Broads01

Saturday 1st April Acle - Cockshoot Dyke My first Broads trip of the year and I'd been as excited as ever for this one. It was to be a week aboard Conway Bridge 1 from Bridgecraft, crew being myself, daughter Keira and Suzie the Shih Tzu. I'm normally a good sleeper but the night before a boat trip I'm like a child on Christmas Eve and this time was no exception. I left home in South Wales at 6am and after a straightforward journey with a couple of short stops I arrived at Sainsburys near Thorpe about 11-30. Keira was already in Norfolk having travelled from her home in Lancaster the previous day. Shopping completed I drove to Acle Station to meet Keira and we arrived at Bridgecraft in good time for our pre-arranged takeover time of 2pm. As when I previously hired from Bridgecraft, they had phoned me earlier in the week to ask "What time would you like to take over your boat?" which is excellent service in my view. The boat was ready for us and we were soon unloading the car and receiving a handover from Daniel. The rain had been pouring all day and showed no signs of abating as we set off up river. Our first night destination was Cockshoot Dyke, partly because it was a nice place to head for and partly because it tied in perfectly with our plans for the following day. The rain continued and visibility was a struggle despite us having a wiper which worked reasonably well. We arrived at Cockshoot just before 5 with only one other boat there and took the spot at the near end of the downstream side. Two or three boats arrived after us and it was a peaceful evening.

The frequency of water fill ups very much depends on your water usage. If you have a crew all showering every day and you're using water for cooking and washing up as well then a daily top up is a good idea. If you use less, you can refill less although I think only one refill in the week might have been pushing your luck slightly. You did very well spending so little though.

So you didn't let the trivial matter of a completely missed night's sleep get in the way of your visit, like it!

Back to the boatyard in good time this morning. We used £133 worth of fuel at 170.9 per litre, so around 78 litres. Considering the mileage we did and the amount we ran the heating it could have been worse. I dropped Keira off at Acle Station as she's staying on in Great Yarmouth for a couple of nights. The journey home wasn't too bad and Suzie dog and I were home around 2-30. More detailed write up to come.

Fair play to Hippersons for taking a stand.

Left Great Yarmouth just before 9 and headed for Stokesby initially. We fancied a stop at the pub shop and glad we did. Loads of lovely cakes on offer and gluten-free options I needed as well. We were soon on our way again, next stop Potter Heigham. Dry weather today but unseasonably cold unfortunately. I like the roof at least partly open normally but having it shut seemed a necessity most of the time. Busiest we've seen it all week on the Thurne, we could tell it was a Bank Holiday. Squeezed in on the BA moorings at Potter for a while then back down to Thurne for our last night. Lovely meal at The Lion, my fish and chips was fantastic.

True but further back in time Richardsons had a small oval sticker on the side of each boat with the Richardsons name. Barnes have their name, as do Herbert Woods, NBD, Ferry Marina and others, so I can't understand why Richardsons don't have theirs.

Don't get me wrong the reeds aren't yet a major issue and certainly not everywhere, it's just that in a few places they narrow the channel noticeably.

The last holiday I had with my late father was hiring from Horizon Craft. I hired from Horizon on 3 other occasions with my children and then my first hire from Bridgecraft was with my daughter 2 years ago. Rainy to begin with today. We were planning to finish at Great Yarmouth but first of all had a run to Loddon. The Chet has encroachment of reeds into the channel in a few too many places for my liking. Moored at the staithe for water and a short walk then back down the Chet and to Reedham Ferry. Left there about 2-45 with low water at Great Yarmouth being 5-15. We bowled along at low revs on the tide, doing about 9mph on Breydon. Nice to stop overnight at Great Yarmouth after all these years - I've never done so before.

It came in for the 2022 season and makes the boats look drab and anonymous in my view. Those familiar with Broads hire fleets know what the R on the bows means but the uninitiated would have no idea where the boat is hired from or even if it's hired at all. That makes no business sense to me.

To cut a long story short, the service at The Ship was so poor we ended up walking out without eating and we ate at The Nelson instead. More detail when I'm home.

A boat that retains heat? That's a first! I'm aboard this week and woke up at 6-20 this morning very very cold, so if yours didn't feel too bad you're winning. Ludham Bridge to Stracey to Wroxham is a big cruise - fair play for getting the miles in.

Another sunny, peaceful day. Left Beccles and headed for Oulton. Had a very relaxing lunchtime stop at OBYS. By coincidence, Lightning was booked on the space next to us and who should arrive but vlogger Dave Whitworth and his wife, Christine. I'm an avid follower of Dave's videos so it was great to meet them both. We continued on our way, Reedham-bound. Eating at The Ship this evening.

Not any more, unfortunately and I used to like that mooring. It's now reserved for the "Big Dog Ferry" and the Canoe Man business. There are the BA moorings upstream of the Yacht Station but they're few and the traffic noise from the dual carriageway is off-putting.

Having just passed WRC yesterday and today, there are no obvious visitor moorings available so I'm grateful to read above that they are. The space on the front looks like a short-stop water and pump out place like it always was. There is nothing whatsoever to motivate boaters to stop overnight. I think the fact the marina is full of brokerage boats and private moorings contributed to my impression.

Having hired Contessa I agree stern access isn't it's strongest point but no issues for side-on moorings. It's still a great boat.

Left North Cove after a decent break and continued to Beccles. Made a brief water stop at the Yacht Station as we weren't sure where we were finishing up. Continued through the bridge and enjoyed one of my favourite stretches to Geldeston Lock. Paused for a short dog walk then back to the Yacht Station tonight. Snooker at the Snooker Centre this evening.

I think it's an excellent all-rounder, John. It's a very easy boat to live with, having the forward drive-style dual sliding roofs but with a central cockpit-saloon. Both cabins are spacious and both are ensure. Conway is a basic boat from a modern perspective (no hook-up, no microwave, no carpets) but very comfortable and very good value for money.

Very chilly night and frosty start. Managed to stay warm in bed, it's just the getting up bit I don't like. Left Burgh just before 9 having seen no boats pass since our arrival. Lovely relaxed, sunny cruise with the tide up the Waveney, didn't see a boat for the first half hour. Now at North Cove.

Headed back down the Ant this morning, Great Yarmouth - bound. It was very very quiet with just two boats moored at How Hill, one at Ludham Bridge and very few on the move. We didn't stop until Acle and our home boatyard. We needed water, a replacement fender and batteries for the TV remote, all of which cheerfully provided. We moved over to the free moorings for a dog walk and a break then set off south. The weather has been bright but cold. We saw virtually nobody on the lower Bure and only 10 boats moored at Great Yarmouth Yacht Station. Breezed across Breydon and stopped tonight at Burgh Castle. We have it all to ourselves.

We had a chug to Neatishead at lunchtime. You can't really tell from the photo but the work looks less than half complete.

The pressure in the water hose on the taxi rank side was so poor I gave up. The ranger wanted me to visit the information office and pay £3 which I didn't.

Now at Sutton. Arrived 15-45 and only just got in thanks to several overstayers (not just on the green) and the usual people taking more than their share of space.