DAVIDH

Excellent feelgood film

Here here!

For what it's worth, I was on Rapture the last year it was with Swancraft. I used my laptop often onboard. It didn't damage it in any way.

And sold out for July and most of August.

Agree with all of that Fred. Our first choice too. We had Symphony twice and Harmony once. Really well turned out boats.

lovely photos Ian

I guess there were many more boatyard moorings to be had back then. I think you're right that more people stay north than used to be the case. I don't think short breaks existed back in the 60s and 70s, so more would travel north to south and vice versa. The situation today all adds up to pressure on moorings in the north. New holidaymakers to the Broads are fed the idyllic images of having a meal or a drink outside a picturesque watering hole. Why wouldn't they go looking for one? If the Broads Authority and the boatyards really had an eye on a long-term resurgence of Broads hire boating, they would be doing all they could to arrange pontoon moorings in some of the oversubscribed areas, planning and landowner permissions notwithstanding of course.

I really think the moorings situation is going to damage the desirability of a Broads holiday to returnees. It was just about excusable in the summer school holidays, to have pressure on moorings, but since this situation is now the norm from June through to late September (possibly into October too) then I expect a great proportion of first timers will make their minds up to go elsewhere in future. There's no fun in cruising mile after mile trying to find somewhere to moor up, if you're expecting that riverside meal and drink. In fact, you only need to read some of the Facebook forums to learn how stressed these first-timers are about finding somewhere for the night. What to do about it is another thing. As Andy has said, in the past, more people would double moor outside pubs. But in today's climate where people value their personal space (for all sorts of reasons) that won't be attractive. I guess the market will just find it's own natural level, gauged by how easy it is to find a mooring in the shoulder months. I think it will be a missed opportunity to grow the market again, following these two staycation years.

Interesting that Richardsons managed to find two used boats of the same design and apparently the same interior from private hands. The claim that they are new for 2021 could be a little misleading too.

Just been having a PM conversation with Mr Blue Sky about it. Yes it still shows on Hoseasons but the availability calendar has disappeared on Richardsons. I can't imagine they have withdrawn it permanently as they will have had lots of bookings now, so perhaps it will come back up tomorrow or Monday. Strange indeed!

The Haines 32 still has odd dates in July and August, and is wide open for September. The Viking 31 is pretty sold out in July, has one week in August and a few in September. (I've only checked full weeks)

Please give a thought for the hundreds of thousands of people in the travel industry - not just outbound, inbound too. I have no problem with a stated ambition to have most people spend their money in this country, but those affected by this need supporting properly. Yes I know many are still furloughed, but you can't be on furlough if you're forever processing changes and refunds. The below is taken from an agent's Facebook page.

Well the Broads won't get any busier than they are now - it's already sold out until late September (apart from the odd cancellation or 3 night weekend break)

Interesting that boatyards are snapping up craft that can be put into service relatively quickly. Clearly this year will be oversubscribed, but I think 2022 will also be busy. Things are no where near getting back to normal regarding overseas holidays, and the latest twist with Portugal will put most people off booking a holiday abroad this year, unless the situation stabilizes. I can't see that happening until next summer. By then, people will want to see destinations open up and stay open before committing themselves to a summer holiday on the Costas.

It's just the way Richardsons have started to price their boats. Last time I checked, the price is the same as on Hoseasons with all the bits added.

Sephora now has new internal images. Looks good. https://www.hoseasons.co.uk/boat-holidays/sephora-bh2676

Yes, I hadn't noticed the dimensions, just the images and assumed they were some variation on the Broadsman theme. The speed at which boats over the summer are booking, I think it very inadvisable for Hoseasons to display an image that probably has no resemblance to the actual boat. They probably are placeholder images as you said but by the time they are updated with the real thing, many bookings could have been made.

Two "curious" additions to Hoseasons database this morning - both Richardsons boats - links below. They are both basically "Broadsman" type boats, but one is for four people, the other for two people. I say curious because the biggest demand for boats across the summer, is for 6+ berth family boats. They were put on the Hoseasons system overnight, and as yet don't appear on Richardson's own site. I guess the names won't stick either. They look to have been made up by one or other of the parties. Currently, there are no deck plans. Perhaps they don't exist as yet? Richardsons Viking 31 https://www.hoseasons.co.uk/boat-holidays/richardsons-viking-31-bh2700 Richardsons Haynes 32 https://www.hoseasons.co.uk/boat-holidays/richardsons-haynes-32-bh2699

That's bad luck CC. Still, the sooner it's operated on, the sooner it will start to heal.

Correct!

Saturday 22nd May. I had booked a pump out and refuel at Boulters for 8.30am (they ask you to book), so having got breakfast out of the way, I stepped ashore to untie. The wind had dropped completely, and though it was cloudy, it represented a huge improvement on yesterday. I was soon off, making my way first to Boulters, and then back out onto the river and down the Ferry Marina dyke. Looking at how tightly packed some of the boats are, I was glad I had decided not to travel down yesterday in the wind. So now the only trial, was to reverse Goosander into her mooring. This I accomplished without much bother, and was soon hooking her up to the electricity. By 11am, I was ready to leave Goosander in other's hands until the 3rd July, when I'm due back onboard again. As such, it didn't seem the wrench it usually does to have to lock the doors for the final time. My last meal on the Broads is always at The Yare in Brundall, so I made my way there, arriving around 11.30am. It was a little early for lunch, so I decided to have a stroll around to the Broom moorings to pass a little time. It looked like the whole fleet was in, and they really were gleaming in the sun. By 1pm, I was on my way home at the end of this stormy week on the Broads. A curiousity I'd seen near Acle A quiz to finish. Where does this path lead from and to?

Friday 21st May The wind had gusted through the night, but had not kept me awake. The ammended rope arrangement worked well. Upon rising this morning, I could feel Goosander being sprung in and out against the moorings. Winds of up to 50mph were forecast from the start, so I had decided to make a one hop journey back to my moorings in Horning. As such, there was no rush to leave. As I was sat having breakfast, I watched a number of Herbert Woods craft have some difficulty turning their boats to get under the footbridge into the yard. I set off for Lathams again, just to get a newspaper, and to see how conditions were out there. It certainly was squally. On my return to Goosander, I got talking with a guy on a yacht moored next to me. He had decided it was too dangerous to be out on the river, and was staying put. Sadly, I didn't have that luxury, as I needed to get the boat back for the next owner. So I cast off the fore and aft lines, keeping the centre rope tied until last. On undoing that, I stepped onboard, and within a few seconds, Goosander had been blown out mid-river. I proceeded slowly past the lines of chalet, and could feel the wind blowing broadside on the boat. All was well, though I was a little nervous passing some oncoming traffic, as 4mph doesn't give you much steerage in this narrow part of the river. Relieved, I headed out onto the reeded banks, and eventually onto the Bure. I had planned to take Goosander down the Ferry Marina dyke to her moorings to spend the last night there, and then visit the Ferry Inn for a meal. But I didn't fancy the slow speed trip down in this weather, so instead, I thought it a good idea to moor outside the pub for the night, then return home the next morning, when the wind was due to die down. So on arrival at the Ferry Inn, I was pleased to see I had the whole bank to choose a mooring from. I moored as close as I could get to the Ferry boatyard, which was staging circus acts, trying to get returning boats back in. All tucked up for the night, I sat back and relaxed. Not many boats moored up outside the Inn. I think most had either stayed put for the night, or had returned to home boatyards. Around 7pm, I walked around to the Ferry. The mooring fee was £20, and apparently, I should have gone to their outdoor reception desk to pay on arrival. So when I sat at the table, the waiter told me whatever I ordered would be deducted from the fee paid. No it won't I explained, and promised I would be spending more than the £20 anyway. He was satisfied and I seemed to pay as I went along. I had fish and chips, with the request that the skin be removed from both sides (how we have it in Yorkshire). That was no problem - here's the credit card machine. A pint of lager was ordered separately, tap the credit card machine. I then ordered.....cheesecake for dessert....here's the credit card machine. The meal was very enjoyable and came past the £20 watermark, so all were happy. Then it was back onboard, to do some preparations for tomorrow's departure. Not many photos from this day, as I was concentrating on not hitting other boats!

Hmmmm?

I have a simple low-tech method of reminding myself. This laminated sign hooked over the throttle lever, or ignition key, works for me.

Thursday 20th May The weather forecast was for 20+ mph winds today, gusting up to 50 mph tomorrow. That was going to make a difference to my plans. So I departed the moorings at Thurne, and slowly made my way towards Potter Heigham. I had intended to stay for lunch at Potter, then return back down the Thurne and moor for the night at Ludham Bridge (as you can tell, a favourite of mine). However, as I could see Potter bridge coming into view, I decided that if I could find a good riverside mooring, I would stay for the rest of the day. There was just one space left, right next to the electricity post, so turned Goosander and drifted slowly in. Believe me, this mooring was tight, just six inches to spare each end. I went ashore and had to pull the boat as far forward as possible to clear the ladder on the moorings at the stern. That meant Goosander was minimally "kissing" the boat in front, which was unoccupied. I stayed onboard, and sure enough the occupants returned from Lathams, and prepared to leave. I pulled Goosander back those few inches to make it comfortable to get out, and the helmsman used his bow thrusters to swing his boat out. I was then able to pull Goosander a little further forward, and settled for the night. I considered it was worth the struggle to get in. Next was a visit to Bridgestones. How can you not? It was very busy inside, and I had to wait on the street for about 10 mins for a table. The staff were really pleasant and the whole experience was a delight.....as was the Chocolate Tiffin cake. After that, I had a walk around Lathams, and then returned to the boat for the rest of the afternoon. The wind was buffeting boat, and one of the lines ashore was creaking very loudly. That will keep me awake at night if it's allowed to continue, I thought. So the next half hour or so was occupied by trying every combination of lines I could think of to stop it. Nothing did. In the end I found a thin piece of nylon(?) line and used that to secure the affected mooring. It wasn't very strong, so I left the "noisy" rope in place as a fail-safe, but as the boat was no longer pulling against it, the noise stopped. By 7pm, I was ready for an evening meal, so I went ashore to visit Norada, (formally known as The Broadshaven Tavern) The rain was lashing down again, but there were quite a few people inside. Thankfully, they've taken down the black sheeting that used to line the roof, so it looked much lighter in there. I had liver and bacon, with mashed potato, which was really nice and warming on a night like this. I stayed for around 2 hours, then made my way back to Goosander. The lines were holding up well, so I retired inside for the night. That was tight! Bridgestones, full as usual Wow! The old and the new Norada Bridgestones One for Grendel