DAVIDH

I don't think anyone hires out over Christmas. At least I believe I read on here sometime that it was because nobody wanted to be on call over that period - especially Christmas Day. The nearest you can get to it on Hoseasons is mid December with Brooms.

I met Graham on my first trip alone about 3 years ago, following the death of my wife. He helped me moor up at Cockshoot Dyke. We got talking and I discovered he had lost his wife a year previously too. I think he said they were living in Spain when he lost her. He came back to the UK, and purchased Calypso, a past Herbert Woods boat I believe. I found him to be a harmless, rather lonely chap - a kindred spirit at that time.

What a treat, and how clever.

It is speculation, but that's half the fun not knowing the facts. The equivalent of chatting over a beer in the pub. Actually, I was referring to boating holidays on the Broads as a whole, not just Richardsons.

Forgot to add, energy price hikes, retail prices increasing, state benefits dropping, 1.6% National Insurance tax applied from next April. Early bookings booming?

I'm not so sure that 2022 will see a continuation of the last two "boom" years myself. Many bookings were rolled over from 2020 to 2021 for some reason (escapes me at the moment ). The same thing will not have happened for 2022, so I cannot see how booking figures to-date can be anything but less than last year, despite what you might read anecdotally. Add to that, many people will have tried a boating holiday in the absence of a trip abroad and found it less than attractive due to the mixed weather we had last summer, and the almost universal rush to find a mooring from Spring Bank through to October Half Term. My friends in the overseas travel segment, tell me they are experiencing a mini-boom following the relaxation of steps needed to travel. As I said before, a day two lateral flow test (at home), is much less of a disincentive to travel, than having to carry out a test abroad, where you run the risk of not being able to return home if proved positive. Similarly, those bookings the UK would normally expect to get from overseas visitors coming to the Broads are also impacted, because they have to take the lateral flow test on day two of their trip, and if positive, need to isolate for 10 days. I'm thinking that's a barrier to coming here, however rare this scenario might be. So less bookings from overseas. The price of a Broads holiday in comparison to a trip to the sun currently, is unattractive. Yes, it's expensive because of the investment in new boats, but casual visitors don't see that, they just see the headline price. This summer, they had very little choice but to pay it. Next summer will be different. My feeling is that the usual "regulars" are booking early as normal, perhaps supplemented by those who holidayed on the Broads this year and liked it. That is offset by the lack of rollover bookings, people from abroad, and the biggest group, those who want to be sure of a sun holiday next summer, so a boating holiday is a secondary choice. If I were in that group, I would hang fire and not book anything until after Christmas, when conditions would be much clearer, which in itself points to less advance bookings being made. Maybe all of this is the reason why Richardsons have decided to downsize the fleet. I hope I'm wrong about all this, because it will impact on my commissions haha. But looking at it reasonably, it does not bring you to the conclusion that all boats will be booked out from May to October, as they have been this year. More likely, it will settle down to pre-Covid booking levels, which as an example had 87 boats not booked for a week over the October half term in 2018, 167 in 2019, 0 for 2020 and 0 for 2021.

Richardsons have listed the boats for sale which have come out of their fleet following the close of the 2021 season. Not just the larger cruisers either. Trinidad, Southern Gem, Mermaid, Jamaica, Blue Horizon, Blue Gem. None are currently showing prices. Can't work out what they're strategy is. Replace older boats with newer ones? Only a handful of 2 berth cruisers added to the fleet, even after two good hiring years. Generally go upmarket? Plenty of the older fleet still available to hire. Perhaps these were boats earmarked for sale a year or so ago, but kept in the fleet while everything with a mattress was more or less guaranteed to hire out for the season. Downsizing now the overseas channels are starting to open up? Wondering if this is an exercise in raising money to invest elsewhere in their business portfolio. Certainly, the other big yards, Barnes, NBD, Herbert Woods and Horning Ferry Marina will be pleased to have a larger percentage share of their home market for 2022. https://www.richardsonsboatsales.net/?fbclid=IwAR1A_6tqCi2ykramJfdQ6T6BI9NV6kRDoAg7jwZNrwmnp7Kw6aLyYERUKFc

I think a large part of their "leisure" revenue comes from those people staying in their many holiday lodges. They really are a captive market, with so little else within walking distance.

Yes, both similar (if reversed) plans. FB 1 just looks more spacious in the saloon area, but might just be the drawings

Either Forth Bridge 1 or 2 would be good. I chose 1 because it accommodates six as opposed to seven people, and therefore might give a little more space.

The difference, and what I was trying to point out, is that all the boats you had price control over, were your own boats. Therefore, if you did price up or down a boat, it affected just you. For dynamic pricing to work, you need the permission of all those you're selling on behalf of. Some organisations are large, but others have just a few units. If Mrs A was selling well with her five units in a buoyant market, would she want the algorithm to ratchet the prices of her units up, beyond those of her main competition, also being sold on the Hoseasons site? Like for like, which would you choose? Dynamic pricing works for airlines like Ryanair, Easyjet, Jet2 etc because they own all the stock. If they raise the price on a particular day's flight, the consumer will either accept it or choose another day to get the price down. Either way, the money stays within the company. Algorithms incorporate historical data such as the pattern of when people normally book their flights from year to year. At what level price resistance is experienced, as well as the ratchet to respond to heavy levels of bookings generally and for odd dates such as public holidays (Easter, SpringBank, Christmas, or even (in normal years) the Benidorm Fiesta in November. It's all priced automatically. It's not a screen scraper Andy (you probably didn't think it was), it's a very sophisticated piece of programming. I just can't see it being paid for, one way or another, by the many and varied UK holiday home owners, and can't see Mrs A wanting to give carte blanche to some machine deciding what her pricing should be.

No Jean. It's dual steer. On the plan, the saloon helm is on the right hand side. (Can't vouch for the comfort of the bed though!). The reviews on Hoseasons look good, and I could only find one person mentioning the bed.

Hoseasons are not operating a true fluid pricing model. Firstly, the prices are set by the boatyards not Hoseasons. Secondly, and the reason why true fluid pricing would not work in it's present form with boating, is that it's has to be operated by an algorithm, which is preloaded with data on when to raise (or lower) prices. You often hear when an airline goes out of business, that fares on rival airlines shoot up (Thomas Cook Airlines for example). This is because as more seats are sold to replace those that were lost, the algorithm automatically ratchets up the prices, because that old rule of supply and demand is observed. I don't believe Hoseasons have any such algorithm in play. If it had, then the 4 or 5 craft which became available at 48 hours notice due to cancellation just before the Autumn Half Term break, would have been offered at lower prices than normal. They weren't and as such, they didn't sell. I would guess the investment needed to take pricing to the algorithmic level would be huge, and when all said and done, Hoseasons is just an agent. The boatyards (and the cottage owners) would be the ones asked to stump up the cash.

Have you looked at Bridgecraft Jean. I know you like to go for more modern cruisers, but they have a couple which might fit your budget for an out of season cruise. Humber Bridge is available for 4 nights (3 and 4 nights are the same price) from the 29th March at a price of £379 plus £120 fuel (you won't use that much in 4 nights) and £60 damage waiver. It has a "partial" walk around bed, and would be quite spacious for you. https://www.hoseasons.co.uk/boat-holidays/humber-bridge-bh1232?start=29-03-2022&adult=2&nights=4 or you could have Forth Bridge 1 for 4 nights from the 26th April at £445 plus £120 fuel and £60 damage waiver. This boat has a true walk around bed in the aft cabin, and being dual steer, would be warm in the saloon etc. https://www.hoseasons.co.uk/boat-holidays/BH1178?start=26-04-2022&nights=4

it would have been Andy, as the same number of hire boats were out. However, I don't see that being the same for 2022, as I feel the uncertain weather in October will definitely make people consider a holiday abroad again (subject to Covid not coming back to bite us). Lateral flow tests after you arrive home, are much less a dampener to business than not being sure you can board your return flight due to a failed test in resort. I think the pricing may take time to catch up with this trend tthough.

Apart from the above, Silverline produce one or two new boats per year. Perhaps Brooms too?

Just to update things for those people who said they would not visit The Norada when it was given a one star food hygiene rating. It was reassessed on the 6th October and is now classified at 3 stars - "Generally Satisfactory" https://ratings.food.gov.uk/authority-search/en-GB/norada/potter heigham/Relevance/0/231/^/0/1/10

I agree with that Cheesey. Can't see the boom continuing unless something blocks the mass exodus to the Continent. The weather this summer has been unremarkable at least, and the prices being charged make overseas travel atractive again. Of course, Richardsons "retiring" so many of their larger boats, will likely put a squeeze on high season availability.

Wouldn't like to meet it under the Yarmouth Bridges either.

Maybe going back to their villa in Spain now.

It's interesting how the steering position seems to have been moved depending on who's mould was used. We were on Silver Harmony a few years ago, and on that you were positioned forward of the sliding wheelhouse sides, under the canopy. I didn't like it as you were effectively seated in a greenhouse, with non-opening windows. On Goosander, the helm is set further back.

Is it the Yare in Brundall? They use those barrels cut away as seats since the "recent" refurbishment.

Is it the bar at Fawlty Towers. I can see Basil clearly standing at the bar.

I remember i was moored at Yarmouth Yacht Station one night, and was awoken by the slap of the boat swinging into the quayside every so often. It wasn't particularly windy, but the tide was ebbing out quite fast. I wondered if I should go outside to see if I could adjust the ropes somehow to stop it, but I suddenly remembered (in the haze of a disturbed sleep), that just repositioning the rudder/steering wheel can sometimes change the attitude of the boat. I wound it the opposite direction to what it was, and as if by magic, the swinging stopped and the boat laid comfortably away from the quayside. I can't tell you how smug I felt (well before I fell back to sleep that is).

14ft 6 inches x 6ft 9 inches