Springer’s Retreat On The Rivers

[kpnut]

1 hour ago, LizG said:

the question is if you had been on your own would you have made the same decision or would you not even have gone south anyway

No Liz, I wouldn’t have been anyway near Great Yarmouth if on my own. When I bought the boat, I did promise to myself that I’d never do the crossing on my own, but now, having experienced yesterday, I might be persuaded on a very benign day in the summer, in a drought😂

 

1 hour ago, MargeandParge said:

I never thought that tides could rise so quickly.

This morning, at 8.20 the St Olaves bridge gauge was 7’2”. By the time we cast off and got to the bridge 20 mins later it was 6’9”. This was two and a quarter hours before high tide, for a bridge where my list says average high water clearance is 8’. 

And again at Somerleyton, same sort of time before high tide. On a bridge with a high water clearance of 8’6”, I went under at 7’1”. 

For anyone else out on the southern rivers at the moment, arrive anywhere tight well before the time you normally would. 

As for Tony, I’m trying to give him the impression that everything’s under control!

Off to Beccles on a rising tide, so motoring along nicely this morning. 

[SwanR]

Love mooring at Beccles. Have a great day. 🤗

[Mouldy]

31 minutes ago, kpnut said:

 . . . . . . . . Off to Beccles on a rising tide, so motoring along nicely this morning. 

If the tides are that high, I’d suggest the pontoon moorings at Oulton Broad would be better.  Beccles will probably overtop.

[kpnut]

Thanks Malcolm. Just read it as we are arriving into Beccles. Oh well. 

[CambridgeCabby]

There is also one pontoon mooring spot at Beccles , we usually book it 

[kpnut]

I didn’t know that Simon; it’ll go in the file in my head for the future. Or maybe on paper too as I’m getting old!

It is high but not quite overtopped on this tide. It did do yesterday so I was told. There was only boat here when we arrived, but a few more now.
Only one of the five here is a hire boat but that’s not too surprising for a Saturday. 
Of the 6 hire boats I’ve seen this side so far, 5 are from Richardson’s. Same as at Acle on Thursday night- 4/6. 

A totally non exciting day today 😂. A walk round Beccles awaits, with a bit of food shopping, then to wash all the salt off the boat. Every time I touch it, my hands feel and taste of salt. What were my nice clean windows need re-doing. 

[ExSurveyor]

Anything will seem unexciting compared to yesterday 😁

[MargeandParge]

The boat is salty  because it sweated yesterday . Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[kpnut]

6 hours ago, MargeandParge said:

The boat is salty  because it sweated yesterday . Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

I must treat it with more kindness. 

We had a great look round Beccles. I ventured up the church tower that happened to be open. £4 well worth spending. 

And the boat got washed, she deserved a bit of mollycoddling. 

What is up with the electric at Beccles? When I came in September I paid for £1 and it seemed to last for a quick hoover and having the battery charger on. After returning from a swim at the lido it had all gone. So I paid a further £1 which did about the same. 

Therefore this time, I asked for £3 and in fact after he’d loaded it, it showed £7.50 total credit. 
We had our walk round town, leaving a toothbrush and a drill battery on charge, and my boat battery charger. I’d also had the immersion heater on for half hour after we’d both had showers. We’d used £2.86, (4.64 credit) and now 4 hours later, we’re down to 3.60 credit with just the battery charger and an 800w oil heater for an hour. 
I can make a £1 BA card last all night, using similar items. 
It’ll be interesting to see if the remainder lasts all night.
Do they have a very high standing charge or something here?

Bookends!

[Bikertov]

53 minutes ago, kpnut said:

What is up with the electric at Beccles? When I came in September I paid for £1 and it seemed to last for a quick hoover and having the battery charger on. After returning from a swim at the lido it had all gone. So I paid a further £1 which did about the same. 

Therefore this time, I asked for £3 and in fact after he’d loaded it, it showed £7.50 total credit. 
We had our walk round town, leaving a toothbrush and a drill battery on charge, and my boat battery charger. I’d also had the immersion heater on for half hour after we’d both had showers. We’d used £2.86, (4.64 credit) and now 4 hours later, we’re down to 3.60 credit with just the battery charger and an 800w oil heater for an hour. 
I can make a £1 BA card last all night, using similar items. 
It’ll be interesting to see if the remainder lasts all night.
Do they have a very high standing charge or something here?

At my home mooring at Jones in St.Ives, since 1st April we are now paying 27p per unit, with an annual £50 standing charge.

That is less than I curently pay E.On at home on my domestic tariff !

[YnysMon]

Loved the photo of the two dogs.

The electricity at Beccles is a bit of a mystery to me too.

What’s it like going up Beccles tower? Are the steps fairly enclosed or are there scary bits on ladders like at Ranworth? I’m ashamed to say I haven’t yet managed to get all the way to the top of Ranworth tower. Being scared of heights is such a downer. 

[kpnut]

8 hours ago, YnysMon said:

What’s it like going up Beccles tower? Are the steps fairly enclosed or are there scary bits on ladders like at Ranworth? I’m ashamed to say I haven’t yet managed to get all the way to the top of Ranworth tower. Being scared of heights is such a downer. 

The steps are fully enclosed right to the top. Quite steep and with ropes for each hand. And they have system of calling up to the next level to check no-ones coming down before you set off, so no traffic jams on the steps. And once you there, there’s someone there to talk to and point things out. And some signboards with what’s in the view in front of you. 
Their website publishes the days they are open. 

[kpnut]

8 hours ago, Bikertov said:

At my home mooring at Jones in St.Ives, since 1st April we are now paying 27p per unit, with an annual £50 standing charge.

That is less than I curently pay E.On at home on my domestic tariff !

I read on the BA that they alter their posts after renewing their contract each spring. I met the man doing the alteration once. The rate is there too. 
But Beccles must be a lot dearer. 

[grendel]

the amount shown on the posts at Beccles is the actual units of electricity left, so you bought £3 and the post showed 7.5 units remaining.

[Mouldy]

5 minutes ago, grendel said:

the amount shown on the posts at Beccles is the actual units of electricity left, so you bought £3 and the post showed 7.5 units remaining.

The electric posts at The Ferry House at Surlingham do the same.  If you need to top a post up, the cards are available from the pub. There is a standard £5 credit on the card and a £5 refundable deposit for the card itself.

[kpnut]

4 hours ago, grendel said:

the amount shown on the posts at Beccles is the actual units of electricity left, so you bought £3 and the post showed 7.5 units remaining.

That goes a very long way to explaining it!
Many thanks and to Mouldy for the info for the Ferry House. 

[kpnut]

The high tide seems more benign this morning. Yesterday I was coming up between Aldeby and Beccles about an hour before high tide and all the fishing platforms were underwater. I’ve just been past again, about an hour before high tide again and they’re all easily visible. 

Lovely morning for a gentle pootle along the Waveney. 
 

[Mouldy]

24 minutes ago, kpnut said:

The high tide seems more benign this morning. Yesterday I was coming up between Aldeby and Beccles about an hour before high tide and all the fishing platforms were underwater. I’ve just been past again, about an hour before high tide again and they’re all easily visible. 

Much less windy today than yesterday and from a different direction.  Looking at the forecast, northeasterlies and northerlies prevail until midweek, them northwesterlies for Wednesday and Thursday, just in time for the next springs!

Complete change of direction from Friday, which may help river levels to drop a bit.

[kpnut]

We came down Oulton Dyke for a cruise round the broad and then back up to the Dutch Tea Gardens, using the pontoon. 
After lunch, although we could both have just easily snoozed in the sun and I have some garden plant planning to do for my daughter, we decided to walk down to have a good look at the lock. It’s a nice walk, the first bit along the riverbank and up into the wood, over the railway and to the church. Then on tarmac, peering into front gardens for ideas, not that I got any. 
We also sampled a refreshing cider on the patio of the Wherry Hotel. We felt very much in holiday mode.

There’s a black swan in that picture. 

With a bit of a detour on the return due to me misreading the map, thinking the footpath down to Oulton dyke carried on round to join the other one near the moorings and so having to backtrack, my app says I’ve done 5.8 miles today, although some of that will have been taking the dogs out on the green at Beccles YS. 
That’s three walks I’ve done so far from the Dutch Tea Gardens and three times I’ve gone wrong!!

Because we want to visit the nature reserve tomorrow morning, we’ve moved over to the Carlton Marsh pontoon. It’s noisier on this side, probably because I’m facing downstream rather than up. Tony saw his first ever otter soon after we’d moored up.

As the sun was thinking about setting. 

[kpnut]

I couldn’t resist getting up early this morning, it was so gorgeous outside; lovely and sunny, and warm out of the wind. 
We were therefore out on the nature reserve before 9am, and took a stroll down to the visitor centre. I can vouch that the toilet block is superb. 
Then round the marsh wearing the dogs out. Being on a lead is probably as tiring for them as running off lead, the nervous energy used up is amazing. 
The detour back to the visitor centre for the gift shop, and a mug of tea with bacon roll showed just how tired the dogs were as they just zonked flat out under the table. 
No pictures as I forgot my phone  

I waited for the tide to turn early afternoon before setting off for Somerleyton, and a while later we passed under the bridge with a clearance of well over 9’ and were soon moored up, with one other boat in situ. 
The rest of the afternoon was spent in the sunshine ticking off a few small jobs with the dogs still dozing, until I disturbed them when I realised that if they didn’t go out for a wee they probably wouldn’t be able to jump up and off the boat for the next few hours as we were disappearing down the quay!

As it turned out, the tide turned maybe half hour before schedule again. 

It’s very peaceful here, apart from a little motor boat that’s been up and down a number of times far too fast. He seems to be getting great pleasure from creating wash. The yacht owner further down gave him an earful the last time he passed.
I like the occasional rumble of the trains. 

I didn’t like to suggest we have another walk, even though Somerleyton is well worth visiting and of course the Dukes Head is a good stopping off point on the way back. 

[kpnut]

I looked out of the window at about 6.30 this morning to see some dead reeds sitting in the water, not going anywhere at all. Must have been exactly on the tide turn. 
We had a walk up to the Herringfleet smock mill before setting off on a leisurely trip through St Olaves and on to Burgh Castle. I noticed the gauge on the upstream side of the bridge (ie before the bridge if heading for Great Yarmouth) reads about 4” higher than on the downstream side. Whatever the readings, we had plenty of room. 

We moored very easily at Burgh Castle at about 12oclock and took the dogs up to the castle/fort. The view from there really is very good. On passing the Fisherman’s Arms it did look rather closed, with a padlock on the gate to the terrace, but on our way back I saw the door from the carpark was open, and there was a wonderful smell of fish and chips, so my fears of the pub being properly shut seemed unfounded. 

The boat was beginning to do its disappearing act on our return.

We had a relaxed lunch and whiled away the time. About half hour before I planned to leave, I realised the dogs ought to be taken out before it became too difficult to get them off the boat. I always use the stern door as the dog towels are close to hand. Our system was for me to climb off, and Tony to then pass me the lead before seeing to the dog. The other dog was shut in the boat while this was going on. Charlie had to be lifted off and back on as he was too nervous to jump up and down but Finlay who’s much more used to being asked to do wierd things on the boat, was fine. Not quite sure how he managed to jump up, but he did. 

We left Burgh Castle a bit earlier than intended, at 16.25 with low tide at the yacht station being at 16.35. The wind was blowing quite a lot harder than it had been at lunchtime and I didn’t want too bumpy a ride back.
Normally I end up turning onto the Bure and finding the boat working hard as I seem to get the jitters and depart across Breydon a bit early for the slack. Today, it seemed just about right. And very happily, we had over 3’ more clearance under the bridges than on Friday. I was still constantly checking on my way across though, as if by some strange incident, the tide was suddenly going to flood in. I’m very relieved it behaved today. 

Tony got to see the mudflats he missed on Fridays journey. 

The quay heading at Ashtree Farm windpump was properly visible, as it should have been on Friday when it was nearly overtopping near to low tide. 

Stokesby BA mooring was full so we continued to Acle Bridge, arriving at 19.45, conveniently between two rain showers. It probably took us longer than some people to come up the Bure but I wasn’t in any hurry as I knew there’d be mooring spots free at Acle (we’re on the Pedro’s side) and I have lights. 
 

And sods’ law it has just started raining again, just when I need to put the dogs out. 

[kpnut]

I managed to load my little video of the outward journey across Breydon on Friday afternoon. Hope it works ok. 

 

 

[grendel]

I have crossed in worse, my ideal crossing south to north is if I hit the incoming tide at about Breydon Bridge, then push into it to the yellow post, where I then get a boost all the way up the bure.

[kpnut]

Yes, that is what I’d ideally do, but always end up being just that bit too early! I nearly managed it this time. 

[Vaughan]

You can always moor on the BA pontoon, just on the Yarmouth side of the Breydon Bridge, which is there for boats wishing to wait for the tide in the Yacht Station.  We have often used it before.