Taking A Gander At Goosander

[Vaughan]

6 hours ago, Broads01 said:

I've never tried that but I'd like to do so. Once you've dropped the mudweight, is there any tendency for the stern to drift around before you engage reverse (especially if you're solo and you have to make your way back to the helm)?

If you are single handed, it actually helps.

The river bottom at Surlingham is quite hard and gravelly (not like Barton Broad!) so your astern gear is powerful enough to drag the mud weight as you back in. Approach the mooring against the tide and turn out a little up-tide of your mooring place. as you stop the boat and before going astern, throw out the mud weight. As you back in, this will keep your bow in place and prevent it drifting off down-tide. If you are single-handed, you can even leave the boat in slow astern against the weight, while you step off with the ropes.

Try it some time!

[Vaughan]

While we are on the subject, I would suggest that stern on mooring is really only for places with still water, such as marinas, boatyard basins, Horning village or Malthouse Broad. Mooring stern on in a tideway is not a good idea.  I only did it that time at Surlingham (in October) as I expected more boats to arrive, which would then hold them all together in a line.

As it turned out, we were the only ones on the mooring that night, although the pub was well full!

[grendel]

on water rail we have spare mudweights (ok ballast) and there is a small one I sometimes use as a stern weight, but I have also found it can be dropped from a centre cleat, while at the helm, so in the situation above when solo, I would deploy this weight, then once moored up safely deploy any other weights / ropes necessary to hold me straight.

(its also only about half the weight of the main mudweight, so very easy to deploy and retrieve, I wouldnt generally rely on it as the only weight deployed

 

[annv]

When i was stern mooring on a chuck it mud weight i use to balance the mud weight on a piece of thin ply then when i needed to drop the weight i just pulled a lanyard that looped over the bow rail which tipped the weight into the water without having to leaving the helm. John

[DAVIDH]

Thursday 25th November

Those eagle-eyed amongst you, will wonder why I have skipped from Tuesday to Thursday. No I haven't found a way to exist in a parallel universe for 24 hours. I titled two of the days Monday 22nd November. So back to the Gregorian Calendar (whoever he is ). I'd been hearing on the radio all week that a storm was forecast for Friday into Saturday - 100+mph winds and some of the white stuff. That would be the third time in as many trips, that I would have hit stormy weather at the close of my holiday. What's the chances of that I dismissed. Well, every chance actually. The Met Office firmed up today that we would literally have to batten down the hatches come Friday night. Well, I didn't have any battens and I don't think the co-owners of Goosander would appreciate 6 inch nails through the hatches, so decided I would reluctantly vacate her on Friday morning, making a hasty retreat towards God's Own County (you know it is!). So instead of an overnight at Ranworth, that would now become a lunch stop, before nestling back into the home mooring on Friday afternoon. 

After a sausage sandwich for breakfast (got to start using up the perishables), I just popped over the other side of Potter Bridge, to post a birthday card. I'd noticed yesterday that the collection time was 9am. What a strange time. Clearly the postmen can't sleep in at Potter Heigham. Back to the boat, I untied and de-cabled, before attempting to reverse out of the mooring.... you know Potter Pilot style. That was my first encounter with the strengthening wind. I kicked the boat out to 90 degrees but the wind was stopping me from completing the turn. Anyway, bow thrusters and a rush of blood to the propeller worked.

The distance I was travelling today was small, so I took it fairly slow, arriving at Ranworth Staithe about midday. There was just one other yacht there, moored around the corner at what I think others describe as the taxi rank? 
I turned away from the staithe to reverse on, and may I say, did so with ease, and no ducks were crushed as a consequence. I bounced out to take teh back rope ashore, but by this time (seconds later?), the bow was being blown so much, it was almost alongside by now. Not wanting to take up room that other visitors might want, I tried pulling the stern around. No chance. It just blew back out again. Anyway, I remembered that trick where you can tie the stern rope off, the reverse the engine so that the bow swings out and around. It worked (might not have tried it if anyone had been watching), but as soon as I took the revs off, the bow would swing out again. So I kept it in reverse, thinking it's not going to mount the moorings and make a run for it, and that helped to keep her in place long enough for me to secure the ropes. After a sandwich and a coffee break, I went for a walk down the nature trail to the education centre or whatever it's called, before continuing on my journey back to Horning. 

Ferry Marina eventually came into sight, and I turned down the dyke towards our home berth. Just as I was about to round the building (see first image), a gust of wind blew the boat broadside across two finger moorings. Both were occupied, so not as it looks on the image. I couldn't turn inwards to get the back out again, and going forwards wouldn't work. It was at that point, I appreciated the full potential of the bow thrusters, which kicked the bow out, so I could get away from the finger moorings. Don't know how I would have managed as a lone sailor without them. I could have pushed the bow off, but it would probably have been back where it started by the time I got back to the helm. Anyway, without further mishap, I made my way back to our mooring, and hooked up for unlimited electricity throughout the night!

I wasn't going to go far for my evening meal, so ended up at the Ferry Inn. The meal was the best I've had there for a while. I had a steak and ale pie, partly because so many others were having it, and the smell was irresistible. When it arrived, it had the lightest puff pastry as a lid. and came with lashings of gravy. Wow! Cheesecake followed, which rounded off the meal nicely. I don't know his name, (he had a bit of a pony tail), but the "master of ceremonies" was welcoming and couldn't do enough to please. Highly recommended. After that, i made my excuses and returned to the boat to do a little preliminary packing to save time in the morning. I still had to take Goosander around to Boulters for a pump out and refuel tomorrow, and I was wondering what it would be like getting there being as they were forecasting -2c overnight. 

 

[CeePee1952]

Just watched Goosander going under Ludham bridge on that well known you tube channel.  That's a lot of water there (think the bridge gauge was showing 7' 6" clearance?). 

Chris

[DAVIDH]

Friday 26th November

Just a few lines now to tie up the travelogue. I was up at 7am to continue the clean-up. and after a cereal breakfast (not using the cooker to mess it up again), I prepared to set off for Boulters. I had visions of waking up to a frozen dyke, given the -2c overnight forecast, and though it had been cold, there was no ice on the water. It was still breezy, so i kept well away from the finger moorings I got pushed on to yesterday. I was Boulter's first customer, and it was freezing waiting for the pump out and refuel to complete. I was charged a total of £41, which included the £13 charge for the pump out. That was a cheap break, bearing in mind I'd used the onboard heating a lot during the day. So back home, and looking forward to my next week, in March.  

No photos from today, so here's some images I missed from previous days

[Broads01]

I love the 3rd photo, David. Where was that taken?

[DAVIDH]

44 minutes ago, Broads01 said:

I love the 3rd photo, David. Where was that taken?

It's Acle Simon, looking across to Bridgecraft.

[Hylander]

23 hours ago, CeePee1952 said:

Just watched Goosander going under Ludham bridge on that well known you tube channel.  That's a lot of water there (think the bridge gauge was showing 7' 6" clearance?). 

Chris

 

[DAVIDH]

I've seen it Monica, but in the words of that famous rapper Shaggy (who?) It wasn't me!

[DAVIDH]

Tiny little (hardly any space required) clip as proof

[DAVIDH]

Saturday 19th March

I was back aboard Goosander for the week, a week as it turned out, where the weather was unseasonable warm, and all round fantastic for the time of the year. 

I wondered how "busy" the Broads would be at this time of the year, having not been on Goosander any earlier than April. I could see from Hoseasons that around 100 boats were available to hire in the weeks leading up to the week, and that only went down by 3 or 4 as the holiday approached. So I guessed it it would be fairly quiet. Then, what clothing to bring? I had seen the weather forecast, but you can't trust them, so I packed a mix of clothing..... but no shorts! The journey down from Leeds was fairly painless, except for the queues of traffic either side of Sutton Bridge. The road works there are going to cause chaos if they do go on into August, as has been forecast. 

I arrived at the boat around 1pm, unloaded the car, at which point the shock absorbers let out a collective phew! Normally on arriving, I just unload as fast as I can, before high-tailing it back to Wroxham to find somewhere to watch the Leeds footy match (Usually, at the Kings Head), but today, there were no matches due to the up-coming World Cup Qualifiers/frendlies being played. So after a leisurely unpack and a meal deal I'd bought from Morrisons in Norwich, I got back in the car and went for a wander around Roys town. There were lots of people around, and even a boat moored outside The Wroxham Hotel, but not much moving. I finished with a coffee at McD's then returned to the boat. By 7pm, it was time to see what the fayre at the newly re-managed Ferry Inn was like. I would say it was more than half full, so a good sigh at this time of the year...... just one boat was moored outside. I had a Southern Fried Chicken Burger, with stringy chips and coleslaw. The portion was huge and good value. If you've read my previous "logs", you will know I have a fondness for cheesecake. Well, so large was the main course, I couldn't entertain one this time. Nuff said! Back to the boat by around 9pm. It was cold... very cold. Thankfully, I was still on Goosander's home mooring, so her umbilical cord to the electric post, was still transmitting life preserving heat! 

Not many images today, as little time to take them. Some stonkers (in my opinion) to come though!

[Broads01]

I'll enjoy reading your tale, David. I'm curious though, do you ever fancy cruising somewhere for your first night? I must admit I don't think I could ever have the patience to wait until the following day for my first cruise.

[DAVIDH]

1 hour ago, Broads01 said:

I'm curious though, do you ever fancy cruising somewhere for your first night?

It depends on what my plan is Simon. When I went last July, I realised that it was going to busy, so set off not long after I arrived, to get to Acle for the first night, ready to go south in the morning. This time, there was no pressure on moorings, so after the 4.5 hour drive and the unpacking, it was good to just relax into the first night.

[DAVIDH]

This was my plan for the week (if it uploads)

norfolk broads holiday and itinerary planner.html

[DAVIDH]

Sunday 20th March
Horning to South Walsham to Acle

on the rivers again, and I seemed to have them all to myself at this stage. The weather forecast for the next few days was warm and sunny during the day, though there was still a chill wind about this morning. 

It wasn't long before I came across the entrance to the Ant, the ruins of St Benets Abbey, and the entrance to South Walsham Broad on the right bank (not sure if I've got that in the right order). The dyke leading up to the Broad and the moorings is deceptively long. Almost like another river. Eventually I reached the BA moorings, which are on a long arc of bank, on the left hand side. Im sure in thesummer, boats are jostling for space, but today, there was just one other craft, moored right at the top at the Broad end.  So first, a little walk to the far side of the Broad to find the staithe. I remember seeing it marked on a Broads Book map I think, as though it was available to moor at, but never got around to it. On discovery, I'm still not sure you could moor there. It looks more for rowing boats. Stupidly, I forgot to take the camera so I didn't get any photos. 

After lunch, I made my way back onto the Bure, turning right at the junction. I really wanted a mooring on BA section, so I could hook up to an electricity post. It was really cold last night, and I didn't fancy running the deisel heating from the moment the sun went down. The moorings weren't full, but were well patronised by private boats. The post nearest the bridge was flagging me in, and I thought how lucky I was that nobody else was moored anywhere near. That was until I'd tied up and went to look at the post.... which was of course dead! There was one other space further up, but it was tight. I approached the couple who were sat reading in the adjacent boat, and warned them that I was about to come into the space, that I would take it carefully, and that a helping hand fending off would be appreciated. They both sprang to life and waited for me to approach. The tide was running out at this stage, so it was a much easier manoevre to perform than I expected, and I'm sure the couple were relieved. 

I'd booked a table for 6pm at The Bridge (they had no other tables available beyond this time). The food was up to it's usual standard. I had Steak and Ale Pie, followed by a raspberry cheesecake. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, in part because the allocated waitress was so friendly, which helps when you're eating alone. Back to the boat then for the evening. It was getting noticeably colder as the evening wore on, but I was snug with the available electric heating. 

The only images I took today were from the drone so here's a few of those.

 

 

 

[DAVIDH]

Monday 21st March
Acle to Berney Arms to Reedham

Sorry, this is a long one.
Low water at Yarmouth was just before 6am today, which means I would have needed to leave Acle between 4-5am to arrive at the optimal time. That was clearly a no-go. With a boat like Goosander, I can get under the bridges 90% of the time, and just have to think of the fuel I'll burn punching a tide. I was going to end up doing that anyway, not stopping at the Yacht Station. So I planned to pass through while the tide was still in a slowing down flood. The Springs were the day before, it was fine weather, and I thought if I get there and find the bridges unpassable, I can tie up at the closed Yacht Station. The incoming tide would ensure I went nowhere near the bridges. 

I reached Yarmouth around 11.30am, and the tide had slowed considerably. The bridge height gauge showed 8ft of clearance. Goosander needs 6ft 9in, so I continued on, rounded the yellow post and immediately felt the still flooding tide pushing me across Breydon. It was a beautiful morning, and flat calm. I hadn't stopped at Berney Arms for years, so this, along with some other long last visited places, was on the itinerary for today. I had to turn into the tide to come alongside, but as the moorings were empty, I could choose anywhere to tie up. After a sandwich, I spent a little time walking the path down to the pub and beyond. It was a lovely experience to view Breydon from this angle, with the sun shimmering on the water. Coming back to the boat, I watched a guy in his private boat, an aft cockpit 26ft something, come bounding into the quayside, letting the heading bounce his boat into the correct alongside position. If the tactic is to at best, allow the side of the boat to kiss the heading, his was a full blown snog! 

I think I set off for Reedham around 1.30pm. The tide had changed and was now slowly ebbing out. I was going  to arrive at Reedham in an hour, so I took a leisurely cruise up the Yare, eventually passing the closed off entrance to The New Cut, which was going to add 7 miles to my trip tomorrow. It was closed due to essential works required towards the St Olaves end. With the warm Spring days, and the cold minus something nights, I wanted to make use of the electric posts again. The moorings at Reedham were completely empty. So I cruised up to the posts, and tied up alongside. The posts were both.....dead. They still have their black plastic hoods over them. It was at that point I remembered that Reedham was a one-horse town in low season, where someone has stolen the horse. Nothing opened on Mondays and Tuesdays. Now Reedham is one of my favourite mooring spots, so I wasn't going to be detered easily. I reckoned I would manage on the boat's heating for the night, and set about calling the Lord Nelson and The Ship to see if they were still on their winter hours. The Lord Nelson was shut until Wednesday. The Ship was open from 7.30pm until around 9pm...... but no food. I could walk to The Ferry, so I called them. Closed until Wednesday. Fish and chip shop up the hill..... closed until Thursday. In the end I decided to stay put and make something onboard. That left me plenty of time to go for a walk in the sunshine. I did the triangle walk up to and beyond the Ferry Inn. It was wonderful walking in the sun. 

I started making my evening meal from my emergency rations around 6pm, where it seemed everything came out of a can. Stewing Steak, potatoes and mixed veg. Thank god I had a can opener. All three panned items just about fitted on the small hob, and within no time, my evening meal was ready. I bring those items each time I come to the Broads, but this is the first time I've had to use them. When you're on your own on a boat all day, it's good to get out on an evening, which is why I like to eat out. So this evening, I toddled off to the Ship Inn at 8pm, and sat amongst a few locals for an hour or so, reading my paper whilst cuddling a pint. It was enough, and I set off back in the pitch-darkness to Goosander. The chill was in the air again, and the heating was immediately fired up when I stepped aboard. I coped with it quite well. The thermostat isn't that good, so you end up either really warm or turn it down, where it will often turn itself off. I think I was in bed by 10.45pm, feeling tired out by the fresh air and walking. 

Lots of photos of the day now. 

On the way to Yarmouth - Acle

Exiting the Bure, and entering Breydon

Berney Arms

This passed through as I was moored at berney

The little harbour opposite the pub

An inlet leading out onto Breydon

The "triangle walk" at Reedham. I thought it unusual that the reeds were bent over

Reedham. Just missed the tumbleweed blowing down the quay.

Don't wake me up

An old favourite

[rightsaidfred]

I don`t wish to be picky but for clarity and accuracy and to save any misunderstanding, for those that may not realise the Fleet Dyke moorings are EA not BA moorings and subject to different controls.

Fred

[SwanR]

I couldn’t remember whether the BA had adopted those moorings at any point but didn’t recall seeing their signs when we were there last month. 

Great photos David as always. So interesting to see the drone shots. 

[floydraser]

The boat that passed through at Berney looks like one of the other two Santa Caterinas like mine, only an early version with a wooden hull. It'll be Terry & Pam from Repps.

[grendel]

20 minutes ago, floydraser said:

The boat that passed through at Berney looks like one of the other two Santa Caterinas like mine, only an early version with a wooden hull. It'll be Terry & Pam from Repps.

I was wondering that and nearly commented on the fact, but wasnt 100% certain

 

[JanetAnne]

4 hours ago, grendel said:

I was wondering that and nearly commented on the fact, but wasnt 100% certain

 

The clue is in the lack of step in the hullof the wooden ones.  The fibreglass hulled version have stepped hulls making for a really roomy boat.

[DAVIDH]

Tuesday 22nd March

Reedham to Somerleyton to Beccles

Another lovely sunny morning was waiting behind the curtains. I quickly opened them up to let the sun warm the still shivering inside of the boat. It was going to be a long day of cruising as the New Cut was closed, and I would need to go down to Breydon and meet the Waveney that way. So 24 miles in total, and around 5 hours of cruising. The tide was with me getting down to Berney Arms, but against me as I left Breydon for Somerleyton. There were very few boats about, despite the weather being so favourable. I made a quick stop enroute, at St Olaves, for that thing peope have to do when drinking too much tea. Within 15 minutes I was off again. Having come alongside against the stream, it was relatively easy to get back out again. The current pushed me back a little before depositing me far enough from the bank to continue on. The ex-Alpha site had been tidied up a little - some grass cut, but other than that, it seemed untouched. 

The sun was wall to wall as I approached Somerleyton. The whole sweep of moorings was mine! Again, it was an easy manouvre to come alongside against the tide. It came to me what an historic place this was, with the first hovercraft having been developed here. I imagined the sound it must have made as it made it's way onto the river. I went for a little walk around, before leaving after lunch - one hour after I arrived. The last time I went to Beccles, it rained all day on the way there, and overnight too. So my memories of the place were tainted. Still, you have to give things a second chance. I aimed to get there between 3.30pm and 4pm, so I would have time to walk to the shops etc. I think it was nearer 3.30pm when I entered the moorings. I, of course, aimed for one close to an electric post. The electricity "meter" does not take standard BA cards, and I was fortunate that I had called the office this morning enquiring about the availability of water, as they said the office closed at 1pm. The guy arranged to leave a £2 card in a secreted place for me to use. I found it and it worked. 

So with the boat attached to civilisation again, I went for a walk around the town..... which looks much better when it's not raining! Beccles is a lovely period piece place. While exploring, I came across the Kings Head, a Wetherspoons pub, and decided that was where I would eat this evening. Back at the moorings, I spoke to a chap from the next boat along, who told me he had overwintered in Beccles and was due to leave for foreign climes (can't remember where), in the next couple of weeks. You would think he would have done it the other way around! By 6pm, I was ready to eat and made my way back to The Kings Head. It was busy enough to not stick out like a sore thumb, but be comfortable and enjoyable. I had the Barbeque Chicken, followed by a Warm Chocolate Brownie with Ice-cream. It was as good as any meal I had eaten so far, and of course, a fraction of the prices. 

Duly stuffed, I made my way back to the boat - my freezing cold boat, put as much heating on as the boat could take, and settled down for the night. 

Somerleyton Swing Bridge and nearby moorings

Beccles

[LizG]

I spy WR