Short Break On Rose Emblem

[SwanR]

Last week we had a short break on Rose Emblem from Ferry Marina. So much to like about this boat that it has come very close to stealing my heart from Swan Reflection.  

So here's the story, good bits and not so good bits ...

Day 1 Monday

It's a short drive to Horning from where I live, the takeover time had been arranged as 12.30. And the handover we had was excellent, very thorough, very comprehensive, with information that was to prove to be exactly what we needed to know later in the week. We've hired every year for ten years now, often a couple of times a year, but this was the best handover we've ever had so full credit to Ferry Marina for this. They made sure that we put on our buoyancy aids and adjusted them to fit. They took us through a man overboard procedure, and also provided a safety ladder that could be quickly deployed in an emergency. 

After loading all our stuff on board we decided to go to the Ferry Inn for a spot of lunch to save any thoughts of cooking a meal later. Standard pub food, large portions, a little expensive for what it was but the service was good.

Finally ready to leave our mooring we headed for Fleet Dyke. A nice cruise of one hour or so to get used to the boat. The river levels were high and we had decided that with low tide being early morning and late evening we wouldn't chance heading to Wroxham to see if we could get through the bridge. That remains a mystery for another time.

Rose was easy to moor, good bow thruster, good rear camera, we were soon tied up and ready for a little walk before settling in for the evening. We had Classic FM on in the background for most of the evening, and as is usual when afloat it was an early night.

 

 

[kpnut]

She looks very similar to Swan Reflection, at the bow end anyway. 

[SwanR]

Yes, not dissimilar. I will do a full review of the boat at the end of the tale. And maybe draw a few comparisons given how much I've always loved Swan Reflection.

[YnysMon]

Thanks Jean. Good to hear about the comprehensive hand over.

Is Rose Emblem the one with radiators, or am I thinking of another Ferry Marina boat?

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip. 

[Broads01]

I'm very interested to read your tale, Jean. I had Rose booked myself originally for my recent trip but swapped to Silver for the top helm. Rose looks lovely though and it's a lot cheaper than Silver too. A rear camera on a forward steer is a brilliant asset I'm sure, I'm surprised there's not more of them fitted.

[SwanR]

8 hours ago, YnysMon said:

Is Rose Emblem the one with radiators, or am I thinking of another Ferry Marina boat?

Yes it does have radiators. I’ll mention the heating when I do the boat review. They were very effective even though they were on or they were off. No thermostatic control. But that was fine. 

[SwanR]

8 hours ago, Broads01 said:

A rear camera on a forward steer is a brilliant asset I'm sure, I'm surprised there's not more of them fitted.

Yes this was really helpful. But as with when we were on Bella Donna I tended to use it more when underway to see if anyone was behind me but forgot about it when mooring up! 🤭

[DAVIDH]

4 hours ago, SwanR said:

Yes this was really helpful. But as with when we were on Bella Donna I tended to use it more when underway to see if anyone was behind me but forgot about it when mooring up!

We have a reversing camera on Goosander and have to admit I end up using it for who's behind too. I think the reversing manoevre is so full on that you tend to use your eyes and do indeed forget about the camera.

[SteveO]

1 hour ago, DAVIDH said:

We have a reversing camera on Goosander and have to admit I end up using it for who's behind too. I think the reversing manoevre is so full on that you tend to use your eyes and do indeed forget about the camera.

I have one too, and I fully agree. Ours is mainly used to check that the dinghy we tow is behaving itself and to see what's coming up behind us. 

[SwanR]

Day Two

Another beautifully sunny day - we were so blessed to have such fine settled weather. A few cloudy moments, some rain overnight but I can't remember which night. Some misty mornings but thankfully no wind. I can't remember the last time we had time afloat without it being windy and choppy.

Anyway ... it had been a very cold night but it didn't take us long to get ready to move. I do like to get away from the moorings reasonably early. Best time of the day. As ever having moored in Fleet Dyke we took a cruise around the outer and inner broads at South Walsham. A gentle slow start to the day and a good place to re-acquaint oneself with the boat handling.

Another day two habit for us is to give the boat a good run, make sure the batteries are well charged, as you never quite know when you take the boat over and we don't usually go that far from the yard on day one.

This demonstrates what I love about not planning our trip either. Spur of the moment decision was to turn right onto the Bure and head towards the Thurne. However we carried on down to Acle and what a delight that was. The river was so calm, it's a stretch I sometimes like and sometimes don't, which really depends whether it's choppy or not. This time it was most enjoyable. I moored easily at the BA moorings at Acle and we stopped there for a coffee break on board. We did think about staying there until after lunch but the water levels were already high and would only continue to rise for another 2-3 hours. I would have struggled to get on and off the boat so we turned around and headed back to Womack Water. I would have loved to moor down Womack Dyke but again, the water was too high so a stern on mooring was going to make sense.

We wandered up to the Kings Arms for lunch. They have an OAP special with a good choice for £6. Can't fault that. The food was good, and we don't ask about the definition of OAP. The lovely lady behind the bar quipped that the chef can't see your age anyway! The pub was busy, all credit to them as I think they've ridden out the pandemic well. The atmosphere was very friendly, more so than I have found in the past. 

Back on the boat we didn't fancy staying there for the night so we set off back along the Bure. We had ideas that we might end up at Ranworth but by the time we got to St Benets we were both getting tired. And the moorings there looked so inviting, bathed in sunshine with plenty of room. 

So that was that. A beautiful sunset and another quiet evening on board although the tv did come on for Bake Off. 

[YnysMon]

Sounds like you had an idyllic day. I can see why you didn’t want to side-on moor when the river level was high. Rose Emblem looks like she is perfect for a stern-on mooring.

Thanks for mentioning the OAP special at The Kings Arms. We might try that on our next break. My appetite isn’t what it was so it might be just the thing. I keep forgetting that I’m into my 60s now and potentially eligible for such things. I like the atmosphere in The Kings Arms. Seems very community focussed. Not that they aren’t welcoming to visitors. Seems a proper village pub. 

[SwanR]

Day Three

After another very cold night, and having cruised for quite a long while the previous day, we decided this would be the day for cruising up the Ant at a nice easy pace. Following another beautiful morning we set off reasonably early and were soon through Ludham Bridge. Destination was to be Sutton unless we happened to find Irstead free. What were the chances?

As it turned out there was a boat just leaving the staithe as we approached. As they slipped out, we came alongside and that was it ... plugged in the electric and moored up for the day at just before 10am. You may recall I have mentioned on other occasions enjoying a Ranworth day, relaxing and watching the world go by. Well for this trip it turned into an Irstead day. Wonderful! I can't tell you how much we enjoyed it.

We went for a long walk but instead of taking the road towards Neatishead we went in the other direction to look for Alderfen Broad. We found the nature reserve which was a bit muddy and slippy underfoot. Consulting Google maps we could see where we might be better placed for access and fully intend to return another time.

Back at the staithe I made a visit to the church. No-one else there, complete peace, amazing stillness that it's hard to describe in words. 

Late afternoon another boat slipped into the parish staithe so we weren't completely alone but curtains closed once it got dark, who would know. As we were not moored close to any pubs it looked like I might have to break open that trusty tin of soup until I remembered that the Chinese takeaway at Horning would deliver. Their food is always good and this was no exception. They arrived within 30 minutes of placing our order. 

A little tv as there was a woodworking show that we like to watch. And then another of those blissful early nights.

[Lulu]

Your cruising day was almost identical to our usual routine. Moored up by 10 for the day and Irstead to boot 😁Just so peaceful 

[YnysMon]

Glad you managed to moor up at Irstead. It s a gem.

I must remember about your tip about the Chinese takeaway when we are next there. 

[kpnut]

That sounded like an idyllic day Jean. I’ve only been to Alderfen Broad once, I intend going again sometime. Last time I tried to follow my nose to get there, we got lost!  

[YnysMon]

26 minutes ago, kpnut said:

. Last time I tried to follow my nose to get there, we got lost!  

I almost got lost too. Half the public footpath signs around there seemed to be missing. Definitely a walk on which you need a map.

[SwanR]

Day Four - Part 1

Day four was very much a day of two halves for reasons that will become clear when I write part 2 but for now ... the morning dawned a little cloudy as I recall. But the stillness of the river gave the most amazing reflections. We needed to get water having previously filled up at Womack Water on day 2. We're very careful with our water use on board and so whilst we do fill up if the opportunity presents itself, we know that every couple of days will be sufficient.

We decided to take a look at the water point at Barton Turf. Initially there was a sailie moored there with those on board looking as if they were having breakfast. We figured that I could stern moor on the end and that would be ok. However the people on the other boat decided that they would move so I held station just into the river and then continued to reverse. I ended up side on which wasn't quite the plan and would have made a better job of it if I'd gone round again once the other boat departed. But hey ho, we live and learn.

Job done we headed back to the main river and continued on our way, destination Wayford Bridge. Such a beautiful stretch of river. I don't think we had been up there for quite some time and I really enjoyed the slow meandering with one or two boats coming the other way, but nothing in front of us. On arrival the moorings were empty so I spun the boat round and came alongside at the front, ready for an easy departure after a mid-morning coffee stop.

 

[YnysMon]

I'm glad to hear the sailing left so that you could get on the water point okay. They probably realised that having breakfast on the mooring contravened the clear signs that said mooring for the water point only!

I've sometimes thought that I'd like to visit the cafe in the garden centre that's not too far away from the Weyford Bridge moorings. 

[Mouldy]

5 minutes ago, YnysMon said:

I've sometimes thought that I'd like to visit the cafe in the garden centre that's not too far away from the Weyford Bridge moorings. 

That’s one way to ensure that the auto-correct doesn’t change Wayford to Watford!!  😁😉

[LizG]

The coffee shop is very well recommended but you have to go through the shop so you end up spending more money☹️😀

[SwanR]

1 hour ago, YnysMon said:

I've sometimes thought that I'd like to visit the cafe in the garden centre that's not too far away from the Wayford Bridge moorings. 

I can highly recommend the coffee shop. It's called Vera's and is inside the shop there. The shop might also be useful if needing a few extra provisions.

https://www.agmeale.co.uk/vera-s-coffee-shop/

[SwanR]

Day 4 - Part 2

So where were we? Mid-morning Thursday, boat due back Friday ... our final day's cruising and we had made it up to Wayford Bridge.

At this point I should tell you that the steering on the boat had felt a little heavy all week but my recollection of Rose from our previous hire a few years back was that it was that bit heavier to steer than other boats we had hired. When I say heavy ... it needed a firm hand but it steered a good course. None of this constant adjustments and weaving around ... set it where you want it to go and it stayed on track.

However ... on the way up to Wayford Bridge it had started to feel a bit harder but we were on a bendier stretch of river so ... I put it down to that. But when we left and started back down the Ant I thought it was definitely going to need to be checked out by the yard. We crossed Barton Broad where some sailies were out having some kind of event. I know we give way to them but ... I'll say no more, let's just say it wasn't a good experience for us.

Anyway ... on we cruised, past Irstead and past How Hill. We had decided that we just needed to get back to the Bure and either to Ranworth or possibly back to the yard. I was having to use two hands at times to move the steering wheel. With Ludham Bridge just about in sight in the distance I lost the steering completely. Oh dear ... now this was where the handover came into its own. We both straightaway remembered what we had been told to do if there was a problem. Put the boat into the reeds, put the mudweight over, and call the yard. And we both had our buoyancy aids on.

We got a few strange looks from boats passing us by. Fortunately the Ant was quite wide at that point. Plus with the tide coming in the boat was staying nicely at the side of the river without the stern moving out. Within about 40 minutes the engineers arrived courtesy of Big Tow and got on board to take a look. Rapidly concluding that we did indeed have no steering they got us to Ludham Bridge solely by use of the bow thruster for changes of direction, brought us alongside at the moorings and tied us up.

Could they fix it? Stay tuned for what happened next. The photo below is where we came to a stop. It was extremely peaceful when there were no other boats coming by. A nice spot. :)

 

[SwanR]

Day 4 continued and on to Day 5

The engineers from Ferry Marina were on the boat for around four hours. We got some lunch and had an interesting afternoon chatting with the three engineers who we had on board at various times. I went for a walk over to the shop. But other than that there wasn't much we could do.

I couldn't tell you the technical ins and outs but can say that they tried absolutely everything they could to fix the problem. But in the end they needed something that they had to order and there was just no way of getting Rose back underway. I had joked the day before that the problem with transiting Ludham Bridge is knowing that you've got to face it again coming back the other way. Ha ha ... not on this occasion. Lol!

We went to The Dog for a meal. It was busy but it was the best meal out that we had this time round. Good service and good food. I would definitely go back.

As with every last night of a holiday we spent some of the evening packing up. There were a number of other boats moored at Ludham Bridge but it wasn't full. In fact it was a very pleasant place to have spent the last night of this break. But Friday morning was very strange. About 9am someone arrived from the yard to collect one of us to go back and get our car. At least we weren't far away. Hubby then came back and we loaded the car up from the boat and then drove back to the yard to give them the keys.

The service we received from Ferry Marina was excellent. I don't want to post the details but we were immediately compensated for what had happened and the loss of that final day. This was our fifth hire from Ferry Marina and our first post-pandemic. They are still fogging their boats as part of the turnaround. The handover was comprehensive and very thorough. Even if you have no intention of crossing Breydon Water, the procedure is covered and ticked off on their list.  

We have already booked Rose Emblem again and I'll post a boat review next.

 

[Broads01]

Thanks for an excellent write up and photos, Jean.

I'm impressed with the service you received from the boatyard and the fact they compensated you. As is so often said, what's important is not what goes wrong but how it's dealt with when it does. As I mentioned about my recent trip with Ferry, I was also impressed with the service, the handover and the boat. I do think they need to rethink their pricing though, especially as when I visited they had more boats not on hire than anyone else.

[KevinB]

Enjoyed reading your holiday tale and pics Jean ,glad you got good service from Ferry Marina, I was very close to booking a boat with them for next July but have now booked with Horning Pleasurecraft never started from Horning before so will be a nice change.