october holiday

[andyfish]

First time at this so bear with me!

Friday night 23 rd oct, arrived at boat around 8pm after a slowish 4 hour trip from wakefield,did the usual cracked open a can a guiness while her indoors unpacked the car ,shes never impressed but as soon as i land in the boat yard my body tells me its holiday time!

Anyway after getting sorted and everything unpacked its off to bed for a early start sat morn

Awake to find the boats filthy on the outside,thats the trouble with coming down in the dark!

soon put right though, and after mooching around clives for sale section decided on a steady cruise upto potter as the mrs wants to go round La,thams

weather not too bad as we sailed down the ant and ducked under ludham bridge with 8 1/2 foot of room,the river bank near the bure still looks a mess!

Not many yachts out to collide with on the river so a steady sail is the order of the day and even managed to moor up in a full herbert woods boatyard.

more to follow soon

Andy

[andyfish]

After buying stuff that we didnt really need in La,thams and resisting the temptation of the fishing tackle shop its off to womack island for a quiet night in,not many boats around but the mooring was full so on to womack staithe

Found the mooring to be nearly empty,as the afternoon went by the mooring filled up with yachts and there seemed to be some kind of gathering of the rag and stick brigade,must have been a club as trophies and awards were given out,hardy bunch these proper sailers as it was p***ing down all through it!

Had a candle lit drink in the shelter of my new canopy then off to bed at christ knows what time!

How come time dosent seem to matter on the broads? suppose thats the attraction!

Another earlyish start sunday morning and watched the kingfisher darting around before everybody else got up

After a quick clean of the outside of the boat(new paint to keep clean) decided on visiting ranworth as the weather looked ok and the kids like the nature trail walk and the father likes the malsters walk too!

Got to ranworth and as usual a few boats moored up and no room for a little un like us so hung around and noticed a hire boat coming off the staithe so quick as a flash we are in without making a **** of it as the wind is blowing abit as usual ,the forum flag i have on the bow does come in handy for judging the wind direction

A good walk upto the visitors centre in almost cloudless skies we spotted a grey squirrel in the trees even manged a pic of it.

After the long walk i convince the crew its time for a drink as the sun is over the yard arm now,so its off to sample the wherry ! Afew people inside drinking and having meals but as it was sunny went outside.

sitting outside drinking beer in the sun late october too,nowt better!

After a beer or 3, walked back to the boat to see Dave and Mums the word mooring up so had a natter with him

Then charlie on swann ranger came in so another chin wag was had

After that tea,a few more beers then cards and dominoes on the boat with the kids,my lad robert never lets me win!

Andy

[Boaters]

Good stuff Andy,keep it coming.

[Brian]

After buying stuff that we didnt really need in La,thams

Andy

Oh Lathams dont you love the place, you go in for a screwdriver, and come out with a Tool Kit, Fishing Rod, and some Jumpers

Great Story Andy

[andyfish]

Thanks chaps,glad la,thams aint up near us the mrs would have a season ticket!

Anyway monday up brite and breezy,just like the weather and after the morning ritual of cleaning the ship we decide to sail upto wroxham and let the mrs sample Roys delights!

after a lovely cruise up through horning,shame nowts happening at the ferry and giving gus at the new inn a wave we arrive at wroxham and moor in sabina marines yard prefer to pay a couple of quid here than try and moor tother side of the bridge

The mrs and ella goes into town while i look at shiny things in norfolk marine and try to find a replacement diesel filler cap,no chance! they have the fitting but dont have any caps!

Suns out now and fairly warm,so back to boat and decide where to moor for the night,we or should say i chose the free mooring at the side of wroxham broad on the river side as i fancy a bit of maggot drowning later on.

No one else ont moorings so picked my spot right at the edge so could perch in cockpit and fish out the back!

As we sat there a girl of about 20 appeared and said I know this is cheaky but could i use your toilet, any road at the time my lad was taking a shower and explained this to her so she walked back towards a smallish cruiser that looked big enough to have its own khazi and did no more than drop her strides and did the deed in full view of any passing boats

Poor lass must have been embarrased

Back to the fishing or not! nowt doing but did see a otter pop up behind us,hope he caught more than me!

Once the day boat traffic had subsided and departing hire boats gone it was a nice quiet spot

Andy

[andyfish]

Tues morning awoke to the sound of rain,never mind though rainy day here better than one at home!

After a brew and the mornings boat cleaning we have steady sail back down the river to ranworth for a hour or two and then back to cock shoot as we have never stayed there before,find the mooring reasonably empty and my well trained crew make light work of a side on mooring!

Then its on with wooly pullyies for a stroll to this here bird hide on the reserve,walk was very nice but didnt reckon nowt to the hide,bit like a bunker all it needed was a machine gun! kids liked it though!

got a good photo of Gold gem 5 out running a flock of canada geese!

[andyfish]

When dusk started to fall me & the kids decided to walk back up the trail to see if we were scared of the dark!

Never heard so many owls hooting at the same time and saw a few bats flying up and down the dike

think i was more scared than the kids and made my lad walk at the back

took some pics of the path way for the kids halloween homework all it needed was a ghoul to step out,but she had stayed on the ship!

Another quiet nights sleep was had by all,except me listening out for things that go bump in the night!

[andyfish]

Up a bit later this weds morn as we are booked in at the New Inn today for the mrs birthday

Usual cleaning,bloody leaves dont they know ive just had a paint job!

Made the mrs a brew,well it is her birthday after all!

Then set off,calling in at boulters for a pumpout and a drop of go go juice,met by sonny who says have you looked in our new chandlers shop yet? as he leads me by the arm into his alladins cave!

Well i just happened to mention my misfortune in kicking my fuel filler cap into the oggin and next thing i knows is hes shoving nice new stainless and brass filler caps in to my mit,well he hasnt got one to fit but says he can get in the next 2 hours and the price he wanted for fitting it was very reasonable too,so its out for a stroll in to the village for breakfast and a paper,as we got to the top of boulters lane where the derelict bungalow is we heard a scraping sound in the rubbish and was amazed to see a great big otter,no camera with me either,and it looked massive on land,it would have looked better with a harness on it!

Called at the New Inn to tell them would be slightly late,no problem says Gus,Top chap !

Bacon sarnie from the cafe near the staithe very nice and watched the river go by

steady walk back down calling for a guiness at the pub,well its rude to walk past too many pubs!

Then back to boulters to find a nice hole in the boat but no filler and someone actually inside the hull

Not long though before the boys had cut a bigger hole and new shiny filler in place,quick check to make sure chap inside hull was out then set off to pub,making a lovely stern on mooring,nobody to watch this time though!

Out for a beer or two then back in for a snooze before going back for our tea and a drink to celebrate the mrs birthday

Food was great as usual as was the adnams,the mrs took a liking to the rum,bless her!

Good night was had by all

Andy

[andyfish]

I got up fine next day,cant say the same for someone else must be her age!

Boat still clean so no deck swabbing this morning,one of the things about the New Inn nice clean dry and non slippy concrete!

took a stroll back up to the villge another bacon sarnie sat on the bench near the river!

Then back to the ship and off again to salhouse a favorite mooring spot!

Lovely autumn morning the sun out again!

Found the moorings at salhouse deserted and even moored side on to fill up with water,decided to take some photos of the boat out on the water with robert and the mrs sailing,not a bad job either and he managed to moor stern on ok!

Had a walk up towards the village through the trees then took Ella to the small play area at the end of the moorings,proper old fashioned kids fun nothing electric and all for nowt too !

She even had a paddle in the broad!

thats when Dad can we go on a canoe? came along!

so went and got the lad and had an hours worth of paddling,one tip, dont try to move quick around in these things as they arnt half tender

got up the creek where the sunken boat is didnt know how far it went up, and turned back before we run aground, well worth a tenner!

Back to the boat for a bite to eat then out to mud plug in the broad,watched a lovely autumn sunset followed by a gill or two!

Andy

[andyfish]

Awoke friday morning to find a foggy broad with nothing much to be seen,had a brew watching the fog clear,when the lad says he got up earlier as he had heard something tapping on the side of the boat nothing there!

Fog eventually cleared so had steady cruise back to Horning and the New Inn it is the lads Birthday

Do you get the impression we like the place?

So back down and a few jars then out for tea again and a natter with gus

Was surprised how many hire boats were out in the dark all trying to moor for the night but the moorings were full,Gus did manage to pull one large barnes boat in to the day boat dike after moving another smaller boat out,silly really the boatyard letting them out at 1630 when it gets dark so soon!

Andy

[andyfish]

Saturday comes round too soon, but unlike when we were hirers we can stop down till sunday

up early again walk up to shop,chin wag with Gus then cast off for our last night at the sutton staithe hotel,and its halloween too

Nice steady run back up the Ant noticed lots of kingfishers around this holiday

ducked under ludham bridge again by cheating, only need to drop the top bar down on the canopy instead of folding it all down!

Followed up through irstead by a quick slow quick slow hirer who seemed to lose his way on barton,unless he turned round but he vanished behind the island!

Arrived just after lunch time at the staithe,plenty of mooring space!

Quick pint and reserve our table for the night and alls well

Sutton staithe just makes me want to chill out and do nothing,noticed buffollo bill off the nbf on his boat so had a wander over for a natter,nice boat hes got there too

back to boat for more doing nothing then washed and changed for out

Meal good at the hotel washed down with a adnams or two then back to the boat to light the pumpkin i had made

As the mist rolled in the pub looked really erie good haloween night,sounded like the pub had a party on that night as the music was pumping out,saved me putting mine on the though!

[andyfish]

Sunday Morning up too early as ive got a bad head,must have been them pea nuts the kids gave me, nowt to do with the red wine i had,told the mrs we cant leave it on the boat as i am winterising it and it might freeze then cause a flood

Any way a slow cruise back to the yard in the chucking down rain,got Chris at richos out in his water proofs to give us a pump out,nobody does a pump out better in a monsoon!

Then back to the mooring to start packing and tidying up,as we are not down again for 4 weeks i drained all the water down and anti-freezed the engine and the raw water cooling side,just to be on the safe side.

I usually give the boat a good scrub down on the outside but the rain made it a waste of time so left it and concentrated on the inside,easy clean though so before long the cars packed and its back on the road to sunny Wakefield!

only 3 more weeks till we are back down so not too bad

Andy

Hope i havnt droned on too much!

[Jupes]

Thanks Andy. Enjoyed that.

[andyfish]

,couldnt stop myself once i got going!

Andy

[Boaters]

Thanks for that Andy

[Guest]

Andy thanks for a lovely story and some great pictures realy enjoyed it

[senator]

Hi Andy,

Great tale but you will have no paint left to worry about if you carry on cleaning at that rate.

best thing about owning your own boat is Saturday night. The time when you would have been at home if you had paid out a fortune to hire one. And then the knowledge that you can do it all again in a couple of weeks.

Ian

[andyfish]

Not wrong Ian that extra night is great!

Andy