DAVIDH

Saturday 19th August. At home mooring in Horning We ate alfresco at the New Inn (2 of us on this occasion)

Saturday 16th September. I was up at 7 am. The sun was shining and it should be against the law to hand a boat over when the weather is this good and expected to get to 21/22c. With all the cleaning and packing, it was soon 8.30 am and I had an appointment with Boulters to refuel and empty the unmentionables. So with the tops rolled back, I took Goosander out of her mooring for the last time until April next year, really savouring the short trip out onto the Bure, and then almost immediately turning back down the next dyke. Thirty minutes later, the deed was done and Goosander had been deposited back in her pen for the next owner to take out. I'd ended up using £82.50 of diesel at £1.45 per litre (I think), so not bad for the distances involved and that I'd been fighting the tide for most of the holiday. This was actually my second holiday on Goosander within a month. I'd actually been on her for a week commencing 19th August... so just a two-week gap between finishing and starting again due to my drawing these particular two weeks at the annual general meeting. I find it takes quite a time to write these tales up and to illustrate them, so I decided I would relate just the September one on this occasion. But I do think I have some really good photos of the August trip, so below are some of them with some brief notes. The weather was warm and fine all the holiday.

Friday 15th September I was up early as I'd intended to get over Breydon before high water, which was around 11 am. After a quick breakfast, I cast off AGAINST the flooding tide around 7.30 am and made my way under the rail bridge. Goosander needs a little less than 7ft as I've said, so I was hoping this would be one of those days where the max rise would leave more than that. I have to say, that was looking unlikely as I continued down the Yare. I could see the high water marks were already pretty high on the passing banks. Eventually, Berney Arms moorings came into view, and with it, the height gauge for the Yarmouth bridges. Oh dear! There was already less than 5ft 9 inches of headroom under the bridges. It was not going to be one of those days. There was nothing for it but to moor up and call the Yacht Station for advice. That advice was to call again at midday to get an idea of when to cross. While waiting, I remembered the Troll Bridge height website and kept an eye on that until I called again at noon. By that time, the website was showing 6ft 6 inches. It was ebbing fast! The instruction from Yarmouth Yacht Station was to set off now. So I did and for once, for about an hour, I was enjoying cruising with the tide. Of course, for every plus there's a minus and that was hitting the ebbing current once I rounded the yellow post at the Bure mouth. Oh well, that didn't last long. Being delayed at Berney for close to 3 hours, I decided I would need to cruise without a stop to get back to Horning at a reasonable time to start getting Goosander ready for the next occupants. And so after a very long day's cruising, I arrived at Horning around 5.30 pm and stayed onboard for the night in order to use up some of the perishables I still had left over. The various cleaning duties were assigned....to me, and I eventually turned the TV off and retired for the night at 10.30 pm, knowing I'd need to be up at 7 in the morning, as I had to vacate the boat one hour earlier than normal due to tomorrow being Goosander's AGM, starting at 10.30 am. A little more tomorrow. How Reedham looked prior to casting off. I was told by the Yacht Station staff that leaving earlier would also be futile as Breydon was well misted over. A few passing shots of the river on the way to Horning

Thursday 14th September Well, by this evening I had to end up back at Reedham as I needed to cross over to the north on Friday morning to be sure of being back at the mooring to hand the boat over on Saturday. Opening the curtains, I could see the sun had got its hat on again and the forecast was for another warm day. I had decided to go directly to Reedham so I could spend the afternoon and evening there. After breakfast, I slid the tops back and prepared to cast off. The tide was still flooding (of course it was) so I was heading out against the current....again. It was quite slow however so at a steady 4.5mph I'm sure the engine wasn't burNing diesel unduly. On arrival at Reedham, I moored at almost the same spot I'd stayed the previous day. The same ranger came over to help me with the ropes. I'm sure he was mentally working out whether I had returned to the mooring within 24 hours and if that should preclude me, but he kept that to himself. He is a great advert for the position. Friendly, welcoming and very knowledgeable. It turned out that he does the six-month stint on the quay and in the winter, he's employed elsewhere for the BA. I've always thought that the last 2 hours of the ebb or flood were the fastest running. Apparently not. He told me the rule of thirds dictates that it's the middle hours that the tide runs the fastest. I had the whole afternoon to occupy myself in Reedham, so first I walked up the hill to the street that has the shop and doctor's surgery. Then back down and out to the riverside walk that leads to The Ferry Inn. It really was quite warm by now and after saying good day to the sheep I passed en route, I decided a lager, sat outside the pub watching the ferry cross to and fro was called for. It was a lovely day for a walk. I eventually got back to Goosander around 4 pm, opening the wheelhouse sides to let the heat out, before relaxing with a book on the settee and letting myself be distracted at any passing (or mooring) boat. I'd booked a table at The Ship Inn. Again, it started to turn cooler in the evening so a table inside by the window was most welcome. The pub was busy with diners both inside and in the gardens. I stayed until around 8pm, then made my way back to the boat to catch up with the next part of My Mum your Dad. Forgot this one from yesterday Reedham quay On the walk back from The Ferry Inn Reedham Just to remind myself how warm it was at night

Wednesday 13th September The alarm went off and as I peered through the curtains, I was delighted to see the storm clouds had left the scene and the sun was fighting the remaining clouds for space in the skies above Oulton Broad. After breakfast, I walked up the hill to the food mini-market to buy a paper and another loaf of bread. The heat had done for the farmhouse loaf I'd brought with me. It was a pleasant morning so I went for the walk around the area I'd been denied by the rain yesterday. The large white cruiser that's been moored at the Yacht Station for some years had been moved to a mooring near to the paassenger pleasure boat jetty I noticed yesterday evening. It had clearly broke from it's moorings in the high winds overnight and relocated itself as can be seen in the photo below. I'm aiming for The Surlingham Ferry this evening, with a stop at Reedham Quay for lunch. I set off across the Broad, again against the current, and took care not to overrev the engine. I had the time and I've seen what it can cost in terms of diesel usage when trying to keep up a 5 to 6 mile an hour speed. I wanted to avoid a big refueling bill when I got back. Apart from what turned out to be an isolated shower around Somerleyton, it had indeed dried out. The wheelhouse was back again, though the extreme heat of the first three days was gone. The forecast for the following few day was still 21 to 24c however. Eventually, I spied Reedham quayside through the railway bridge. Despite seeing very little river traffic en route, the quayside only had a couple of free spaces. I ended up quite close to the furthest electric post, with the quay ranger joining me to tie up the boat. The river had overtopped apparently and there was a large puddle to avoid when coming ashore. If you've read any of my previous tales, you'll know Reedham is a favourite stop off of mine. I had booked a table and a mooring at The Surlingham Ferry so I was in no rush to depart. I stayed until around 2.45pm, having had lunch onboard while watching the comings and goings. The current had slowed but was still ebbing, so I eased up to a steady 5mph and made my way to Surlingham. I'd booked a stern-on mooring but on arrival I could see a space alongside to the left of the Inn so I snaffled that instead, before walking around to relocate the reserved mooring board set aside for Goosander. My table was booked for 6.30 pm so I still had 1.5 hours to relax. Some outside tables were occupied, but the evening was a little cooler, so a reservation inside had been a good idea. The food is always hearty at the Ferry and was such that I couldn't face a dessert. I went back to Goosander and watched TV for the rest of the evening. I'd got into the nightly broadcast of Your Mum, My Dad. I'm not usually into this type of programme. Love Island is a no-go TV series for me, but this was more about people closer (?) to my age group, which made it compulsive viewing. The pub closed its doors and turned the lights out at 11pm, but there was still a bunch of "revellers" sitting at a table near the doors making themselves heard. I wondered how long it would go on for, but thankfully, they must have gotten tired of holding empty glasses and all left by about 11.30pm. I don't think they were from a boat! Wouldn't turn my nose up to one of these Oulton Broad properties The boat that went walkabout Oulton Broad Yacht Station....quite busy in the far pontoon. Still 3 Sandersons boat sitting on the private moorings at Reedham The Surlingham Ferry...and the sun was out.

Hey well soon Ian.

Tuesday 12th September I wanted to end up at Oulton Broad this evening, via a lunchtime stop at St Olaves. The tide was on the rise and though Goosander only needed 7ft of headroom, that had already vanished at 7 am. I had planned to depart around 10 am anyway so I had a leisurely breakfast and sat and waited on another warm, though cloudy day. 10 am came and went, though high water about 9ish. The Yacht Station guys advised I should be OK to go around 10.30 and by that time, 7ft of headroom was showing. So I got the benefit of a few hundred yards of cruising with the flow before turning at the yellow post and my speed slowing to around 4mph. I increased revs to take it above 5mph and was satisfied with a trundle across Breydon while the tide was doing its best to push me back to the Yacht Station. In truth, the current wasn't that fast so I wasn't overly burning fuel. The authority moorings came into view at St Olaves, with not another boat in sight. I had the pick of the moorings. I chose the top end as I think you get a good view of the river and bridge from there. I always think St Olaves is a step back in time to how it must have been across the Broads in the 50s. Not many facilities (no shops), rudimentary riverfrontage, and the wildness of the river just around the bend towards Burgh Castle. I saw the odd boat pass by....mostly Broom boats, but nobody came into moor. Was it something I'd said? Sure I'd put clean socks on that morning? I noticed on the approach that the crane jib which has marked the start of the village for years, is no longer piercing the sky. I found that rather disappointing. The forecast was for rain sooner or later, and it started to pepper Goosander's roof, on and off from about 11.30, so the wheelhouse was opened then closed a couple of times before I set off once more for Oulton Broad. By the time I emerged onto the Broad, the rain was relentless. I slowly crossed the Broad, hoping for a lull in which to tie up at the Yacht Station, but it didn't happen. I decided to moor alongside on the outer pontoon. I've never done that before, always making my way inside the tin of sardines in the past. As I tide up, I noticed the electric hook-up, and when you're soaking wet and miserable, sustained heat throughout the boat does seem very attractive. So I plugged in and went back onboard to add to the condensation forming on the windows. Eventually, that lull did occur and I wandered over to the Yacht Station office to pay my dues. He wasn't happy with just my cheery hello and wanted money! It cost me £22.....how much? Think I'll be back amongst the sardines next time. As I came out stripped of my cash, the rain started again so I got back onboard and decided to get my money's worth of heating. It continued to rain for the rest of the day. My evening meal at The Wherry was at a table for two with my large golfing umbrella sat opposite me. The place was quite sparsely occupied which probably explained why the carvery wasn't that enjoyable this time. The food was just a little dried out sitting on the serving deck waiting forlornly for some action. The rain had turned to drizzle by the time I headed back to the boat and by 11 pm, it had stopped.....to be replaced by strong winds, which I wasn't expecting as I hadn't seen the evening forecast. I was alerted to it by a certain amount of bow slap, something that has disturbed my sleep in the past. I was alongside, on the outside of the jetty so there was nothing I could do to stop it. Soon the bow slap was being drowned out by the noise of Goosander periodically banging onto the jetty. Oh great! I went outside to adjust the spring line I'd put on earlier and hoped for the best. The bow slap continued, though the banging was now less common. I retired for the night expecting the worst, but it appears I fell soundly asleep instead. Not many photos today...it was too wet! The Fisherman's Inn at Burgh Castle. One day I must stop! St Olaves before the rain set in Out of sequence, but crossing Breydon Oulton Broad in the rain

No, I find what's happening to the hire market very interesting.

Monday 11th September Sometimes the tides seem to just fit perfectly. Other times they are just mismatched for my schedule. So it was this week where every journey seemed to coincide with an contra running tide. I wanted to be at Yarmouth Yacht Station around 10.30 am, so as to be sure of getting a space in this busy week. Slack water was at 3.40pm so I left Acle at 8.15am with the tide flooding in and headed for Yarmouth. I eventually arrived around 10.45, after having called the Yacht Station staff to ask for assistance with mooring as a sole sailor. The tide was ebbing by now, and a 180-degree turn was required to come alongside. All secured, the rest of the day was a walk into Yarmouth town, via the chip stalls and a McFlurry and coffee at big M's. A bit of a tradition for me. Yarmouth was quite busy, no doubt the sun had encouraged many day trippers. Everyone seemed happy to be beside the sea. I was back at the Yacht Station by 4pm, to give time to rest my aching feet before eating out this evening. The Yacht Station quayside was now awash with boats. I'd reserved a table inside at The Kings Arms on Northgate Street, but the weather was glorious and the gardens looked appealing so I decided to eat al fresco. The landlord was telling me he'd won awards in the past but the planning and execution all got too stressful, so now he does it for his pleasure, not the judges. Suitably stuffed, I returned to Goosander, opening the wheelhouse and doors on entry to let the heat out. There's something special about having the tops back at night and just sitting and gazing at the stars from the comfort of your stateroom. The Yach Station before and after my walk into town The Kings Arms Gardens These were interesting. Both the same craft - The grey one is Amore, the black one a private craft. Just shows the standard of boat you can hire nowadays if you're prepared to pay the money. The hirer told me this Amore was the original one and was brand new, not purchased from a private owner. Also Richardsons now have two more Amore's

This was the first time I'd been on a boat in September too Jean, and the first time in 50 years of cruising that I've copped for such high temperatures. It was delightful.

Sunday 10th September It had been a warm humid night and I was glad I'd brought the fan with me. The plan today was to head down the Bure to Acle for a night stop, with a short detour up to Ludham Bridge for lunch. Aware of the armada now sweeping across the Broads, I was going to time my arrival at my various stops to avoid finding a lack of mooring space. So I didn't need to set off from base until around 10.00 to arrive at Ludham Bridge around 11.15/11.30. That time came and having cast Goosander adrift, I slowly made my way out of the marina and onto the Bure highway. I slotted into a battalion of boats heading south, allowing some of them to overtake me as I cruised along at no more than 4mph. It was a beautiful day, so the top was open from the start. Soon enough I was passing under Ludham Bridge, with very little resistance from oncoming craft, and looking out for a space to tie up. There was ample space just past the bridge on the left bank, a few meters from the mast/demast moorings. So once alongside and made fast, I settled into just watching the world go by. I was disappointed that neither of the video camera operatives was there to record my arrival as I nonchalantly stepped ashore, belying the fact that I had been turning the wheel frantically to avoid the bow hitting the bank seconds earlier. You really do see the world go by in this bottleneck location. There was a little bit of nudging from time to time, but everyone seemed to be respectful, waiting to get through. Soon it was my turn. I worked out that a good time to arrive at Acle (I wanted to be on the authority moorings) would be between 2.30 and 3pm. Hopefully, some diners would have departed and those stopping for the night would still be to arrive. A 180-degree turn was called for, so looking as best I could under the bridge for oncoming traffic, I went for it, turned around, and departed Ludham Bridge for another few months. I was with the tide on the Bure, so I cooled my speed to between 4 and 5mph, even in the faster zone so as to not arrive too soon. Even so, I still found the moorings coming into view around 2.30 pm. Thankfully, there was still a couple of spots to choose from so I turned into the stream and came alongside in the largest of the two spaces. Ropes secured and tops well and truly open, I just enjoyed the spectacle of the passing craft until it was time to trundle over to the Bridge Inn for my evening meal. I had reserved a table for one the previous day (New Inn take note). I was seated in the bar area close to where Phil, the owner(?) stands to greet customers. I was thankful I had booked as I watched Phil decline space for a steady stream of visitors who wanted to eat. The food, as always, was good. My only gripe about the Bridge Inn is that the menu is nearly always the same from year to year and they don't seem to have specials in the summer. I thought about it, considering maybe I should stop at The Ferry Inn at Stokesby instead on some future cruise should the online menu still be showing the old favourites. I was back at the boat by 8.30 pm just relaxing, staring out of the open wheelhouse at the night sky. What a lovely day it had been. Ludham Bridge. Watched as this classic yacht design came in to lower it's sails. Acle Broads Authority moorings. It looked like a storm was developing. Thankfully, it bypassed Acle. Photo number 3,255 of The Bridge Inn at Acle.

No Monica, I'm not a fisherman. Don't think I'd have the patience to sit there staring at a float for hours on end. I think many people just prefer to holiday when the schools have gone back thinking it will be quieter. They got a shock this year!

Richardsons do seem to keep the insides of their boats in good condition. It's the scuffs and black rubber marks on the hull I noticed on the Silverline boats I passed. Having hired through Silverline on a number of occasions, I can vouch that they wouldn't be there on a takeover from Brundall. But they were a small yard and unable to compete with the larger concerns economically in terms of advertising and promotion. So perhaps they reasoned (as did Summercraft and Brister before them) that to get business, their boats had to stand out on the river. And of course, they had lots of repeat business because of their high standards.

I've been home a week now so thought I should start writing my tale. I was solo aboard Goosander, a syndicate boat that I own a share of. The weather forecast for the week was generally good, with noteworthy highs of around 28/29c from Saturday to Monday inclusive. And so it turned out to be though Tuesday turned out to be an outlier as you will read later. Saturday 9th September The middle two weeks of September turned out to be busier than August, with virtually all hire boats taken. As such, I decided I would head south for most of the trip. I'd arrived in Horning around 2 pm from Leeds, including a shopping expedition at Morrisons in Norwich en route. The journey was very hot and humid and I didn't fancy the thought of loading the boat and then getting behind the wheel for another two-hour journey down to Acle, so I stayed put on the moorings for Saturday night. I have an electricity connection and considered I would be able to use a desktop fan I'd brought with me through the night if it got too hot. I wasn't able to book a table at the New Inn, my original first choice as they won't accept reservations for tables for one on a Saturday. Fair enough. So at 6.30 pm, I meandered around (on foot) to The Ferry Inn. The sun was dropping so it wasn't as hot, but still pleasant enough to grab a table outside. As you can see from the image below, many others were enjoying the evening air, and lots of boats were double-moored. The food was good. I stayed for a couple of drinks then made my way back to Goosander, opening the wheelhouse and doors to let the oven-baked inside cool down. The tops stayed back until around 10 p.m. Wroxham from the Bridge The Ferry Inn Horning terrace.

Just goes to show, what a resource the guys at Yarmouth Yacht Station are. Worth paying the £16 overnight charge just to keep them there with their wealth of knowledge.

And don't forget Bewilderwood..a 20 minute walk or a short taxi ride away, not to mention the sheer pleasure of sitting by the bridge watching the world go by with a glass in hand.

Without discounting what you say Cal, don't forget that you already own your holiday accommodation.

Yes, I agree with this Vaughan. I think I highlighted it earlier on another thread. More needs to be done to "find" moorings for the newcomers if they aren't going to be disenchanted and slope off never to return.

When Herbert Woods put out their 40% discount offer earlier in August, there was still enough of an audience who hadn't already booked to mop up their remaining unsold fleet. From memory, I think they had 16 or 17 cruisers unsold on each of the weeks. Some people do leave it late to book and are influenced by the weather...unless the offer is too good to turn down.

The Broads hasn't lost it's appeal. There are just too many competing drains for people's money at the moment. 1. Mortgage fixed rates have risen, or will rise for up to two million households over the next 12 months 2. The cost of living has soared, food, fuel, insurance etc, etc. 3. The hire companies raised prices to a captive market over the Covid years and have not reduced them back down. 4. The fuel subsidies paid by the government last year have been discontinued for the coming winter 5. People do not feel well off and are cautious with their spending 6. I think a good proportion of bookings were actually people's second and/or third holidays, which are being cut back due to the reasons above. The poor weather has had an effect this year. Many people do leave it late to book, especially in the summer school holiday weeks. They ordinarily never sell out until a few weeks before. The Covid years were an exception. I read in the travel trade press how holidaymakers have turned their backs on the UK and booked a holiday abroad to escape the poor weather. I think next year will be tough unless prices come down and people start to feel less cash-strapped. And as Vaughan says, memories of a wet week on the Broads do nothing to your desire to return, unless you are already a perennial visitor.

I'm currently on the river. Ludham Bridge for lunch and now at Acle. The north is so busy at the moment. The hot sun, for probably the last time this year, has brought everyone out. It's the first time I've had to leave one of the wheelhouse sides closed so I can draw the curtain and keep the sun off. Thinking those sedan and dual steer hireboat crews must be roasting in their enclosed spaces.

You're describing dynamic pricing. An algorithm is loaded with historic information detailing booking levels from previous years so that an estimate of when to discount or increase prices can be acted upon with no human input required. It's why you see prices rise whenever an airline ceases trading (for example), and all of a sudden, throngs of people query other airlines to replace their lost flights. The algorithm just sees increased demand and ramps up the prices. In fairness, it does seem to have been accepted as a legitimate way to do business, and the airlines make a good profit. It's a very technical piece of kit and probably costs a fortune to add to your business. It would likely be too expensive for our small-scale (by comparison) boatyards to employ.... unless they all contributed under some umbrella organisation like perhaps, Hoseasons or somesuch? I can't see it happening here. as many boatyards don't want to pay commission to a booking agent if they can avoid it, and as a result there's no collaboration, no seeing the bigger picture, and therefore vulnerability at times of a downturn in business. It's been said before that they're not just fighting each other for an ever-decreasing discretional spend, they are competing with tour operators, airlines, hotels, washing machine makers, TV manufacturers etc etc. My two-penneth, but I accept I am biased.

Isn't it just the norm that Broads boatyards do not discount (generally)? Coming from a wider travel background, it's always puzzled me that they act in the opposite manner from the package holiday industry. Is it that they saw what discounting could do in other businesses, driving prices downwards, that makes them shy away from it? Have to agree though, it makes no sense to see all that cash generating equipment tied up to the quayside. Having said that, though this coming week has lots of availability (despite the impending good weather), the following two weeks are really well booked.

Wouldn't stake my life on it... I did think it wasn't clear. One or two looked as though the fee was £1. Others as though it had been painted over

Went past last week and noticed all the mooring signs had the fees painted out. Wonder if the lack of fees has made the enterprise uneconomical.