A Week On Zircon Emblem

[SwanR]

Been a busy week since I got home so just getting round to writing this up now. We hadn't intended to have another holiday this year but with discounts being offered, and with a week's leave still to book from work, we decided the pull of the Broads was not to be ignored. I've wanted to try this boat for a while and will write a full review when we get to the end. For now, in the words of a well known song ... let's start at the very beginning!

Monday October 14th saw us loading up the car with everything we thought we might need for a week afloat in October. The possibility of chilly nights saw us take our usual sleeping bags supplemented with hot water bottles, warmer clothes including thermals were packed and hubby brought his fishing gear on the chance he might get an hour or two somewhere. We like to get a hot meal at lunchtime on day one so that we can moor wherever we like without wanting access to any services. On this occasion we decided to go via Potter Heigham and have an all day breakfast in Bridgestone's, pick up a couple of things in Latham's angling shop and then head onto Horning.

Ferry Marina was as welcoming as always. But what I thought was excellent service was that they made sure that they fitted our buoyancy aids before we were allowed to unload everything onto the boat, which was ready and waiting for us. Had a very nice chat with a fellow forumite who was taking over Silent Emblem, moored right next to us. Hope you had a great time MrBlueSky. :) And we had a nice chat with another couple who were going out on Rose Emblem, which we've hired previously. Told them to take care of my boat! ;)

Not sure what time we set off from the yard, but I reckon it was by 2.30pm which was great. The weather wasn't playing ball though so I took the lower helm inside the boat. Have to say this has great visibility and it wasn't a problem at all to helm and moor from inside the boat. Big thumbs up on that one as not all dual steer cruisers are as good as that. Didn't go too far, moored down Fleet Dyke to settle in and get unpacked.

 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

That`s not a bad looking boat.  It looks like it has that low deck behind the rear cabin, which looks like any large wash can get into the cabin though?.

[SwanR]

When we are afloat in the summer months we are often awake early and consequently one of the first boats to get away from the moorings and out onto the rivers. This week was different to that. The darker mornings saw us sleeping in and having a much more leisurely start to our days. There were a fair number of boats about but we had an idea which moorings would be busiest and where we would get in with no problems. So it was nice to cruise for a couple of hours, stop somewhere for coffee or lunch and then move on again later. At least that's what we did most days.

With a whole week instead of a short break we had thought that we would be more able to get to all the places we wanted to see on the north but knew that the tides would definitely not favour trying to go south with the shorter daylight hours. However, the tides had also been very high of late, and from what I've seen, the river levels are still quite well up in a number of places. We've encountered this almost every October we've been afloat. Zircon Emblem, even with everything down, has an air draft of 8'4. So we decided that Ludham Bridge was going to be difficult. Having done the top end of the Ant thoroughly back in March when we hired up there, we decided that this week would have to be the tale of the Bure and the Thurne! But I still managed one or two "firsts" as you will see ... I like to tick a few things off my list of "never done before" whenever I can.

Tuesday was therefore our first full day and we fancied a cruise around South Walsham Broad before heading back up Fleet Dyke. Well, the wind had other ideas. Through the week I was constantly reminded of how much more difficult a high sided boat can be when it's breezy! Fortunately I had plenty of room to come away from our mooring as the wind duly swung us round to face the other way. A bow thruster is no match for forces of nature in that situation. Nonetheless, I then managed to turn around by use of forward and reverse gears, so as to get our look at the inner and outer Broads after all.

We then went to Ranworth and I managed a stern on mooring on the side with no problem. We already wanted to top up the water. That was another feature of the week. Zircon has an amazing bathroom but the domestic flush toilet was probably what consumed more water than we usually use. Anyway ... I also got a couple of things from the shop that we had forgotten. I switched to the upper helm for the first time and we got back underway. A nice cruise along the Bure until we got past St Benet's and onto the more exposed stretch with the wind whipping across the flat landscape to either side. Next stop was Boundary Farm for lunch as time was getting on. I hadn't used the current moorings there before but came in slowly and everything was fine.

Once we reached Acle we simply turned around as we wanted to try to get in at Womack Water for the night. Hmmm ... turned out that we had left it a bit late and as luck wouldn't have it, several boats turned down the dyke ahead of us and any last moorings were gone ... no room at the inn ... not at Womack Water, Womack Island or even Womack Dyke. An about turn saw us head back down to Thurne Dyke, this being somewhere that we had never moored before. Oh my goodness ... the most embarrassing mess I have ever got myself in!! Managed to turn at the bottom fairly ok but the wind had decided to make my life very difficult. No matter which bank I went for I seemed to just end up across the dyke! I was backwards and forwards a few times, hitting the bank on both sides, before hubby managed to step off, secure the stern and get the bow pulled round.

Ok, one little moan here. There was a hire boat in front of us with a man fishing in the well who stood and watched the whole thing. I did feel a little aggrieved that he didn't offer to help given how much trouble I was having. If he had come along and offered to take a rope we could have avoided a lot of what happened. :(

Anyhow ... it was a lovely mooring. Hubby did a little fishing and caught his only fish of the week ... more on that another day. And the sunset was spectacular as the clouds rolled back to leave a beautiful evening.

 

[SwanR]

12 minutes ago, SPEEDTRIPLE said:

That`s not a bad looking boat.  It looks like it has that low deck behind the rear cabin, which looks like any large wash can get into the cabin though?.

It's a great boat and I was so glad we tried it. Hadn't thought about the wash at the back. It is a larger space there than on similar style older boats such as Silver Emblem. There is quite a high ledge to step over through the doors and then actually two quite deep steps down into the rear cabin. Not ideal therefore if you have mobility issues. I'll hopefully remember to mention this when I do my review but here's a photo I took so you can see what I mean.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Lovely pics of the evening sky Jean, i love to look at cloud structures, mother nature at her best. We had some stunning cloud scenes earlier this year down here in Dorset, the clouds were so heavily structured, you could mistake them for the alps. 

[YnysMon]

Lovely tale as always Jean. Your tale of mooring up in Thurne Dyke struck a chord!

[SwanR]

13 minutes ago, YnysMon said:

Lovely tale as always Jean. Your tale of mooring up in Thurne Dyke struck a chord!

It was a complete nightmare. I'm not sure I've ever got in that position before where I really thought I couldn't do it. We'd done quite a lot that day, first full day out as well, so we were both tired. Thing was that I knew the weather forecast for the next day wasn't great, so I had wanted a mooring where we would be happy to stay for a few hours if it was wet, preferably somewhere sheltered, hence why we headed for Womack Water ... you'll see whether I was proved right when I get the next day written up! 

[YnysMon]

Doesn’t help when you haven’t got used to the boat. They all handle differently. We hired two Fair Regents (1&3?)...you wouldn’t believe how different they were.

[Broads01]

Enjoying your tale Jean. It's amazing how wind affects some boats a lot more than others. Thurne isn't that easy to turn, especially for larger boats. I always try and get the bows well in to the little Dyke to the right before using reverse. Even having done that in September and with a modest 35 foot length, it took a few forward and reverses to turn afterwards. Depending on how far away from the mill your mooring spot is, it can be simpler just to reverse out. 

[Mouldy]

7 hours ago, Broads01 said:

. . . . . . . .  Depending on how far away from the mill your mooring spot is, it can be simpler just to reverse out. 

I have turned in Thurne Dyke itself on both Royall Commander and Moonlight Shadow, both of which have bow thrusters, but usually moor near the milll, two or three boat lengths in and reverse in.  Easier to get out if the Dyke is busy and nice views, too.

Good tale, Jean.  Always enjoy reading about other people’s adventures!

[grendel]

when we went there on lads week we filled the end 4 moorings up by the mill before the corner, easy enough to reverse out from there.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

We spun all 43ft of Lightning round inside the dyke about a third of the way up. I wouldn't do it any further up though, and definitely NOT while steering from inside. Whenever we moor stern on, or in tight confines, we ALWAYS steer from up top where 95% visibilty makes manoeuvring much easier. 

Looking forward to the rest of your talle Jean. 

[marshman]

As about 90% of my motoring is single handed, I frequently find that turning a boat on ropes is a doddle. Usually I am assisted by the wind or the current.

It amazes me how few people ever seem to realise this is an option, and in most cases an easier one!!

[MauriceMynah]

I find often on my own, GENTLY putting the nose into the bank and pushing the stern round ON TICKOVER does the trick

[Regulo]

You wouldn't believe how much trouble I get with the wind. And boat handling can be tricky, as well! High sided boats can be impossible in a cross wind, especially if you're working solo from an upper helm, where fast access to the bank isn't possible. By the time you're in a position to get safely ashore with a rope, the wind has done it's worst, and taken you where you don't need to be! Any assistance from others is greatly appreciated, and freely offered for my part, if I see others struggling.

[Seagypsy]

1 hour ago, marshman said:

As about 90% of my motoring is single handed, I frequently find that turning a boat on ropes is a doddle. Usually I am assisted by the wind or the current.

It amazes me how few people ever seem to realise this is an option, and in most cases an easier one!!

Agree I find it works well and as you say quite easy.

[Seagypsy]

29 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

I find often on my own, GENTLY putting the nose into the bank and pushing the stern round ON TICKOVER does the trick

Often use that method works very well at Coltishall Lock

[SwanR]

So ... where were we ... ah yes, moored at Thurne Dyke. Not much to report for Wednesday really. It did indeed dawn windy and wet. The showers kept blowing through and as I had predicted we decided to stay where we were for a while. Just didn't see any point heading off in poor visibility. We relaxed on the boat for the morning and watched the world go by. It worked out well as I had the idea to go to The Lion for lunch and then have a cruise in the afternoon by which time the weather was supposed to improve.

We hadn't ever been to The Lion before ... yes, something else to tick off my list. About 11.30 we saw Robin walk past with a few people and soon realised that Lads Week had indeed moored at the far end of the dyke by the river. By the time we went out for our lunch, there was a large group of men to walk through in the bar! Can't quite remember what we ate except that it was very good value from their lunchtime offer for two courses. And it is definitely somewhere that we will go back to. 

On the way out I saw Griff just outside the bar and said a quick hello. Didn't quite have the courage to go looking for any other forum members amongst the Lads so apologies to anyone I missed! Maybe next time. 

Back on board it was still breezy but we decided to head off. Between hubby and I we got away from the bank and made a safe exit from the dyke. Turning left we headed back down the Thurne and then along the Bure to Salhouse Broad. The sun had come out and it was the best part of the day. Can't quite recall what time we arrived, probably around 3.30pm. We knew there would be plenty of room and having eaten out at lunchtime we were able to relax on the boat for the rest of the day.

[SwanR]

Thursday morning dawned with beautiful sunshine for a change. We had decided that this was the one morning that we would get up and away a little earlier to make the most of the good weather. Hubby filled up the water while I wiped down the upper helm ... clearing windows of condensation every morning was another theme of this week with the chilly nights. And of course to helm from on top that also meant being well wrapped up as it did get quite cold and very breezy up there.

We cruised into Wroxham but didn't need to stop for anything. Barnes Brinkcraft looked quite full, I could only see one space other than on their pontoons where you have to be under a certain length to moor. Didn't see many of their boats out. There were quite a few of Richardson's older boats around and actually a good number from Ferry Marina which wasn't surprising given the offer they had on. Anyway, I turned before we got to the bridge and we went back the way we had come. We managed to moor on the waterfront at FM as we wanted a pumpout. There is both a water gauge and a waste tank gauge on this boat so we were easily able to see how things were going. Once that was done we decided to stay there for a while and then get lunch in the Clubhouse which is a cafe come restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, where Pedro's used to be. 

The staff were lovely, the food was good and the atmosphere friendly and welcoming. I would definitely recommend giving them a go and hope they do well.

After lunch we cruised almost as far as the Ant mouth and then back to Ranworth. There was space on the staithe but we opted for the Island. We just like the seclusion when it's quiet and hubby had it in mind to fish for a while which would be easier sitting on the bank there. Zircon isn't a boat you can easily fish from. However ... things did not go according to plan. 

Knowing that the forecast for the next day was for rain, and that we would probably want to leave using the lower helm, we decided to make sure that we could switch this back, having been on the upper helm all day. This had been a bit stiff earlier in the week. Long story short, we absolutely knew we had both helms in neutral but could not get this changed round. I called the yard and we had a chat with them. Decided we would take the boat back there for them to look at as it was only about 3.30 and we weren't that far away really. Hmmm ... started the engine, hubby took the ropes off, I put the throttle forward ... lots of revs but no movement!! Called to hubby to get the ropes back on if he could, which he duly did. Phoned the yard again and within 40 minutes they were out to us on their little boat.

What I had surmised turned out to be correct. The upper helm was jammed in gear and in fact the cable had now snapped. Quite fortunate that this didn't happen while we were out on the river. But there you go, it's a boat, it has mechanics, and these things happen. The very nice engineer got the helm control back onto lower and we agreed we would go back to the yard the next day. We were just glad to know that we weren't marooned and settled in for the evening.

 

[YnysMon]

Oh er, Jean.
As many have said previously, all boats go wrong sometime or other. Sounds like you had a prompt response from Ferry Marina though.

Helen

[SwanR]

1 minute ago, YnysMon said:

 Sounds like you had a prompt response from Ferry Marina though.

We certainly did. And they didn't quibble at all over the fact that they had to get to us by boat, given that we were moored somewhere with no land access.

[Broads01]

12 hours ago, MauriceMynah said:

I find often on my own, GENTLY putting the nose into the bank and pushing the stern round ON TICKOVER does the trick

Thanks for the tip. I've done something similar when I've had a crew member on hand to hold a bow rope tightly round a post but I've never thought of doing it solo. 

[SwanR]

Ok ... onto Friday ... another day that started with some showery rain so we were glad that we had now got control of the lower helm for the short cruise back from Ranworth to Horning. Left the boat with the yard and drove into Potter Heigham. We needed a few bits of shopping which we got in Latham's ... having first walked through full on Christmas which couldn't be avoided as it was just inside the door!!! A quick coffee break in BridgeStone's and then back to Ferry Marina. 

A very nice group of three lads were working on our boat. All in all it took them a couple of hours to get the cable to the upper helm fixed. Apparently FM didn't fit out this boat, they bought it in, and as such things hadn't been fitted out in the way that they would have done it. They had to unscrew various panels and pull things apart to get to where they needed to be.

Anyway ... job done we left Horning about 12, cruised the Bure down to just past the Thurne before turning back and mooring down Fleet Dyke as we needed a lunch stop. But it was very windy and we decided we didn't want to stay there for the night. So back to Ranworth we went and moored on the Island again. Hubby had just set up to fish when the first heavy shower blew through, followed by torrential rain, hailstones and thunder. Oh dear ... no fish biting again.

We spent a quiet evening again, just one other boat moored there. No-one came to collect any money on either night that we were there so a free mooring this time round.

 

[SwanR]

Saturday dawned with blue skies and was one of the best mornings of the week. It clouded up later and was still a breezy day but we used the upper helm all day, wrapped up in thermals and winter jackets but it was lovely to be in the fresh air making the most of what Zircon has to offer.

We needed water so decided that if we could get onto Ranworth Staithe we might as well do that before leaving the Broad. There were a couple of spaces on the front ... I tried them both! Yes, I provided the morning's entertainment by taking three attempts to moor. Just kept drifting across and by the time I could think what to do I was in the wrong place! So I went round again and made it safely in on my third attempt.

Anyway ... we soon left and had a lovely cruise round to Womack Water. It was such a beautiful morning so we moored up there and stayed for a couple of hours. Hubby had another go at fishing while I went for a little walk to stretch my legs. But we didn't really want to stay there, we hadn't cruised enough to want to stop. Chatted with a very nice young couple out on Gleaming Light, Herbert Wood's new boat. They had also found that they couldn't get under Ludham Bridge because of the very high water levels.

Where to go? Didn't fancy Potter Heigham as the wind would only have made it challenging to turn the boat anywhere near that bridge ... so we repeated our cruise of a few days earlier and went all the way along the Bure to Salhouse Broad. You're probably spotting the pattern here and can see why I said right at the start that this was a week spent on the Thurne and the Bure. And despite having seven nights we had ended up spending two nights at Ranworth and two nights at Salhouse. But there's nothing wrong with that when there are places that you enjoy.

I enjoyed relaxing on the boat while hubby tried his luck at fishing again. There were quite a few boats arrived later. This was the start of half term for some areas so it wasn't surprising to see boats from NBD and Barnes arriving after 4pm. There was a definite shift to seeing more families afloat.

 

[Bluebell]

On 28/10/2019 at 09:26, marshman said:

As about 90% of my motoring is single handed, I frequently find that turning a boat on ropes is a doddle. Usually I am assisted by the wind or the current.

It amazes me how few people ever seem to realise this is an option, and in most cases an easier one!!

Same here, mostly on my Tod. Have learned over the years to use the ropes quite effectively. The trick is use the wind and/or tide plus long ropes😀