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I Keep Hearing Symphonies Before All I Heard Was Silence


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Monday 25th June

An early start was not required today so I arose at 07.45am, feeling the heat of the sun behind the closed curtains. The plan for today was to make my way to Horning for lunch and on to Wroxham for the evening. So after a bacon sandwich for breakfast I settled down to watch the procession of returning Herbert Woods boats which were drawn under the footbridge entrance opposite. It was as though someone had pulled the plug out of the yard and all the boats were being sucked in. There were around 20 boats making their way back in the 15 minutes or so before 9am. I wandered off to Lathams to see what I could find and came out with a pack of 5 disposable razors and a can of shaving gel. That was all they had so it was either that or book my audition for the next Captain Birdseye advert.  

By 10am I was ready to cast off and use the current to turn the boat back the other way. I stepped on-board and was off without mishap. As it was such a warm day, I thought I would make a salad for lunch on arrival at Horning but that was a problem because all three pubs there give preference for moorings to day boats at lunch time so if I didn’t get in at the Ferry Boatyard, I would probably not get a space. I thought I would see if Ferry had space and if not I would moor on the bank opposite (Woodbastwick?). Anyway on approaching Horning I remembered Cockshoot Dyke, somewhere I had not visited since it first opened. There in the distance was the dyke with an appetizing space right at the head looking out onto the river. It was just waiting for me! I moored up and made my salad, which was consumed sat on the front of boat in the warmth of the sun. I still had an hour or so to spare before heading off to Wroxham so I ventured down the pathway to the boardwalk to explore. Now the last time I walked that way was more or less a few weeks after it opened to the public in the 1980s and being so early in its career, it did not really offer much. There was no boardwalk as I remember and it seemed to me to be a poor relation to the nature trail just outside Wroxham (forgot it’s name). So it was a lovely surprise to walk around this time. I found it enchanting, especially watching the dragonflies which were darting above the water and dancing around my feet on that little bit of staging which juts out into the broad. The heat of the day was bringing all manner of insects out to play. I took so many photographs trying to catch a dragonfly as it alighted on the staging, only to find it had hopped off before the shutter had fired. Definitely a place I shall return to!

I was aiming to arrive at Wroxham around 3.30/4pm to give time for all the turn-around boats at Barnes Brinkcraft to turn around and be gone. So around 2.15pm I started a leisurely cruise through Horning village, past Salhouse and Wroxham Broads and on to the home of Roys. It was around 3.30pm by the time I arrived at the outskirts of the village, so on barely more than tick-over, I cruised on until I could see the moorings at Barnes. If you followed my tale aboard Brinks Jazz 4 last month, you will know I like to moor on the river side of the moorings as you see more there. It’s hard to see what moorings are available until you are right on top of them due to the outward curve of the river. However, just past the opening to the “bay”, I could see a space that would suit Symphony down to the ground (water). I approached sheepishly so as to go un-noticed, stepped ashore and tied up. At any minute I was expecting someone from Barnes to tap me on the shoulder and tell me they needed the space. But it did not happen and so I contentedly settled back to watch the passing river traffic. Around 6pm, I broke out the drone and walked around to Faircraft Loynes yard, which I had worked out, would be a good place to fly from bearing in mind the direction of the sunlight that evening. I set everything up and switched the motors on, but there was no response. The remote control was messaging that there was a sensor error. I tried unplugging the battery to reset it but the error message remained. In fact the error message never went away for the remainder of the holiday, despite numerous attempts to figure out what was wrong. It is still under guarantee so it will now have to go for repair or replacement, but it was a huge disappointment, especially since I was looking forward seeing the aerial views of Wroxham. So I trudged disconsolately back to the boat and readied myself for a meal at the Kings Head instead. There I ordered a chicken and chestnut mushroom pie, served with chips and vegetables, together with lashings of gravy. It was very tasty and I would order it again on a future visit. I was back onboard Symphony by 9pm to watch TV and reflect on my disappointment of being drone less for the rest of the holiday. Last month it was strong winds, this time the drone had gone tech!

The view from my window (sort of - yesterday). Probably not long for this world.

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Cockshoot board walk

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Potter Heigham

Potter H.jpgSymphony at Wroxham

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On 02/07/2018 at 14:00, grendel said:

I know when I went on a local (to me) narrow gauge railway they had 2 locos, and the reason was to do with the couplings, due to the type of coupling the loco could not push the train, only pull it, so a second engine was needed to reverse the train, running from a terminus like Norwich, you would need two locos in this situation.

There is a simple explanation 

It's to save time. the driver has to be sat at the front! So to save swapping the engine every time, from one end to the other.they have two engines. Tractive force always taken from front engine, rear loco is just a passenger.

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3 hours ago, FairTmiddlin said:

There is a simple explanation 

It's to save time. the driver has to be sat at the front! So to save swapping the engine every time, from one end to the other.they have two engines. Tractive force always taken from front engine, rear loco is just a passenger.

I am sure it's more efficient that having to swap the engine around but I can't help thinking, surely there must have been a diesel railcar unit consisting of three carriages which could have been leased. Listening to the the power of the engines just on tick-over, I can only imagine the fuel use would be astronomical.  Love to know the rationale behind it.

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1 hour ago, DAVIDH said:

I am sure it's more efficient that having to swap the engine around but I can't help thinking, surely there must have been a diesel railcar unit consisting of three carriages which could have been leased. Listening to the the power of the engines just on tick-over, I can only imagine the fuel use would be astronomical.  Love to know the rationale behind it.

Saves on jobs too. Now with the double cab mainline trains, there is no need for an uncoupler, to unhitch the loco at stations. No need for a shunt driver, to remove the left behind engine to the sidings and to bring it back when needed. Plus most stations now don't have sidings to store the engines.

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Tuesday 26th June

 

Visiting craft have to be away from Barnes by 8am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays so I thought it prudent to set the alarm for 7.30am and be up and at-em if need be. I made my awakening cup of tea and generally prepared things so that I could move on at a moment’s notice. Looking outside, there were still quite a lot of empty moorings so I thought I would keep an eye on them to see if they filled. If not I would delay my move until around 9.30am, giving myself time to do a little food shopping at Roys. Not only did they not fill, a huge Richardsons Commander class asked for and was granted permission to moor so I reasoned the staff at Barnes were happy enough with the free moorings they had available to them. So off I toddled to Roys before casting off around 9.30am. My final destination for the night was going to be Yarmouth Yacht Station, probably arriving around 4pm. This was to give me time to cruise on to Oulton Broad the following day, before returning to Brundall for the final night. However as the main reason for visiting Oulton Broad was to film with the drone, I revised the plan to spend the night at Acle, with a midday stop at Ludham Bridge. This would mean I could arrive at Yarmouth at around 11.30am tomorrow and get the full value of the £13 mooring fee. 

 

So I headed off back down the Bure in glorious sunshine and hardly any passing craft at that time. The sliding roof was all the way back (as it had been the whole of the holiday) and the peaceful glide through the trees was idyllic. I detoured through Wroxham Broad for the view and eventually arrived at the mouth of the Ant. I approached the bridge and had to abort my first attempt through due to a craft coming in the opposite direction. I held station until they had passed – that’s where bow thrusters come into their own – then continued under the bridge. The first mooring on the shops side was available and I was able to swing the boat around to face the bridge before coming alongside. There was a fisherman on my bank, just next to the bridge and I felt guilty at the turmoil in the water I must have caused turning around, though it has to be said, he did not need to reel in and start again. I hope that means I did not disturb him too much. It really was a hot day and you could tell everyone was enjoying being out in the sun. I made myself another salad – think I’m turning into a hamster – and scurried to the front of the boat to eat it. My thoughts turned to Acle and an appropriate time to set sail in the hope of getting a mooring outside the Bridge Inn. It’s not far from Ludham Bridge so I set off about 2.30pm, which I considered would get me to Acle before most people would want to stop. Acle Bridge came into sight so I looked for the direction of the current which was flowing out. Perfect I thought. I can go past the moorings to see what’s available then turn around to come alongside. The Bridge Inn moorings are also on an outward facing bend so you cannot see a free space until you are right on top of them. Made no difference – every mooring was taken but for what looked like 25ft at the Yamouth end. I could have tried it but I reasoned, yes I might get in but there probably would be nothing to tie the back of the boat to so I spurned it and continued under the bridge once more to the first mooring on the now disused shop side of the river. Again it was tight and meant I needed to go right up to the boat in front, but the current was my friend, slowing Symphony as I got to the bank. I scrambled ashore and tied the boat up. The moorings were actually really good. I had a good view of the fledgling sailors on the opposite bank starting out from Bridgecraft and found out later that the charge to stop outside the Bridge Inn was now £10, with £5 being refundable against food.

 

I had not booked a table at the Bridge Inn but past experience told me most people like to eat around 6pm so if I arrived at 7.30pm, opening the door to find every table in the bar area was taken. Even the little children’s/games room was occupied. So I approached the lady at the restaurant door and asked if they had a table for just me. Amazingly they did! I went straight in without a wait. Looking at the menu I remembered a sirloin steak I had here a few years ago which was delicious, but at £19.50 I thought it overpriced so I ordered the lasagne, which came with salad and chips (again). I have visited the Bridge many times over the years but have to say I was not that impressed with this visit. The lasagne was passable but was mostly pasta, with very little minced beef so it tasted a little stodgy. I had asked to see the dessert menu but felt so heavy with the pasta, I declined to order anything further. So I returned over the bridge and back to Symphony for the rest of the evening.

Bridgecraft at Acle

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The Swan at Horning

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This yacht at Ludham Bridge decided to punt across the river without noticing the big white and blue thing in front of them, hitting them amidships

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What can I say?

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More of those flappy things

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Wednesday 27th June.

 

Having changed my plans to now arrive at Yarmouth a day later and at midday rather than late afternoon, I was aware that the tide would have been ebbing for only a couple of hours by the time I arrived. That was no problem for a “bathtub” like Symphony but I was a little concerned that the current might make it difficult to moor single handed so I resolved to call the quay rangers for assistance when approaching. So after another cooked breakfast I cast off at around 10am so as to give more time for the water to run out at the Yacht Station. It was another beautiful morning and the journey down with the sun on my back was very pleasant. I was for the most part unaccompanied, probably because the larger craft would not get under the bridges at Yarmouth and indeed I passed many fly-bridge types moored up at Stokesby and Stracey. Hope I have worked this out correctly, was a thought that kept crossing my mind. I did not fancy having to turn Symphony into the current at Yarmouth if it was running fast down there. As Yarmouth Marina came into site, I called the Yacht Station. There was no answer so I called again and this time got the answer phone. I slowed Symphony as much as I could, waved ahead a tortoise which overtook me and tried the number once more. This time the attendant replied and we agreed he would be my welcoming party in around 5 to 10 minutes. The moorings were as full as I have seen them outside of the school holidays. The attendant pointed to a spot and I turned into the current, which by this time was in that strange scenario where it appears to be still flowing in on top but was actually ebbing underneath.  As such, the speed of the current was not much of a problem. I came alongside, the ropes were made fast at 12 midday and I was OK for the night. I will add again that for solo sailors (or anyone) wanting to visit Yarmouth, this telephone in advance of arrival service is excellent.

So having the whole of the afternoon free, I walked into Yarmouth and had the obligatory chips from one of the stalls in the market followed by a McFlurry at McDonalds. It was much too hot for coffee. I eventually resurfaced at the Yacht Station around 5pm, by which time the river was well down, though still ebbing fast. Of course now the stretch was busy with craft some arriving, some leaving and many just passing through. I noticed a fine looking Herbert Wood dual steer craft passing Symphony, making heavy going against the current. I went inside only to hear someone shout “ drop your mud weight – drop your mud-weight”. I looked onto the river to see the HW boat easing itself down towards the bridges with its mud weight doing its best to slow the approach. It appears the HW craft lost forward power. Its engine was still alive and you could hear the helmsman use the bow thrusters every so often but it had no way of pulling out of the ebb. The quay ranger ran further towards the bridges and threw a line over to the boat, which of course fell short, before repeating the exercise, this time being caught by a crew member on board. The boat was pulled over to the quayside and the panic was over. I observed that the mud weight did not hold the boat. It had no more effect than to stop it drifting down sideways and to slow it down. That was a sobering thought when you read that certain toe-rags had been letting boats loose over the preceding nights both in Yarmouth (the mud barge) and at Barton Turf and Irstead.

Come 7pm it was time for food so I went over to the Kings Arms again. This is a really nice, friendly place and it’s a good job it’s there as neither of the other pubs, the Suspension Bridge or the White Swan is very welcoming. Both are currently for sale and as far as I could see, were offering no food. A cool breeze had arisen so I decided to pass on the beer garden and stay inside. I thought I would go for a light bite meal as I was not overly hungry and chose the baguette steak sandwich, which arrived with chips and a side salad. If that’s a lite meal I am glad I didn’t order an outsize variety. It was delicious – possibly the best meal I had all week. And with a pint of Fosters the overall cost was less than £6. Then it was back to the boat, where it was good to see people milling around and on their boats right up to about 10pm.

The Bridge inn at Acle

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Yarmouth Yacht Station

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Thursday 28th June 

It was the last full day before hand back tomorrow so the plan was to cruise on up to Reedham for lunch then on to Brundall, possible to the home yard for the last night. Away from the breeze of the east coast, the morning was already warm without a cloud in the sky. Breakfast was making use of the last of the sausages together with egg, bacon, beans and a fried tomato which had gone all soft in the fridge. By 9.30am I was ready to make my move. If you have stayed overnight at Yarmouth you will know that the rangers use all four ropes to secure the boat. The tide was flowing in so I decided I would reposition the ropes to make it easier to depart. You will recall I had to turn before the bridges so I was facing the wrong way. I started by removing the off side ropes, then repositioned the nearside stern rope so that it was holding Symphony against the current, but with only a couple of turns on the mooring post to make it easy to remove when needed. The nearside forward rope was positioned in a similar fashion. I planned to let the stern rope go free and allow the current to turn the boat around. However before I could get to that phase, the next boat along cast off and instead of reversing out into the stream, slowly drifted with the current along the quayside. He managed to turn his boat out as it got closer to Symphony but not enough to stop his broadside hitting my stern corner. All hands were then on deck to try to push it off Symphony while the current was doing it’s best to keep it in place. Eventually we got it clear but the weight of his boat against mine, pulled my stern rope from the post and Symphony swung around 180 degrees coming to rest facing the bridges. I was concerned that damage may have been done as I heard a horrible creaking when the two boats met, but as it hit the corner of Symphony no damage was evident. I suspect that might not have been the case for my adversary.  

Pretty soon after that a ranger saw that I was about to leave and came over to me to offer assistance. Of course now I was facing the right way so it was just a case of him removing the forward (as it was now) rope so I could “thrust” into the stream. The current assisted my journey over Breydon and I arrived at Reedham around 11.45am. Again, space was tight but I managed to come alongside in the Lord Nelson moorings. I had not used the tinned red salmon I had brought so I made sandwiches with fresh bread for lunch. It was really hot so I decided to have a beer on the Lord Nelson patio overlooking the river which was just what the doctor ordered. Don’t know who this doctor is but he is clearly an order giver not an order taker. England was playing Belgium at 7pm so what time I should leave Reedham was a consideration. If all else failed I was guaranteed a mooring at Silverline, my home boatyard so I planned to see if I could get a mooring at Brooms on the river front, which would be much nicer than being crammed in to the stern on moorings at Silverline.

There was no rush and the cruising was really relaxing so I took my time to get to Brundall. I went past the dyke which leads to Silverline and made my way around to Brooms moorings. It was a Thursday afternoon so I expected they would have returning boats for turnaround also. The fuel hut came into sight and from what I could see, there were no boats where I wanted to be. So I cruised up to the moorings, and swung the back around so I could reverse Symphony into and alongside the head of the moorings. So I was moored up at the head, facing out onto the river. One of my favourite moorings! With the football beginning at 7pm, I needed to eat earlier than usual to I made my way to the Yare at about 5.45pm. By the way, has anyone else ever noticed the big pile of receipts and paperwork which always seems to reside on those two tables at 90 degrees to bar? I imagine someone sits down to do the company accounts there perhaps once per week. God help them if a strong draught somehow managed to blow the lot off the tables and around the bar. My last meal on the Broads for now was the 8oz Burger with salad and chips. It’s one of my favourites at the Yare so I was not going to miss it this time. Then it was back to the boat to make a few preparations for my flit the next morning, before watching England take on Belgium. (I think?).

The view from my window again - sort of.

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The Lord Nelson waiting on Breydon

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Outside the Lord Nelson at Reedham

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This is from my "outward" visit to Yarmouth. It was taken into the sun so the image has needed to be processed a little.

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Friday 29th June

I had set the alarm for 7.15am as I needed 15 minutes to cruise back to Silverline. Breakfast was a healthy granola (had to be healthy sometime) with cold milk on this hot morning. I scuttled around the boat preparing things and at the allotted time, I untied the ropes and slipped the moorings, which by the way were still empty so not sure if Brooms have any returnees on a Friday morning. A slow cruise down the river brought me to the dyke where Silverline are situated. At an even slower pace, I continued down the dyke until my home boatyard moorings could be seen. A chap on the quayside signalled where he wanted me to moor so I swung the boat around again and used the bow thrusters to place the stern gently against the mooring. I expected the yard to be a hive of activity with returning boaters but I was the first. Shortly after, another two boats arrived and both required staff members to go aboard to moor them stern on. See years of training had not gone to waste said a rather smug I. I transferred everything from boat to car and went around to the office to received refund of £32 against the £100 fuel deposit I had paid. Not a bad result. I didn’t like to say I would not be returning as I had bought into a syndicate boat, as I like Silverline and that they gave me the opportunity to continue hiring from them even though I was single handed now. I started the car and the journey home had begun.

Observations              

I had a really good time on Symphony. The memories of being with Doreen two years ago were all around but I am glad I chose the same boat none-the-less as many of the memories brought me comfort. I am becoming more used to solo sailing now. It was never about the physical side of it as I had more or less moored and driven the boat single handed for a few years now. It was more how I would feel in a small space on my own. The Broads has ever changing scenery and the weather conditions are so unpredictable, so there was plenty to keep me interested and I ended up liking the space and was sorry to have to leave it. I left feeling I had done the right thing by buying into the boat syndicate.

Even though the World Cup was underway, it seemed as though the rivers became busier day by day That is unusual as an event such as the World Cup, suppresses demand both here and in Europe until it is over.  I guess people were seeing the weather forecast and plumping to be on the rivers while the going was good. Another thing you could not help but notice was the number of the high-end hire craft which were out. There seemed an inordinate number of big white flybridge cruisers around, together with the sliding wheelhouse Broadsman types. It struck me that so many of the dual steer boats were based on the Bolero type mould, which I am guessing were developed by Alpha craft and wondered in their demise, if some licensing agreement was still in force. Not sure how that works.

As a solo sailor, handling a 28ft cruiser, I wondered at how many people had hired large 40ft plus cruisers with a crew of just two people. I’m sure if you are used to it then it’s no problem but many of these crews seemed to be first timers. I assisted an elderly couple aboard a Broadsman, leave the moorings at Potter Heigham, and the chap was having trouble even climbing back onto the deck of his boat. Perhaps it’s all part of the same thing. They see the big shiny cruisers advertised and want one irrespective of how they will be able to control it.

The failure of the drone was infuriating as the weather and therefore the conditions were so good. The long days meant I could be out at 7.15am, before people generally were about. I may have to wait until next year to repeat those conditions. Anyway,  I have included a few more aerial shots which I could not include earlier. By the way, the drone was returned to the retailer and has been deemed not repairable, and a replacement is on it’s way to me. 

And finally, here is a link to the song named in the title of the thread, in the event you have not heard it and were wondering where it came from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aatr_2MstrI

Potter Heigham

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Reedham

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Yarmouth

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Thanks for a superb write up, David. I had been hoping that being on Silver Symphony would give you some comfort and I was pleased to read just now that it did. The boat was remarkably economical on fuel considering the mileage you covered. 

When are you first aboard Goosander? 

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Thanks for the kind words Lulu. I do sometimes think I do go on a bit. 

Broads01 I take my first week on Goosander on the 6th October. Just hope them pesky hirers keep away from my boat:default_jumelles:Oops i feel myself turning into something else!

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Loved your write up and photos David. I wish you many happy holidays on board Goosander and am glad that your week on Silver Symphony worked out so well.

As for the couples on the larger hire boats ... this is why we stick to 35 foot or less in length as there is only ever the two of us on board. And it's why I wish that Richardson's would consider building boats for two to follow on the heels of the ones they bought from Swancraft. Not everyone likes Ferry Marina's styles of boat but for me they are leading the way in building boats designed for couples who want the luxury end of the market.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks Kron,

Funnily enough, I have found that keeping the same routine, revisiting places Doreen and I have been to in the past, has helped me stay close to her as I feel her around me, if that makes sense. The first time of anything was very difficult but getting over that first hurdle is almost like the investment you have to make to get the comfort from going back to places we shared together. So not strong. Just reaching out for her I suppose. 

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