Moonlight Shadow Tales

[kpnut]

1 hour ago, Mouldy said:

headed for the church moorings, only to find that some of the quay heading had been torn off along with the mooring rings.  Unable to secure the boat to make getting on and off the boat easy, especially for the dog, we moved on and

That’s a shame Malcolm as I was there the night before (at least I think it was that night, I’ve got do muddled with the days!) and managed by taking the lines ‘inwards’ rather than ‘outwards’. Then just took a line from the other stern corner to a far post. I expect all boat designs and configurations are different. 
Maybe we’ll spot each other cruising along tomorrow morning. I’ve got to be back at Stalham for about 1pm or so. 

[Mouldy]

11 minutes ago, kpnut said:

That’s a shame Malcolm as I was there the night before (at least I think it was that night, I’ve got do muddled with the days!) and managed by taking the lines ‘inwards’ rather than ‘outwards’. Then just took a line from the other stern corner to a far post. I expect all boat designs and configurations are different. 
Maybe we’ll spot each other cruising along tomorrow morning. I’ve got to be back at Stalham for about 1pm or so. 

There was a barge moored at the end furthest from the new boat shed and the top of the quay heading has broken away at the boat shed end, taking with it the mooring ring, making the two ‘straightest’ bits unusable.  We tried to moor in the middle, but the curve of the moorings left the bow sticking out too far for my liking.

It worked out okay though.  St Benets was fairly full, but we had a peaceful night until the Richardson’s Rush started around 07:00 this morning, by which time we were up anyway.

We’re currently moored at Dilham, so we may we’ll see you in the morning!

[YnysMon]

13 minutes ago, Mouldy said:

We’re currently moored at Dilham, so we may we’ll see you in the morning!

Glad to hear you made it to Dilham! 

[Mouldy]

5 minutes ago, YnysMon said:

Glad to hear you made it to Dilham! 

Moorings are full here!  Four boats in total.

[YnysMon]

Chock full then! The most I’ve experienced there is three boats.

[kpnut]

I didn’t even know it could fit four. It is lovely up there, the grass is still a bit wet and stodgy though. 

[Mouldy]

9 hours ago, YnysMon said:

Chock full then! The most I’ve experienced there is three boats.

Two are Hampton Safaris, so let’s say three and a half!  

[Mouldy]

Saturday 15th April

I’d been awake a couple of times during the night.  The last time I remembered checking my watch was about 03:00 and rain was still pattering on the roof.  I think it was about 06:00 when I came to again and wasn’t expecting a wonderful morning, due to the overnight rain, but much to my surprise, the rain had stopped.  I wandered through to the saloon and flicked the heating on and there was even a hint of sunshine breaking through the clouds.  I wasn’t quite ready to get up, so returned to bed for half an hour or so to allow the heating to take effect.

There were definitely some breaks in the cloud when I dragged myself out of the comfort of the bed.    Deb was up too and she took Harley for her early morning walk.  When they arrived back, we had some toast and marmalade for breakfast whilst watching a flotilla of Richardson’s boats obviously heading back to Stalham at the end of their holiday.  It’s fair to say that not all of them were heeding the speed limit though.

It had been my intention to be at Womack Dyke on Sunday evening for a carvery at the Kings Arms, however we needed some supplies, so the carvery will have to wait until Wednesday.  Stalham was the initial destination, so we set off and turned up The Ant.  Just as I was turning right at the junction, I spotted an otter swim into the river and dive in front of MS.

I arrived at the bridge just in time to encounter two craft heading in the opposite direction, so held station whilst they passed through.  The moorings that are to be closed shortly for works were packed, with hardly any spaces available.  Their imminent closure will cause a lot of issues during the course of the works, for sure.

We passed Simon (Cambridge Cabby) somewhere near Griff’s Corner on our way up river .  There were a few craft moored at How Hill and two at Irstead, one on the parish Staithe and the other on the BA mooring.  We were soon across Barton and continuing towards Stalham.

By now, the sky was clearing and the sun was peeking through.  Arriving at Stalham, we noted that there was space at the public mooring at the entrance to Richardson’s yard, but we carried on, hopeful that there’d be space at the Staithe, which there was.  I turned MS carefully round and reversed into the space, leaving room for another boat to moor in front.

I had a shower before we wandered over to Tesco.  More to follow.

[Lawrence]

Hiya, we were moored in Fleet Dyke last Sunday and it wasn't until you had last that I realised it was ME so didn't get chance to wave. We were in Brinks Omega. Had a good week apart from the wind, weather that is not flatulance!

[Lawrence]

On dear need a spell check

[YnysMon]

5 hours ago, Lawrence said:

On dear need a spell check

Don’t we all! I’ve gone under Watford (rather than Weyford) bridge before now. 

[Mouldy]

37 minutes ago, YnysMon said:

Don’t we all! I’ve gone under Watford (rather than Weyford) bridge before now. 

Not to mention London - Damn spellcheck.

[Mouldy]

Saturday 15th April (Continued)

Needless to say, Tesco was busy.  I’m not a fan of shopping at the best of times, but a busy Saturday in an unfamiliar store isn’t my idea of fun!  Purchases made, Deb (who’d been waiting outside with the dog) took the bags whilst I went to get some fish and chips for lunch.

I rushed back to the boat, so the food was still hot and we enjoyed our lunch.  I’ve not used the chippy in Stalham before, but it’s now firmly on my list of approved chip shops.  With the washing up done, we moved across to Simpsons for water before setting off for our intended overnight stop.  We turned right at the end of the Stalham/ Sutton branch of The Ant and passed Hunsett Mill.  The sun was glorious and very welcome.  With the saloon canopy and windscreen lowered, we safely negotiated Wayford Bridge which was showing just a smidge over 7ft on the gauge.  Unlike Ludham, that does seem very accurate!

There was one boat moored at Dilham when we arrived. I turned and moored behind it - we were on the bend, so had to compromise a little but it was good enough and the dog managed to get on and off quite easily.  We chatted to the couple on the other boat - another private craft and while we were talking, two Hampton Safaris turned up and managed to squeeze in behind us.

The sun was still shining, so we thought a libation might be in order.  We wandered down to the Cross Keys for a drink, which did go down very well.  They were just lighting their pizza oven and temptation to stay for dinner was hard to resist, but we managed!

By the time we got back to the boat, the temperature was dropping and some cloud cover was moving in, but no matter.

We had dinner, albeit later than usual and a quiet evening, retiring to bed around 22:00, after a grand day.  The sunshine had been an unexpected bonus that we’d thoroughly enjoyed.

[Mouldy]

I’ll have to post the rest of the photos when I have a better signal.  It appears that Gayes Staithe is a bit of a dead spot on EE!🤦‍♂️

[Broads01]

I've not been in the Cross Keys, Malcom. You'd recommend it?

[Mouldy]

8 hours ago, Broads01 said:

I've not been in the Cross Keys, Malcom. You'd recommend it?

We had a lunch in there last year, which we enjoyed very much.  They have a very pleasant garden, if the weather is suitable and most folk you speak to enjoy it too, but we haven’t been there for a meal in the evening.

The Crown at Smallburgh has also been recommended, which is a bit further to walk, but not too far.  We haven’t been, but will investigate one day, I hope.

[SwanR]

Saturday was indeed a bonus day of sunshine. Lovely photos as always. I am always put off by getting through Wayford Bridge and haven’t ventured up that stretch of the Ant. 

[Mouldy]

50 minutes ago, SwanR said:

Saturday was indeed a bonus day of sunshine. Lovely photos as always. I am always put off by getting through Wayford Bridge and haven’t ventured up that stretch of the Ant. 

Go for it, Jean.  We ventured up there for the first time last year.  It’s a lovely stretch of river, really quiet (as you’d expect), with a peaceful mooring and electric posts, too.

[Mouldy]

The rest of the photos from Saturday that I couldn’t add yesterday due to network issues!

 

[YnysMon]

3 hours ago, SwanR said:

Saturday was indeed a bonus day of sunshine. Lovely photos as always. I am always put off by getting through Wayford Bridge and haven’t ventured up that stretch of the Ant. 

As Malcolm mentioned, the height gauge does seem pretty accurate and the bridge doesn't have any arches. The approach to it is also a lot more sheltered than any of the other bridges on the Broads, so even if you think you don't have much clearance you can creep up to the bridge really slowly and check. There's also very little traffic up there so, if anything, I would say it's easier to negotiate than the other bridges if your clearance is in doubt.

[Mouldy]

Sunday 16th April

I was up early.  I know there isn’t much tidal rise and fall on the upper Ant, but I wanted to get under before high water, so we were both ready to go just after 07:00.

We checked how much we’d left on the electric post as we disconnected the cable and were surprised to see that our £1 credit had run out, especially as we’d only really had the TV on and been economical with the lighting onboard, which is LED.  I guess the posts have been adjusted in line with rising energy costs.

Conscious of the boats moored around us, I didn’t warm the engine up before setting off, but with the engine at little more than tickover along the 3 mph section, we weren’t stressing the engine.

It was quite misty and visibility wasn’t great, but again, at 3mph, it certainly wasn’t an issue.  We waited until we were near Wayford bridge before dropping the canopy and screen.  There was just a little more clearance than the previous day, perhaps an extra inch, but plenty to get Moonlight Shadow safely through.  It was on the chilly side, so screen and canopy were promptly raised  as we made our way back towards Barton Broad.

My intended destination was Gayes Staithe, either the side on or the end on moorings ideally.  When we arrived, both were occupied, but it was early, so we assumed that there would be some movement before too long and moored next to Silver Cloud.

We had breakfast and I went for my shower - Deb had showered as we’d travelled between Dilham and Gayes.  By now, the sun was shining brightly and it had turned into another beautiful day.

After we’d had a coffee, we decided to wander round to the fudge lady, but bumped into the people on board the boat on our favoured stern on end mooring.  We stood and chatted to them for a while.  I noticed Kate (kpnut) chug up Lime Kiln Dyke and waved, but she obviously didn’t see me.

The boat on the end mooring was going, so we waited to replace them on the mooring before going for our walk.  The time was getting on by now.  I suggested making a short detour on the way to the fudge lady.  The wife agreed, so we were soon sitting in the courtyard at The White Horse, having some lunch and enjoying a beverage.  My pint was very enjoyable, but calling a beer ‘A Man Called Chris’ must be questionable.

Lunch finished, we wandered slowly back to the boat, calling at the fudge lady en route.  She’s clearly gone very upmarket since last year, with her offerings now displayed in a wooden shed, complete with a card machine as an option for making payment.  How 21st century.

Back onboard MS, we settled down, with the saloon roof back, watching the comings and goings at the staithe.  Deb was busy with her cross stitch, I flew a drone for a few minutes, read for a while and took a few photos.

Back in the days of hiring, we’d never have dreamt of spending an afternoon like that, preferring to see as much as possible over the course of our holiday, but now the attraction of finding a mooring and sitting quietly doing very little comes far more easily.  A combination of age and regular visits through ownership, I guess.

A few more boats arrived later and moored, three private and three hired.  I grilled pork loin steaks for dinner, with creamed potatoes and broccoli, enjoyed with a glass or two of wine.  

We watched an old episode of Jonathan Creek on TV (it was the best think on offer) before retiring to bed as usual around 22:00.  It had been another unexpectedly sunny, relaxing day.

[Mouldy]

Monday 17th April

Once again, it had been a chilly night.  I snuck out of bed to turn the heating on and had another half an hour under the duvet, eventually getting up around 07:00.  It wasn’t a bad morning, no fog or mist as the previous day, but some cloud.  As usual, Deb went for a shortish walk with the dog and we had breakfast when she returned.

I’d been sitting on the helm seat, camera in hand, hopeful of seeing the otters that I’ve been told are frequently seen there, or snatch a glimpse of a kingfisher, but there was an almost total absence of visible wildlife - just a heron returning to fish where he (or she’d) been fishing on Sunday afternoon.

Two of the hire boats moored there overnight, both Richardson’s, had left at about 08:00, but I think it was about 9(ish) when we set off, more to get hot water for showering than that because we were in a hurry.  We’d only gone a couple of hundred yards when we passed Simon on Pipedreams and exchanged cheerful waves as we passed.  I guessed he’d be bagging the mooring that we’d just vacated.

We crossed an almost deserted Barton Broad and were soon heading slowly down The Ant and through Irstead.  Both moorings were full, as was Johnny Crowes Staithe, scuppering any chance of mooring at either, so we carried on to How Hill, where there was plenty of space.  I moored at my favoured spot, opposite Turf Fen Mill, where the river is a little wider and with less chance of being hit by passing craft.

The clouds had cleared, leaving a clear blue sky, but by the time we’d showered, there were clouds coming in from the east, visible on the horizon.  We set off again, heading for Ludham Bridge, where we planned to moor and get rid of our rubbish.  There were only a few craft there, so I stopped on the shop side.  With so many mooring posts missing, it wasn’t easy securing the boat, but we managed.

Deb fancied an ice cream, so after depositing the bags of rubbish in the bins, we wandered round to the shop.  I went in and bought a couple of lollies and as I came out, I noticed someone walk by with a familiar looking dog.  It didn’t dawn on me until later that it was fellow forumite garryn.

Back at the boat and with ice creams consumed, we cast off and set off for our overnight mooring.  We turned left onto The Bure and then right onto Fleet Dyke and found a suitable spot at the broad end of the recently refurbished moorings on the bends.  The clouds had rolled in by now and it had turned chilly in the breeze.

We had lunch and settled down for a quiet afternoon.  Deb did some knitting and sewing and I downloaded a new book onto my Kindle and read.  A few boats passed, but it was generally very quiet.  We had dinner of chicken in a kind of barbecue sauce, with potatoes and sweetcorn, all washed down with a glass (or two) of wine.

There was nothing much on the TV, so I set up our Firestick and we started to watch old episodes of Shetland, before heading to bed as usual around 22:00.

 

[Tempest]

Excellent Blog @Mouldy

Glad you and Debs are enjoying your time on MS

I fancy a run up to Dilham on MS as its something we havent done for years when we were hiring 

Great pictures too

Enjoy!!

[bucket]

Lovely photos Mouldy, thank you for sharing..

[Mouldy]

Tuesday 18th April

We had a really peaceful night and woke to a lovely, sunny morning, but it had been chilly again, so the heating went on whilst I enjoyed a few extra minutes in bed.  When the boat had warmed up a little, we both got up and got ready.  Deb took Harley for a walk, while I took a few photos and flew a drone.

There was a bank of clouds on the horizon.  Sure enough and before too long, it had clouded over.  After our breakfast, we set off.  I headed down the dyke and onto South Walsham Broad.  The plan for the day didn’t include a great deal of cruising, so I continued onto the inner Broad, where I cruised around in an anti-clockwise loop, before returning to the outer Broad.  Spring hasn’t quite fully sprung yet, so the true nature of the area has yet to emerge, but it is a lovely part of the northern rivers.

We chugged back up to the junction with The Bure and turned right.  We needed water and Acle seemed as good a place as any.  By now, a fairly stiff breeze had developed and I was a little concerned about getting onto Bridgecraft’s moorings if the hoses at the old Horizoncraft basin hadn’t been put out, but fortunately there are two there.  I moored close by one and after showering, we topped up with water and set off again, destination Upton Dyke.

We wanted to have dinner at The White Horse, so we went down the dyke, hopeful that there’d be room to turn and moor.  Most of EW’s fleet appeared to be in, but there was space in the dyke itself to turn and with use of the bow thruster I managed to reverse the last fifty yards or so to the moorings.  We tied up and had some lunch.

Not long after we’d moored, the cloud cleared and the sun reappeared.  It was a lovely afternoon, but there was an edge in the breeze, making it feel quite chilly.  I’m not sure why, but it occurred to me that maybe I ought to phone and book a table.  Just as well that I did as it was their quiz night and they were fully booked!

Slightly miffed and with nothing on board for dinner, there was only one option!  The Lion!  We hastily cast off and set off back up The Bure.  There was plenty of space down Thurne Dyke, so with the breeze blowing quite briskly, I elected to reverse into the dyke and moor on the mill side.  With the boat tied up securely, I took a few photos before wandering down to the pub to pay the mooring fee and book a table.

Deb was busy knitting and I relaxed with my book (on Kindle), until it was time for dinner.  A few more boats had arrived, but there was still loads of space.  It really seems very quiet on the rivers this week indeed.  We shared a baked Camembert as a starter, followed by chicken supreme for Deb and chicken, ham and leek pie for me.  Deb had wine and I had a beer called ‘Somebody Call Chris.’  Improbable name for beer, but very palatable nonetheless.  It was all very good and the pub seemed quite busy, which was good to see.

Finished and with the bill paid, we wandered back to the boat and watched Hammond’s Workshop on TV, before retiring to bed.