DAVIDH

It's probably just that the inexperienced see the boat hook and without proper instruction, assume it's designed for the job of fending off other boats. The instruction that it's for hooking things towards you should be engraved on the handle - not that anyone would read it!

Prostate trouble? Very common when you get older. (Sorry)

Lovely Norfolk skies in your pictures Jay. I can't wait for my turn, having missed a week in May and in June. But wait I will have to as my next week is not until November. Wonder if it will be as warm then? So this new chapter. I wonder if the sale of your share will be the down payment on a boat of your own? (or have I missed something?)

I'm guessing you're referring to the timely capture of the full moon?

It's not a live pricing program. It's just a marketing nudge to get you to make your mind up. The prices on Hoseasons are the same as at the boatyard. That's one of their guarantees. In fact, with the clamour to book a UK holiday, it's surprised me that they (the boatyards) haven't tried to increase their prices. I believe they have stayed as they were in January.

Currently, Hoseasons and Richardsons are not offering holidays in November on their websites.

That look a hefty increase. I know the yards will have to increase prices in order to survive, but near on a 100% increase will mean the boat will stay on their moorings. Just out of interest, which boat and what dates? I've just checked a couple of boats one from Richardsons and one from Barnes for October, and both are the same price as in 2020. I think they have a book 2021 at 2020 prices on at the moment. Maybe double check the price?

I think there are two opposing desires here. The hirer wants something that looks sleek and flash, and to be able to hang out on the upper deck watching the world go by, but these are the very type of boat which will not allow passage under Wroxham and maybe Beccles bridges. Unless they've visited the Broads previously, they are more likely to plump for the smart looking "instragrammable" boat.

Glad you're OK MM. Yes, you don't realise how many people care about you until you need people to care about you!

Really interesting Alan, but I'm not sure it's kosher - the only cowboy I could see was just hanging around!

Sorry Peter, didn't notice the link to the booking page.

Sandersons use Waterways.com to market their boats now. Just had a quick look and they have no vacancies for one week in the School holidays until the 14th August on Sandfly, and nothing after that. Of course they could have short breaks available. Gosh, everywhere is sold out for the school holidays. Hoseasons, Ferry Boatyard, Herbert Woods. And there's not that much left for September either!

Could they just have been waiting to get on the Pilot quay?

Thank you once again Ian, for recognising a true legend of the Leeds team of the late 60s/70s. This is so sad to hear. I know he had been in poor health for some years with a form of dementia, but it's still a shock. He joins Billy Bremner, Norman Hunter and Trevor Cherry, and of course their old manager Don Revie. It seems the places in the team are being filled alarmingly fast by all these ex-players.

When I was outside Herbert Woods last year, i called by brother to tell him I was on their camera. I didn't appear to him for 20 minutes, so yes a delay on the camera.

Just talking generally about the £1,000 bring back bonus. How can it be referred to a bonus when currently 70/80% of staff wages are paid by the government. If the company brings them back, they have to pay the wages in full until January...but get paid £1,000 in exchange.

It's a combination of so many staff still on furlough, the avalanche of reservation enquiries following lockdown release, and re-bookings for those who had their holiday cancelled and given a credit note to use in the future. Have you thought of using their website reservation system? It's quick and easy.

I don't think overseas holidays have a VAT element to the customer. Certainly flights don't. It's been a gripe of the green lobby for years.

Clearly Vaughan, this was a very turbulent time in your life, and one which i guess you would not want to go back to. I can now quite understand your reaction to the images that were posted by Nigel. Please don't hold it against him. I'm sure had he been aware of the sensitivities, we would not have been as thoughtless with the post. Us non-boatyard owners (non-living in Norfolk people in fact), find the history of Broads yards fascinating, and thirst for more and more information, without registering that each boatyard closure is not just a business decision, it's often a personal tragedy in someone's life. Nigel's history of Ludham site, is really to just a means of satisfying that curiousity, but presented in an abstract way. In this case, egg shells were not just walked on, they were broken.

Well, as I'm a floating voter, I don't allegiances. The point I would like to make is that those who think of themselves as the political elite in this country, also have the mind that the rules are not made for the likes of them. Boris's dad, Dominic Cummings, Catherine Calderwood, the Scottish medical officer, Prof. Neil Ferguson, on the Sage Committee, and now Nigel Farage. Sure there will be more.

Farage's claim that he flew back the same day, and as such, was able to do the 14 day quarantine is just tosh. Because of the time difference between the UK and that part of the USA, all flights back arrive early the next morning, the 21st. And that's quite apart from the fact he would have had to change flights at one of the gateway airports within New York, Chicago, Washington etc. This means his 14 day quarantine would not end until today. The police say they are going to investigate. Let's hope they do, because this man is clearly trying to take us for fools.

A full refund according to Hoseasons! Book with confidence You will be able to choose any one of the following three options if your accommodation is not being provided for any reason, or if you cancel your booking because UK government public health measures mean you are not allowed to travel: ✓ Full refund We will refund you the full amount you have paid for your booking.

My guess is they will hire out anything they've got. They will need to to rescue their businesses. A good way to tell will be to see how many boats are left on the moorings at Herbert Woods and Barnes, at the start of the school holidays, using the webcams. Barnes have only 5 boats not due out this Saturday, at the time of writing.

Looks like the Broads will be a sell out for the school holidays. Not much left. My unscientific logs of availability show 134 boats still available to book for 7 nights as of the 1st July (mostly from the 22nd August), compared to 572 boats still available this time last year. Just houseboats available in the first three weeks of August now. There are still 3 night weekends throughout, which implies many people have booked Mon to Fri or Tue to Sat.

I would guess the later start time is to account for deeper cleaning between hires, (Silverline normally allow takeover from 2pm) and with the loss of so much business this year, I wouldn't think the thought of rotating hire-craft was even an option. Much of the bookings, perhaps up to half, will have been transferred from earlier in the season, which is why it's become difficult to find space before October.