SPEEDTRIPLE

Been busy last night and tonight, so next instalment tomorrow.

Monday morning, and we wake up to dry weather and broken clouds, but the wind has got up overnight. We`re all up and about by 08.30ish, so we have a leisurely breakfast and make sure everything is tidied away, and engine checks are done. We`re underway about 10.30 ish, and head for Acle Bridge to fill up with water. We arrive at Horizon craft and Karen and Pat decide to walk over to the little riverside shop to have a look for possible gift for people, and come back with some biscuits for our neighnours for putting out and returning our rubbish and garden waste bins. The weather is still quite bright, but the wind is starting to slowly build in strength, so getting away from the water and pumpout berth is really easy, just let the wind blow us away from the quay. We`re underway again, and our destination is a short run up the Bure and Thurne to Thurne dyke, and pretty soon we`re there. We always go in to Thurne dyke when up North, mainly to see Liz at Ramblers gift shop, and it`s here we buy another one of the "Chris Crowther" books which then becomes my evening read througout the rest of the week. In fact, with the other four we have, i used to take every opportunity to read even if it was just a page or two, they`re that addictive. Well, they are about the Broads?. After a chat and more gifts bought, we`re back on Lightning for lunch, and then we decide to move on. I was`nt sure whether to head all the way up the Bure, hoping to get through Wroxham bridge, and up to Coltishall lock, but with the winds continually gaining strenght, i suggested we divert up the Ant, where after How hill, we`ll be mostly sheltered except when crossing Barton broad. It turns out this was a good plan later. We pass Ludham bridge, but there`s no sign of Jason to say hello while passing. Obviously tucked up inside out of the wind. Not long after, we reach How hill, where the trees start to line the river, and soon after passing, we at last get some shelter. Further up, we reach Irstead shoals, which is one of the prettiest stretches of the Broads, but with the clouds now covering the sky, we can`t show Derek and Pat the place at its best. Once through Irstead, we reach Barton Broad, and we decide to try Neatshead staithe, but check out Gayes staithe on the way incase Neatishead is full, which is usually what happens when we arrive. We see Gayes staithe is empty, , so take the turn up to Neatishead, and pass another boat who tells us there`s room at the staithe. I`d forgotten just how narrow Lime Kiln Dyke is, and the only point where we meet another boat head on is at the bery tight and restricted left hand bend. After careful manouvering, we manage to pass without bumping, and we`re soon at the staithe, and guess what IT`S EMPTY, well, except for one boat right at the head, so we turn away and reverse in, and more near the entrance. My reasoning being that this place will soon fill up, and if we`re near the head, we may have difficulty in getting out in the morning. A quick fill up with water, and we`re in for the night. I take the opportunity take some more pictures of Lightning, and am surprised this place is so empty. Yet another first, this time mooring overnight here. It`s now late afternoon, and Karen and Pat are getting dinner ready, but notice we`re running short of a couple of essentials (wine and milk), so Derek and i take a stroll down to the shop, which is actually further than i thought. Imagine my delight when we got back to the boat and are told "we forgot to ask you to get butter", so off i trot again. This time there were two ladies serving, and we got talking, about aircraft of all things. Back to Lightning, and dinner was nearly ready. After dinner i did the customary washing up, and sat down and started to read Chris Crowther. It`s much better than Emmerdale and Coronation st any day. At least you have to use some imagination. 10pm quickly comes, and everybody decides to go to bed. Is it because they`re tired, or is it because i`ve got ITV4 on, and watching Moto GP. Disappointed to see Valentino Rossi on getting 3rd, but pleased to Britains Danny Kent get another 2nd, and extending his already massive Moto 3 championship lead. By now, it`s 11pm, i`m very tired, and the wind is really starting to howl, probaly to gale force. It does`nt matter, we`re well sheltered and tied up tight, so we`ll sleep safe in our beds. Good night all.

I think there`s a few comments here which just go to prove some of my concerns. First somebody mentions about people being "thick", , so if someone doing a handover is`nt very good at describing something, so the hirer has`nt absorbed it, so, not wanting to sound "thick", they shy away from saying "can you go through that again, i could`nt quite understand what you mean".. second, on all boats i`ve hired, on EVERY handover (ok, so after several years, i`ve gained a lot of knowledge) i`ve NEVER EVER been shown a picture or diagram of a bridge height gauge, or indeed, how to read them. Does that not explain something?. Perhapps if the hire yards were to go back to having all boats in their fleets specifically designed to negotiate ALL broads bridges, we WOULD`NT be having this conversation. It worked well up till the end of the 70s. so why not bring them back.

Maybe so, but to some, hadling a boat and taking everything in at once is pretty daunting, so should we say they should`nt be allowed to hire a boat?.

The numbers 270, 162, 423, 522, 2322, 12006, and 41111 are all divisable by 9. In fact any number with numerals adding up to 9 is divisable by 9.

One thing that people don`t seem to pick up on is the point i obviously did`nt put across properly. The amount of first time hirers we talked to had no idea about tides and bridges. That comes down to the fact they have obviously NOT either been given, or have failed for whatever reason to understand any information regarding bridge heights, be it verbal or written. Several of us on this forum have probablly read posts in the past regarding handovers and trial runs, and some people have reported either a stupidly short handover, and sometimes WITHOUT a trial run. It`s been posted in black and white on THIS forum before, so my comments above are more than valid. We all know the yards stipulate their handovers are very thorough, but the fact has been proven, that sometimes, they are`nt as thorough as they prophess. How many first time hirers are even aware that there are low bridges, or bridges where acess is restricted due to tidal differences, and i mean customers asking the hirefleets, not the fleets giving information. i bet you can count the number on the fingers of one hand?. It would be good to hear from Andy (Freedom) or Clive (Richardsons) of how many first time hirers actually ask about bridges when they first enquire and book a boat, i wonder what the answer will be?. I`d like to point out, that last sentance is in NO way meant as a criticism to Andy or Clive, just an honest question.

He`s due to fit it later this month Matt, also Brooms aint exactly cheap, so if a syndicate member can do it voluntarily, we`re all happy. Sunday morning, and we wake up early, well i did`nt really sleep that well, but finally got off in the early ours, only to wake up and dose several times. The weather outside looked a bit grey, then a little while later, we`re laying in bed, and listening to the rain on the cabin top. There`s something very comforting being in a boat safely tied up, and listening to the pitter patter of raindrops on the roof, but this time we know we will soon have to get up. We`re up around 8, and all showered and having breakfast.. Our plan is to stop at Reedham for an hour to look in the gift shop, but while we`re approaching, we decide to carry on and head for Gt Yarmouth, where i`m hoping to take the early part of the ebb across Breydon, then moor at the Yacht station and get most of the shopping in Asda`s. I`d prefer to shop locally, but i`m outvoted, so Asda`s it was. The trip down the Yare was uneventful with intermitent rain, which eventually died away, and i notice, there are`nt many boats around, the broads seem very quiet this morning, but that makes it even more enjoyable. We reach Breydon, and do indeed take the early ebb tide, and are soon at the Yacht station, All moored up, and chatting to the quay rangers, and then it`s off to Asda. After a boring shop, it`s back onboard for lunch, then we cast off and start a long and tedious cruise against the tide up the Bure. We did`nt leave Yarmouth till about 2.30ish, so the slog up the Bure was going to be a long one, and sure enough, it took several hours before we reach The Stracey Ams. We keep on, but my original plan was to head for Thurne dyke, but it`s well past 5, and Karen`s asking when are we going to moor so they can start dinner. I suggest we head for Acle Bridge, but then see Stokesby and am amazed at this time of day, there`s still a couple of spaces available. Another first today, we arrive at Stokesby late afternoon / early evening, and it`s NOT full. I said the rivers were quiet. What i DID`NT know was that earlier on, the rivers were very far from quiet, as the the three rivers race was nearing a close, so we arrived at the right time. Stokesby was so quiet, there were even a couple of boats coming in to moor at about 8. We have dinner, and i take the opportunity to take a few more pictures of a stunning sunset. I have a wander around the village, and stop for a chat with a man taking down bunting etc, and it`s then i was informed of the 3 rivers race, and that HE won everything, well, that`s what he told me?... After my photographic session, it`s back onboard, where we settle down to the tv, and wait for the weather forecast to see what tomorrow may bring. It WAS`NT good news. 10.00pm, and again i`m struggling to keep my eyes open. It might have started a damp and miserable day, but it`s been a lovely sunny, if a bit chilly in the wind, evening, so i just hope the`ve got the forecast wrong. Goodnight all.

We moored at Loddon staithe on Thursday night, and in came a boat with a group of lads on it. They did`nt make any noise or anything, but i did notice all the fishing gear on the cabin top, and assumed they were fishing in riverside still waters. Imagine my total surprise to see one of the guys getting his rod set up, and actually fishing, blatantly in broad daylight off the bow of their boat. I did`nt report it to thr BA or the EA, but i have informed their hirebase, because there may be something in the law that the yard COULD be held responsible, even just partially, as it`s easier to get a fine from a wealthy buisness than it is for an indvidual.

I saw this on tv when moored up. What i would like to know is what information people are given when they book these high level boats?. Seeing as these are not exactly rare incidents, i wonder if the hirers are being "guided" to hire these boats when in reality they should be made fully aware of what boat is best suited to their needs. I was talking to a Brooms engineer on Friday and asked how many low top boats they will have. His reply was maybe one more of the new version of the 28ft fwd dv, but anything begger will be high top. Not exactly giving people much choice are they, so when this sort of think happens, who do you blame?. We ALWAYS hired boats that were originally designed to transit all the bridges, including Potter Heigham, but i would stake money on it that if if i were to ask for the advice from one of the agencies, i bet they`d recommend a high level boat, and would`nt even think to ask if we intended travelling beyond the bridges. We came back under Gt Yarmouth Bridges last Thursday, and Lightning shows 6ft 9ins, and the height gauge said 7ft 3ins., so a clearnce of 6 inches. When we went under, we had about 9 inches of clearance on the road bridge, but going under the iron bridge, barely an inch. Hd we arrived half an hour later, we would have had to wait around to get under. We wanted to take the last of the flood up to Reedham, which is exactly what we did, however, even with 6ft 9ins showing on the height gauge, we would have got under the road bridge, but would have hit the iron bridge. I do wonder when we (and yes, i`ve done it myself) all criticize the hirers, but they can only go on what information they are given, so if you have wildly inaccurate bridge height gauges, and an agent that says this boat will take you all over the broads when it won`t , there`s bound to be several accidents waiting to happen. We spoke to numerous people last week who said this was their first boating holiday, and nearly all of them were on high level boats, and knew nothing about bridge clearances. With this in mind, i wonder if Alpha craft are the victims of an overzealous and misinforming marketing strategy by an agent keen to take the money, or could it be that all this is happening because too many people are "booking online", and have no chance of being informed of the cruising restrictions on a particular type of boat.

I don`t know if you`re going to believe this, but, we got back from our week on Lightning yesterday, and i switched on the puter, only to find out it was as slow as before we went. I got so p...ed off with it, i just switched it of at the plug, without going through the proper shut down method. I switched it on today and was going to phone a local computer chap, only to find it`s now working fine. When i looged on to firefox, it came up with a display showing firefox installing some updates, and since then, it`s fine. God knows what went wrong, but it seems to have put itself right. Computers baffle me completely.

Our week on Lightning was`nt our first on her, but it was for Karens parents, which is ironic because Karens Dad (Derek) has spent most of his life building boats, the last 20+ being with Sunseekers, yet they`ve never been on a boating holiday. Too much like a busmans holiday i suppose?, when you spend most of your life building them, you don`t want to be around them on holiday. Saturday morning at 6am, Karen and i pick up the newbies, and we finally set off around 06.30 ish in bright weather, looking forward to what will hopefully be a trouble free journey. Our usual route is dual carraigeway, nearly all the way to Brundall from our home in West Moors, Dorset, the journey taking the A31, M27, M3, M25, M11 / A11, then the last few miles on the A47, with "comfort stops on the M3, and A11. We had a great journey up, with no hold-ups whatsoever, which must be another first, so we got to Norwich about 11 15 so diverted down to Loddon for lunch at Rosie Leas, where as usual, Caroline was there to greet us with a hug and a smile. Lunch was over, so it was time to head for Brooms at Brundall to board Lightning, with a stop at Budgeons in Brundall for some immediate privisions. We got to the boat and was disappointed to find only half of the upper helm screen in place, the starboard half having been taken away by another owner to straighten after it was damaged by a previous owner when they hit Wroxham bridge. We got the car unloaded which took some time, as we now have to take bedding with us too, so it`s amazing just how much you can cram into the boot of a Peugeot 407 salloon,even more on the return leg. With everything stowed, the kettle went on, and i made up the bed and unpacked our bags. We gave Derek and Pat a tour of Lightning, and showed them how to work things etc, and when all was well, it was time to disconnect the shorepower and get underway. I take things for granted when Karen and i, along with my brother and his family go boating, but when you`re with people who`ve nevr done it before, you have to expect the unexpected, as it`s all new to them, and they don`t know what to do. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery while we`re chugging down river. We had a really peaceful cruise with the tide, so kept the revs down to about 1,500 which is about 5mph, perfect for a late afternoon / early evening cruise. As we passed Cantley sugar factory, i suggested we head for Reedham, which when we hire from Maffetts is our usual 1st night stop, and today is no different. As we approach Reedham, i see one large and one medium size space left, so i start to head for the larger gap, Lightning being 43ft long, the smaller one was a definite no no. With about 300 yds to go, someone on a Shetland or Seamaster 27 came from the bridge and nipped in before me .......... GIT. The quay was unusually busy, due to several sports cruisers all being tied up near the leccy posts, possibly a club cruise etc, so for another first, we could`nr get moored at Reedham for our first night. However, this wa`nt a problem, because as we passed the Ferry Inn, i noticed their morrings were nearly empty, so we turned round and headed back to the Ferry for our fist nigh, which again is a first, as we`ve never moored there before, but i have to say, it was a very peaceful place to moor for the night. We settled down and had a peaceful evening, though there was a little noise due to to people enjoying themselves outside the pub, buT this went all quiet soon after. It had been a long day, with a long drive, and i was feeling tired, so at the early time of 9,00pm, i was ready for bed. I stayed up an extra 30 mins, but by now, i can`t put it off any longer, so it was off to bed. .......... Good night all.

Only 4 sleeps and getting closer.

Hi John, i`ve just done that it comes up with "Ping" 33ms, Downloading speed 34.9Mbps, and Upload speed 0.67Mbps. Is that quick or slow, or average?. I`m totally out of my depth when it comes to computers, so i might have to take it to a local computer engineer who sorted a problem once before.

Hi all, i may be absent from the forum for a while, due to a problem with our pc. It seems to work quick enough, but then slows down as soon as we connect to firefox, which started last week. It takes ages for anything to load up, and if i try to watch any you tube films, it plays them almost frame by frame, and when typing text into anything, it appears on screen several seconds later. I would say on a percentage bassis, instead of running at 100% (say normal) it`s probably running at max 5%. As i`m typing this, it`s going on screen about 3-4 seconds later. Anybody have any ideas?.

Only 5 sleeps to go, then it`s up at 5am and away by 6. Hopefully, we`;; see some of you up there?.

Talk about stereo typing?. Not all men like "busty blondes", some of us prefer women with short dark hair, and wearing glasses. They don`t have to be a stick insect either, a shapely size 16 can be a lot more attractive than some skinny big boobed long blonde haired bimbo. Give me a real world girl any day................... Oh, i`ve already got one, and her names Karen.

Hi all, Karen and i, along with her mum and dad will be on Lightning for a week comencing this date. Is anybody else going to be around?. We`ll more than likely be on the northern rivers, so if anyone sees us, please come and say hello.

I`m surprised you did`nt get arrested for "pooping in the locks Howard? :naughty:

Thanks Alan. We might have some nuts and bolts in the engineering department at work with that thread size, so i`l try and get a nut tomorrow. I`ve got some 1/4 28 unf taps at work, but the thread on my tripod (i actually have 4 tripods) is a considerably more coarse one than them, so 1/4 20unc sounds about right.

Stunning pic there Captain D, i hope it`s like that in 2 weeks?.

Not being a beer drinker (allergic to alcahol) it does`nt bother me, though i do like the locks inn, the food we had there about three years ago was excellent, so i hope that stays the same?. The sad thing is, most of the time when we get to Beccles, the tide is too high for us to get under the Old road bridge, so we pull into the Yacht station. After a while, we get settled, so don`t bother going further up when the tide drops.

Hi all, i`m in the middle of a little project, which i will post up on if it`s successful. Does anybody know what the thread size is in the base of a camera body for mounting on a tripod?. They seem to be pretty much a standard size, and looks like a 6mm ish diameter coarse pitch thread, so if anybody knows, or can tell me where to find out, i`d be eternally grateful. Regards and best wishes to all ........................ Neil.

Yeah, me too, I`ve been a lifelong Chelsea fan, even through the years they were languishing in the bottom half of the old 2nd division. I`l be able to see them play down here in not so Sunny bournemouth this season, but i`m not convinced they`ll stay there for the next.

Thanks for the replies folks. I particularly wanted one as soon as we got there, as i`m looking for low tide at Yarmouth YS on Sunday?. Thanks for that Roy, i hope it`s still there, or i`m off to Brian Wards. Only 2 weeks now, and i`m getting excited as usual.