BroadAmbition

Robin - with regards to the marina office - Say nowt! - For now. Wait until the contractors for the fuel system is sorted, then get stuck into them with regards for querying the price / units used. It won't have any effect when my team comes to visit in January as we are not contractors, just a bunch of mates coming down for a social weekend onboard and helping you out - UNPAID - whilst we are at it - All of which is 100% true so you stand to gain / lose precisely - Nowt! Griff

and in January there is a full on maintenance weekend where Charlie, Howard and others will join me on board and sort out the list of items I have so far identified Yes indeed a full on weekend it will be, Thursday pm right through to Monday pm. I'm bringing two plus me, that is Brian and our very own 'Wizard' both of whom assisted in the restoration of 'B.A' The Wizard is a joiner / cabinet maker of the highest order, we are lucky to get him. We will be in the 'GriffTile' van so no shortage of tools will be with us too. Then I have enlisted another ex-RN mate who lives in Plymouth, he does electronics and the like (Not to mention normal electrics) he is on for the four days too, then hopefully Robin is bring another plumber mate from London, so that will be about six of us turned too for a minimum of 10 x Hr days each and every day. I will be proper disappointed if we don't achieve quite a lot. Looking forward to getting cracking Griff

We took 'B.A' there once for a weekend. Had a great time, enjoyed it very much Griff

I've done plenty of night navving - the priority key to this is local knowledge, if you know the river really well then it makes it so much easier. Confidence lowers stress levels. I've done the Ant at night plenty of times, it's very enjoyable, but when there is no reflection on the water, no moonlight or even fog then it's proper hard work even knowing every bend in the river as I do. Night naving the Bure is a lot easier. We once night navved from Stalham slipped at around 2359 then out to sea at GYA, it was foggy and somewhat challenging to say the least, miraculously the fog cleared at GYA and off to Ipswich we went to see the sunrise somewhere off the coast of Southwold - Magical. Also night navved back from the Thames, night navving out at sea is so much easier than doing it on the rivers Night navving for me personally is best done in the summer months on a still balmy evening with plenty of moonlight it really is a great experience, closely followed by a night Nav around December 25th through P.H / Horning / Wroxham - very pretty with all the festive lights / decorations on display. I have not as of yet Night Navved 'B.A' over Breydon, no doubt one day it will happen. We did once night Nav a Brooms Admiral over Breydon to Stokesby Ferry. My dad was the skipper, we had torches with red/green crepe paper to act as nav lights, I remember being perched on top of the wheelhouse roof with a large chrome spotlamp to pick out the posts over Breydon, had to hold the return cable against the body of the lamp with my thumb to make it work. I was freezing my cajones off, the amps running through the cable burnt my thumb and I didn't know as I was that cold my hands were numb! BTW, if you want some evening entertainment whilst night navving, cruise slowly through Potter Heigham with your nav lights off They really should draw their curtains Griff

Any GRP Experts? Definition of an 'Expert' Ex = Has been Spurt = Drip under pressure Solution = Get a 'Woody' Griff

We are very much similar when afloat. Rarely a proper b'fast at home, but afloat? - Most mornings. Mugs of whisky with a splash of tea afloat - Never at home. Mug of Rum with a splash of coffee? - Compulsory when afloat, never at home. Sleeping far toooooo long in the morning afloat - Never at home. Note to self - Must get afloat more often! Griff

What a day, just what a day! Met at the hotel for B'fast as per the norm then off to the farm. I drew peg 7 with a guest gun number 8 to my right - A British Airways jumbo jet pilot no less. All through the day I did my level best to make sure our guest gun was in the shooting, on more than one occasion leaving 'My' birds for him. Total bag for the day was 73, we try to limit it to around 50 odd but historically we fail on that one. Shot ratio for the day was just a shade over four to one. Eight guns as per the norm, my tally was three pheasants and eight partridge. My best bird was a v.high partridge which I was well pleased with, no one more surprised than me that I brought it down first barrel. Lots of comments from the other guns and beaters at how lucky I was that the partridge flew into my shot pattern! Best moment of the day? My Macie dog on a blind retrieve unaided on the last drive, I got many complements stating she did the best retrieve of the day by a country mile. I was so proud of her. I won the sweepstake on cartridges used too! it was then back to the farmhouse for dinner with the guns. Got back home with one very dirty Macie dog, it was just unfortunate that the last drive was muddy, very soft and wet. It's not really clear in the photo's but she was proper filthy and somewhat smelly too. Nowt for it but to get her in the shower, the only real way to do this is to be in the shower with her. Took me an age to get her clean, the reward for her for her day out and working so well? Sardines with her tea, then a brush and hair drier after her shower, bliss for her. Grandson number two 'Charlie' staying with me and MrsG overnight for the first time, 2 x brace of pheasant hanging outside, one very tired but happy Macie dog and a very contented purring MrsG Life's good sometime innit? Griff

All gear cleaned / prepped and ready to go for the morning. 0830 - Mount Pleasant hotel for a v. expensive breakfast, then onto the farm, meet the beaters / pickers / dogs etc. Draw pegs and off we go. Macie Dog is probably not sleeping in anticipation tonight Griff

Ditto Griff

Shorts for me April - end of September at work and socially if acceptable every year Griff

I lived in Gibraltar for four years combined. The lavantar was sometimes spectacular when it formed. One side of the rock bathed in hot sunshine, t'other side grey and cool Griff

Winter - Tube heaters switched on, thermostat set to +2c, so any higher temp than that and the 2 x tubes located in the engine bay are switched off. Each one only 80w. No dehumidifiers / cabin heaters / tarpaulins or owt else for that matter. Elec cost - Minimal and not really bothered if I'm honest, what price peace of mind? Griff

I suppose it does! What I actually meant to portray of course was thanks for letting us know Griff

Heyup and 'Si-thee' Welcome Griff

Something that is virtually inconceivable in the current climate. So, basically impossible. Aye, and let's hope it stays that way Griff

E11 - Yep I concede there, the number of windows aft was throwing me I glanced and saw only two but there are indeed three (Pay more attention Griffin) the fore end is identical in shape to 'B.A' too of course. The Bridge however - Just look at the width of the span, never mind the headroom, Wroxham bridge has never been that big in a million years. It's definitely the former Bridge structure at Acle - Put my mortgage on it! May I respectfully suggest you have a re-think and totally convince yersen otherwise! Griff

Outside the Kings Head at Wroxham !!! - You extracting the urine or what Ricardo? It is of course outside the Bridge Inn at Acle, the previous bridge structure to the one we have now, that I and many remember. The craft looks to be 35ft long and is a 'Bourne 35' Hull if I'm not mistaken, a cut down size of the Bourne 40 that 'B.A' spawned of course Griff

It is one of my proudest boasts that I have never hired or had a holiday afloat in a 'Bath Tub' Long may that continue. However I too can see the appeal of them and fully understand why some crews love them. Also they have got many a family afloat to enjoy the Broads, sometimes on a restricted budget, and for that alone they deserve respect Griff

Is that an invite Griff But of course Here's a question back to you seeing as I believe you are ex RN. Correct 1976 - 2000. Is the gin pennant actually 'a thing' or just made up internet rubbish? And I mean a proper international thing not a local made up idea. The actual flag (Pennant) is a 'Stbd' pennant, that is green / white / green sections with the middle section being white. When flown from a ships Stbd yardarm within RN speak it denotes 'Senior officer afloat' so if a group of RN ships were alongside in the same location, the ship with the Stbd pennant flying denotes that ship as having the most senior officer onboard among all the ships gathered. Gin Pennant - It was not a 'Proper' denoted flag available from Naval Stores, that is to say it is not in the actual books of signalling as being a proper 'Bona Fide' flag. However it was officially recognised within the RN. The other armed forces services also recognised and understood it. Take a standard 'Stbd Pennant' the shape of a champagne glass cut out of black material stitched onto the middle white section of the flag, thereby turning it into the recognised 'Gin Pennant' When flown from the mast means 'Open invite to all messdecks onboard including the wardroom. It is raised to half mast 30 mins before 'Open Ship' then hoisted close up during the event, then 30 mins before 'Closing Ship' it it lowered to half mast, then down altogether when the ship is closed. A Gin Pennant is only flown when a ship is alongside, never whilst underway Onboard 'B.A' I have a genuine 'Gin Pennant' that I 'Borrowed' from HMS Glasgow D88 when I left her in November 1979 - which is really to big for 'B.A'. (It was made by a very young, extremely good looking sailor that originates from Gods Country). We have a smaller printed one onboard that is a more suitable size. I have flown it from 'B.A's mast before now on a few occasions, sometimes it is recognised and we get perfect strangers onboard for a drink. Other times no one has taken up the offer. It is rarely flown during our infamous Lads Week as:- 1) Some smart Alec will know what it denotes on each boat and 2) The bar bill would be tremendous! However my Late Dad (Known as The Admiral) once did fly it whilst underway on a Lads week (3 x Broom Admirals) approaching Barton Broad - The consequences were epic and the tale is retold many times - Over a drink of course. Griff

Buy that man a pint - Hunger Games (The first one) Well done, one I owe you, even better if consumed onboard 'B.A' Griff

Great news, a huge step forward, assuming the staff at the Marina don't get all officious wanting something for nothing Griff

They brought about their own demise, as those in the know are aware. I shall say no more. They did too from what I heard. Made me feel somewhat sorry for Alpha Senior Griff

I should know this, as the fish finder onboard 'B.A' tells us the depth wherever we are, it's very accurate too. Of course now at some stage I will have to transit the New Cut at low and high water to find out! Griff

Are you asking or answering? Griff

What had you eaten ? Four day old leftover Chinese takeaway that had no business being in our fridge Griff