Lads Week 2021

[grendel]

Well we. Are 3 days in, so I suppose now I have a few minutes I had better post a travel log of our already busy time.

Friday 8th

Arrive at Norfolk, head to stalham wetshed to assist Griff bringing broad ambition to potter heigham, waited for Griff for about half an hour as he had headed off to the butcher's to find it closed for a well deserved holiday, so had to find an alternative, which was closed for lunch.

Meanwhile Andrew Cook dropped by and we had a good chinwag.

Drove both vehicles to PH, then I gave Griff a lift back to the wetshed.

Once in the wet shed we met up with brubdallnavy, who was taking his new boat round to womak, so I hopped aboard to give a hand with the screen at ludham bridge.

Transferred between craft as we went along the thurne and Doug turned off to womak.

Moored broad ambition at HW's and then did the car shuffle again to get my car to PH.

[grendel]

Saturday 9th

After all the usual preparations, getting in the provisions, checking ropes and fenders were all up to their job, 6 new fenders on 2 boats, 1 split, 5 not holding air, 1 stern rope swapped out and a mudweight rope swapped. 

Then we were off, headed for acle bridge inn and our first stop.

We had planned to leave just after high tide, but as the planned time came, the tide was still flooding in, obviously it had not read the tide table and was late. Anyway off down to great Yarmouth, low tide times at GY being early or late meant we were well outside the slack period, so we went through at about 3 pm, 2 hours or so into the ebb, with plenty of clearance. Took the ebb up breydon when we had the call from Jewel 3, Houston we have a problem.

At any revs they were experiencing excessive vibration, added to a smell of burning rubber, an engine check showed the engine dancing around, and the rear engine mounts were loose. Dropped revs to a comfortable level, still vibrating, but not a lot of choice but to continue. We aboard Jewel 2 circled round and took up station to their stern and escorted them to reedham, where the engineer was called.

All hands to pub stations, 

The engineer arrived at 8 pm after having completed some other fallouts, but he wanted to assess the problem before he finished so he could get the required parts arranged for the morning. It turned out these parts were a new gearbox, a new universal coupling and a set of engine mounts, one of the universal coupling bolts had sheared and caused the gearbox and shaft to go out of alignment.

[grendel]

Sunday 10th

Awoke to a misty morning.

The engineer turned up as we were eating breakfast (bacon rolls) and set to work on jewel 3, the universal coupling bolts were twisted and had to be ground off, we left Jewel 3 at reedham with a skeleton crew and proceeded to Loddon, guests onboard.

About half an hour before we were due to depart we got a call from Jewel 3, they had finished the repairs and were cleared to proceed.

As we were preparing to depart we got another call, yes Robin had managed to get 200 yards up river and across to the pontoon on the other side, this time he had applied starboard lock, then gone to port, at which time a pound noise was heard and the boat stayed on starboard lock leaving robin in the middle if the river , only able to turn to starboard in circles.

Engineer called again, so they turned round and headed back.

Jewel 3 got a tow back across to the quay at reedham, and the rest of the flotilla returned to reedham to see what was amiss.

It turns out that this time a steel bracket holding the steering ram had broken away from the bottom of the boat.

Initially we were told this would entail having a new bracket fabricated and glassed into the hull. Contingency plans were made to accommodate Jewel 3 crew aboard the other boats so we could continue to Norwich, and then if necessary, to pick up Jewel 3 as we passed on our return.

The engineers from HW saved the day by creating a new temporary mount for the ram and securing it to the deck structure , they will meet us again at Norwich later on Monday with a properly constructed steel version, some truly creative engineering solutions, and they have saved the day.

From reedham we then proceeded to the Beachamp arms only about an hour later than we had planned, arriving about 30 minutes before sunset, nothing really having been lost and in the main having stuck to our sailing plans.

[Bikertov]

Broad Ambition is looking sweet there !

[grendel]

From the Beachamp arms this morning we headed upstream in formation Broad Ambition taking point with a Jewel on each quarter astern. Flotilla speed 4 mph to not arrive too early, Destination The river garden at Thorpe, under the bridges with a good 6" clearance, now moored up for a lunch time drink.

[OldBerkshireBoy]

Good time to sort out the echo happening over two threads.

[Jonathan]

We passed you, just South of Brundall.  Have a good trip!

[Bikertov]

Blimey - It's an Armada ... Or a Task force ...

Next stop - The Falkland Islands ?

 

[Smoggy]

5 minutes ago, Bikertov said:

Next stop - The Falkland Islands ?

 

That's gonna mess up the fuel deposit!

[grendel]

Whoops, the tide didn't read the tide tables, high tide isn't due until gone 5pm, yet we have been caught between the bridges at Thorpe, we have changed pubs and are at the rush utters now, even the local I chatted to thought it was high tide now, well so does the river, we spotted the tide rising and got under way an hour earlier than the sail plan, but neither bridge had the clearance, even for Broad Ambition. So what a shame, we are stuck at a pub for a few hours.

[Meantime]

There are worse places to be stuck than Thorpe, plus you could always walk up the road to CHB a pub well worth a visit. There's also plenty of busses that go along that road into Norwich itself.

[OldBerkshireBoy]

Looking pretty high right now in Brundall.

[Smoggy]

33 minutes ago, Meantime said:

There are worse places to be stuck than Thorpe, plus you could always walk up the road to CHB a pub well worth a visit. There's also plenty of busses that go along that road into Norwich itself.

CHB?

[Meantime]

Chalk Hill Brewery. The pubs actually called The Coach and Horses. Well worth a visit.

 

 

 

[Smoggy]

I've never got further up the road than the town house, may have to try it sometime.

[grendel]

 Considering there is supposed to be 6'6" at the bridges at high tide, and the boards are reading 5'4" at the moment, we need 7'2", so will be waiting a while

[Meantime]

I believe the downriver end is 1 or 2 inches higher or better clearance than the other end. Looks like the two previous high tides were above prediction as well as the previous low tide.

[Islander]

You should get under when the boards at the east end read 7’ if you are accurate with 7’2”. Lady Linda needs 8’ but have been under at 7’9” but kept an eye on the rivets.

Recent rain has shunted the tides up a bit so less predictable and not as small a range as the northern rivers, but then you knew that didn’t you. 
I reckon you just had that extra pint and forgot the time.

Enjoy your stay

Colin 

[grendel]

Lol Colin, we were due to leave at 1400, but looking at the river rising went for 1300. And still didn't make it

[Vaughan]

It's a long time, since my father and I used to wait for the tide, in what was then the Thorpe Gardens.

I don't seem to remember that it made any difference, whether the tide was high or low!

[Islander]

If you miss the tide just have another round. 

Colin

[Meantime]

If you tiss the mide have just a tother rund 

[grendel]

Well we are still at the rushcutters, going to have a meal and then jump on the carousel.

[grendel]

Well I know that they are only following group policy, but the pub manager let us know the group's policy was no overnight mooring at 10.30pm, after we had all had our meals and paid.

We did point out that there were no signs up, and that we couldn't move the hire boats after dark ( plus we still couldn't get under the bridge so we're constrained by tide), personally I think it was just a case of being able to say he had told us, so done his job.

We are currently awaiting clearance, it's 6'7" at the moment, 7 more inches needed.

Other than that the food was good at the pub, and the beer was good.

[RS2021]

22 minutes ago, grendel said:

We are currently awaiting clearance, it's 6'7" at the moment, 7 more inches needed.

I'm waiting for the photo with all the party on one of the Jewels to get it under