And We Are Off.

[andyg]

Looks like the season gets going properly this weekend/week. Very little availability to be had, shame the weather has taken a turn for the worse. Just a quick mention about prices for this coming season, we are away in Cornwall the 2nd week in june, only a havens caravan job. I paid 890 quid for the week and we booked it last year. My sister wants to join us for the week same style van etc is now 1900 quid. That a mind boggling increase in my opinion and there's absolutely no justification for it. So it's not just the broads operators. Anyway happy boating everyone let's hope better weather is just over the horizon...

[SwanR]

Wow! That’s some price hike!

 I know that Easter school holidays are split across the country. Some places finish today with two weeks off up to Easter. Some have another week to go then two weeks off with Easter in the middle. 

[andyg]

17 minutes ago, SwanR said:

Wow! That’s some price hike!

 I know that Easter school holidays are split across the country. Some places finish today with two weeks off up to Easter. Some have another week to go then two weeks off with Easter in the middle. 

Our grandchildren break up today for Easter. Easter is one of the holiday weeks I can never get my head round. Its never the same week each year. I thought my sister had put the wrong dates in until I checked myself. What on earth are these people thinking when setting these prices. On there heads be it folk will vote with there feet. Like she said she can fly from our local airport ( southend) to Spain for an all inclusive holiday for less, she done a dummy booking with tui to prove it. It was 250 quid cheaper. Its madness in my opinion uk based holiday companies should be trying to hold onto the new customer's they have made these last 2 years. But nope greed wins time and time again. Boom bust boom bust. Crazy !! 

[SwanR]

I see that the Hungry Otter reopens today at Salhouse Broad. 👍

[DAVIDH]

4 hours ago, andyg said:

Looks like the season gets going properly this weekend/week. Very little availability to be had, shame the weather has taken a turn for the worse

Many boats still available to book Andy. I've just counted 63 boat classes represented by Hoseasons (about 25% of the fleet), 31 with Ferry Marina and 17 (out of around 100?)  with Herbert Woods, all for 7 nights starting this weekend. HW seem to be doing the best, probably on price discounts, though they seem to have a confusing April Fools Day promotion on at the moment. When you click it, the discount is zero .

[andyg]

I couldn't check what was available to start today, but hw had 7 boats available, bearing in mind they normally have 2 boat per class so I assumed it was the sat start boat. Richardsons were showing 10 class of boat. I always forget ferry lol...so a pretty good start I wonder if the good weather had held out how many of them boats would of been snapped up. Richardsons seem to have been quite busy already for this time of year. 

[DAVIDH]

I think Richardson started a couple of weeks earlier this year - mid February. I was on the boat last week, and there were some (not many)  Richardsons, HW and the odd Bridgecraft boats about. I went south, and was surprised how many Broom Captains were out. I saw three - not together - within an hour at the St Olaves moorings.

Richardsons have 40 boats for 7 nights starting this week on Hoseasons, from tomorrow. The range to look for is over 3 days. Is that what you looked at on Richardsons Andy? Strange how there's a discrepancy.

https://www.hoseasons.co.uk/boat-holidays/hickling-stalham?adult=2&child=0&infant=0&pets=0&nights=7&range=3&start=02-04-2022

[andyg]

I just looked at hw webcam and it's snowing. Way to cold for me to even think about boating lol..

[DAVIDH]

I was really lucky last week.

[Boatingman]

I think I saw you coming into moor at Reedham last Monday David

Ray

[ChrisB]

9 hours ago, andyg said:

Our grandchildren break up today for Easter. Easter is one of the holiday weeks I can never get my head round. Its never the same week each year.

You old heathen Andy! I remember from school Divinity Lessons:-

 

[DAVIDH]

2 hours ago, Boatingman said:

I think I saw you coming into moor at Reedham last Monday David

Yes, that corresponds Ray. I had forgotten that nothing was open in Reedham on Mondays and Tuesdays. I stayed overnight anyway. The only thing missing was the tumbleweed blowing down the quayside. 

[andyg]

And there was me thinking Easter was a celebration of Cadburys and all things chocolate. Jeez I got that wrong😉

[andyg]

Just checked again David on Richardson's website. Using tomorrow as a start date for either a 7 or 3 night stay they are showing 10 choices. Weather there is multiple boats in each class available I wouldn't know. If you take siesta with is one class being offered I am aware they have about 6 or 7 in the class. But its still pretty good start considering it isn't Easter officially till next weekend. Herbert woods was pretty much the same. 

[Captain]

Andy,

Our Schools in the Rochford area broke up today so probably explains the increase in bookings. Shame about the weather, might put some off from returning.

Neil

[andyg]

1 hour ago, Captain said:

Andy,

Our Schools in the Rochford area broke up today so probably explains the increase in bookings. Shame about the weather, might put some off from returning.

Neil

Rochford Essex?? Yes ours did as well. 

[DAVIDH]

5 hours ago, andyg said:

Just checked again David on Richardson's website.

Sorry this is late Andy, just come in. I've been on the Richardsons site, and it does show 44 boats available. I searched 2 people for 7 nights commencing 2nd April, with a 3 day range. I noticed that 10 boats show on the first page, but there are subsequent pages. Or perhaps you put down more occupants than I did?

https://www.richardsonsboatingholidays.co.uk/search-results/?hsid=2277&hsa=true&hso=0

[ChrisB]

I can see all types of holidaying being sacrificed by people for the forseeable future.

It is not just the doubling of the cost personal usage of energy, it impacts everything, manufacture, distribution, heating and lighting of venues like the pub.

Take something as mundane as beans on toast! At every stage to your plate it will fall victim to energy. Baking the bread, making the tin, the food content, and that is before you put the bread in the toaster and the beans in a pan.

The Press go on about peoples bills, but that is the tip of the iceberg, the full effect will take a while to filter through to the consumer.

[andyg]

45 minutes ago, ChrisB said:

I can see all types of holidaying being sacrificed by people for the forseeable future.

It is not just the doubling of the cost personal usage of energy, it impacts everything, manufacture, distribution, heating and lighting of venues like the pub.

Take something as mundane as beans on toast! At every stage to your plate it will fall victim to energy. Baking the bread, making the tin, the food content, and that is before you put the bread in the toaster and the beans in a pan.

The Press go on about peoples bills, but that is the tip of the iceberg, the full effect will take a while to filter through to the consumer.

Excellent post and absolutely spot on in my book. It's 2023 when will really feel the pinch in my opinion 

[andyg]

In the spirit of fairness, I've tried to do a quick comparison. We hired dazzling light last October for a long weekend. Dazzling light is one of herbert woods bigger elite class of boats. We were a group of 4 adults and we paid 1228 including the fuel deposit. I received 145 pounds back from hw from the fuel deposit. Skip forward 2 years and the same weekend is 1268 including the fuel deposit. So roughly a 40 pound increase. Perfectly acceptable increase in my opinion. I will say this about hw on the 3 occasions we used them last year we received a 10% blue light card discount on each invoice and on our 2nd hire we also received a 2nd booking discount. So fair play to herbert woods. Woods were the only yard we asked that actually offered the blue light discount, we did not enquire with all broads yards to be fair. 

[andyg]

8 hours ago, DAVIDH said:

Sorry this is late Andy, just come in. I've been on the Richardsons site, and it does show 44 boats available. I searched 2 people for 7 nights commencing 2nd April, with a 3 day range. I noticed that 10 boats show on the first page, but there are subsequent pages. Or perhaps you put down more occupants than I did?

https://www.richardsonsboatingholidays.co.uk/search-results/?hsid=2277&hsa=true&hso=0

Maybe I'm being to simplistic in my search. Il leave it to those who know what there doing lol...still seems fairly busy tho. 

[Captain]

Hi Andy, 

Yes Rochford Essex, atleast it's brighter today but  still cold. I notice that you  highlight that some yards have been fairer with  their  price increases and offers than others who appear to have taken advantage of the recent situation 

Neil 

[DAVIDH]

I really do think some of the yards have taken advantage of the last two years, where the British public has been more or less landlocked. It's not just boatyards either. I can remember last year, doing a comparison cost for a luxury 8 berth cruiser against a luxury 8 berth caravan in the summer school holidays, and the difference was small. 

In 2020, the "season" didn't start until early July, and last year, it was April. The yards lost some some business in those months, but i contend overall they did quite nicely. Both those years saw every boat booked and out right through until the end of October, at prices they would not have been able to get away with in 2019. A normal year would see a sell out only in the summer school holidays (and maybe, over the Spring Bank holiday). So I don't agree with those that say they are only trying to recover money lost over the lockdowns. 

In the end it's business supply and demand. Who wouldn't sell their goods for the highest price they can get? But 2022 does not look like another boom year (unless Covid reappears of course), and the prices for the current season don't look to have dropped back at all. It seems so short-sighted. As others have said, keep the new customers who have come to the Broads over the last two years. Don't get them comparing boat hire costs with the prices of holidays abroad. It's too late to lower your prices once the customer has gone elsewhere. This is going to be a tough enough year as it is, with the cost of living rises we're seeing at the moment. 

[Mouldy]

I noticed that Broom are offering a discount of up to £150 on bookings made to start between now and 27th May, even on White Heron.  To be fair though, I’d be looking for a rather more significant discount to book that particular boat anyway.  Who dreamt up those prices must need to recheck the news and remember what’s happening to prices in general at the moment!

[Maxwellian]

They will be operating at the luxury end with a demand and supply model. We who cannot afford it can go elsewhere. Who is the fool, we who say it is too much or them who can sell at the higher price?