Winter Cruising.

[Andrewcook]

As to Winter Cruising is it wise to Moor up on the Main Rivers during very Cold Conditions during the Winter months such as Ranworth Broad or Salhouse Broads or any others of the Main Broad Rivers so the Boat doesn't get Frozen in?

[Wussername]

It is not wise to travel on The Broads in mid winter when the Broad's are frozen with ice.

The rivers themselves can and will become frozen.

You will be well-advised to seek and maintain a safe mooring. 

[YnysMon]

We’ve had fairly mild winters recently. I know rivers (including the mighty Thames) have frozen over in the past, but I haven’t heard of the rivers freezing over in recent years. Broads yes, as they are shallow, so we are cautious about where we moor up in winter.

The weather can turn though, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on weather forecasts when we are next out and about at the beginning of the year. 

[MauriceMynah]

Ahhh. Frozen in at Ranworth staithe is one of my ambitions.

[Wonderwall]

Get your boat up to the river Clyde , in Bonnie Scotland. 

It never freezes over. Apparently, it is because of all the lovely nukes , harmless.as they are so we are told.

Regardless, it's always flowing, a lovely greenish blue colour . 🤗

[Smoggy]

5 hours ago, Wonderwall said:

 

Regardless, it's always flowing, a lovely greenish blue colour . 🤗

That's the outfalls after a rangers match do that not the nukes.

[Cal]

We got "frozen in" several times while out and about on our little Sealine S23. Never a problem with that. It was quite the little ice breaker when it needed to be 

Never had any damage to the hull from it. The worst it got was some scuffed antifoul paint on the tip of the bow.

[Gracie]

I'm probably gonna regret this but what's nukes?

The latest in the year I've been out on the Broads is October, been there by car after that. I imagine there is a whole new feel to the place in winter apart from it being ruddy cold I mean  Stunning if it snows too. 

I would moor at Ranworth, loads of duvets, a couple of glasses of wine and just enjoy, then off to the pub for me dinner. Jeez I would hope I got frozen in  x

[Vaughan]

13 minutes ago, Cal said:

Never had any damage to the hull from it. The worst it got was some scuffed antifoul paint on the tip of the bow.

You were lucky, in that case. The worst kind of ice for a boat is the very thin stuff, that has just formed on the surface, only about 3mm thick.  No problem driving through it, you hardly notice - but I have seen it go through the stem of a boat as though it had been attacked with a cross-cut saw.

[Wonderwall]

2 hours ago, Gracie said:

I'm probably gonna regret this but what's nukes?

The latest in the year I've been out on the Broads is October, been there by car after that. I imagine there is a whole new feel to the place in winter apart from it being ruddy cold I mean  Stunning if it snows too. 

I would moor at Ranworth, loads of duvets, a couple of glasses of wine and just enjoy, then off to the pub for me dinner. Jeez I would hope I got frozen in  x

Nukes my friend , are the lovely harmless 😦, nuclear weapons Scotland have been given to look after. 30 miles from our most populated city. 😱😰😭

[Wonderwall]

4 hours ago, Smoggy said:

That's the outfalls after a rangers match do that not the nukes.

Even football fans are less poisonous than our little gifts from Westminster.😱

[ModeratorTeam]

Lets not stray into politics please.

[Gracie]

2 hours ago, Wonderwall said:

Nukes my friend , are the lovely harmless 😦, nuclear weapons Scotland have been given to look after. 30 miles from our most populated city. 😱😰😭

Oh Neil I know what they are but it was early when I read your post and I was thinking you meant a Scottish footie team like The Hibs or something 

I need to get out more or drink less wine......said no woman ever  x

[Cal]

4 hours ago, Vaughan said:

You were lucky, in that case. The worst kind of ice for a boat is the very thin stuff, that has just formed on the surface, only about 3mm thick.  No problem driving through it, you hardly notice - but I have seen it go through the stem of a boat as though it had been attacked with a cross-cut saw.

Never any damage at all and it certainly wasn't a one off occasion. The first few winters we had the boat she was "iced in" away from her home mooring many times.

She had a tendency to ride up over the ice and then break through rather than trying to smash through with the peak of the bow.

Winter 2010/2011 was a bad one and we were iced in the marina for 12 weeks. No chance of breaking through that. An Italian sports cruiser had to be cut from the ice as it had squeezed the hull and cracked it. The insurers paid for it to be cut out of the ice, divers to put the slings under and a long reach crane to haul it out and get it ashore ASAP. The ice where it was cut out was 12" thick!

The sum total of our damage was a pair of sheared trim tab mountings. £25 and a paddle in the slipway later and we were sorted out again.

[Wonderwall]

7 hours ago, ModeratorTeam said:

Lets not stray into politics please.

I didnt, and I wont.

My final point in the light hearted matter, but if they were in the broads, peeps quite rightly , would not be happy.

That's all I was alluding to. It was not political, I thought most people on here liked keeping our rivers safe and clean. I apologise if I have been deemed to stray from the rules.

[Gracie]

13 hours ago, Wonderwall said:

I didnt, and I wont.

My final point in the light hearted matter, but if they were in the broads, peeps quite rightly , would not be happy.

That's all I was alluding to. It was not political, I thought most people on here liked keeping our rivers safe and clean. I apologise if I have been deemed to stray from the rules.

Of course we want our rivers clean and safe and understand exactly how you feel my friend. Well I understand now I worked out what you meant Such a ditz sometimes 

Back to winter cruising, how many of you guys have done Christmas afloat? I like to think it's magical or is it ruddy cold and miserable? x

[Ray]

I like the idea of Christmas afloat but the practicalities of a big dog and miserable crew probably mean all the rest if my Christmases would be spent alone... 😂🎅

[Chelsea14Ian]

The broads are magical in winter,but I don't do cold. The latest we've  done is early December and earliest the start of March.That was very frosty. 

[Guest281222]

24 minutes ago, Ray said:

I like the idea of Christmas afloat but the practicalities of a big dog and miserable crew probably mean all the rest if my Christmases would be spent alone... 😂🎅

Winter is the best time to be on the Broads in my opinion, as I (pretty much) live aboard it is safe to say I will be spending another Christmas and New Year afloat too. Happy Days 

[Gracie]

The romantic in me likes to think it's magical at Christmas time, the reality is probably quite different. I'd still like to give it a go one day though. Let's face it, just being afloat on the Broads is magical and really does give you a sense of peace and tranquility, okay maybe not in August 

[Happy]

  It must have been about 8 years ago.  We were in the pub over Christmas and some of the guys were talking about my boat.  As drinking progressed we all decided it would be a good idea to go up for New Years Eve (I seem to recall one or two of the wifes were not impressed?!)  Five of us set off from Hawkinge in my wifes Discovery,  By the time we got  to Canterbury on the A2 it was snowing badly and we had to decide whether to continue - well, with beer money in our pockets and the thoughts of a few days away we continued.  The boat was a six berth Seamaster 30 fitted with a Norwegian diesel fired heater so I knew we would be warm enough.  We arrived at Potter Heigham and the track to the moorings was at least 12 inches deep in snow!  The ice in the marina was about 6 inches thick I would guess.  Needless to say there was no cruising but the two local pubs were kept busy.  The boat was so hot that one of the guys in the front twin cabin opened his window in the night and when he woke up had a snow drift on him!  Happy Days.

[Smoggy]

Cold and bright is ok but when it's mild it tends to be damp and grey in winter, eberspachers do a wonderful job preferably with a leccy plugin too.

When the heating was down in the ferryhouse we did many winter weekends there and took a bag of logs with us each time as the pubs firewood was crap.

I'm hoping we'll get to the boat bretween Christmas and new year for a few days but not if damp and grey, the fire at home is just too cosy.

[Cheesey69]

Power is going to be your enemy if your heating depends on power somewhere. seek out those electric poles!

We have a very good paraffin heater, designed for domestic use (not green house use) that really does the trick

[Cal]

3 hours ago, Ray said:

I like the idea of Christmas afloat but the practicalities of a big dog and miserable crew probably mean all the rest if my Christmases would be spent alone... 😂🎅

We had several Christmas on the boat. Always enjoyed it.

Planning to be out in the van between Christmas and New Year's again. We enjoyed that last year in Norfolk. Off to Northumberland this year.

[Lulu]

We spent last Christmas on the boat. We all decided as a family not to get together because of Covid.  It was absolutely wonderful. A lovely cruise down the Ant in the morning. We had intended to go to Ranworth but it was full. I suspect others had the same idea because of covid but other than Ranworth, the rivers were empty and we spent Christmas Day at Ludham Bridge totally on our own.  We took decorations and Christmas crackers and had a mini roast dinner totally off grid. Would definitely do it again if we had the chance.