see Commodore and Broadway in all their glory! I know Brooms will also be there although whether they'll feature any hire boats I don't know. I'd be interested to read any thoughts or recommendations from anyone who's been to the show in recent years.

I received my brochure in the post this week. Its always great to have an old fashioned brochure on the out dated medium of paper! The Richardsons brochure has always been a good one and its even better this time thanks to the thick paper which gives it a more luxurious feel I think. Its good to see the Swancraft boats there, all part of the Platinum fleet except for Swan Rapide which is priced very competitively in the Classic fleet. Prices are little changed with a similar policy of multiple boats being identically priced, e.g a Cavalier will cost you the same as Sovereign or Glistening Horizon or San Valentino or about 20 others. There is some quirky pricing once again though. Contessa is still priced well under its 32 foot dual steer sisters, despite being larger and of equivalent quality (complete with the holly and teak flooring). For most of the year the 37 foot ex Connoisseurs like Tropic Horizon are priced less than the 42 foot ones like Prelude as you'd expect but peak season this is reversed and you pay less on the 42 foot. There's only one big mistake I've noticed so far, being for Dawn Horizon the photo is actually of Sunlit Horizon which is unfortunate. There is a new boat Monaco which "is similar to Carousel but boasts a scissor berth to the forward cabin." Er, que? Lovely brochure overall though.

Thanks for the write up and photos Gramps, very enjoyable. I didn't realise the single beds on the Horizon 35s were quite that narrow!

I agree about Swan Rhapsody Robin, a great looking boat and I can't think why Richardsons wouldn't want it so I can only assume Swan Craft received a better offer. On the Swan Rapide subject, I hired Grecian Girl in 2011 and it wasn't great in my view. The rear cabin arrangement just wasn't right and I completely agree with the comments about the interior helm. I drove inside for 10 minutes on a wet day and I could see so little I felt completely unsafe and came back outside in the rain. The outdoor steering is Ok but the wheel is very low in relation to the seat and if the crew were indoors I felt very separated from them (unlike the Broom 32 dual steers). Its a very low boat for a dual steer and we went under Beccles Bridge comfortably. I like the look of the interior on Swan Rapide, better than Grecian Girl in my view.

I really enjoyed the first series. Its a good combination of factual and personal. Tim and Pru aren't afraid to let their personalities come through and there were some touching moments too.

Wow Paul, fantastic tale so far. Your title made me chuckle right at the start and I loved the Ludham Bridge section. I'm glad Contessa compares favourably with Pacific Princess and as a Richardsons regular I'll be very interested to read more. I actually think Richardsons have priced Contessa in too low a bracket. For me, it's every bit as good as it's smaller sisters like San Julian but it's priced considerably less - very bizarre.

Thanks for the write up Jean, I enjoyed your tale.

At Beccles I like the Yacht Station but I can also recommend the moorings at the swimming pool (through the bridge, a few hundred yards further up on the left). The walk to town is shorter than from the Yacht Station I think. Theoretically there's a charge but you have to text a number to pay it, so how that's enforced I have no idea.

Hi Iain. Very sorry to read you had to cut your holiday short. I'm very fortunate in never having been in a position where I've needed to do that but it would be my worst nightmare. I'm a big fan of Horizon Craft as well. I've looked aboard Sparkling. I really like the cabin with its big island double bed but I'm not a fan of the old fashioned arm chairs in the saloon (give me an L shaped sofa any day). What did you think?

Spot on Malcom, thanks very much for going to the trouble of scanning and posting these. I really like the shot of FB Wilds with the Caribbeans all in line, they didn't just build one or two did they! My first holiday on the Broads as a child was in 1981. Although my parents hired a centre cockpit boat, I used to love reading Hoseasons brochure (I still have a copy from that year) and it had a full page for the Bermuda. The Wilds craft were still amongst the most modern, desirable boats even 12 years on from your first trip.

I caught up with videos 5 & 6 a couple of days ago Robin and I can honestly say they were the best so far. I enjoyed the honest, personal slant you put on things (like the relationship with your Dad) and the footage of the Wroxham bridge negotiations was great. (You're a braver man than me!). The shots near the end of part 6 of the sunset towards Acle were also great,

Thanks for writing and the photos. You're someone else who was on the Broads just the right week for weather whilst I was stuck at work! Interesting to read about the engine smoking issue. As you say, not catastrophic but indicative of mechanics that could be better. The Connoisseurs are over 20 years old now so perhaps they're in need of those smooth Nanni diesels being fitted as replacements elsewhere.

Do you by any chance have some photos of your 1969 trip? I've long admired the Caribbeans for their place in hireboat history.

Thank you so much for a superb write up and some great photos. I really enjoyed all the detail and personal touches. You had some great luck with the weather, better than what I experienced in early September I think (see my Concerto 5 write up). I was interested to read how busy the rivers were, especially as in early September they weren't particularly so. Perhaps the sunshine brought a flurry of last minute bookings?

And me Matt. The holiday I just had from Richardsons had to be a Thursday or Friday start due to other commitments but I could have done without using 6 days holiday. If coming with my school age daughter or my wife (who works in a school) on a half term week I have to have a Friday start. Alas Richardsons have a lot of boats that are Monday or Friday only so sometimes my choice is limited by that.

Completely agree with you Robin and I should have mentioned that in my original post. The saloon is lighting is appalling to be honest because there is only the two lights above the galley area which are far too far back to light the whole saloon. I would have expected a low level lamp below the windscreen somewhere.

Thanks Robin for your kind words. I've really been enjoying your videos recently (including catching up on some previous ones I hadn't seen) so good to hear from you. Ah Iain, your SWMBO isn't the only one I've heard say that! Cian is 6 foot 2 and yes he did have some issues with the headroom.

We hired Concerto 5 for a week recently. I've looked aboard Concerto previously and always liked the design and our week aboard confirms that view. The Concertos had a full guts out refit and layout redesign around 10 years ago having formerly been in the old New Horizon Thames fleet (how I miss that but that's another story!). The layout feels fresh and modern in comparison with identically priced boats in the Richardsons fleet. The galley sits across the boat and helps form a large open plan living space which is larger than the traditional Bounty and Horizon forward drive layouts. The corridor that leads to the stern unusually doesn't pass through any cabins and both cabins therefore are cosy and private. There is a smooth quiet modern Nanni diesel at the rear. The principle downsides are the bunks cabin which is small and not practical for adults plus the lack of headroom along the main corridor (which is on the far port side and therefore underneath the sloping part of the roof). Overall really excellent value for money and I would definitely hire again.

Thanks both for your kind words.

Thursday 10th September Darn it, time to return the boat and the end of my boating for another year. It was a 20 minute sunny cruise back to Stalham. We'd used 92 litres of fuel at a cost of £110 - a fair bit but we had done lots of miles and we'd needed the heating every day in the early morning and evening. I dropped Cian back at the station with a heavy heart because we'd had a brilliant time and I couldn't think of a better way of spending some quality father-son time!

Thanks for posting David. Wednesday 9th September Our last full day and glorious sunshine. Before we set off I thought I'd make use of the water hose but ended up wishing I hadn't bothered. The hose was of the thick heavy type and took a lot of untangling. Having wrestled it as far as the boat I found that even though the tap was working, there were so many leaks that precisely zero water was making it as far as the end of the hose. All this having paid an £8 overnight fee 'including water' - thanks Salhouse owners! We headed off for Horning and stopped for water at Ferry Marina boatyard. I had a nose around their boats, which are of good quality I feel although even with their all-inclusive pricing policy not as reasonably priced as they like to think they are. We chugged on and turned up the Ant, through Ludham Bridge and stopped at How Hill. We enjoyed a walk there but I felt the urge to go and take a look at Neatishead. There was space enough to moor down the dyke and turn the boat around on the dyke having done so. Cian joked I would no longer be able to enjoy the challenge of reversing out which I've done in the past a few times but this time the gap at the top of the dyke was on the tight side! For our last night it was a toss up between Wayford Bridge or Sutton (if we could get in). We went for the Wayford option, only to find when we arrived there headroom at the bridge at 7 foot 0 was too tight for comfort (moorings on the near side were full). We turned around and headed for Sutton which was full even though it was only 4pm. But! What should we spy but a space at the Sutton Staithe boatyard which is actually a very nice spot with a view back up the dyke. I checked with a member of staff it was OK to moor there (£6 charge) and we enjoyed a drink and a game of pool at the Sutton Staithe hotel.

Tuesday 8th September We had two more days to enjoy the north Broads and the weather was improving thankfully. We headed for South Walsham first thing and pulled in at Russell Marine at surely one of the Broads most scenic water stops. We then had some mudweighting time on the Broad. I used the mudweight a fair few times this week with the stern-on moorings as well and so I was starting to envy those boats with the electric winch version. Later we chugged on a short way to Ranworth and at midday we were surprised to see 4 spaces at the staithe. I guess we just beat the lunchtime rush as it filled up soon after. Executing a stern-on mooring doesn't seem hard to me now but I've had years of practice and I do sympathise with the newbies, always in evidence at Ranworth and Salhouse, who clearly have been given little guidance on the basics. After some lunch aboard we really enjoyed a walk to the church and climbing the tower - I never tire of that view. Later we chugged to Wroxham and pulled in at Barnes Brinkcraft so we could visit Roys. My daughter was hoping to spot us on the webcam and we didn't disappoint! We could have stayed there for the night but opted for the more scenic Salhouse instead, one of my favourite spots. It's pretty handy being on a forward drive boat when you want to enjoy the view from a mooring like that one.

Here's poor Pacific Grayling on Saturday 5th.

Thanks for your kind comments gentlemen. Yes I'm aware of the tricky currents at St Olaves Alan and that's probably influenced me avoiding The Bell before but this time conditions were fairly benign and there was plenty of space to moor side-on without needing to go stern-on so all good. Yes John, my weeks do tend to be on the energetic side because I love driving the boat so much! Monday 7th September After the sun and warmth the previous day it was back to grey and damp on Monday morning. We headed back towards Great Yarmouth, taking a break at Burgh once again. This time Breydon was much busier than before (on Saturday we were literally the only south-bound boat within sight) and we bounced across some choppy water. We passed under Vauxhall Bridge around 12-30 about half an hour before slack and we were pushing against the tide all the way to Stracey Arms. Having just passed the Yacht Station I briefly considered turning round and waiting at the Yacht Station for the tide to change and in hindsight I wish I'd done so - one to think about for next time as we had to maintain highish revs to make around 6mph progress. At Stracey we visited the shop once again on leaving which I had the comical experience of being almost attacked and then chased by one of the resident goats, seemingly in pursuit of my shop purchases! We then carried on to Horizon Craft Acle for a pumpout. I chatted to Rob and the boss chap whose name I forget and asked them if they were expecting any additions to the fleet next year. They mentioned there'll be Crystal Horizon 2 plus one of the Swan Ranger-type dual steers. We felt we'd done plenty of miles for the day and fancied a meal at The Bridge so we opted for a night mooring further up the bank away from the main road traffic. I always enjoy a stop at Acle Bridge, it's an underrated spot in my view and those who choose not to venture below Thurne Mouth (which is sort of understandable) do miss out. The meal at The Bridge was really good, as was the service even though they were very busy for a Monday evening. Much to my delight for Coeliac sufferers like myself they offered gluten-free beer, a rare treat in my experience.

Sunday 6th September This was to be a mini south Broads tour as we planned to return north the following day to allow some more north Broads time. Hence the plan today was carry on up the Waveney and then return within striking distance of Great Yarmouth for lunchtime Monday. Thankfully the sun was out as we headed on to the most scenic part of the Waveney. The river was very quiet as it often is and we chugged all the way to Beccles. There wasn't a lot of clearance at the bridge but enough and with a couple of hours before low water. We stopped for a coffee break at the swimming pool mooring before carrying on to Geldeston Lock. I adore the Beccles-Geldeston stretch and this was my first time there for 4 years. It's so quiet you feel as if you've left the Broads altogether and joined a different waterway. After a break at Geldeston we made the long run back down the Waveney all the way to Waveney River Centre. It's the first time I've been there since the new shop was created which is OK but on the pricey side in my view. Having enjoyed a stop the previous night in civilisation we fancied a contrast tonight hence we opted for the Dutch Tea Gardens mooring on Oulton Dyke. This was another first time stop (quite a recently added mooring I think) and what a gorgeous spot it is. It turned out to be a warm, sunny evening and it was a great vantage point to watch the sun set.