SPEEDTRIPLE

On most broads boats now, there`s a 4 ring hob with oven and grill. With the exception of small day boats that often only have a single or two burner cooker, What would you say is important cookware on a boat. On Lightning, we have the luxury of the former, and a reasonable supply of cookware. However, on our last trip in May / June this year, we left an egg poacher on board as Karen does`nt eat fried, and definitely NOT scrambled eggs. I also like to cook on board, and have considered getting another very large saucepan for cooking fresh pasta, but space might limit us. What important cookware items would you either have on board, or would like to have on a hire boat that is not already there?.

You beat me to it Iain.

Why not have one built by Broads boatbuilders, and bolt it on to your little chariot Iain?. You would`nt need to hire a boat then.

Absolutely so Peter. I believe it was lying in Goodchilds yard for some time after the original customer pulled out, so Goodchilds offered it cheap to the BA. They then commisioned some alterations, and now you have a boat which was then over budget, and not fit for purpose. Having said that, i wilfully stand to be corrected if that`s NOT the case.

Yeah, wrap it in pastry, bake in the oven, then tip hot custard over it. ..............................I`l get me coat.

I remember a few years back when i was on one of Maffett cruisers boats, John told me about the new boat (sob) the BA were having re-fitted for use on Breydon. He told them back then that it was totally unsuited for the purpose they had intended it for, and that`s rescuing boats and crews on the mud, or in shallow water. And let`s not forget, SOB was never innitially built for broads use, but was originally for another customer who subsequently did`nt have it. So the BA bought it, then spent a lot of money changing things, but still it`s not really suitable for its original requirements. That`s what happens when you have beaurotwatts running a navigation authority.

The other thing with a fuel website is it might tell you where to get the cheapest fuel from, but what about the logistics of it. What if you have a boat moored at Stalham, or somewhere equally as further afield, and the cheapest deisel is at goodchilds. How are you going to get it?, take the boat down there to fill up, or transport it in 5 gallon Jerry cans. Either way, it`ll cost more in the long run than simply buying it local.

All day breakfast in the tins, and London grill. Both rubbish food, but very yummy rubbish food. Tesco indian foods, Sainsburys chicken and chorizo paella ..................The list goes on.

My ideal boat would be an Aquafibre Lowliner 44 fitted for 4, with seperate en-suite toilet and shower rooms. It would have at least double the regular amount of wardrobes and drawers etc, as i always find hire boats lacking in this department. An island bed in each cabin, and a very large cockpit locker on the upper steering to store fenders and ropes etc, so they`re not cluttering up the decks etc. Oh yes, i nearly forgot, it would have the AQF LL GRP hull and coachroof, but varnished mahogony cabin sides too.

With all due respect Peter, i think this is an UNDERstatement. I can remember back in the early 70s reading mags such as Yachting World, Practical Boat Owner, and Yachting Monthly, where they all reported extremely favourably to all the Drascombe rage. One of the articles even said something like "if you want to put to sea in heavy weather, and know you`re going to get to your destination safe and sound, a Drascombe is the boat to have". Their seakeeping capabilities are legendary, and i can remember an article about a guy who bought a secondhand Drascombe Longboat. He was a couple of miles off the south coast somewhere, and the centreboard fell off. This was due to poor maintainance by the/a previous owner, but the Longboat still sailed remarkably well, if a little unusually, due to the centre board dangling down in the water being hung on by it`s CB chain.He managed to sail the boat to the shore without any peoblems, and even managed to recover the CB. Great little boats with stacks of charm and carachter.

Some really nice pics there Peter. It reminds me of my days sailing on the Medway. Sadly, Karen has refused point blank to even try sailing, even when i offered to book a half days skippered charter on one of Hunters fleet.

Absolutely no need to apollogise, i think you`ve hit the nail on the head, and i agree with you entirely. All the EU wants to do is to make laws that cost us dearly. As a biker, i can remember back in the beginning of the 70s, crash helmets were made compulsory. Before the legislation went through, an average crash helmet cost around £4-5.00 ish, then after legislation, £8-10.00. I wonder how much the yards will charge us to "professionally" antifoul even the smallest of boat. Let`s just wait and see how much their charges skyrocket, because there is no alternative?. And let`s NOT forget, it`s NOT the cost of the paint that`s the issue, it`s the application, and who`s going to rip us off when they apply it. An open door for greed and profiteering.

Back in the mid 80s, i built a Dutton Phaeton S3 kit car. Duttons built a range of kits using donor cars such as Triumph Herald and Spitfire, but then moved on to the more widespread Ford Escort mk1 + 2. They stopped producing the open roadsters, and utility looking models back in the 90s, but are now building Amphibious car kits, which were exibited at the Southampton Boatshow last year. They had a cut away exibit, and i have to admit, although they don`t look like they`re a modern professional production vehicle, they did look quite well engineered (any more knowledgeable people please feel free to put me right) and robust. Personally, i`m torn between one of these, or a hovercraft.

Hi Swan R, They have 5 units, 3 that sleep 2 in one bedroom, 1 that sleeps 4 in 2 bedrooms, and 1 that sleeps 6 in 3 bedrooms. All bedrooms are en-suite, and all bedrooms have a tv, so everyone can watch different programmes. They`ve also got 5 caravan pitches with all amenaties, including an on site toilet / shower, with 240v hook up. What i liked was the contrast between the North and South of the place. The rolling hills of the North or "The Wolds", and the sheer expanse of the flat South. One of the most memorable places was Metheringham Airfield visitor centre. It`s based in some of the old R.A.F buildings, one of which has a quarter scale model of a Lancaster hung from the ceiling. It also has a small scale model of a Lancaster for every member of the squadron killed in action hung from a ceiling platform. And they were all made by a chap well into his retirement years. That i found very moving indeed. After we went to the visitor centre, we went for a drive around part of the old perimiter track, and down one of the old runways. They`ve been incorperated into the local road network, but there was a gate that was a bit overgrown, and apparently, it leads to the old dipersal areas, but we did`nt get access to these, which was a shame, beacause it`s the unused overgrown areas which are often quite earie to be around, even spiritual, and moving. We enjoyed the fact Lincolnshire was NOT what you would call a very "touristy" place, so everywhere we went, there were`nt the regular kiss me quick hats and crowds. I`d recommend it to ANYONE wishing to do something, or go somewhere a little bit different.

Hi all, we just got back from a fabulous week in Lincolnshire. We stayed in a recently built small family owned place called "Greetham Retreat", which is about 2 miles to the east of "Horncastle". The place was realy smart, being about 5 years old, and the couple who own and run it "Rob and Jenanette", were really friendly and welcoming, and very helpful too. The round trip (there and back without incidental milage) was 480 miles, but all in, i drove a recorded 874 miles. I have to say a big thank you to my wife Karen, as even though we drove over to her Aunt in Nottingham on Wednesday, and did a couple of National Trust houses, the rest of the week was spent driving round old WW2 air bases, such as East Kirkby, Metheringham, Bardney, Woodhall Spa, and we also visited the BBMF visitors centre at Connongsby, but she never once complained. I wanted to book a visit to the Dambusters museum at Scampton, but deided to go to Skegmess and Louth on the final day (yesterday). For me, the hilight of the trip was to see the Lancaster Just Jane doing a taxi run at East Kirkby on the bank holiday Monday. Despite the appalling rain, we both ventured out to take plenty of pictures. We were both disappointed on the day, because they were raffling the 1.30 taxi run, and the ticket number was so close to ours, but no luck. I`l post up some pictures later when i`ve downloaded them. Lincolnshire is a county of two halves. If you stay in the south, it`s flatter than Broadland, with some very bleak out of the way places, but if you venture North, the hills and valleys are a pleasure to drive round. We enjoyed it so much, we`ve just booked a return at the beginning of May next year, and would recommend the area to anyone, especially if you like war time history, as Lincolnshire had at one time 49 air bases, mostly bomber command. Lincolnshire also has a surprising number of navigable rivers and drains, but we only saw a few boats, and all of them were moored up. What i also did`nt realise while there, untill i looked at an OS map of the region, was that Horncastle once had a working canal. All that is left is a diverted stream. Anyway, it`s good to go on holiday, but it`s good to be back home. Regards to all ............................... Neil.

Congratulations to you both, and wishing you many years of happy wedded life together. If you`re looking to hire and stay south next year, i can recommend Swallow from Maffett Cruisers. She`s the perfect romantic boat for a belated honeymoon.

What i get fed up with Iain is some peoples "holier than thou" attitude as if they`ve never done anything wrong, or have always known better, and are always trying to take the so called moral high ground. I bet every single person on this forum who is a regular broads boater has at sometime broken the speed limit, yet to listen to the way some of them harp on about others that do it, you`d think they`ve never gone over the limit. "Let he (or she) who is without sin cast the first stone" comes to mind.

Okay, so let me get this straight, just exactly WHEN did the bl..dy GESTAPO start to run the broads?. For gods sake, let`s STOP with this judge and jury attitude and get back to what this forum is all about, or supposed to be about. I`m fed up with reading the now endless posts of those who think everything should be done THEIR way, and persecute those that don`t share their view. It IS`NT a legal requirement in life to keep on publicly criticsing people who may think, behave, and live life differently to you.

Ah, yes, i remember you at the Coldham hall. Karen and i sat with you at the dinner table. I have some pics of you and Christina somewhere.

Hi Ian, welcome to the forum from me too. I`m sure i recognise your name (Ian010) from a while ago?. Are you sure you were`nt a member before?.

I have to admit John, i did`nt think of that

So, if the flood up the Bure starts about an hour and three quarters after LWS, does that mean the ebb from the Bure will also start around the same time after HWS?. If so, if you`re on a boat that can go under Gt Yarmouth bridges at HW, it might be worth crossing Breydon at the beginning of the ebb, then you will take the end of the flood up the Bure, or does`nt it work like that?. I hope i`ve described that correctly.

Why "to your eternal shame" Griff?. It`s no shame to lack knowledge, and is`nt that the basis for continually learning?. It`s what makes us human beings trying to better ouselves and our activities understanding, and behaviour.

Thanks for putting me right on that one John, obviously i was given wrong information. I was`nt sure myself, so that`s why i asked. I`ve heard and read of many incidences where pilots put the innocent public before themselves, some where they know they have no chance of surviving. I can`t put into words what comes to mind when i`ve come across such occurances, purely and simply because i don`t know how to, although the two words "SELFLESS HERO" come to mind. As for the the flame out, i should have used the word "possible" first, Apollogies for that.

I`ve just watched the 11.00 oclock news, and they now confirm 11 dead, and that figure is more than likely to rise. I was on faceache earlier, only to discover a friend of mine was at the airshow, but is safe and well. He said, and this was backed up by eye witness reports on the tv news, that a few seconds before the crash, the Hunters engine had a flame out, so lost all power. One of the questions posed by the tv reporter was why the pilot DID`NT eject, and questioned whether his ejector seat was faulty. However, and i will ask John to put me right on this, because the Hunter was withdrawn from militayr service many years ago, they become classified as "civil" aircraft and come under CAA regulations, and are not permitted to have ejector seats?. Is that correct John?.