DAVIDH

I do Jeff. It was really helpful back then as we used to arrive by train. The form was very long and had boxes for just about everything you could think of.... including a whole chicken in a can (smothered in that jelly stuff to keep it fresh i suppose). Our's came from Crouchens Store in Reedam, delivered to Sandersons.

I've done it too with Asda to Barnes Brinkcraft. Booked the slot, and it arrived just as I was loading the boat. Should be a doddle being that you're staying on the yard for the first night.

Dynamic pricing (where an algorithm assesses the state of booking levels at any one time and adjusts rates up or down accordingly), has been very successful in maximising profits for airlines and overseas operators. However, I've seen no sign that dynamic pricing operates on our Norfolk Broads holidays (through the course of last summer, when there was a clamour for school holiday availability, Commodores and Commanders stayed at £3,146 for one week's holiday, despite selling within days of coming back from cancellation). I think there are two reasons why I think it's unlikely to be applied here. First, the software investment is huge, and it would have to be born by both Hoseasons and the actual boatyards. As I keep saying, Hoseasons are just agents. They do not own the stock, so the incentive to spend money on dynamic pricing is low. Secondly, Hoseasons has feeds in from the likes of Richardsons, Barnes Brinkcraft and Faircraft Loynes. Each time they want to tweak a price, that then has to be reflected on the Hoseasons system. All of which just adds complexity and cost.

Jean, if you do ever feel like doing the south again, I can recommend Silver Serenade. All the features of Swan Reflection as far as I remember, (which I've holidayed on with Swancraft), including the island bed. https://www.hoseasons.co.uk/boat-holidays/silver-symphony-bh1404

Yes (as I keep saying), I'm surprised that the prices haven't dropped. Maybe the boatyard owners are banking on another round of Coronavirus mutations/restrictions. The news about The Ukraine this morning, will probably also have a mildly dampening effect on overseas holidays if the situation drags on.

Richardsons boats for 2023 have been/are being loaded onto the Hoseasons system now. The prices for 2023 don't look that different from this year. Maybe one or two slightly cheaper.

Sorry, some confusion here. I'm not referring to actual boat numbers, more boat week availability that I monitor over the 9 weeks. Here goes: The numbers I give are based on the 9 weeks I track across the summer, including bank holidays and the summer school break. For those nine weeks, 15 boat classes are no longer available to book. So 9 x 15 = 135 (less the 5 boats they bought last year, makes it 130). I assumed some of those boats might have already been booked by this time last year, so thought it fair to say there would have been around 100 more boats across the 9 weeks to add back to the total. I'm not able to tell how many boats are left in each class, as the Hoseasons system doesn't show this. So I can only ever work on classes (as stated in the explainer above). That's OK, as I'm just comparing against the same critieria from the previous year. So I should have written "I think there has been a net reduction of 15 boat classes (adding up to probably 130 boat weeks across the dates I monitor)

I nearly always add a third line as a spring if staying for more than a couple of hours. Can't remember where I got the idea from, but it's been sufficient everywhere on the Broads, but Yarmouth.

Looking at my latest snapshot of boats still available to hire in 2022, it looks like demand will indeed be less this year. That's not surprising of course, now that booking channels for overseas are recovering. I think 2020 and 2021 will prove to have been golden years in terms of Broads visitor numbers, and that things will return to pre-pandemic booking levels over the next year or so. Here are the figures I have up until today, together with the description below of what dates I compare. Just to explain that these are my own rough and ready numbers. I take them twice monthly, and only across public holidays and the peak season. They are also based on boat classes, not individual numbers. So they are not scientific, and only offer a hint as to what's happening. But in the absence of official figures, perhaps they're better than nothing! There were 767 of these boats still available at this time last year, compared to 890 this year for the sampled weeks. it's complicated now because of the number of boats that Richardsons withdrew from service. I think there has been a net reduction of 15 boat classes (probably 130 boats) since last year. As they were mostly older, larger craft, it's reasonable to assume most would not have been booked out at this stage. So we need to add back in about around 100 boats to compare like for like. So as a percentage. that's 16% more boats still available to book than at this time last year - worse if you add the 100 boats back in. Interestingly, the summer holiday weeks are well down. That's the six weeks from the 23rd July. Last year, 433 boats were still available to book. This year, it's 618 remaining. That's 42% more boats than last year, still available to book. It looks as though the boatyards are going to have it a lot tougher this year.

I think it's on their Facebook page (for those with Facebook that is): https://www.facebook.com/BRIDGECRAFTDAYBOATS

I suppose much depends on your circumstances. I deferred my state pension for 18 months, on consideration that it would increase it's overall value. In talking to the Govt Pensions department, I was told it takes 17.5 years for the value of the new pension, to equal what you would have had in the bank by receiving the payments up front. That's the point, while you are accruing it, you're not putting money in the bank. I reasoned that whether I would survive those 17.5 years, was the gamble between me and the government. As such, I decided cash in the hand was better than "jam" in the future. So I applied for my state pension, but was dismayed to be told I could only "back-claim" up to 12 months. Effectively, I had lost six months of state pension payments. To make matters worse, the 12 months lump sum I received, came in the tax year 2020 to 2021. This coincided with the best business year I've had, due to most people holidaying at home as a result of the Covid Pandemic. That pushed me into the higher tax bracket, resulting in the whole of the lump sum being charged at 40%. I would have been much better off, had I applied for the state pension those 18 months previously, not least because the tax burden would have been in the 2019 to 2020 year, and the rate would have been halved. It's easy to get caught out with tax. Most of the time, you're trying to forecast what effect it has on future earnings. And that's so volatile now.

Purchasing a private pension is the only occasion I can think of, where it pays to "embellish" the state of your health. The more in decay you are, the better the monthly payout. The opposite to normal insurances.

Ferry Inn at Horning closed until Spring

Bet that Nadine Dorries had something to do with it!

Thanks for pointing it out. With a programme name like that, I was expected some far flung destination.

This noise? MOV_0025 (1).mp4

Of all the Broads pubs, this is the one I would miss the most if it didn't reopen. And as has been said, who's to say the ambiance, vibe or whatever the current term is, will be the same. We first visited in 1973, and always went back when on holiday. As a lone sailor now, I agree that I never felt like a sore thumb in the place, sat on my own. The waiting staff were always delightful too. I recall a short TV series from the 80s I think, following a guy who owned one of the gin palaces moored at Brooms. He was a bailiff of all things. They followed him around, (bit like the C4 programme Won't Pay, We'll Take it Away) and often he would end up in the Yare at the end of the day. It all looked a very lavish lifestyle back then.

I'm guessing it's this video. Lots of aerial views of Bolero. Sure it will interest the OP.

I just ran your B & W through Playback.fm, if it it helps.

I was surprised the numbers booking already hadn't slowed down more significantly. I expected many people would make their minds up later about the UK or abroad, depending on the regulations in force at the time. The second half of January will give a better reading of that, as the no test needed to return rules, will have been in operation for the whole two weeks, so I'll be able to compare those with last year. I can't say what balancing effect the possible return of overseas visitors might have. As a pool of potential holidaymakers, I would have thought many more UK residents would choose to go to the sun, than Europeans choosing a holiday on the Broads. But who knows?

I have my first set of numbers to compare last year to this year, in terms of how well the new season is booking. Just to explain that these are my own rough and ready numbers. I take them twice monthly, and only across public holidays and the peak season. They are also based on boat classes, not individual numbers. So they are not scientific, and only offer a hint as to what's happening. But in the absence of official figures, perhaps they're better than nothing! There were 1,046 of these boats still available at this time last year, compared to 1,028 this year for the sampled weeks. So on the face of it, a very similar booking pattern. But it's complicated now because of the number of boats that Richardsons withdrew from service. I think there has been a net reduction of 15 boat classes since last year. As they were mostly older, larger craft, it's reasonable to assume most would not have been booked out at this stage. So that adds back in about another 130 boats to compare like for like. So if the same number of boats were available to book this year as in 2021, bookings would be down around 10%. As it stands, because there are less boats available to book, it looks like this may be another year that sells out, though the rivers won't seem quite as busy as the last two years, because of the reduction in Richardson's fleet number. It's still too early to say what effect the reduction/removal of regulations for overseas travellers will have on domestic bookings. In fact, as a contradiction, the first half of January, has seen more bookings than last year, despite the pre-departure to the UK tests having been removed. Then again, who knows if another variant will throw everything into chaos once more anyway?

Yes, it's partly down to the business owners being able to update their Facebook pages themselves, rather than have to employ and therefore pay someone, to change their website around.

Brooms have gone all inclusive for 2022

It's the same on Goosander (also with hydraulic thrusters). I though it was my imagination at first, but you can feel the difference when you increase the throttle. It makes it a little trickier than needs be, but I'd much sooner have them than not. I'm sure having a boat with thrusters, extends the "cruising life" of the older skipper by some distance. Looking at my database, every boat which entered service from 2013 onwards (as far as Hoseasons are concerned), has incorporated bow thrusters - except Tranquilla, which was already built when Richardsons bought her. That 47 boat classes. It stands to reason that boats with thrusters will be damaged less by their hirers.

I'm saying nothing!