Rambling Rosie's Rambles

[Aboattime]

9 hours ago, NeilB said:

My mooring is Richos and for most of the summer they’ve had at least a quarter of their fleet doing nothing.  The middle basin seems to be used for boats not due on hire and it’s pretty full.  I’ve also heard September is busy so let’s hope it picks up for them

Just took Broadsman back to Swan Quay,they had a lot of boats still there,same as last week when we picked the boat up.Thought overall the Northern rivers were quiet,in the middle of the school holidays,im starting to wonder if the hire yards are pricing themselves out of the holiday market?

[NeilB]

37 minutes ago, Aboattime said:

Just took Broadsman back to Swan Quay,they had a lot of boats still there,same as last week when we picked the boat up.Thought overall the Northern rivers were quiet,in the middle of the school holidays,im starting to wonder if the hire yards are pricing themselves out of the holiday market?

I don't think they are pricing themselves out as boats are expensive to run, I've heard that other parts of the country have gaps in their lettings so it's not just Norfolk.  I've heard the election and now upcoming budget has made people pause from buying big ticket items so not sure if this has filtered down to holidays as well.

[Aboattime]

5 minutes ago, NeilB said:

I don't think they are pricing themselves out as boats are expensive to run, I've heard that other parts of the country have gaps in their lettings so it's not just Norfolk.  I've heard the election and now upcoming budget has made people pause from buying big ticket items so not sure if this has filtered down to holidays as well.

Just over £3 k for a week on the Broads.

[NeilB]

18 minutes ago, Aboattime said:

Just over £3 k for a week on the Broads.

I know the Broadman's are a few years old now but the latest large builds are now approaching £400K !!  Takes a while to earn that back when they only let for 20 odd weeks per year plus all the other overheads.  
Luckily you can still hire a Gold or Magic Gem for a week in August for £1,401 including fuel, not the height of luxury but perfectly serviceable.  £350 for 4 people.

 

[Gracie]

I so agree. Being afloat on a boat beats luxury for me any day of the week and those boats are perfect for just that

Grace x

[Andrewcook]

Some of the Nealy new  boats have Better stern ends to getting off the Boats to compare some you have to let yourself up onto most Boats if you are energetic like Griff  who very Active person like the rest of the Forum Members including MargeandParge Page.

 

[Aboattime]

35 minutes ago, Andrewcook said:

Some of the Nealy new  boats have Better stern ends to getting off the Boats to compare some you have to let yourself up onto most Boats if you are energetic like Griff  who very Active person like the rest of the Forum Members including MargeandParge Page.

 

" Energetic like Griff",have you seen him after a few oranges?

[CambridgeCabby]

53 minutes ago, Aboattime said:

" Energetic like Griff",have you seen him after a few oranges?

Or when walking over that hazardous grass 

[Aboattime]

16 hours ago, CambridgeCabby said:

Or when walking over that hazardous grass 

Yep that grass at Thurne Dyke is so dangerous !

[NeilB]

Timing was pretty much spot on for Breydon as the tide was just starting to trickle in.  Quite windy still but fairly calm so no excitement on the crossing.  With the tide behind me I made good time and arrived at the Dutch Tea Gardens about 11.

Took some photos of the wooden boat parade which can be found on the Beccles thread.  I then had to login to a work meeting I couldn’t avoid before setting off again.

Spent a quiet evening at North Cove

 

[Karizma]

Nice to see you Neil as we passed each other on the new cut - enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[NeilB]

 

 

Took a leisurely cruise into Beccles YS and moored opposite the firewood,   Quite windy so had to put a line from my centre cleat ashore to keep me straight.
Wandered round the other side via the cafe for an ice cream, had a nice chat with Grendel and FairTmiddlin about the event and boats in general.

Had a stroll around town and as it was a tad warm I re-hydrated with a couple in the Bear and Bells.  Back to the boat and Miles from Circus Head popped round to say hi and have a chat.

After dinner I headed back round in time for a rant about the lower Bure and afterwards another chat with Grendel and the crew from a lovely Ernest Collin Bourne 35.  I know where she moors so a plan is being created to steal it sometime soon, (joking!)

Managed to dodge being dragged into the Karaoke, as I would have killed it stone dead, and back to bed at a reasonable time listening to others murder perfectly good songs 

[NeilB]

On Sunday morning I had a wander around the boat jumble but nothing took my fancy.  Nearly headed to Geldeston but that was a short cruise and after a short run yesterday wanted to charge the batteries up a bit more.

Had the tide with me until around Oulton dyke and arrived at Reedham just after lunch.  No spaces so kept going and grabbed one of the last spots at Cantley.  Everyone saying how quiet it is but so far most moorings are pretty full !

I noticed the quay heading is due for renewal over winter, I hope it’s raised as it was very close to being overtopped at high tide.

Had a nice evening in the Reedcutters, the food is very good but the portion sizes are huge, I couldn’t finish my hunters chicken!  Also had an unusual chat with the local fruitcake, apparently Putin & Trump are the greatest leaders the world has seen - who knew!!

 

[NeilB]

Next day I was aiming for Bramerton, via a stop in Brundall.  However, a Fairline 50 was in the way at French Marine and it was a bit tight for comfort.  As this was the boat the dealer had been asking for my advice on the Assisted Docking software I didn't feel it would make a good impression if I skidded down the side of his pristine white hull.

Arrived at Bramerton where there was plenty of space next to the electric post, 68p left!!  Grendel arrived on Water Rail a little later and snagged a shady spot.  We spent a few hours under a shady tree chatting about aged parents and Water Rails upcoming refit.

I've noticed some locations suffer from mossies and knats more than others, may have been the heat but Bramerton was pretty bad.  Nuked them all at lights out and then covered myself in Jungle Formula, surprisingly I've not had a single bite!!

Up fairly early and heading for Norwich by 8am, I wanted to be in and out of Morrisons before it became too hot!  Once re-stocked with milk, salad etc I headed off.  By now it was getting pretty hot, the very gentle breeze was coming pretty much from astern or blocked by the trees so was doing nothing.
Once I reached Brundall it picked up a little and started to keep me cool.  Arrived at Reedham and managed to snag the very last space, again by an electric post, 81p left!!  In this case I will add another £1 as I want to run a washing load tomorrow morning before I leave.
A couple of boast left and the spaces were snapped up very quickly, several more left disappointed, certainly not quiet here! 

The tide also overtopped here so I had to strap some fenders to mooring posts to protect my hull, not had a scratch since it was painted 18 months ago!

Looking forward to some cooler weather over the next few days.

 

[kpnut]

43 minutes ago, NeilB said:

Looking forward to some cooler weather over the next few days.

Save some nice weather for me next week please

[NeilB]

32 minutes ago, kpnut said:

Save some nice weather for me next week please

I'm trying to as my daughter wants to go to Wells plus have a sunset cruise!

[webntweb]

On 09/08/2024 at 17:52, NeilB said:

I don't think they are pricing themselves out as boats are expensive to run, I've heard that other parts of the country have gaps in their lettings so it's not just Norfolk.

Three weeks ago we booked a 69ft 8 berth narrowboat for next week, for 50% off. So no it's not just the Broads.

[RS2021]

I think on the canals you also have to contend with the gradual decline in maintenance standards under CRT. I'm sure its making some people think twice about booking on the canals. It seems most weeks you now see an unscheduled stoppage somewhere on the system. Last week was failed gates on the Shropshire Union - a prime holiday route. One hire boat was stuck in the lock. The hire company - Black Prince - did look after them and put them on another boat, but its not the holiday experience you want.  

Not maintenance rated and not on a main holiday route, but yesterday many miles of canal around Walsall have been closed due to a Sodium Cyanide spillage. This sounds quite serious. Warning people to keep of the towpath as well.

[webntweb]

2 hours ago, RS2021 said:

I think on the canals you also have to contend with the gradual decline in maintenance standards under CRT. I'm sure its making some people think twice about booking on the canals. It seems most weeks you now see an unscheduled stoppage somewhere on the system. Last week was failed gates on the Shropshire Union - a prime holiday route. One hire boat was stuck in the lock.

While the Canal & River Trust, like British Waterways before them, do suffer from maintenance backlogs, they do generally manage to keep the main cruising routes open by planning maintenance through the winter months. Considering the size of the system and the amount of infrastructure to maintain and the abuse by both vandals and also boaters (not usually intentional, but a not very well controlled 20 ton boat can do a lot of damage to lock gates) the CRT tend to do a decent job.

In the Shropshire Union case you mention it was definitely not lack of maintenance but vandalism: the shear pins holding the lock gate collars had been deliberately removed causing the gates to drop and made the lock unusable. Fortunately it seems to have happened while there was little water in the lock; if the lock had been fuller the boat could have been sunk with unthinkable circumstances.

 

[NeilB]

Another scorching day, although not quite as hot as yesterday.  As I was plugged in and next to a water point I ran a load through the washing machine and while it was churning away I decided on a cooked breakfast at Cannells.  It was very tasty, filling and washed down by a cappuccino.

Set off around 10 and headed down the New Cut heading for Beccles again.  This time I cruised past the Yacht Station and under the bridge hoping for a space at the Locks.

The locks was full of dayboats, paddle boards and canoes so I tucked myself into a corner against the reeds and decided to wait it out.  Finally around 3pm they thinned out enough for me to slot myself on the end and into the Locks for a couple of pints to cool off.

I'll let the photos do the talking....

[RS2021]

20 hours ago, webntweb said:

While the Canal & River Trust, like British Waterways before them, do suffer from maintenance backlogs, they do generally manage to keep the main cruising routes open by planning maintenance through the winter months.

I have every sympathy with CRT - a budget set before recent years of inflation and before the incident at Toddbrook reservoir diverted funds. But, there do appear to be more and more stoppages in the cruising season. Compared to BW they have moved away from direct staff to contractors and volunteers and appear to have moved from preventative maintenance to 'fix on fail'. They are also very quick to blame vandals in many cases and whilst I'm sure vandals are an issue I don't believe they are to blame for as many stoppages as CRT give them credit for. In the case of the Audlem incident the evidence does suggest, as you say, a deliberate act of someone who knows want they were doing. A little more concerning that 'mindless vandalism'. However, I do feel that if CRT have a more preventative approach, then the missing pins would have been spotted on a morning inspection and the canal only closed for a couple of hours whilst replacement pins were fitted.

I do hope you enjoy your cruise with ABC - which base are you going from?

[webntweb]

I agree with your point that regular inspection would possibly have made the situation less severe, and in our early days of canal holidays in the early 80s I do remember seeing lengthsmen most days; but they had almost disappeared by the time CRT took over from British Waterways.

I would love to see the lengthsmen reappear, but where is the money going to come from?

CRT have the problem that their waterways are almost all of artificial construction and their budget is constantly being eaten into by the "carelessness" of the canals' users; one example was the £3m cost of the repairs to the Shropshire Union in 2018 when a selfish, lazy, boater intentionally (I won't use CRT's pc terminology "inadvertently") left the lock gates open causing the bank to be washed away.

Thank you for your good wishes and we are travelling from Gayton towards Market Harborough (a trip we have done a few times over the years). With it being school holidays its possible the two staircases may be extra busy so if we have to turn round at the top of Foxton so be it - we could use the extra time to visit Welford - not on our itinerary at the moment because turning a 69 footer at the end would be tricky to say the least.

[NeilB]

I was up fairly early on the Thursday so I could fit under Beccles bridge before the tide became too high, plan was to head for St Olaves to catch the next days tide.  Beautiful morning cruise with rising sun and river mist, again I'll let the photos do the talking.

As it turned out I arrived fairly early and realised I could have a nap, some lunch and make the afternoon low tide through Yarmouth.
So off I went down the Waveney at tick over but making about 5mph, was a tad early so Breydon was also taken at just over tick over reaching the Bure entrance about 30mins after low tide.  This meant I was pushing the current up the Bure although it was fairly slow by then.  No spaces at Stokesby or Acle but there was room at Thurne.

It would be rude not to visit the Lion while I was there so had a coupe of pints and caught up on gossip with a fellow RIchos moorer.  

The last photos show just how far into the channel some of the marker posts/bouys are in the lower Bure.

[NeilB]

I just pottered round the northern side for a few days before heading off to Warwick to pick the kids up, nice 6 hour round trip!

Had a great few days with them including sunset cruise and a brass monkeys dip in the sea at Sea Palling, there's me in my trunks while my daughter appears in a shortie wet suit so at least one of us is sensible!!  Photo is my son trying to persuade her 2 hours was enough, think she's more fish than human!!

Back to work with a bang on the Tuesday morning, just about remembered my password and then my laptop decides it needs a major update so another hour wasted there!

Popped down to St Benet's last night and secured a spot, this morning witnessed something that shouldn't really have surprised me but did.
Just washing up my breakfast things when I heard the usual tortured bow thruster, popped my head up and there was a Brinkcraft boat attempting to moor while a young lad of about 10 was being dragged down the bank on the end of the rope - you guessed it, no lifejacket!  Quickly slide my shoes on but by the time I reached them the boat was pretty much alongside being held by the probably now smoking bow thruster.  Dad come out and announces he cannot find the bow rope, turns out it was tangled up with the mud weight rope.

Looking back, for the life of me I don't why but I refrained from asking where the lads lifejacket was, especially as it appeared to just be dad and the 10 year old, I really should have. 10 mins later when I was casting off myself and noticed the mother had made an appearance, where on earth was she when her son was being dragged down the bank with no lifejacket??

Now at Acle, just finished scrubbing the starboard side from roof to waterline and about to turn her around and do the other side.  It's the one time I wished I had bought something smaller than 42ft!

[NeilB]

That was fun turning the boat on the ropes, wind vs tide vs me - I won!!  Other side scrubbed except for the hull as the tide has dropped making it trickier.  Well that's my excuse and absolutely nothing to do with a friend inviting me across to the Bridge Inn for a pint or two!!
I'll finish the hull in the morning!!