SPEEDTRIPLE

I loved those slide top 42 ftrs, I don't know why, but they looked so much better than the other versions. I seem to remember there was one of them at one of the Earls Court boat shows in the late 70s?.

I'm assuming this was taken very recently, as the tree in the foreground looks like it's in autumnal colour. Really nice clear pic, with great colour response.

This is why we will only ever have a gas cooker, and a caravan kettle as a back up. I had gas in my flat, and could cook dinner and boil a kettle when others could'nt. Just a shame we never had a power out while I was there.

A couple of years back, Karen and I went up to Kent for the weekend. While we were up there, the South East of England experienced some powerful thunder and lightning storms. When we arrived back here in Dorset, we found the power off and a BT engineer working up the pole outside our home. I asked him if it was due to his work, and was very surprised to hear the violent thunderstorm that caused it was late on the Friday night we left for Kent. Result, no leccy for 3 nights plus, one fried TV ariel booster, all the food in the fridge and freezer in the bin, but the worst thing was to find the phone junction boxes blown apart and dead phones, BUT the wi fi router had exploded and was all black and charred, we were lucky not to come home to a burned out shell.

We spun all 43ft of Lightning round inside the dyke about a third of the way up. I wouldn't do it any further up though, and definitely NOT while steering from inside. Whenever we moor stern on, or in tight confines, we ALWAYS steer from up top where 95% visibilty makes manoeuvring much easier. Looking forward to the rest of your talle Jean.

Lovely pics of the evening sky Jean, i love to look at cloud structures, mother nature at her best. We had some stunning cloud scenes earlier this year down here in Dorset, the clouds were so heavily structured, you could mistake them for the alps.

I remember us having a conversation in the Broadview about this in the middle of last month, i still have`nt found any down here in Dorset, though will keep a look out.

Take a look at the BTCC, then watch a BSB round at the same tracks, BSB has continually gets bigger, and still growing crowds, yet the BTCC gets live coverage on ITV4 at EVERY round. BSB gets a lot more interest than snooker, yet snooker ALWAYS gets full live coverage. Quite a few years back, the BBC covered Moto GP, all three classes, Moto 3 + 2 on BBC Red button, then Moto GP on either BBC1 or 2 depending what else was on. All live and uninterrupted, it was brilliant coverage, enjoyed by millions, not only at home but also abroad, yet they dropped it because it was to do with those nasty smelly motorbike things.

That`s not a bad looking boat. It looks like it has that low deck behind the rear cabin, which looks like any large wash can get into the cabin though?.

That`s exactly what i say Carole. I`ve often said that chefs like Jamie Oliver could`nt cook anything if they could`nt get any chillies. I used to eat hot curries, chillies, kebabs etc, but started eating mild stuff when Karen and i got together, as it would make sharing easier. I then found out the food tasted so much better because my mouth was`nt being over powered by nothing more than heat. We now ALWAYS ask for anything from an Indian restaurant to be made mild. I still have hot stuff, but more often that not when i`m suffering from a cold, where the hot spices seem to clear your nose and throat.

You think the BBC are that bad, think again, they don`t even know British Superbikes exists. The only channels you get to see it on is an hour of hilights of only the two main event races, usually with too much chat on ITV4 midweek, or if you`re very lucky, a couple of rounds being live on Quest (part of eurosport) again, with several of the support races not being shown. Talk about losing a golden opportunity?.

Let`s hope they`re al ok while afloat. I hope you`ve had a good trip.

Do they play at Brands Hatch, or Snetterton if on the Broads?.

We have an annual cheese and chillie fayre every August at nearby Wimbourne St Giles. Karen and i usually go and come back with a bit too much cheese, but this year, it was mostly chillies, so the cheese selection was very disappointing. We did however find some absolutely gorgeous mature farmhouse cheddar, with a lovely tangy mature taste, and a mildly hard but really creamy texture. It just melted on your tongue and made you wanted to eat the whole round. They also had a very pleasant oak smoked west country cheddar, very smokey indeed. We`ll be going again next year, but i may come home feeling rather fat. It`s amazing how moreish those little taster bits on the counters are .

While I agree about limited menu's, it' also worth considering that if a restaurant has an overly large choice, it's often not freshly cooked, or prepared in house. Memories of Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares comes to mind.

Yeeeaaaahhhhhhhhhh, i love Italian food, and we have a really good Italian restaurant just down the road in Ringwood. So to have one just up the road from Lightnings base in Brundall means the Yare now has some serious competition.

Not until mid March for us John. Hopefully we`ll bump into you one day.

Thank God I don't know anything about what you lot are talking about. It's good to be a luddite.

Have they refurb`d them, last time we went in them the showers were an absolute disgrace. The worst bit is, they still charged the same money despite the fact they`re in such an awful filthy state. I would imagine they are paid for by local council tax payers, who won`t be able to use them. Not exactly fair i think?.

I would have thought they would have apollogised to you for the abuse THEIR customers gave you too.

Brooms will have water on the fuel quay too, and if you can moor there over night, it`s a 5 minute walk through the yard to the Yare. You may also see Lightning at her mooring, if so, walk around and ask to have a look onboard.

We`ve used Lightning 3 times in November. Ferry Inn at Surlingham always open, as i believe is the New Inn at Rockland. The White Horse at Chedgrave is always open, as is all of Loddon, especially Rosie Lee`s. The hoses are always on at Loddon, and WRC, but WRC is now very pricey. I believe the hoses at Reedham are taken away and the water turned off, but i don`t know about Beccles and Oulton Broad YSs. November is a great time of year, providing the weather is nice. We had icy winds from the north the second time, and it was bloody cold, buyt the year before, we had a mixture, with some beautiful blue skies, as well as a bit of rain.

If you want to do the Southern rivers Simon, why not try Pacifics?. Again, another superb friendly family yard with some great boats. Freedom would be a good choice too, and with any number of nights, starting any day, so very flexible, subject to availability though.

Yes, the cat is the rodent control unit . Seriously though, i can second Howards recommendation for Bridgecraft, superb family yard with some great boats.

Alpha 29 ctr ckpt?. Great little boats, ideal for a couple too. It`s my idea of the perfect ctr ckpt boat for two. High level steering, seperate living and sleeping accommodation.