Ranworth Breeze Summer 2018

[ranworthbreeze]

Thursday 26^th July.

Yet another sunny morning the rays streaming through the curtains, it was time to get up.

We had had breakfast, gone over to the shop across the road for Tan to top up her phone and get a couple of items. The chap there was telling us that he had been the Sandringham show and some people were complaining that the dog show had been cancelled, there are far too many people out there that have major problems with any train of thought.

We left the moorings a little before 9.00 am and saw that Titan was back in Maffett’s moorings so the salvage operation must have been completed. By 10.00 we were back on the Yare after passing about six boats coming towards us on the Chet.

We had decided that we would not stop in the Marina this morning and go directly to the Ferry House Inn at Suringham for the day and night. A very hot morning developed into an even hotter day, you could smell the sweet ness of the Buddleia on the river banks as we passed. Tan enjoyed helming the boat through Brundall, I of course are limited to getting past yachts and in charge of parking!

I stern moored between two boats at the upper end of the moorings, one of the boat crews took a line for us. Once moored up I went into the pub and booked a table for the evening and paid for the mooring, Sonya was sat by the doorway and looked to be planning the onslaught of the lunchtime invasion.  There were a number of reserved boards on the lower moorings, it looked as if it was going to be a busy day for them. I had already put some sausages in the oven on the journey from Loddon so by the time we had arrived all I had to do was poach some eggs to go with our sausage sandwiches.

We watch the world go by, well mostly boats and cars arriving in the car park, most of the outside tables were filling up with people under the parasols, I had rigged up our parasol into the Ensign socket again to keep Tan from melting, Needless to say I chattered to the  prople on the boats ner to us which were both on the Broom Skippers, both agreed they were impressed with the layout and the facilities on board. Tan and I had visited the Broom open day a couple of years ago and had been on a trip on some of their hire boats after a tour of the factory. We thought at the time that they were a good option for hirers who wanted a up market two or four berth boat.

We of course had to keep popping over to the pub for the odd beer and fruity cider to keep us slightly cooler, it was an hard job but had to be done.  All the tables outside were full by the time we went into the pub for our early evening meal, we went to our table and then back to the queue to order our drinks and meal., I had the Gammon and Tan had the Ham & Eggs, both of these were perfect.

We went outside and managed to find a tableso hopefully the queue would die down so I could pay our tab, we sat for a long while and finished our drinks, I had popped back into the pub a few times but the queue was always about ten deep. I bit the bullet and joined the queue. Tad paid we headed off the boat our immediate neighbours had taken their meals back to the boat to sit in the shade.

We played a few games and watched Overboard, we can almost recite the dialogue on this film, but it is always worth a viewing. We kept turning the volume down on the TV as it was getting late by the time it had finished. Coffee and in bed at 11.30 pm

Regards

Alan & Tan

Friday 27^th July.

We had to leave the Ferry House Inn after breakfast and head back to the marina to wait for our friend’s arrival, needless to say on a day when we wanted to be up fairly early it was 7.30 when I awoke.

Breakfast over, we got ready to leave; a few of the other boats had already left the moorings, it was another sunny morning so I enjoyed my short time at the helm whilst Tan tidied up the galley. We arrived back in the marina a little after 9.00 am and moored at our home mooring.

We cleaned the boat and got out the spare bedding to air, the next item on the agenda was to go for showers and then to the Co-op for some fresh milk and bread etc.

We had an update of Linda & Yak’s estimated arrival it would be around 1.00 pm. So with time to spare we had a game of Rummikub, I was now again in the lead, much to Tan’s disapproval.

Our guests had arrived but were waving at us from the far bank, they had turned right after going through the barrier. Now parked up so said our welcomes and had a lunch before setting off down river. We went down as far as Hardley Mill, Yak and Linda both had a stint at the helm under instruction. After turning at the mill we headed towards Bramerton and the Waters Edge, I had reserved the mooring from 5.00 pm and a table for 7.30 pm. It k=looked as if there would not be space for us but on seeing the owner he moved a boat slightly to let us in. we said our hellos with an handshake had a short conversation before watching the speedboat and skiers going upriver.

We converted the forward seating into a double berth after adding the additional foam we use to make it more comfortable, bedding fitted we got ready to go over to the pub.

We went into the pub just before 7.30 pm and were shown too our table, the meal was good but there was a delay on Tan’s burger, apologies later we enjoyed our food. There was a lot of people at the tables both on the decking by the river and to the side of the pub. It was still very hot as we headed back to the boat.

As the dark clouds we put up the canopy sides and waited for the lightening, there was a lot of sheet lightening but not a lot of rain, some people were still under the parasols on the decking. Because of the storm we would not see the Red Moon this evening.

We chattered below deck and after tea & coffees we retired to bed at 11.30 pm.

Regards

Alan & Tan

[SwanR]

It was a shame that after so much fine weather for so long the clouds rolled in on the one night when we needed clear skies. Quite a few people were out with their cameras on the sea wall at Lowestoft. We were treated to quite a lightning show but no chance of seeing the lunar eclipse!

[ranworthbreeze]

Saturday 28^th July.

I awoke and went up onto the upper helm with my laptop and wrote a little more of my blog while everyone were still asleep , it was drizzling a little, the heavy downpour never really got started last night and it was still humid.

There was stirring down below and I could hear the forward shower pump activating. I had finished on the computer so I went below and started getting the table ready for breakfast.

Everyone was now up and ready for a drink and food, we chattered away and dished out the tablets (one of the deep joys of getting older). Breakfast over and the washing done we watched the boat in front of us leave, heading towards Brundall. There were a number of one, two and four man rowing teams on the river this morning.

We waited a while before rolling up the canopy doors and taking out the front screen panel for the drizzling to stop. I took us from the mooring and we headed down river, the sun eventually came out but it was quite windy. Just before and after the Beauchamp Arms I kept well to port to avoid the fishing match that looked to be on, it was just after the pub that a very large boat passed us on the starboard side in front of all of the fisherman, he got quicker once into the 6 MPH section of the river. Tan took over the helm we passed the sugar factory and continued past Hardley Mill so Linda & Yak were now seeing pastures new.

I took over again as we reached the River Chet, it was too windy for Tan to take us into the river entrance, needless to say there was a lower boat that I could see on the second bend, we passed safely and progressed up the river, Tan took over after we reached the more sheltered part of the river near to the tree line, whilst I went below to prepare lunch. I came back up top before we reached Maffett’s (I noted Titan was back out) and checked out the staithe, it looked as if there was a space, but sadly a small boat was moored next to the end unseen, after turning round we headed back to the space we had seen on the common. We got in with the aid of the owner aboard Painted Lady who took a rope. Secured we took down the canopy and I finished off the omelettes for lunch.  

We sat in the sunshine eating our meal on the upper deck watching the Pacific boats going out and coming back from their training. After lunch Linda, Yak and myself went for a walk to the village, we must have taken the wrong path because after the first bridge and style the path we were on took us over a cowpat field and the path then ended by a ditch that someone had put a few pallets and timber in the bottom up the other side on a nettle lined path we ended up at the back of a boat yard. The road from there ended up at the side of the Kings Head, we called into the Swan to book a table for this evening , sadly they were fully booked, we called into the Co-op and bought a few items and a couple of pizzas instead, to be honest we could not have made the journey across the fields in the dark.

Back on-board we told Tan of our adventures and whiled away the afternoon until we felt hungry. We put the canopy fully before it went dark and again looked for sighting of the moon, it came up behind the trees on the common so could not be fully seen.

We went to bed to the sound of drizzling on the canopy.

Regards

Alan & Tan

    

[vanessan]

2 hours ago, ranworthbreeze said:

dished out the tablets

I first thought you meant of the IT variety! 

2 hours ago, ranworthbreeze said:

to be honest we could not have made the journey across the fields in the dark.

From Pye’s Mill there is a route by road into Loddon, it comes out at the church. Not really that much difference in length to the field route but better in damp conditions and avoids all the cow pats!!

Enjoyed your tale, when is the next one?

[Guest]

4 hours ago, vanessan said:

 

From Pye’s Mill there is a route by road into Loddon, it comes out at the church. Not really that much difference in length to the field route but better in damp conditions and avoids all the cow pats.

I love the 'Pyes Mill' moorings but, don't forget your torch, if you're walking home (back to the boat) at night. It's a nice walk, but can be very dark in places, if there's no moonlight to light your way...

 

[vanessan]

47 minutes ago, kingfisher666 said:

I love the 'Pyes Mill' moorings but, don't forget your torch, if you're walking home (back to the boat) at night. It's a nice walk, but can be very dark in places, if there's no moonlight to light your way...

 

No problem for me, I’m not allowed out at night. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, vanessan said:

No problem for me, I’m not allowed out at night. 

That's a pity, but there's nothing you can do at night, that you can't do during the day (apart from star gazing)...

[ranworthbreeze]

Sunday 29^th July.

 

On awakening I dressed and went and sat on the upper helm seating to catch up my blog but also to watch what was happening in the slow drizzle that was coming down.

 

Eventually everyone was up, only washes this morning, because could not get into the staithe yesterday because it was the fullest I have seen it.

 

We chattered away during our breakfasts and were watching the weather to see if there was a lull, sadly not we rolled up the canopy door sections and took out the front screen and set off from the mooring at 10.00 am behind another boat going back down the Chet.

 

Tan was happy to relinquish the helm, she did not fancy going down the Chet with the canopy up. We had the back sections in to fend off some of the drizzle. I was getting slightly wet so Yak put a coat over my knees, is this how it going to be in my dotage!

 

When we go back onto the Yare we rolled own the door sections and headed back to the marina. Moored back up in our home moorings we had lunch before Lynda & Yak had to head off home. We heard from them later they had had a better journey than on the way to Brundall and knocked about an hour off their journey time.

 

Tan & I did a little bit of cleaning in the forward section they had used and vac packed the sheet of shaped foam we use as a topper on the forward berth.

We played a few games much to Tan’s regret, I was at least 5 games up on our holiday.

 

I loaded the oven with sausage, bacon to use up our supplies so we would have less to take home.

We ate and finished a crossword before we watched a DVD, there was hardly any activity in the marina, and my guess was that a number of boat owners had come down on the Friday night for the weekend, but had now gone home.

 

Coffee and bed a little after 11.00 pm.

 

Regards

 

Alan & Tan

[SwanR]

Love reading about you pootling about on the southern rivers Alan. We really like Loddon and the Chet, but I'm not sure that I would want to start from there. The Chet could be quite daunting if you have never hired before ... and something meets you on a bend!!

By the way ... there was talk a long while ago of the red and green poles being removed up near the Yare. Did that ever happen?

[Regulo]

3 hours ago, SwanR said:

By the way ... there was talk a long while ago of the red and green poles being removed up near the Yare. Did that ever happen?

Leaps in. Yes, they're gone. About time, too.

[ranworthbreeze]

Monday 30^th July.

Today is a day for cleaning the boat and trying to get some of our stuff back into the car; more of that later.

We had breakfast and looked at a couple of crosswords before I headed into the bilges, I wanted to remove the raw water filter and wash it out. I shut off the water intake valve and removed the four bolts that hold the sight glass (it is plastic) in place, as always because it is mounted on a slight angle a little water spills into the bilges.

All the daily checks done I started getting ready to wash the outside of the boat, this was of course the time that it started raining, so it was into the canopy out of the rain for a short while, not wanting to be idle I cut a strip of plastic (I had purchased from Jeckell’s) to make a new doorway tie, the door section and rear section of the canopy can be rolled up tied back on themselves with the use of these strips.

A lull in the rain I started cleaning the boat on the port side removing any marks that I found. Hosed off, Tan & I moved the boat over to Southern Crusader’s berth (they had gone out yesterday) to clean the starboard side. I washed and hosed it down and Tan followed me with a microfiber cloth and when dry polished the windows. We mover the boat back onto our pontoon and polished the port windows. In the cleaning process we also washed all the fender socks so the boat was now looking **** & span.

We had lunch during our rest in cleaning, using up more food we had the last of the bacon and eggs, the bacon & egg sandwich went down a treat. I put some items in the car and tided up the boot to get more in it.

We had worked up so a drink of tea we settled down for a few games of Rummikub, Tan managed to win a few games back. We got bags ready to take to the showers and then went into the Yare for our last meal in there on this trip, the food was as good as ever and a couple of beers later we left to go back to the boat.

I ended up only winning 5 games over Tan’s score during our visit to the Broads. We watched a DVD, had a coffee and were in bed a little after 11.00pm

[SwanR]

I can’t imagine you’re ever idle Alan. You always seem to be cleaning or fixing or sorting things out on the boat!

[VetChugger]

5 hours ago, ranworthbreeze said:

Hosed off Tan & I moved the boat over to Southern Crusader’s berth

Was she a tad warm or on fire to require such drastic action Alan??