trambo

Hi all. Saw them in their building shed and sneaked a shot. Hope she has built in furniture rather than loose settees and chairs. Fred

Interesting points and video Robin.

Sorry for the tease but well spotted some of you, although no one noticed the flag! Moored at the yacht station this year . Even Silver Symphony was on the cusp of not getting through the bridge so we did not chance it. The lido moorings are a delight though. Here are the steps leading down from the town. Fred

Fascinating stuff. The Broads no doubt was a very different place then, even from the world that Emmerson photographed. Fred

Hi Carole. The Princess of Hearts in her heyday. Sea Huntress was a Elysian34 from A.G.Ward or Jenners (depending on year) just up the river from Hearts.

Hi Jonno. Watching during lunch break, now I just want to curl up and go asleep! Lovely video and a music track to match. Have made Tonnage Bridge four times in hire craft all under 30' and once to East Ruston Junction. Last time would be in the late 80s and even then if I remember, besides the end of navigation sign at the junction of the Ant you had to get past a sunken houseboat. Often wonder what Jimmy Pearson would have said had we broken down up there? Fred

Having hired Tideway when at Hearts I have to agree.

Those pontoon moorings at the lido are in my opinion the best in Beccles and so convenient for the town. I do have a photo taken in 2011 but certain features might be deemed unsuitable for publication here. So here is a link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/trambo/5898426601/ Fred

Oh thanks Jill! Look where I'm going to be dragged to next time. Seriously though it looks good and within walking distance of the yacht station. Thanks for the link. Fred

Well, I have too agree. No boat I've hired has ever hit all the buttons. I suppose the nearest still in hire would be Silver Solano, simply for the standard of fitting out and the rear engine for quietness. However it will not go under Potter. So good but not perfect. Also, only hired her in summer so what is she like for draughts out of season? So as you say, "As long as it floats!" Fred

Hi Neil. Saw the Alpha at Johns and wondered if he was expanding. Err, the boatyard that is! She is the old Sabina Citation one that ended up at Ludham. Fred

Hi Carole. Nice to have another hirer on board. Would be interesting to know who you have been with and what you thought? Fred

Day 3. Sunday 14 July 2013. Had a peaceful night, moored near to the wind pump. Love this spot and the way the sound of the water against the hull changes it's music depending on the state of the tide. As usual when crossing to the North we planned to stop over at the yacht station for a couple of hours. I prefer to pay the £5 day fee and get the full flow up the Bure. As we were about to leave a flotilla of sea going cruisers began passing us and we joined their procession in a gap before more arrived that I could see coming down the Yare. We all followed in a line at just normal river speed until just before Breydon Bridge where they stopped, I take it to let the boats behind catch up and then whole fleet to go through as one. By this time boats had started to to head from the Bure and up through Breydon bridge to be confronted with a dozen or so sea gong boats stopped in the channel, the crew of Fair Freedom looked aghast at the sight! Would have loved to have seen them all pass through but Breydon is not the place to potter around so we shot the bridge and turned into the Bure to the Yacht Station. Gent came retied all the ropes as they always do and after paying started Breakfast. Conversation went sort of (Derek had paid)"Suppose it was £5?" "No, it was only £3" Derek replied."It's £5 for a day ticket but only £3 if you don't leave the compound" So no trip to Asda! Now before anyone tries to get a £3 ticket don't! More will be explained in a later instalment! Anyway. I went to fill up with water (that hose is heavy but goes a long long way) and Derek went for a shower at the yacht station. Reckon we left Gt Yarmouth around 1030. The weather by now was perfect. Sunny, warm but a breeze. This somehow made the old Port of Yarmouth Marina look more sad than ever. Remember its heyday when the small boat agency Broads Holidays' was based there and how sad the way it declined and destroyed peoples visions on the way. The marina in about 1974 So on up the Bure with the usual discussion at the Stracey Arms,"Shall we stop?" After the deliberation we, as always, don't and continue on to Stokesby. Oh how I love Stokesby. Seems to have developed in a much more gently than many other Broadland villages. Moored right outside The Ferry. Sign "Mooring £5. No all male boats without arrangement". So we went in, checked and no problem and no mooring fee if using the pub. Had light lunch and a couple of pints, onto boat and chilled. Heaven. Now I have an obsession never to go against he tide and I suddenly realised if we did not move soon then we might be. So rather reluctantly we departed and headed for Upton. I have often moored at the end of the dyke and there is still a mooring there, although the mooring actually on the river now has a"no mooring" sign and is probably reserved for fisherfolk. This time we intended to go down the dyke to the staithe. Making sure no one was coming up the dyke we proceeded at tick over speed. No problems at all and if a boat had come up there was the odd non occupied mooring that could be used as a passing point. Turned Symphony by hand and we were just in the company of one other small boat and an angler and his wife. The peace was shattered when I saw a Barnes Brinkcraft boat coming down the dyke and yes, a large all male party. The angler gave me a look which said exactly what I was thinking as we expected a lot of thrashing, expletives and noise as they attempted to turn. Not for the first time the stereotype was proved wrong as they stern moored at Eastwood Whelptons without any fuss and the only other time we heard them was when the canopy went up! It really is a shame that just a few inconsiderate groups give large parties a bad name. So it was off to the White Horse for a drink and an evening meal. It's a pleasant stroll from the staithe, although the village seemed much bigger than I remembered it. On arrival at the White Horse it all seemed very quiet. The boys from the Barnes boat where in the beer garden at the rear and there was a group of local youngsters on the trestles out the front. One person inside, who left as we went in, not promising. Anyway, the beer looked interesting and there was even some strange ciders for Derek. "Can I see your menu" asked Derek. "Sorry, we have stopped serving food" was the reply. Oh eke I thought! Anyway The beer was good (no comment on the cider) and we had a bit of banter with the young locals. The lads from the boat left and one of the locals said to us "they are so gay." Now my gaydar had already worked this out but I thought it best to just agree, I just wonder what they said about us as we trolled back after another pint. On retuning to the boat the lads had gone and a Faircraft arrived but this also left after half an hour leaving just us and a couple of freindly angling blokes on a small private boat. We prepared an impromptu evening meal and settled down to a beautiful evening. Upton really is a lovely spot to moor.If the staithe is full then the characterful and neat boatyard should have some. It was a pity the White Horse had stopped serving food but that was our fault not checking and Upton is now on my preferred mooring list. Upton Staithe. Quite idyllic Reviews Ferry Inn Stokesby Location. Superb. Beer. Good (not a huge selection but served well) Cider. good Pub Food. Excellent Atmosphere. Good White Horse Upton Location. On a village road but not unpleasant. Beer. Very good Cider. One dreadful and one good Food. Oh. I wish I knew! Atmosphere. Quiet when we went.

Sounds to me like he did have his mind on the job in hand!

Day 2 Saturday 13 July 2013. Woke up to sunshine and that lovely water reflection effect you get on the roof of the boat. Chef was dispatched to the galley to prepare a full English while I lazily lay, mesmerised by those reflections. Peace was shattered by the roar of the coffee grinder signalling me to get my butt out of bed. Now of all the items on a boat that a 240volt supply has transformed, the coffee grinder I take from home is the tops! Breakfast complete I took over galley duties. What a lot of dishes a full English creates! Now the reason for us stopping over at Cantley was to get the train to Norwich as Derek wanted to visit Will Giles garden in Norwich, which is only open on a Saturday afternoon. Now It would have helped if I had got the train times but didn't so off we trolled to the rather well kept station only to find they only run every two hours! What shall we do? Only one thing for it.........The Reedcutters, which is so close to the station it was almost like walking into a station buffet! Suitably lubricated we caught the train and took the short walk along Thorpe Road to Will's garden. Now for anyone remotely interested in gardening Will Giles Exotic garden is stunning. As a non gardner I was fascinated and Derek, who is the Gardner, overwhelmed. Especially as Will is one of his heroes. Now I don't know if you can remember the Paris John Sergeant / Margaret Thatcher handbag incident but I know how he felt as Will went off down the path explaining some planting skill to Derek, while he gleefully followed in great excitement and in his haste, pushing me almost into one of the plant beds! Anyway had a great time. So back to the boat. As we neared Cantley we could see the regatta underway on the river. It looked very impressive from the train. Then I thought, as we intended to get underway straight away, would I be surrounded by a swarm of sallies? That impressive sight looked now a little more intimidating. Anyway as it happened the race was over and the yachts returning to their moorings. As we prepared to leave our neighbours exclaimed "Oh we are so glad you're going, that mooring is worth gold!" As we passed the pub I took a glance astern, and two yachts were already manoeuvring into the vacant spot. The decision now was wether to stop at the Berney Arms or carry on to Great Yarmouth and have a night out there. The Berney won and we took supper at the pub. When walking back, by which time the tide was coming in full flow, an Alpha Concord style boat attempted, with what appeared to be a solo crew, to moor with the tide. Needless to say he did not end up where he thought he would but CRUNCH into a moored aft cockpit Princess. After bumping along the side he got the bow against the quay and I managed to get on board to help him tie up. He went to apologise to the owners of the boat he had hit and I carried on to Symphony when Derek said look. I turned around and a lady had appeared on the deck of the Alpha with a small dog. She then took the dog for a walk, past the Princess and her hubby without as much as a glance and is if nothing had happened! Anyway down went the sun and we soon retired again a little early. I spoke to the owners of the Princess the next morning and they thought the accident whilst upsetting things on board had not caused any damage to the boat itself. Reviews Will Giles Exotic Garden. A must see http://www.exoticgarden.com Berney Arms. Location superb Beer. poor Cider. good food. ok atmosphere poor

Stunner. C.J.Broom Admiral class ex hire cruiser. Fred

Should be in every skippers handbook!

Well, It's all over for another year. Back to work and looking forward to Christmas. Anyway happy memories of another Broadland break, so please don't yawn and I'll start the tale. Day one. Friday 12th July. Up 05:00. Which is my normal time anyway. Breakfast: Duck egg, glass of beetroot juice, strong freshly ground black coffee and a blood pressure tablet. Shower, shave, apply the moisturiser. Again nowt unusual. Then it's all change. Gas and water turned off. Last check of windows and doors. Into the already loaded car and we are off on holiday.Yippee! (I would point out at this time that between getting showered and getting in the car I did put some clothes on.) Decided to take the more scenic route from Runcorn via Stockport over the Pennines and then Newark, West Lynne and the A47. Stopped at the Newark Little Chef for brunch. How tired these rest areas look these days. Like being in a 70s time warp, the illusion completed by the lady waitress who has worked there for years. 2013 prices though but who cares, its holiday time! Next stop Waitrose at Eaton just off the A47 to get the supplies and then just a few more miles and we are at Brundall. Into Silverline and Colin gives us a wave, we backed up to Silver Symphony and unpack. Well, to be honest Derek unpacks while I'm in the office with Colin whilst he reminisces for 3/4 hour about his time at Jenners, Herbert Woods etc, not that I encouraged him of course! No longer that young, Silver Symphony is an Aquafibre Opel 28 which was built for Harbour Cruisers bought by Swancraft before entering into the fleet of Silverline. Completely refitted in their style she differs considerably from the standard fit out of the Opel 28 especially in the galley and cabin areas and was beautifully presented both inside and out. So after the handover procedure and the aircraft style demonstration of how to put a life jacket on properly (I'll film it one day) we are off! Blue sky above and bound for Cantley. Always quiet at Cantley, no problem mooring........unless...... there is a regatta on! We squeezed in and relaxed at The Reedcutters and enjoyed an evening meal there as well. Anyway about 1000 and after all that travelling we were knackered so it was off to slumberland and a looking forward to Saturdays excursions. Review.The Reedcutters Beer- very good Cider-good Pub Food- ok Atmosphere- very good

Hi Kevin, Welcome to the club. First of all, dead jealous you sailed the Albion on the Yare. Must have been a great experience? Secondly I gave up trying to work out the correct pronunciation of Norfolk villages yonks ago. I've now ended up with so many names which I just pronounce the way I think they should be that when I repeat them in public on the Broads a look of where's he talking about is returned, followed by a realisation on my part that I've got it wrong again which is further followed by a suitable reddening of the cheeks! Mind you there are plenty up here in Cheshire, my favourites being Lower and Upper Peover which you will be glad to know (especially if you live there) is pronounced "Pever". Fred

Well, your first love is always rather special, so it has to be for me the "King of Hearts". Looking something like the dock launches I was familiar with in Liverpool and Birkenhead to me she looked like a real boat. Not one of those mambee pambee river boats found all around Broadland but a sea going masterpiece. So what, a teenage boys imagination does play tricks! What I did not imagine though was the immaculate standards that the Ashby's had on their fleet. The King being the flagship. The paint work gleamed, the woodwork shone and you could see a reflection in the linoleum. At the helm you had a proper ships wheel behind which incorporated into the instrument panel was a large carved in wood, King of Hearts playing card. It must have cost a fortune. To the side of the wheelhouse was substantial built in engine gear lever, again beautifully finished in varnished wood and my memory might fail me here but I seem to remember the actual lever was polished brass as was the throttle lever on the instrument panel (no single lever control then) and the oval builders plate. The galley seemed huge, everything was built in when built in kitchens were only just becoming standard in the home. There was a chest ice-box that had two replaceable ice bottles to keep perishables fresh and a full four burner stove. The crockery was all embellished with a red line and Hearts motif. To the rear was the stateroom with two single berths and an en suite toilet and wash-basin. Us lower mortals slept to the fore in either twin bunk cabins or my favourite, the fore cabin with two single v-berths. Gas heating although introduced in the early 50s had been withdrawn by yards such as Windboats, I presume on safety grounds but the King did have heating provided by a portable paraffin oil heater with a safety device if it got knocked over. I can tell you the device worked! What would todays safety standards say about that! Between the bunk cabins and the fore cabin was on the port side a wash room. Just a basin and unlike the galley and rear stateroom, cold water only, needless to say we washed very little! On the starboard was the head. A proper sea toilet, we used to argue who was going to use it while crossing Breydon. If rough we used to see (by leaving the flap seal open) who could get their bottom wet. A sort of primitive bidet! I have been on many boats since and I suppose many much better boats, especially by todays home from home standards but for character the King of Hearts will always be the King. Fred

Seems like yesterday looking through that brochure. Lovely boats all beautifully maintained. Fred

I was speaking to the owner of an independent yard while having a pump-out. He said it was too late to salvage this years season but his advance bookings for 2014 are well up on this years. Lets hope that continues.

Thanks Lori. After all my years of driving I did not know some of this. In fact most of this! Fred I pressed enter as Reedham replied but hey ho, gullable me will still give it a go!

Seen a few ex DRL around the last week. Looking much more presentable than they have the last few years. Not that it would have taken much! Livery has seen the old Sabina red replaced by a subdued dark grey. Fred

Hi all. Sitting in the Maltsters, with at last a decent wi-fi connection. Not having too much problem keeping cool. Cowboy hat when under way and keeping the split canopy closed on the sun side when moored. Lots of factor 50 as well. Fred