Broads01

I don't know where it is Jay but wherever it looks like the furnishings and carpet needs an update.

Hi Londonlad, thanks for posting your tale and photos. Did you have to clean the interior of the boat as well or have you made arrangements for that? I'm also out at May half term for 4 nights on Swan Roamer. What boat do you have then?

Enjoy Jay, looking forward to keeping up to date with your travels.

I don't think you'll go far wrong. I've been with Pacific twice (Moonlight and Emerald) and they were brilliant. I hope they do well with bookings from ex-Maffetts customers like yourself. Let us know how you get on.

Ah 1981, the first year I came to the Broads. The pub is indeed a terrible colour. I agree, a Newson boat and Salient Wings, memorable for that inward sloping windscreen. The Bounty 37 and Horizon 35, still common today of course but already a few seasons old by 1981. Once again though, the overall vista is the same today (pub colour excepting).

Have I missed something? I thought it was 3 (BA, Independence, Trixie)?

I enjoyed watching that. There was some fascinating old views, like the lifting bridge at the end of the New Cut.

Funnily enough my worst was also an Aston, it was Aston Goblin in 1983 and I was 12 years old. By the time we'd been aboard 2 nights we were on to our 3rd call out. After a dodgy canopy and a water leak, a battery problem had us stuck at Harvey Eastwood in Brundall for a whole day whilst we waited for the engineer. Fortunately after that the boat behaved itself and I have happy memories of the rest of the holiday. My best is hard to say because all boats have their positives. I think if pushed I'd go for one of the dual steers I've had over the years, either Gainsborough Girl or Soprano. I love the outdoor freedom a dual steer gives and not being stuck inside at the helm when it's raining.

Great thread, I've enjoyed reading the stories. My first night on the Broads was 14 August 1981 and I was 10 years old. We hired from Norfolk Broads Yachting Company in Wroxham. As a first time hirer and having hardly ever piloted a boat before, my Dad took us straight through Wroxham Bridge (no pilot in those days). We cruised to Coltishall and then after at least one aborted mooring attempt coming back downstream finished up taking the last space at the Wroxham viaduct moorings. As we came in to moor I was stood on the stern and threw the rope to my mother who'd stepped ashore. I think I mistakenly kept hold of the rope and as she pulled it taut I ended up falling in off the stern. Fortunately I was wearing a life jacket and I was fine. I wasn't put off in the slightest and I was in it for life from that day on.

It's good to see new 2-4 berth boats being built, they've been few in number in recent years (Richardsons please take note). I can see the resemblance to the Alpha Lowliner but alas dual steers that can pass under low bridges have fallen out of fashion and I'll be interested to see what the air draft is on this one.

Whilst October can be lovely there are a couple of advantages April has over it in my view. The daylight hours are a little longer and outside Easter it's a little quieter, probably because it's fishing closed season.

Robin, I'm still with you on the buying unseen with no survey. It's your decision and only you can decide that. It's a risk of course but so is paying out wages of cash for a survey that might not identify anything worth worrying about.

Thanks Mark, I enjoyed that.

Great stuff Robin. When you first posted about the new boat before explaining the details I was rather confused as to why you'd want it but it makes more sense now. The boat looks lovely and I get the buying it unseen thing - sometimes in life you have to take a calculated risk to get what you want.

A trip south is usually a definite for me if I'm hiring for a full week and I'm looking forward to doing so on my September hire. I don't see it as a waste of time at all, albeit that the Stracey-Great Yarmouth stretch is a bit of a slog. I enjoy negotiating Great Yarmouth itself and I love powering over Breydon on the only place you're allowed to go full whack. Lots of good advice already on this thread and your plan for timing Great Yarmouth looks just right. One extra tip, at the bottom of Breydon water if you're taking the Yare to the right to head towards Norwich, be sure not to turn too early and stray from the marked channel. From a distance it can look like you can turn sooner but you have to go a little further than you first think to keep all the posts to your right. I've seen boats around there more than once.

I only had manuals for the first 28 years of my driving life and then tried and bought an auto last year. Now I never want a manual ever again. Its so much more relaxing to drive in modern traffic conditions because living in a city and heavily using a nearby congested motorway, I'm stuck in traffic a huge proportion of the time. I have a Mini Cooper 1.5D auto and I'm averaging 54mpg combined with 116bhp and decent performance, so I'm a very happy driver. My wife is learning in an auto at the moment (which is what got me in to them in the first place).

It would be inconsidorate. Broads Boating, like many passions in life, is a broad church and you can't be interested on all aspects or everything that's posted. If you're bored, move on and read something else. An icon for the purpose is unnecessary and would serve no positive purpose.

Ah, classic Captains Blog, great idea. I remember watching some of that video. You've given me the idea to do the same as you and revisit.

I watched the Weymouth-Brighton video this morning. I really enjoyed it. It says a huge amount for Robin's film-making abilities that I enjoyed so much even though I could never see myself as a sea-going boat person. It was brilliant to have Sheila behind the camera to capture bringing the boat into Brighton Marina as it gave us footage we wouldn't otherwise have seen with Robin being very much engaged at the helm.

Looks like an interesting video Jean. Thanks for the tip, I'll take a look.

NBD have as well, a hirer posted a photo on Facebook. Given the ice I'm sure Richardsons have made the right decision whereas the others are taking an unnecessary risk.

Really good to see the nitty gritty details of syndicates posted here. Ive long been able to see myself going for it but I want the right combination of a boat that's right with a week allocation system I like. Unfortunately at the moment everything available isn't right for me in either one respect or the other.

Aston Mars is a long way from home and looking slightly sorry for itself. They're lovely looking boats though, I've always liked the big Astons.

"Not changed much" is an understatement I think. Its fascinating to see old pictures of views that have remained the same. The pub exterior must have been painted a few times but I don't think the colour's changed at all.

I've been reading this thread with interest and I'd like to make a couple of points. Firstly, I have a problem with calling the Broads a National Park when it isn't. In my mind it's misleading to use a term 'for marketing purposes' or whatever. I think it's wrong the BA was ever given permission to use the term. Secondly, with regard to Sandford, it's wrong to associate that with a complete boating ban. Whilst the chances of that ever happening are close to zero, I'm concerned Sandford would make it too easy to close parts of navigation. For example, what if Horsey Mere was deemed to be specially significant for wildlife conservation ? With Sandford in play it would surely be on the agenda to close it off.