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trambo

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trambo last won the day on March 15 2022

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About trambo

  • Birthday 26/02/1950

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    Somewhere over the rainbow

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  1. Nice atmospheric shot by Peter Juerges on Flickr.
  2. Not surprised to see it closing but will miss it. Food was well above the normal Broads offerings, at reasonable prices and service was always excellent but as said it would close at short notice. Location I think is the main problem, it just looks like part of the NYA complex (which it is), never saw it more than half full even on a Saturday night. Fred
  3. trambo

    Goodwind

    Couple of scans from Blakes brochures of 1937 and 1939. Most of the pre-war built Windboats would seem to have been sold to other fleets post-war but I am unable to find any reference to these big 43 footers. Fred
  4. I think this is a difficult one because it really depends on the era or even year you are asking about. Yards came and went, renamed or even relocated often, especially post-war with the initial boom in what is known today as staycations followed by the slow decline from the 1970s. I would guess Brundall takes the title for having operated the most hire yards over the years but many only operated a handful of boats, some even just one or two. Pre-war, I only know of C. J. Broom & Sons with Bell Boats hiring out from 1950. By the mid 1960s the list was growing by the following; Alpha Craft Blue Cruisers Brundall Gardens Yacht Station Bradeston Boats (later B.B. Cruiser Co.). Robin Fisher. Girl Craft. J. E. Fletcher (2nd yard with one at Oulton Broad). Kin Craft (later Peterkin) Leisure Time Boats. Lingwood Cruisers. H. Ody (later L. J. Eastwood, Harvey Eastwood and VIP Harvey Eastwood). Purdy Cruisers (based at Alpha Craft) Tidecraft Cruisers. Robin G. Smith. Smith & Forster (later Wing Line). Springcraft. Stephenson Rivercraft (later Chartercraft, Foster Marine and Silverline) Swancraft by the mid 70s you could add names like, B.P.T Cruisers. Bees Boats. Bounty Boats. Brister Craft (later relocated to Wroxham) Carr & West (Coral Craft). County Cruisers. Curtis. Davies & Read. Fencraft. L.L. Cruisers (later relocated to Wroxham). Mitre Craft. Pirate Craft. Scott Cruisers. In 1974 I noted in a Broads log that 191 cruisers and 0 yachts were available for hire from Brundall. In comparison Wroxham had 307 cruisers and 17 yachts available and Oulton Broad. 145 cruisers and 17 yachts. Many more hire yards came and went from Brundall over the years with today just Broom Boats and NYA still hiring. Sorry NYA, chartering! Fred
  5. If you go back far enough (early 20th century) the Norfolk Broads Yachting Companies yard was on the site of todays Hotel Wroxham. Faircraft was established in the late 1950s. Not sure of any connection but the Alan Johnson yard at Acle Bridge also used the fleet name Faircraft in their 1960s advertising. Going back to Brundall boatyards, anyone remember the very short lived Challenger Stealth Fleet (did it do a full season) based at Ed Rimmer's yard (the old Brundall Gardens Yacht Station) that he created as a base for the Challenger Syndicate boats which also included a row of holiday share properties that lay empty for years. The project collapsed before it got off the ground but today is the successful Marine Power yard. Todays (sadly fleetless) Silverline yard was in the past, Stephenson Rivercraft, Chartercraft and Foster Marine. Fred
  6. The Hoseasons craft on the photo at the mouth of the Bure is Hipperson's 4 berth "Elaine" and the aft cockpit cruiser in the photo below, Pearson's (or Pearson - Barber as it was in 1954) 2-3 berth "Albatross". Both are also in a couple of other shots. At Potter Heigham there are two Hearts Cruisers for Vaughan to identify. "Babemore" looks immaculate but they always did. Thanks for sharing, a great set. Fred
  7. I'll have the camera primed and ready. Fred (on Goosander).
  8. The video has been transferred (or recorded) at the wrong ratio resulting in boats looking longer than in real life. Salamander, at 5:33, which was 27' 9" looks much longer here. The boat at 6:17 is one of of Richardsons. Despite the ratio fault it is still a brilliant and fascinating record from the heyday of the Broads hire fleets. Fred
  9. Think I may have spotted you passing Polkey's Mill moorings, whilst I was having an 'anorak' moment. Fred
  10. trambo

    Thanks Tbmc

    Personal opinion but unless to go through the bridge I would never want to visit Potter Heigham anyway. Very unkind and I apologise but I always get an image of Soweto when the place is mentioned. Fred
  11. Thanks Kevin. Fascinating set on many levels from an era when formality was the normal in so many photographs. Fred
  12. Not sure how many shades of green its possible to turn but I've just done the pallet. Enjoy everyone. Fred
  13. Kris Cruiser last appeared in the Blakes brochure in 2010. Herbert Woods parent company, the Mowat Group launched Pennant Holidays in 1991 as agent for their fleets (Ernest Collins, Hearts Cruisers, Jack Powles, Southgates, Herbert Woods) and Swancraft. When the Mowat Group got into financial difficulties, Herbert Woods was rescued by Len Funnell and it returned to the Blakes brochure until 2010 when the present owners bought the yard and went independent. I think time will show Blakes to have been the main agent for Broads boating and its promotion. They certainly did more for the Broads boater and environment in its Harry Blake and later cooperative days than any other company. Hoseasons although very professional was in hindsight all about selling the product. Thinking of "The Sun" promotion, perhaps selling it just a bit too much! It's a little hard to imagine now just how small Hoseasons were in the 50s being much the same size as Bradbeer's but the combination of a larger holiday type portfolio, colourful use of language (sound-bites), gimmicks and a professional customer interaction brought them to the fore. I think Blakes still had more boats for hire though, up until the Richardson family bought back the Stalham yard, using Hoseasons as their agent. Fred
  14. Having seen the instructors at work whilst on Silver Cloud they are very professional but like you Alan I don't feel like a voluntary dunk in Clive's marina. Maybe if they do an old dodderers course I might have a change of heart although just the thought brings on the arthritis! Fred
  15. Reading the story of the Oulton Broad incident I feel sympathy for both parties but should a novice hirer have been on such a boat? I suspect the hirers holiday has been ruined (it would mine) and they will not return to any boating holiday. In what now seems a long time ago the two main agencies recommended first time hirers to keep their choice of craft to under 34'. So what has changed? Have cruisers become more easy to handle? In two ways they have, the universal adoption of single leaver control and the introduction of bow and stern thrusters. However Broads boat design has become less boater friendly in other ways. Just getting on, off and around the boat on some designs is not as easy as it should be and high superstructure designs are prone to wind, even when fitted with thrusters. Would it not be sensible for yards to highlight classes suitable for novices and to restrict certain classes to experienced crews only or would this effect their profitability too much? Fred
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