Broads01

Thanks for the review and excellent photos Malcom. The exterior looks superb as Summercraft always do. The interior has changed little since I hired her in 2010 and it looks very much up together. The only thing which has changed for the negative in my view is the covers for the base of the sofas which now unfortunately don't match the backs.

I think Sandersons charge far too much for what they're offering. Pacific and Freedom are much better value. I really like both. Freedom have the advantage of any day to any day hire, especially handy for short breaks or if you want to go for between 1 and 2 weeks.

So Herbert Woods have been shopping at Brooms then. I agree, David, 240 volt and a microwave isn't a big ask. I'll be interested to see the interior photos of this one when it's complete. On the toilet thing, I think a single toilet on a 4-6 berth is a mistake. Expectations have moved on from what they once were and personally whilst I'm happy to "utilise on shore facilities" when I have the opportunity, I don't expect to have to do so or avoid using the toilet on the boat. With a single toilet and even with a crew of 4 let alone 6, you might need a pump out every other day.

Thanks, great photos. Good to see you all consistently with canopies open in the sunshine. I never did understand people who cruise around on a sunny day with the roof closed.

Yes close to the pub. There's not a lot of length but you should be OK this time of year.

Good stuff Malcom. That height gauge at Ludham Bridge, why do I ever bother looking at it? I swear yachts could pass under there without lowering the mast.

I enjoyed reading about your week, Griff, you certainly seem to have had a good time. I'm impressed with HW that they were flexible enough to give you the extra night aboard. I'm intrigued though that each Jewel used a different amount of fuel even though they all did exactly the same route at the same speed . Heating used to different extents possibly or are the mechanicals different?

You're like those people who park across your drive....

I certainly will Howard although you'll have to wait until late September next year. I'm on the river before that though for the meet in May.

Change of plan - my mum will now be accompanying me on this trip and we needed an extra cabin so I've changed the booking to Benmore 2. It was a toss up between that and Royall Commander but I opted for Benmore partly because I've never hired the design before and partly because I think it has an extra couple of inches of bridge clearance. Full marks to Barnes who amended the booking without fuss or charge.

From memory the signage gives conflicting information but when we ate there last month they happily deducted the full £10 from the food bill. I have to admit if hadn't been deductible I would have almost certainly gone to The Bridge.

Good shout. They also have the larger Lady of Freedom which I hired solo earlier this year.

I'm not a Barnes expert as although I'm with them next year its the first time in a very long time. Aft cockpit-wise they have Brinks Aries and Brinks Sonata. Aries is the same size and layout as Crown Gem and Sonata is the more recent sports cruiser type.

I can recommend Pedros as a really good place to eat. In fact the whole £10 mooring fee is redeemable there and the food is very good value. Its a bit like tapas but much better because the dishes are larger.

Interesting tale Nigel. I'm very surprised your booking wasn't cancelled long ago as mine was but fair play to Richardsons for sorting it out. Their position on the whole solo thing is still very bizarre in my mind and the way they cancelled my booking after I'd been loyal so long still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I have two bookings with Barnes for next year. I'd be interested to know how you get on with Peace as I looked at it myself but I was a bit put off by the helm position which looks a long way forward and therefore too cossetted by the screens for my taste.

I also saw the restored boat recently. They are indeed a striking design, it was difficult to take my eyes off it.

Enjoy! I always enjoy your detailed blogs. I have happy memories of a lovely trip on Gainsborough Girl with my daughter back in 2010 when she was 10 years old. As you may know it was originally fitted out by Brister Craft (as Yare Sunlight) and so there's a quality feel to the interior.

It's a lot more money and having seen Russell Thomson's video I was a bit underwhelmed by it, particularly the drafts he experienced through the gaps next to the sliding roof. It's true it's a much newer boat but not better in my view.

Matt, it's good to know additional costs have been minimal in your experience. The people on board for an extra week have certainly benefitted well because I'm aware you only pay for diesel and pump out if you're on board for a 'spare week'. Therein lies an important point I think because perhaps to get the best from syndicate ownership you need to be able to be as flexible as you can be with when you're aboard and be able to commit extra time when the opportunity arises.

Cheaper, yes Matt, undoubtedly by a mile assuming you'd be hiring a boat the same size. However with hiring you get perfect choice of what boat, from what base in what week you want. When I hire sometimes I'm solo, sometimes not and I can pick a boat that suits. I know I pay a premium for that in comparison to a syndicate but I also fix the cost when I book with no extra bills to worry about. All that said, I would never rule out switching to a syndicate in the future. For me, it would need the right combination of price, annual cost, boat style and week allocation system ( the lottery thing just doesn't cut it for me).

Yes the two boats ought to have different names really. The Alpha should be more spacious as its a foot longer and about 6 inches wider I think. I was still tempted by the Opal though having hired Hawaiian Goose 10 years ago and I do like the extra wide double doors to the fore deck. The Opal also has a small forward well unlike the Alpha.

Hi Howard, thanks. There are some good internal photos on Barnes website https://www.barnesbrinkcraft.co.uk/our-boats/detail/royall-velvet2/

Thanks for the replies. After much more dithering I finally made a decision and booked Velvet 2 today for a week in 12 months time. I'd have been very happy with either boat but I felt Velvet 2 had a marginally nicer interior plus it's Saturday start which I prefer. I ended up with a better deal than I was expecting. Not only did I get the £10 online discount I'd forgotten about, I got this year's price less 10% when the website is saying 5%. Whether that's a loyalty bonus I don't know but in any case I'll receive a posh food hamper as a returning customer (I have Brinks Jazz in May for the meet). It feels strange to have two trips with Barnes next year as my only previous hire with them was back in 1993. Both trips are likely to be solo so good on Barnes for keeping on allowing solo hirers.

I'm looking at Royal Velvet for next year and there's a choice of numbers 2 and 3. They're actually different designs though with 2 being an Alpha by the looks and 3 being a 28 foot x 11 - Aquafibre possibly? Number 2 has a bath and house-type sofa and island bed, number 3 has L shape sofa, no bath and side bed. I'd be interested to hear any feedback, particularly if there's any difference in air draft as I'd love to be in with a shout of Potter bridge if conditions allow.

Wow, that's a fascinating photo. It proves that reducing bridge clearance isn't just a Potter Heigham issue. 8 foot at Wroxham - those were the days! In recent years I've missed out on passing through Wroxham several times when clearance has been well under 7 foot.