Holiday In Antigua (well, Aboard)

[catcouk]

First time I've kept a diary but here we go...

We arrived at Richardson's Stalham marina just before 1.30pm. Thanks to Covid, things look VERY different. Arrival reminded me of queuing to board a ferry with two lines of cars waiting to be greeted. Reception meet you in your car rather than allowing you inside. Very friendly staff as always who directed us to Swan Quay where Antigua 2 (a 1985 Aquafibre Entrepreneur 38, sliding canopy) was already prepared for us.

Thanks to some serious accidents this year, there are also banners everywhere telling you to wear life jacket. A message strongly reinforced by the staff - both told us of two fatal accidents this year which forum members will have no doubt read about.

Covid meant that we didn't need to go anywhere other than our boat (which we drive past on the first attempt). Lifejackets were aboard waiting for us (lovely to have the easy to wear gas cannister versions). Two sets of bedding were missing but the staff member could not have been friendlier or more helpful.

Richardson's are to be commended - their Covid procedures were brilliant and we were away within 45 minutes of arriving. Very slick and surrounded by friendly people. My only gripe would be that I was taken to the front of the boat to check deck gear before I had my lifejacket - oops!

A lovely 90 minute autumnal cruise down the Ant ensued. Breezy across Barton Broad but that allowed many dinghies and even a few yachts to enjoy some sailing. Our newest crew member had a go on the helm - she found it nerve racking and not at all like driving a car!

One oddity was the speed of a 'recovery' boat - it was heading back to its base so I can't see a reason for the speed. I won't mention where it was from.

Arrived at our overnight mooring where there was plenty of space at Ludham Bridge just before 4pm. After mooring up, we went for the obligatory visit to the Ludham Bridge store where our toddler bought himself an ice cream (just before dinner...).

Took the boy on a quick ride on his balance bike up the river, to the toilet block, and over the bridge to briefly visit the BA moorings. We fed the ducks some raisins (and a single greedy swan) whilst our friends cooked up some lovely chicken fajitas and, once the boy is asleep, it will be time for some board games.

Weather has been good to us. Only two very brief light showers. Otherwise, it was good enough for us to cruise from Barton Broad to Ludham Bridge with the top down. We have seen some lightning to the North but nothing to bother us.

Great to finally be here - first time at this time of year...

PS - The signal at Ludham Bridge is rubbish (I'm on Three, and Richardson's provide free WiFi on EE - neither were very good signals).

[Sam]

Hope you have a wonderful holiday.

[YnysMon]

Sounds like you had a good start to your holiday. Looking forward to reading the rest of your adventures. Have a great time!

[SwanR]

Looking forward to reading the rest of your tale and seeing more photos. 👍

[catcouk]

Managed to edit this photo so you can see a toddler enjoying ice cream but keeping his identity a mystery... Good ice cream advert for the store?

[catcouk]

A day of disaster...

After getting the milk we forgot from the stores, we set off just before 8am. No disasters yet. Got the roof back up to avoid freezing - we've decided that our heating system is fairly useless (not that we kept it on over night).

We were chugging past Thurne toward Acle when our onboard water pressure dropped (it had been lousy all morning). We realised that Richardson's hadn't refilled us - oops! We had only had a few kettles worth, not even showered yet.

Breakfast caused an issue too - the microwave started to smoke while some ready break was heated up. Overnight, one of the beds in the rear cabin had been dripped on quite a bit. We assumed excessive condensation. Bad things come in threes (water, microwave, bedding) - I informed Richardson's of our situation and said we'd be heading for Stokesby or Stracey Arms.

Moored up outside Pedro's at Acle and spent £2 to refill. Unbelievably, it took an hour! Had I known it was going to take an hour, I'd have asked the boatyard to meet us there (as it turned out, it was best they hadn't).

Our plans to let the boy have a run around the play park at Stokesby were stuffed, so we headed for Stracey Arms. On the way, we started to use the showers and discovered that emptying the forward shower tray causes the rear shower tray to fill up! Another phone call...

The donkeys and Shetland ponies at Stracey Arms were an absolute highlight of the day. We were surprised to see them come right up to boat - who knew they like duck food? An obligatory picture of Mrs Catcouk looking excited at the donkeys is attached.

An engineer met us at Stracey and was great. He gave us replacement bedding and a new microwave (which I did not expect this late in the season). The shower trays were a bit of a mystery but a bit of jigging around with the impeller got us sorted.

Glad to see our holiday woes behind us (this is called foreshadowing), we set off for the South. With such high bookings, I was surprised how quiet the lower Bute and the yacht station were. I guess quite a few, sadly, have lost holidays due to lockdown.

Crossing Breydon was fun - an absolute rain storm blew in about half way across and followed us down the Waveney. The rain helped us to discover the internal water features our boat has...

It became apparent that the drips from last night are actually water ingress below the window. More damp bedding. A fruit bowl is now employed to lessen the issue. But that is nothing compared with the torrent coming through the front screen - I went out in full waterproofs to inspect the sliding roof. It had been returned properly, all clamps securely fastened. The rain was just coming over the screen and into the canopy. Water has covered the 'dashboard', made a puddle by the master suite, and just generally made us miserable. My toddler also slipped through the puddle leading us to place a towel on the floor permanently (thus loosing ...

We had hoped to stop at Berney Arms for a stroll but a combination of leaving late, taking forever to refill water, and waiting for the engineer nicked that plan too. Mind you, in the rain, even fully clad in waterproofs, I'm not sure it would have been much fun!

We've moored up at the BA moorings at St. Olaves. We arrived about 3.50 but it was getting seriously dark with the thick clouds and fowl weather. We phoned Richardson's again because of how bad the water through the front is. I don't mind a few drips but surely water everywhere is unacceptable? I'd love your thoughts. They were on their way to see us.

There was also a surprising incident of bumper boats, but I'll share that else where.

Writing this at 8pm, I was about to moan about being left in this state. But, as if on cue, there was a knock at the back door. At 8.15 pm, in the pitch black, two lovely engineers turned up to help us. A VERY liberal application  if silicone has ensured that back window is water tight (my friend described them as the Chuckle brothers - they sounded like they were having a great time).

We could not has asked for more. They apologised for the water ingress through the front screen. He could do nothing about it but explained that the driving rain caused all of these types of boat to leak (the weather has certainly been awful). He did offer to seal it up but we need to get back through bridges.

In the morning, they'll bring us fresh bedding and a bag of towels ready to get through Thursday's inevitable leaks. My friend called this service 'excellent' and that we couldn't have asked for more (which I totally agree with). She did start a discussion that maybe these hire boats should come with a warning if this is a known problem...

We're going to settle down for the night - our friend is going to sleep round the fruit bowl to keep close to someone else for warmth. She could sleep in the wheel house but we reckon she'd freeze. We've got sleeping bags and can probably make something work with spare blankets until tomorrow.

A very disappointing day but we've finished it with lovely sausages and chips, and board games wrapped in blankets. To be fair, a magnetic version of Bullseye has provided a lot of laughter. And the engineers were great company too - excellent service Richardson's. Thank you!

A better day tomorrow - supposed to be some sunshine. Maybe the roof will come down?

[YnysMon]

Hope you have better weather tomorrow! Nothing worse than having wet bedding etc.

How was the tide whilst you were at St Olaves? The only time we’ve moored there it was pretty fierce. We had a nice controlled ferry glide in against the tide. I’d hate to think what mooring would be like there if you didn’t use the tide to help. 

[SwanR]

It is a beautiful sunny morning. Hope you have a better day without needing the Chuckle Brothers back. But well done to Richardson’s for coming out and doing what they could. 

[oldgregg]

Richardson's engineers and overall service are always really good, particularly when you factor in the price you paid for the holiday.

It has to be said that the Mk1 Fair Entrepreneur is not the best piece of boat design the world has ever seen. There is a lot of space inside, purely because the design of the hull and superstructure is so box-like, but the layouts are a little mad and the attention to detail is poor. Richardson's aren't to blame for that in any way though as they didn't build them.

Has anyone slept in the 'kennel' to the right of the saloon? It is actually long enough for an adult but getting in and out is a bit of a challenge.

The MK2 (ie Jewel of Light) has a drastically-improved hull which introduced 'handling' to the list of features, which seemed to mostly have been achieved by adding 2ft to the length of each model in order to have a proper pointy end and still maintain similar interior space. 

[catcouk]

8 hours ago, SwanR said:

It is a beautiful sunny morning.

It sure was!

[catcouk]

2 hours ago, oldgregg said:

Richardson's engineers and overall service are always really good, particularly when you factor in the price you paid for the holiday.

It has to be said that the Mk1 Fair Entrepreneur is not the best piece of boat design the world has ever seen.

I totally agree - the boatyard have been awesome. I do question whether this class of boat should be available for the whole season - definitely a fair weather boat! The space is great but there are a few odd design choices. Our friend who's with us fancies herself about designer - she's had many suggestions for improvements!

2 hours ago, oldgregg said:

Has anyone slept in the 'kennel' to the right of the saloon? It is actually long enough for an adult but getting in and out is a bit of a challenge.

Not yet. Both me and Mrs C have tried it our for size. As you say, removing oneself from the whole is a less than glamorous affair! We've said that's the punishment bedroom for anyone who misbehaves... To be fair to Richardson's, they describe the bunk as a child's bunk only suitable for under 11s.

[catcouk]

Our morning started with the most glorious Autumnal sunshine and blue skies. We needed to travel South from St. Olaves and, alas, the bridge clearance was not in our favour at 7am. This meant lowering the canopy. Despite the sunshine, it was... Shall we say bracing?

With Somerleyton swing bridge only marginally taller, and less than 30 minutes away, it made sense to leave the canopy down. After passing the sunny moorings at Somerleyton, we could (maybe should) have put the roof up. But, due to the sunshine contrasting so much with yesterday, it was unanimously agreed we'd make the most of it.

Although we had MANY layers on (and blankets for those not at the helm, i.e. everyone but me), we received fantastic rewards. Nature came out in full force and we were greeted by all manner of waterfowl and birds of prey. And a train - much to my son's approval.

We moored up beside the playground at Beccles yacht station. I've never been to Beccles so this was a main feature for this voyage. Beautiful town, chatted with some lovely people, resupplied, and most crucially, had a caramel cream doughnut from Greggs!

I topped up the water whilst the others had an ice cream and took our toddler to the playground. So far, I think this is the best children's playground on the Broads - our toddler loved it. As we departed (literally chugging off), the staff member from the yacht station told me I should have paid for water. Feeling incredibly guilty, I offered to moor up again but he kindly waived the fee. As I said, I've never been here before. I saw no signs. Was I naive? If there had been a sign (like the honesty box Ludham Bridge used to have), I would have paid. This left me feeling a bit down - I love the Broads and am passionate about doing my part. Sorry.

Now, passing under Beccles old road bridge was to be my boating highlight for this trip. The gauge suggested we were slightly over the available height. However, I know the identical Highland Gem is rated a good 6" less air draft than us and gauged are often a bit pessimistic. I decided to go for it - even unfurling the canopy covers so they were flat.

I approached dead slow with just enough throttle to give me steering. I was also prepared to go straight for reverse. The tide was falling (and pushing against us) so I could abort at any moment. There was also no traffic. As we approached, both myself and Mrs C agreed we'd fit but it would be tight.

Beccles old road bridge provides an extra challenge because of the slight arch - it was becoming clear that we could navigate the centre of the bridge but it wouldn't need us to be very far off to find ourselves pinned. This all felt very dramatic but I'm sure more seasoned boaters would have gone through without breaking a sweat. It was very exciting for us, as we cleared with maybe an inch to spare, and some precision helming required.

But it was SO worth it. We cruised down to Geldeston to sight see. No time to moor up but I had heard that this section of the Waveney was beautiful. We were not disappointed.  As before, we cruised with the top down. It was lovely to see so many rowers, kayakers, and paddle boarders. The nature was stunning - we were lucky enough to see a kingfisher sitting proudly on a branch over the water. He stayed long enough for me to turn around and for us to attempt a photo. My friend got the best one.

Turning our 38ft cruiser at the end of the dyke by Rowan craft at Geldeston proved more fun than anticipated. I managed a 5 point turn but I could probably have managed in 3 if I'd been braver. With only Oulton Broad left on my tick list (for another time), the aims of this holiday were over.

I think I was most surprised not to see a single other cruiser on this leg if our journey. It was amazing to have our own but of river. There weren't any visiting boats at either the locks or village staithes. I know the bridge restricts traffic but I thought it would be similar to the Bure above Wroxham bridge.

We left Geldeston just after 2pm with Waveney River Centre (WRC) our intended destination for the night. Once again, we passed the beautiful gardens and massive houses of Beccles. Mrs C helmed the boat back through Beccles bridge - what a difference in tide. An extra foot made this a bit easier.

We passed through just before 3pm and with near perfect timing. We were getting a bit chilly so had decided to raise the canopy. Up to this point, we had always moored to do this. But the weather forced swifter action. One of our friends took the helm whilst Mrs C and I raised the weighty canopy like a well practised drill - only a few drops got in. As I said, near perfect timing.

We arrived at WRC about 4pm. Mrs C decided this would be an excellent time to have a go at stern mooring for her first time. I was a bit worried this might be less than ideal as I had expected a busy marina. Fortunately, there were only two others in, so I relented and let her loose. Although she wanted (and gratefully received) detailed guidance from me, she performed a near perfect mooring whilst our friends stepped ashore with ease to tie up. Dead proud of her.

We went to pay our mooring fees so we could access what, as I understood it, are the best showers on the Broads. I thought WRC were a bit cheeky here. They went to charge us the full £12 until I questioned the hire boat federation discount (free mooring but £5 to access the showers and toilets). I wonder how many others have been caught out?

Our evening was finished in the Wherry Inn. Lovely food and very friendly staff. No full fat Coke or Pepsi though - as a teetotaler, I depend on my caffeine fix! My pizza base was sadly a bit stodgy too (almost like a budget pizza base from Tesco) but everything else was spot on.

A much better day today. Our friendly engineer even dropped off replacement bedding and some towels whilst we were moored at Beccles. Tomorrow's weather is looking a lot wetter - just need to get within reach of Stalham for Friday morning...

[NorfolkNog]

Great write up and pictures, thank you. I wouldn't worry about the water at Beccles. There is a fee to moor there (certainly overnight) and the sign giving the details is near the harbourmasters office I think. But you weren't to know and did offer to pay, I think your conscience is clear! The guys there and at Oulton Broad are very good and helpful. 

I'm wondering if your missus doesn't drive? Its often said that children handle boats best as they have no driving experience. 

That stretch of the river to Geldeston is beautiful indeed. Glad you made it. Again you did exactly the right thing going slowly under. That bridge is deceptive and caught many people out. There is quite a substantial rise and fall there so care is needed. 

Enjoy the rest of the trip! 

[NorfolkNog]

........there yer go.....

but no reason to see it when you moored up, I wouldn't worry!!! 

[vanessan]

7 hours ago, NorfolkNog said:

........there yer go.....

but no reason to see it when you moored up, I wouldn't worry!!! 

I think you are a bit out of date with this pic Mr Nog. Beccles Yacht Station is now run by the town council and their charges are a tad different. Having said that, I can’t remember seeing anything about a water charge on their new signs. 

[catcouk]

Fair enough if there is a sign. Just surprised they didn't put little ones by the hoses. Even if it just said 'don't forget to pay'. But I know for next time. Beccles is lovely so I've no doubt we'll be back!

[NorfolkNog]

Ah, thanks Lady V - that was taken last year. Apologies to the OP 

They did offer to pay so no harm done I'm sure 

[SwanR]

Lovely photos and write up. I haven’t moored at Beccles for a few years now so would be completely out of date on their charges. But I agree that it’s a lovely place to go.

[vanessan]

1 hour ago, catcouk said:

Fair enough if there is a sign. Just surprised they didn't put little ones by the hoses. Even if it just said 'don't forget to pay'. But I know for next time. Beccles is lovely so I've no doubt we'll be back!

Beccles is one of my favourite places to visit and I love the stretch of river between the yacht station and Geldeston. There used to be quite a few nice wild mooring spots up there but, as in so many places, these have either disintegrated or sprouted no mooring signs. 
Have really enjoyed your write up catcouk, pictures have been amazing. 

[vanessan]

1 hour ago, NorfolkNog said:

Ah, thanks Lady V - that was taken last year. Apologies to the OP 

They did offer to pay so no harm done I'm sure 

http://www.beccles.info/towncouncil/beccles-quay-yacht-station-for-2020-21/
In case you need the info for your next trip. 

[oldgregg]

15 hours ago, catcouk said:

The space is great but there are a few odd design choices. Our friend who's with us fancies herself about designer - she's had many suggestions for improvements!

I think one of those with a full Ricko's refit (windows out and chuck the interior in a skip) would be pretty good. I think they'd make better use of the space in the forward cabin, and sort out the quirky rear cabin too. If used as two singles rather than a double, only one of those is wide enough for an adult! We nominated the smallest person to sleep in it and they still weren't happy.

Faircraft in the 80's and 90's produced some very quirky interiors which seemed mostly to be about maximising the number of beds.

I think losing that kennel berth and having a single-level saloon like on Tobago would make a lot more sense, and means you don't have to ascend the sheer face of the sideboard to get up onto the starboard deck. I hired Highland Gem 2 with a group of mates and we all commented on how we would not want to fall off that when drunk.

As it stands, I genuinely prefer Major Gem because of the layout that just works and the fact that the handling is so spot on.

 

[YnysMon]

The downside about the new mooring fees at Beccles is that it encourages boats that can't link to shore power to moor on the 'town' side. I don't suppose that matters in the summer, when most boats book in advance. However, last time we were there the Yacht Station (late September) it wasn't that busy, but late afternoon an older bathtub type boat squeezed in the gap between us and the next boat, although there was masses of space elsewhere. They were quite within their rights to do so of course, it just felt they were a bit close for comfort given how quiet it was.

[SwanR]

We’ve never hooked up to shore power at Beccles and always moored on the town side. 😂😂😂

[catcouk]

A lazy start for our last full day - with the weather forecast for constant rain, it was doubtful we were going to do many stops. I enjoyed a lovely shower - I can confirm the showers at WRC are the best on the Broads (the heated floor is really lovely). My friend got a lovely shot of the sunrise from her cabin - the weather started off beautifully...

We got underway just after 8am. St. Olaves and Somerleyton were both potential stops but we decided that none of us fancied the attractions there if it was raining.

The tide was exceptionally high - it was a squeeze under Somerleyton swing bridge. Typically, the rain started just as we approached the bridge - lowering the canopy was left quite late! However, Mrs C and I have become quite the team. Our friend told us we had the screen and canopy back up within 30 seconds.

I had already suggested avoiding St. Olaves old bridge to avoid lowering the canopy in the rain again. Think this was a good move as we may not have fitted even with the roof down. The gauge under the viaduct showed a foot less than the minimum clearance listed! It was about high tide but the levels were over the tops of some moorings.

After a fairly tedious chug up Haddiscoe New Cut (is there any other type of cruise along here?) saw us head down the Yare. I was alarmed to read a sign on the New Cut about dredging on weekends - apparently delays of up to an hour are possible. That would be inconvenient!

We moored up at Berney Arms just after 10.15am to explore the nature reserve. We decided that this would be worth donning waterproofs for...

Unfortunately, the nature had decided it didn't fancy it. This ended up being a walk through muddy fields and not particularly interesting. Aside from a few mute swans and the obligatory cow, it was just grass today.

The train station provided us with amusement though. I couldn't believe such a small station (with only a few services a week) has so many train station amenities - new benches, a push button information board, proper advertising posters (which I'm sure the local wildlife read all the time), and most hilariously, the proper red 'arrows of indecision' totem sign. I'm sure the cattle find this really useful to find their local station!

Having been a bit disappointed (not to mention mildly soaked), we decided to head off at about 11.40. This was a bit earlier than planned but not by much. This had the potential to cause problems at Great Yarmouth - what would the bridge clearance be and could we punch the tide?

With the rain quite heavy now, we were reluctant to lower the canopy. The gauge at Berney Arms was reading just less than 8ft. The 40 minute crossing of Breydon Water would allow this to fall further, but I had no idea by how much. This was roughly three hours before low tide, and, all knowing our rule of twelfths, this meant the most amount of water would be moving out now.

Approaching the yellow marker for the Bure, the gauge was reading 8'3". Not knowing exactly how tall Antigua is with the canopy up, we released the canopy (and let in our free cold shower) to about half way - I'd decided in the fast current, I wouldn't risk anything less than 9ft clearance. We were just about to lower the screen when I could clearly see the bridge was above our screen. A second gauge then showed 9ft clearance confirming my eyes. Damn! We could have got through with the canopy up - curse the outer gauge! I may have misread it, but there's no way three of us did!

As expected, we struggled to make 5mph against tide on the Lower Bure. I didn't go to full power as I don't like to burden the engine. Some people were able to over take us though - including some hire craft which surprised me.

We had considered visiting Stracey's donkeys and Shetland ponies again but they weren't out - I guess the rain had seen them off too. My toddler was napping as we passed Stokesby so we didn't stop there for the play park either.

Just above Stokesby, we came across a very odd occurrence - a small green bath tub from Richardson's up to something strange. From a distance, they appeared to have wild moored in the reeds (to each there own). We were in the process of being overtaken by one of NBD's larger cruisers when the green bathtub was suddenly sitting lengthways across the river. With another cruiser closely behind me, I hit hard reverse. To make matters worse, a Herbert Woods boat was trying to pass the green peril!

I have no idea why, but the green bathtub was doing circles (maybe they'd lost steering?) And someone was on the stern - I've no idea why though. There was a reason I wasn't paying then much attention...

Us and the NBD boat had stopped forwards momentum but we're now adrift. The Brinks cruiser behind had also stopped successfully but much more water to play with. I couldn't go forward (to have steering) because if the on coming Woods boat - we were drifting into the reeds. The I good thing (for us) was that the NBD boat was drifting away and slowly giving me more water - probably less good for them or the on coming Woods boat.

We'll, disaster was averted. We all made it around the spinning green menace. When I last saw them, they had reversed into the reeds and their bow was drifting round to join. My wife asked if we could offer assistance (which is the sorry thing I would do) but we're not allowed to tow, and there were far to any board to offer any advice. I would dearly love to know what the deal was. Had something broken, or was it a turn in the river gone wrong.

With that excitement behind us, we carried on past Able, Border Farm, Thurne mouth, and headed for South Walsham (our intended home for the night). However, the moorings were all full (as was Fleet Dyke). I wish I was brave enough to mud weight for the night but I lack the experience. We were lucky enough to moor at one of two remaining spots at St. Benet's.

Incidentally, the mooring here has wooden boards that are as slippery as ice. I know this because I nearly landed on top one of my ship mates who caught me and stopped my fall! The water levels are also very high. The fenders are only just long enough to do their jobs. In fact, the stern most fender is too short. I was going to re-tie it but it has been spliced (probably to stop people doing what I was trying).

A family of very friendly swans were keen to say hello. Although the rain carried on, my toddler and I fed them from the window - a lovely end to an otherwise unremarkable day. But, an unremarkable day on the Broads is 100 times better than a good day at work!

With an evening of pasta and board games ahead, we're battening down the hatches for the night. It's very windy here. I've never over nighted on these moorings before but we have everything we need (because there are no facilities here whatsoever). We're within reach of Stalham for the morning (a little under 2 hours I predict), so I'm expecting a gentle cruise up the Ant ready to hand back our boat. I never like to moor at the boatyard on the last night - I feel like we've cut our holiday short. Anyone else feel like this?

[YnysMon]

Wow, that’s quite an eventful day. I was going to comment that you don’t need to worry about mud-weighting, but then read your comment about it being very windy, so it was probably a wise decision.

If you do get the opportunity on future visits, a night mud weighted on South Waltham Broad can be really special.