SPEEDTRIPLE

Quite so Peter, and it`s also worth remembering a 2 berth boat will only sleep 2, a 6, 8, or 10 berth will still only sleep 2 if required. The big problem is cost.

Doing their bit to increase local employment opportunities on that basis Matt.

I don`t know whether this is relevent, but a few weeks back, i saw 4 of Sandersons boats up for sale, and when we went through Reedham a couple of weeks back, those 4 boats were kept well away from the remaining hire fleet. I do in all honesty think Richardsons are missing a trick in not investing in a southern yard though, as this will be of benefit for those that want to hire south side. I know we`ve had the descussion before, but if the southern rivers are so unpopular, why is there the daily armada of boats passing through Gt Yarmouth and Breydon?. We`ve stayed south several times now, and thouroughly enjoyed a more relaxed time without losing the best part of 2 days going north and back. The other thing is if Clive was to re-open a southern yard, it would give Richardsons existing customers who find Breydon a bit daunting another option, without having to do something they`re worried about. I can think of several yards that would be suitable for running a hirefleet, all they need is someone who is willing to put in the investment, and we all know how much Clive and his team are prepared to invest in the Broads. I just think the southern rivers need a bit of a boost, and also proper promotion, which i also believe is NOT being done properly by the BA, all they seem to want to do is promote the Broads as a National park (wrongly in my mind too).

Wow, a great write-up, and a great video and pics too. I wish we had the weather you had, but we got wind and rain. Not so much rain, but LOTS of wind. Gala Girl looks like a nice boat, and well kept too, and it was nice to see you kept it clean and tidy.

I totally agree with you there Ian. We moored there on two successive years, and asked if we could use their 240v hook-up for a fee. They charged us £2.50 only, and left the toilets unlocked for us so we did`nt have to use the boat one. Exceptional yard with great boats and a real pleasure to know. It will be sad to see yet another southern fleet going. I hope the smaller family yards on the southern rivers can take on some of the boats, as although they might be giving up, some of the boats will still be available for hire.

Hi Monica, that`s a great pic. I just had a thought, seeing as this is the Broads forum, is there any way the "Swallowtail" can be used in the NBN logo. A native inhabitant of the broads being on the NBN broads forum logo just has to be a good thing, what do others think, is it possible, or feasable?.

That would be about right Alan, as when i looked back at the gauge (as if you were going UPriver, the gauge was reading 7ft only, so a 3" difference was what we noticed.

And you should know, because that`s all women come out with, absolut fiction :party: :party:

Thursday morning, and we wake up to blue skies, and a gentle breeze. As i said before, i`m the first one up, and get showered and dressed, and put the kettle on. I plan to get away early as i`m hoping to get down through Gt Yarmouth, and take the end of the flood all the way to Reedham. Everybody else is taking their time, so i took a quick stroll over to the shop to buy another loaf, and explain to the shop keeper that we came round yesterday, but he was shut. At first he said he WAS open, but i told him, not when we came round. He asked what time, which i said 5.15pm, and he said "no, i was long gone by then". I asked about the the card in the window saying his opening hours are advertised as 7.00 til 7.00, and was a bit surprised when he said he was very rarely open that late. hmmm, strange?. Back on board, and i do the engine checks, which are all fine, then Derek says the aft toilet does`nt pump any water to flush, so they`ve been flushing it all week with the shower head :shock: . I went back to check, and do what we would all do, and tried it myslef. Foot on lever to open, press button to flush, all was well, with water swilling around the bowl. Then it came tome, Karen showed them how to flush the loo, but they did`nt know what she meant when she said "hold the lever down". Crisis over, and i`m anctious to get undeerway, as time is creeping on. I don`t want to be too late and end up pushing the tide across Breydon, so i start the engine and tell the folks we`ll have to have breakfast on the move. We finally get away just after 9, and we`re doing 6mph all the way down the Bure, except past moorings. We make good progress, but just after we pas Three nile carr, i notice the wind has picked up again, and by the time we start through the twisty lower Bure, through the posts, our speed over land has dropped. What`s happened is we`re now pushing wind and tide for the last three miles, and progress is slow. I`m keeping a check as to whether the tide is still on the flood, and it is, and still quite quickly, so nearly an hour later, we`re passing the Yacht station, with the bridge height gauge reading 7ft 3ins. Plenty of clearance, but i still opened the sliding roof to see how much of a gap there is. As we pas under the road bridge, at 7,2, i notice approx 8-9 inches of clearance, though the pulpit rail mounted post, with a small rubber ball on top only has about 4 inches above it. Well worth noting little bits like that, as now, we will be able to gauge bridge clearance much better. HOWEVER, next, we come to the old iron bridge, with blocks etc on underneath it. We go under, but with less than an inch of clearance to the rubber ball on the post. As we go further under, this gap gets even smaller, and at the southern side of the bridge, you could count the gap in milimetres on the fingers of one hand. Still about 5 inches above the cabin, but beware fellow forumites, the iron bridge is lower than the road bridge. We`re safely out, and now turning into Breydon water. I`ve been on the helm for arond 3 hours, and now i need the loo, so i hand over the helm to Karen, We do take the last of the flood across Breydon, and with the wind coming from our port beam, i tell Karen to keep a close eye on her position in the channell. With memories of Alphacrafts Hurricane stranded for weeks on the bank, i did`nt want a slight lack of concentration leaving us high and dry. We`re quickly across Breydon, being followed part of the way by "Spirit of Breydon", and turn up past the Berney Arms pub. How different things look now. Although we`ve never stopped there, there was often quite a few boats moored, with people in the pub. Now however, all the moorings were empty, except for Maffett cruisers rescue boat "Titan".. Our run up to Reedham was surprisingly quick, and we`re soon picking our mooring at the quay, but with no ranger to assist. We get moored safely, and imediately get filled up with water, so other people can have a shower. We also connect up to one of the leccy posts, which again still has credit on it, so that hair driers etc can be used. We have lunch, and decide to have a look in the quayside shop, and have an icecream. and then back on the boat. With lunch, showers, and everything done, Karen suggests we get away a bit earlier, as Loddon might be busy with boats, so we get started and get underway again, and head for Loddon for the night. By now, the tide has turned, but seeing as it`s the start of the ebb, it`s not that strong, so our progress is`nt hampered too much. We pass our first nights mooring at Reedham Ferry, and promise ourselves we`ll moor there again another time. The ferry is stationary, so we pass imediately, and press on, with the mouth of the Chet soon coming into view. With the mouth of the Chet being so narrow, it`s always adviseable to enter while heading into the tide, to avoid being sweaped into the bank. Once in, we have a very peaceful cruise up to Loddon. Passing Pies Mill moorings, there`s a few private boats, a couple looking quite scruffy, so we hope there`s still space at the staithe, and passing the yards, we reach the basin, and get a mooring quite easily. It`s amazing how so few boats can take up so many moorings. We pick up a mooring next to an old classic Aston, and get chatting to the owner. The first thing on the agenda was to find a post to hook up on, but this time, there were`nt any with credit left on them, so we used one of the £1.00 cards we bought last year. Never mind, we`ve been lucky till now. We go over to the shop to get something which i can`t remember, and Karen suggests we buy a lottery ticket while there, but later, we find it did`nt win. Coming out of the shop, we call in to see Caroline, and tell her we`ll be in for breakfast about 9ish, then have a stroll up into the village. So little evr changes in Loddon, which is why i love it so much. If i did`nt come back here for another 20 years, i reckon it would look the same as it is today, fabulous. Back on board, and Karen and Pat start our last eat on board dinner, as we`re eating in the Yare tomorrow night, and our meal is made up of whatever we have left. Various odds and ends of cold meats, cheese, and salad. After dinner, i get everything washed up, and venture out in the sunshine, where i notice another syndicate boat "Southern Crusader", which is the sister ship to Ranworth Breeze. I wandered over and had a chat with the owner, who very kindly complemented me on the way i brought Lightning in, which i was very greatful for. After our chat, it was back on board for a cuppa, and another relaxing sunsoaked sit in the upper helm seat with Chris Crowther. One of the other boat owners walked by, with a smile on his face, and i said "it does`nt get any better than this does it, sat in the sun in lovely surroundings, with a book and some sunshine, and a mug of tea. He laughed a little and agreed. About 8,30, it started to chill off, and i closed the book, and went below. Karen suggested we watch another DVD. A couple of hours later, with the film finished, it`s time for bed. It`s been a lovely day today, just a shame the beginning of the week was`nt as good as the end. I wonder what weather the morning will bring :naughty: . We`re all tired and yawning, so it`s off to bed ............... Goodnight all.

On Lightnings helm panel, the plaque states 6ft 9ins, this will become relevent in the next days instalment.

When was that Ian, how long ago?.

Seriously though, the whole of the upper Thurne network is a stunning area, with spectacular views across hundreds of acres of wildlife habitat. We love it above PH bridge, but have only been able to get up there twice in the last 18 years, though we did hire an electric dayboat one year,.....it rained too. The subject of PH bridge is always a contentious one, some believe it should be left to further sink into the riverbed, thus restricting even small boats, and those (like me) who think the bridge should be re-built on a more solid foundation, with an airdraft of 7ft 6ins ahw, and a slightly wider apperture. That way, you will still be restricting a large number of boats, but those that were ORIGINALLY designed to pass under it will once again be able to do so. As well as west Somerton, Hickling and Horsey, there`s also Waxham new cut, though probably only navigable by boats under 30ft long and 9ft wide, and also Catfield dyke, leading to Catfield staithe. Above PH bridge is possibly the best area to really be "away from it all", with very little traffic noise etc which you can sometimes get in the more popular areas. The only problem is that damned bridge.

Hi Wonderwall, You could say the Upper Thurne network is a real Oasis ......................Ok ok, i`l get me coat :oops: .

I`ve done it too, but i do understand and respect Daves point of view. I`d much rather see public money being spent on this, even if it IS a private property, rather than see public money spent on beaurocrats and celebrities jollies in the name of charity two guns

Yeah, but i come from North West Kent, just outside the outskirts of Greater London . I have lived down here in sunny Dorset (East Dorset actually, as we`re 4 miles from Ringwood in Hampshire) for 9 years, but been working down here for 12. The first year i was living in a hotel for 4 nights a week, and home at weekends. Then Karen asked if i wanted to stay at hewr place after that. 2years later, we sold both flats and bought our bungalow, then 2 years after that, we got married.

Hy Monica, I simply folded the other half (and i don`t mean Karen either) down and left it like it all week. With the wind blowing so strong, i thought if the screen is`nt supported correctly, it might ALL break. And it looked better too, and we did`nt have to worry about folding it down for bridges.

If you do an "ale trail" one, i think Howard (Norfolk Nog) would happily take part in it?, :naughty:

Wednesday morning, and we wake up to a nice sunny morning, with the wind now dropping, but still a bit breezy in the open river. Our plan for today was agreed last night, and it`s a short run up to Potter Heigham, then back down river to more neare to Gt Yarmouth for crossing Breydon tomorrow. As usual, i`m the first one up, and showered, then sit down and read another chapter of Chris Crowther. In the meantime, Karen, and her mum and dad are in the process ogf getting up, and are soon all up and about, and getting ready for breakfast. With breakfast done and dusted, and everything tidied away, i do the daily engine checks, and realise that Lightnings engine has`nt used a drop of oil or water. With that done, i say i`m going to the village store to buy an MCN, and then everybody wants to come along. We stop off in the gift shop, and buy a couple of things to bring home. Up in the village, and I`m pleased to see the store does infact sell MCN, so i have my regular weekly fix, especially this week with the run up to the TT. Back on board, and we get ready to get underway. I walk up to the water how, which is already in use. The skipper of the boat filling up said he`d been filling up for about 5 mins, so i waited, then waited, and waited,...... obviously, the water hose at Womack staithe is the slowest on the Broads, so after 10 minutes, i decided to wait till we got to Potter Heigham. We get underway, and it`s a nice gentle cruise down Womack dyke and out into the main river. We`re not in any hurry, so we keep the revs down, but are soon in Potter Heigham. There`s plenty of room at the moorings before the bridge pilots office, and i`m lucky to pick up one adjant to a leccy post, which also still has about 40p on it, so Karen and Pat can use there hair tongs again. We have a walk up to Lathams for a look round, and Pat comes out with several balls of wool, as she`s used all she brought with her. Back on the boat for lunch, and while the ladies are doing their hair, i fill up with water. With hair done, lunch things tidied away, and a full tank of water, we get underway, and have a slow cruise back down the Thurne and Bure, when Karen tells me the toilet tank gauge is on orange, so will soon need pumping out, so seeing as we`re aproaching Acle Bridge, i deided to have both toilets pumped out at Horizon craft. We pull in to their water and pumpout bay, and Derek and Pat take the opportunity to walk over the bridge to the riverside gift shop, and come back with yet another goodie. For anyone wanting a pumpout, Horizoncraft run a friendly, efficient, and reasonably priced service. With pumpout done, and water tank filled (again) we set off for a short run down tothe Stracey Arms so that we only have a 2 hour or so run down to Gt Yarmouth, with the hope of timing it just right to take the last of the flood up to Reedham for lunch. We pottered down on not much more than tickover revs, as we did`nt have far to go, and had plenty of daylight left, as it was barely 5.00pm. A few minutes later, and we`re approaching Stokesby, and again, the place is NOT full, so i suggested mooring here for the night, as the s Stracey arms might be a bit noisey with all the traffic, which is agreed with everyone, so we moored for the second night this week. By now, the wind had dropped, and the sun was out, so i saggested we have an ice cream. Derek and i walked over to the village store behind the pub, but it was closed. I checked out the opening times, and it said 7.00am - 7.00pm, but it was only 5.15pm, so no ice creams tonight. I did`nt bother taking any more pictures, because i took some here on Sunday night, so instead, i sat on the upper helm seat in the sun, reading some more Chris Crowther. I`m getting on with this book very well now, and am around halfway through, and we`ve only had the book 2 days. Not at all bad for someone who up untill last year, had only ever read 3 books before, the first one being Nigel Mansells aoutobiography, the second being "Swallows and Amazons Forever (weoll, it`s about the kids on the Broads), and the other was yet another book about Nigell Mansell. Now i`m into this reading experience, i`m looking out for Guy Martins book, and also, Valentino Rossi. I trhink it`s obvious where my sporting passion lies?. Anyway, a little later, and dinner is served. Chicken and bacon slice, with frozen mixed veg, forget all your cordon blue stuff. After dinner, i did my usual washing up, and out came that local author again, which is better than rubbish soap operas. I wonder how Karen and her mum would be on a boat with no tv, just like boats in the 60s and 70s, when they were expensive optional extras. When the soaps had finished, we decided to watch a DVD , and watched Pretty woman. A good film i must admit, but then i`m probably not the only one that likes a happy ending. The film finished around 11.00pm, and we`re all tired, so it`s time for bed again. Good night all.

It`s just come to my attention that over the last god knows how long, i HAVE`NT bid a welcome to new members :oops: . I have to admit to going to certain threads i`ve been following as soon as i log on, and totally forget to look to see if there are any new members at all. This is a shameful situation, and one i must put right, so from me, A BIG WELCOME TO ALL NEW MEMBERS OVER THE LAST GOD KNOWS HOW LONG WHO I HAVE`NT WELCOMED BEFORE. Sorry about that. Regards and best wishes to all ........................ Neil.

We do get Swallowtail butterflies down here on the South and south-east coast, however, the ones we get are the slghtly bigger European migrant veriety. I hope they don`t grow in population, as the last thing i would want to hear is that they`ve taken over from the Norfolk variety.. The same has happened to our native Red Squirrels, and Crayfish..

We always use the tap water for washing, preparing veg, or boiling the kettle for tea. If we`re going to drink the water on its own, we ALWAYS use the filtered water, and have done this for years, and we`ve NEVER had any ill effects. It`s worth remembering, if you`re clinical about everything, you will not build up an immunity system to cope with bacteria etc, so don`t be too keen to be to clean. Anyway, it`s been proven many times that BOTTLED water can sometimes be no cleaner or safer than most tap water.

Tuesday morning, and we wake up to howling winds and the odd spit of rain. This is the first time we woken up at Neatishead, and i have to say, despite the wind through the trees, we had quite a peaceful night. There`s definitely something to be said for finding well sheltered moorings during adverse weather conditions. We`re all up and about by 8.30 ish, and breakfast is underway. Karen asks where we`re heading for this morning, so i suggest a quick trip to Sutton, where we can moor and take advantage of the 240v hook-up so Karen and Pat can use their 240v hairdryers, Straighteners, and curling tongs. It`s much simpler after you`ve had a shower and, being "folically challenged" a quick dry with a towel. After breakfast, we find out we`re running short of something, but i can`t remember what it was, so it was a third walk up to the shops. Why is it when women ask you to go to the shop, there`s always something they`ve forgotten?. Karen and i have now come to accept that when she asks me to get something from the shop, there`s not a chance i go back again immediately afterwards. It`s a bit like when we come away on holiday. When we get a mile down the road, all of a sudden, she calls out "oh, we`ve forgotten this, or that". Now, she knows as soon as we`re in the car and off our drive, it stays forgotten. I got back from the shop, and start to fill the water tank, and do the engine checks at the same time. Quickly, we get everything tidied away, and it`s time to cast off. We loved it at Neatishead, and will definitely be overnighting there again, hopefully later this year, if we venture to the North rivers in November. We`re underway, and having a slow chug down Limekiln dyke, and out into Barton broad. We soon realise how sheltered the staithe was, when we come past a small cruiser splashing its way up the channell heading for the staithe. Comeing down from Neatishead, i`m at the upper helm position, purely for the better visibility, but as soon as we`re in Barton broad, the strong cold wind proves the inside steering position will be much more comfortable. As we`re crossing Barton, i notice how choppy it is, although not rough by any stetch of the imagination, but the roughest i`ve ever seen it. Very soo, we`re at the head of the Broad, and we take the Right hand channell and continue up the Ant. Again, we`re sheltered, and stay so untill we take the turn to Sutton and Stalham. As we proceed up to Suttonagain the wind and little rain makes its precence felt again, though fairly quickly, we arrive at Sutton staithe, where we find lots of available mooring space, one directly adjacent to one of the elctric posts, which quite by chance had nearly £2.00 of credit left in. so we quickly get tied up, and unravel the hook-up lead. It was decided we`d go for a stroll and find out if the pottery was still going. While en-route, we discover the village shop had gone, but this time we have all we need, so it does`nt matter. I went into the garden centre to find out if the pottery was still going, but some said yes, some said no, and some said i don`t klnow, because the sign had been taken down. Luckily for us, it WAS still open. It`s not nice telling your aging in-laws about something only to find out it`s no longer in existance, only to have them suffering when we get back because of aging bones and joints etc. At least the walk was worth it, and while en-route, we could see the mill no longer has its cap and sails anymore. Back to the boat, and Karen and Pat do their hair, then it`s time for lunch, before we head back down the Ant for our next destination. With lunch out of the way, and the elctrics disconnected, we get underway and head out to the main channell. I`m up on the upper helm again till we get out to the main channell, and soon come back down inside, as the rain and wind start up again. I had to lower the seat, and tie the cover onto it, and soon realise we`re being quickly blown into the bank and quickly get down to the lower inside helm postion, which is where i stay for most of the rest of the day. Our destination for the evening is Womack staithe, but if the staithe was full, there are plenty of options close by, so we settle down for a peaceful cruise across Barton broad and down the Ant. By now the wind had really picked up, and Barton was worse than before, and Lightning is being blown around quite a bit. At least we`ll be in the shade soon as we cruise through Irstead, which like yesterday could`nt be enjoyed at its best due to the lack of sun. A little while later, and we`re passing How Hill, and coming out of the protection of the trees, which meant more concentration to hold a steady course. Soon we`re approaching Ludham bridge, and i slid the hatch back to see if anything was close behind incase i have to take emergency action. There was`nt anything there, and i also notice something else was`nt there. The upper helm seat was in the upright position, and with no cover to be found. Yes, mother nature had seen the untimely removal of the cover, which as it turns out is only a couple of weeks old due to it being a replacement for the original, which quite by chance got blown away too. Who said Lightning does`nt strike twice?. Soon we`re at the bottom of the Ant, and heading out into the Bure. The rain had long since disappeared, but the wind was still blowing. We have a steady cruise down the Bure, and up the Thurne passing the white mill. I would`nt fancy being moored there overnight, especially in this wind, as it does look very exposed. As we round the long bend, it`s clear we`re going with the wind, and the Thurne has some fairly sustantial rollers on it, for a river this narrow anyway, but it makes me more cautious when we head up to, and turn into Womack Dyke. Again, this is a narrow and twisty dyke, but not for long before we reach the shelter of the trees. By now, i`m back up top again, and notice the moorings round the back of the island are empty, which would be our option if the staithe is full. As we come into the main broad, we see there are plenty of moorings available, and get moored up really quickly, which is easy being as sheltered as we are. Having arrived after 5, all the shops on the staithe are closed, so we have a walk into the village. The mini market is still open, but something has changed about it. I realise it`s NOT selling gifts anymore, and as we don`t need any provisions, we decide to head back to the boat, but then decide to have a look at the menu in the Kings Arms. We decide we`ll eat out tonight, so go in and find out what time they`re open, and are told there was no need to book, just arrive, and they will get us a table. Back on board, and we have a cuppa and get changed ready for the pub. The food and the service were both excellent like before, so after a nice evening, it`s back to the boat. We settle in for the evening with the tele, and i carry on reading Chris Crowther. It`s been a busy day, and eventful too with a fair bit of concentration on steering Lightning on a straight course in these conditions, and by 10 ish, we`re all tired, and overfed, so it was time for bed. Goodnight all.

Personally i don`t think you can beat the good old Vesta curries. Mostly wet cardboard ingredients, but very tasty. I`ve lost count the number of boating holidays i`ve had with Vesta curries being eaten on more than a couple of days. After that, a generous supply of tinned stuff, like all day breakfast, London grill, Ravioli etc etc. All rubbish, but tasty rubbish. JUST DON`T TELL ME THEY`RE FRENCH, even if i DO drive a Peugeot 407.

Some years back, we were cruising down the Bure, then headed up the Ant. It was done under some absolutely stunning cloud structures, some of the best i`ve ever seen. I did take some photo`s of them, but they did`nt exactly come out as good as they looked in real life. It always makes me wonder why some people think the only time to enjoy a holiday is when the sun is out all day everyday. We had a real mixed bag last week, but the Broads looked as spectacular as ever, but just in a different way. There are millions of ways to enjoy mother nature, and it`s NOT just the sunshine.

And the food is pretty good too. Last week was the second time we`ve eaten in the Yare, and we all enjoyed a good meal.