Norfolk Lady Tales

[Mouldy]

5 hours ago, CambridgeCabby said:

May I ask who you got to make your burgee please ?

Certainly can.  Gina at Sewing Ark made it.  Well pleased.  She has a Facebook page (just search for Sewing Ark) or can be emailed at sewingark@btinternet.com

[Kron]

Gorgeous  photos. Definitely a competition contender in there!

[Mouldy]

8 hours ago, YnysMon said:

Lovely to meet you both briefly at Pye's Mill.

Maybe we need to organise a meal out as Polly suggested and have a proper chat.

8 hours ago, YnysMon said:

Beautiful photos Malcolm. Especially the early morning ones.

Thanks Helen.  Photography has been a lifelong passion since my dad bought me a camera when I was about seven.  When the weather and the scenery are so stunning, I am thankful we now use digital and not film!

[Mouldy]

So it’s the end of another weekend on Norfolk Lady, or second since she’s was out of the water for antifoul, polish, wax and lots of other work.  She is certainly looking a lot better for it, although my wallet is looking a little sad at the moment.  I’ve also managed to get some ballast at the bow, so she no longer looks like a ski boat.  Much more civilised.

 It’s fair to say that the weather has been mixed.  It started raining as we pulled up at our home marina on Friday night, there was a beautiful sunrise on Saturday, folowwed by a glorious Norfolk morning, however it wasn’t long before the rain started again, coupled with some gusty winds. 

We had lunch before casting off and heading for Langley Dyke, which was to be our mooring for the night.  We found our spot at the end, sheltered from the wind and settled down for the evening.  The wife knitted and I did a couple of crosswords as darkness fell.  Later, I made our dinner and we watched tv for a while before turning in at about 22:00.  It had rained off and on all evening, but had eased as I turned out the lights.

For once, I slept in, not waking until about 06:45, so clambered out of bed and pulled back the curtains to reveal another lovely sunrise.  Not the deep red of the previous day,  but a lovely, warm, golden glow, lighting the Dyke aft of the boat.  I pulled on some clothes and grabbed my camera to get a few shots.  The wind had dropped and there were patches of blue sky developing as the sun rose.

We set off about 09:00, heading for Rockland Staithe.  It wasn’t long before we were there, so moored near the electric post and plugged into the mains.  The water was piping hot from our cruise so we took our turns to shower, before having brunch of bacon, tomatoes, scrambled eggs and mushrooms.

The sun was out and we sat at the stern for a while, enjoying the day, before casting off for our final, short cruise back to Brundall.  Some other craft arrived while we were there, one being Ranworth Breeze, although I didn’t see who was at the helm.

Norfolk Lady has been tidied, ready for our next trip, which will be longer.  I can’t wait!

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Really lovely pics Malcolm, glad the shake down cruise went well. We`ll be back on Lightning next March, so hopefully will see you around on the rivers. 

[YnysMon]

Thanks Malcolm. Lovely pics as always. Norfolk Lady is looking good too!

[NorfolkNog]

9 hours ago, YnysMon said:

Thanks Malcolm. Lovely pics as always. Norfolk Lady is looking good too!

Certainly is looking good. Quality Swancraft job by any chance? 

[Mouldy]

3 hours ago, NorfolkNog said:

 . . . . . . Quality Swancraft job by any chance? 

How did you guess, or did you see it on their Faceache page?

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

I did wonder whether they are able to facilitate a syndicate boat operation, re maintainance, turnarounds, fuel and pump out, and on shore facilities etc?. I may have a look at their faceache page and put the question to them?. 

[Matt]

I did wonder whether they are able to facilitate a syndicate boat operation, re maintainance, turnarounds, fuel and pump out, and on shore facilities etc?. I may have a look at their faceache page and put the question to them?. 

They don’t currently open Saturdays.


Sent from my iPhone using Norfolk Broads Network

[Mouldy]

1 hour ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

I did wonder whether they are able to facilitate a syndicate boat operation, re maintainance, turnarounds, fuel and pump out, and on shore facilities etc?. I may have a look at their faceache page and put the question to them?. 

Hi Neil.  We did approach them with a view to moving Moonlight Shadow there, but they were unable to help.  It's a pity, as their standards are high, but they are not really geared up to turn round syndicate boats at the weekend.

[oldgregg]

4 hours ago, Mouldy said:

they are not really geared up to turn round syndicate boats at the weekend.

There aren't that many yards who are, in reality.

It needs someone geared up for syndicates, so breakdowns, callouts etc and in reality that needs to be someone who runs a hirefleet.

They also need to have someone in the yard on 50 saturdays of the year and who has capacity to resolve issues when the boat comes back on a Friday with a problem.

[Vaughan]

Oldgregg's post is well worth thinking about. It is all very well to have the benefits of a syndicate boat but there are a lot of background logistics involved.

[NorfolkNog]

Hi Malcolm - avoid Facebook like the plague but recognised the sight of a gleaming hull from the old hire days - they really were some of the best, if not the best, turned out boats on the Broads.

I agree, as others have mentioned, Swancraft are not really geared up to do syndicate boats although I'm sure they would do an excellent job if they did.

Apologies because I think we are drifting again!!!  

[OldBerkshireBoy]

8 hours ago, Mouldy said:

Hi Neil.  We did approach them with a view to moving Moonlight Shadow there, but they were unable to help.  It's a pity, as their standards are high, but they are not really geared up to turn round syndicate boats at the weekend.

If you consider the fact that they did the whole hire fleet thing with manic turnaround days, maintenance & breakdowns, fuel and pump outs for some years is it actually worth it for one boat.

If they are happy as they are now turning out quality workmanship new builds & grp repairs & re-fits plus doing proper full servicing and solving electric faults work and having weekends off then is it not a case of Been there, Done that & Got the Tee shirt?  

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

16 minutes ago, OldBerkshireBoy said:

If you consider the fact that they did the whole hire fleet thing with manic turnaround days, maintenance & breakdowns, fuel and pump outs for some years is it actually worth it for one boat.

If they are happy as they are now turning out quality workmanship new builds & grp repairs & re-fits plus doing proper full servicing and solving electric faults work and having weekends off then is it not a case of Been there, Done that & Got the Tee shirt?  

First of all, syndicate boats are not hire boats, and are looked after by proud owners, they are not a cheap form of hire boat, us owners look after our investment just like outright owners. With that in mind, all they would have to do is do a re-fuel and pump out like they would for existing berth holders. As for breakdowns, Lightning is covered by Boulters, not our home yard of Brooms.  

People really must distance syndicate owners from hirers, we're proud owners who can't afford, or justify, outright ownership. 

Anyway, sorry to divert your thread Malcolm, I may start a thread on this subject elsewhere. 

[OldBerkshireBoy]

47 minutes ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

First of all, syndicate boats are not hire boats, and are looked after by proud owners, they are not a cheap form of hire boat, us owners look after our investment just like outright owners. With that in mind, all they would have to do is do a re-fuel and pump out like they would for existing berth holders. As for breakdowns, Lightning is covered by Boulters, not our home yard of Brooms.  

People really must distance syndicate owners from hirers, we're proud owners who can't afford, or justify, outright ownership. 

Anyway, sorry to divert your thread Malcolm, I may start a thread on this subject elsewhere. 

Wasn`t what I meant at all. Anyway I don`t follow your logic when you can agree to a post before about a yard being geared up for it then rip me.

[NorfolkNog]

1 hour ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

Anyway, sorry to divert your thread Malcolm, I may start a thread on this subject elsewhere

I think that's a very kind thought

It is a very interesting discussion but maybe leave this thread to Malcolm's holiday tale?  

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

1 hour ago, OldBerkshireBoy said:

Wasn`t what I meant at all. Anyway I don`t follow your logic when you can agree to a post before about a yard being geared up for it then rip me.

Hi Obb, 

I was'nt ripping into you, but i'l comment elsewhere tomorrow when I have more time, and don't want to divert Malcoms thread anymore. 

[JanetAnne]

I can see you..... 

Oops, poor piccy through condensation clad windows 

[Mouldy]

7 hours ago, JanetAnne said:

I can see you..... 

Oops, poor piccy through condensation clad windows 

Well I’m blowed!  If I’d have known, I’d have stopped by to say hello!😀

[Mouldy]

Saturday 16th November

We we’re due to have been on Moonlight Shadow this week and had both booked the week off work, but wanted to have an extended break on Norfolk Lady.   It had been looking as if we were going to be disappointed for a while, as I’d succumbed to  bout of gastroenteritis, which had led me to lose a stone and a half in weight over the preceding 12 days.  I had started to eat again on Thursday, but was feeling somewhat fragile, so we elected to travel on Saturday morning, instead Friday evening, as we usually do.

As it turned out, the decision had been a good one.  We left Northampton at about 07:25 and I was in the Co-Op in Brundall by 09:40, picking up a few bits that we needed, before heading to the boatyard and Norfolk Lady.  It was a grey, overcast day, but thankfully it wasn’t raining and we were able to transfer our things onto the boat in the dry.  We left the yard at about 11:00, with more or less everything put away and the boat looking ship shape.  The cloud had broken a little and for a few minutes there was a hint of a watery blue sky, but it wasn’t long before the cloud cover returned and so it remained for the rest of the day.

My intended destination for Saturday night was Oulton Broad, so we headed out, turning left onto The Yare.  As you can imagine, the river was quiet, but we were passed by at least three other boats before we got to Reedham and another passed in the opposite direction as we navigated the New Cut.

I was concerned that my plan might have been thwarted by a combination of high river levels and Somerleyton Bridge.  Upon our arrival, my fears were realised and the height markers showed three inches less clearance than we needed, so we moored up to wait and see whether the ebbing tide would generate the enough room, but another private craft chugged by and held station, waiting for the bridge to open, so we took our opportunity, cast off and waited with him.  The bridge soon opened and we followed the other craft through. 

I’d phoned ahead earlier to check that there would be room on the pontoon moorings at Oulton Broad and we were told there should be no problem with space.  It was beginning to get dark as we chugged across the broad, so we quickly moored up, connected to the 240v supply and settled down for the evening.  

We had dinner of breaded cod fillets, that had been bought earlier from the Co-Op, with some boiled new potatoes at about 18:30.  I was being careful not to eat anything heavy or spicy in view of my recent condition.  By about 21:00, I was feeling tired, so went to bed, leaving the wife to watch something on tv that she’d been following.  It had been a long day and I didn’t take much rocking before I fell asleep.

Not many photos from today, partly due to the uninspiring weather and partly because I was still feeling somewhat fragile, but more will follow through the week.

[YnysMon]

Thanks for posting Malcolm, and looking forward to hearing more. Sorry to hear you had been poorly. Hope it didn’t affect the rest of your time on Norfolk Lady.
Helen and Graham 

[Mouldy]

Sunday 17th November

I woke on Sunday feeling slightly elated.  Despite having real food instead of dry toast and Dioralyte, I hadn’t had to rush to the toilet overnight.  Maybe, just maybe, I was on the mend.  With the heating on, the boat soon warmed up.  The kettle and immersion heater were both on, too, so I decided to try a cop of tea for the first time in almost two weeks, but black with honey, rather than how I usually take it.

Debbie pulled some clothes on and took Harley for a walk whilst I went for a shower and to get ready.  When the wife returned, she went for her shower and got ready too.  We had some breakfast, just a little scrambled egg on dry toast for me,  before I topped up with water tank with the nearby hose.
I fancied a stroll around the park, so picked up my camera and all three of us (including the dog) went for a wander.  The scene across the broad was very different to when we had been iced in back in February.  It was cloudy, but dry as least.  I called into the office and paid the mooring fee as we went past.

Aside from a few folk walking their dogs, the park was quiet, but it was pleasant enough.  We returned to Norfolk Lady and cast off at about 11:15, destination Beccles.  As might be expected, the rivers were quiet, although we did pass two or three other craft heading back along the Waveney.

We were in no great hurry and turned into Beccles Yacht Station about two hours later.  I selected my spot, near an electric post, halfway between an Elysian aft cockpit and a wooden aft cockpit cruiser.  Once secured, I went to plug in the 240v, only to find that the posts and payment system have been changed since we were last there and the cards were specific to BYS and only available from the Harbourmasters office, which closed at 13:00.   Bugger!!!!

We weren’t going to let the prospect of a chilly night defeat us, the heating on the boat works and we would have to run the engine for hot water, so we got ready and walked into Beccles, calling into the Co-Op for some supplies.

We whiled away the afternoon, the wife knitting while I did a couple of crosswords and read a book.  In the evening, we had a dinner of chicken breasts, boiled new potatoes and carrots.  We watched tv for a while before turning in at about 21:30.

[YnysMon]

Thanks Malcolm. Looks like you had some decent quiet weather. Where’s the photo of the ducks on what looks like a river taken from?