Ranworth Update

[floydraser]

And so the author of the report seems to be a loyal supporter of JP.

3 hours ago, Vaughan said:

 

Para 1.2  says that the mooring charge has always been argued by the late Charles Cator, whose family also now charge £12 for the island moorings on the other side of the Broad.  This land used to be leased by Peter Mills as a syndicate duck flight, on about 40 acres of otherwise useless marsh.  After his death the family gave up the lease on this land, for which the Cator family now happily rake in £12 a night for where the BA report admits "there are no facilities".  I find it saddening that the BA in a report, should seek to quote the landowner's evident greed as an excuse for their own actions.

 

 

My feelings too. 

[Chelsea14Ian]

I think BA hoped that most of there fees would come from hire boaters.Bringing in fees just as the season  started.Perhaps they don't care about private  craft  and long term hirers.

[YnysMon]

10 hours ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

I think BA hoped that most of there fees would come from hire boaters.Bringing in fees just as the season  started.Perhaps they don't care about private  craft  and long term hirers.

That’s probably accurate. 

[mikeyboy1966]

This image was posted on BRAG,

Plus comments on how many boats moored up at the hire yards.

price hikes too much?

[Meantime]

I think its a combination of lots of things, but it is certainly meaning death by a thousand cuts for The Broads!

20 years ago we used to book a table for an evening meal for 7:30pm or 8pm and be the last to leave at last orders. Most places this past week 7:30pm was their latest table with us being the last in the place by 9:30pm and having to check if we had time for one more before they closed. 

Not that mooring was much of an issue last week, but in busy season when you have to moor up so early to guarantee a spot, this leads to people going into pubs much earlier and them being empty by 21:30.

[CambridgeCabby]

I , on a frequent basis , used to be the “last man standing” at various watering holes on the Broads , nowadays I tend to return to the boat by 22:00 at the latest and yes the late night drinking crowds have certainly dwindled but not only on the Broads .

When I was a publican pubs had to shut between 15:00 and 18:00 and 23:00 till 11:00 Monday to Saturday and 14:30 and 19:00 and 22:30 till 12:00 on Sundays this later changed to allow all day opening from 11:00 to 23:00 on Saturdays ., then the current 24/7 hours (subject to local conditions) was introduced .

The current all day opening hours fills the pubs during the afternoons , customers have a limited amount of funds and if they’re spending at 16:00 in the afternoon they can’t spend at 22:30 in many cases .

I for one miss the old opening hours , you knew that the usual crowd would be in place and at what time , being closed during the afternoons meant that at weekends some families were together whereas now one or both parents are in the pub .

I guess I’m just getting old .

 

[Broads01]

Whilst quiet moorings and pub habits are valid discussions, how does this link to the Ranworth subject?

[ExSurveyor]

2 minutes ago, Broads01 said:

Whilst quiet moorings and pub habits are valid discussions, how does this link to the Ranworth subject?

It is thread drift, happens a lot when no new information is available.

[CeePee1952]

2 hours ago, mikeyboy1966 said:

This image was posted on BRAG,

Plus comments on how many boats moored up at the hire yards.

price hikes too much?

We don't mind paying the £13 overnight charge when mooring at Beccles as well as paying for one of their electric cards, as Beccles has a lot to offer both during the day and night as opposed to Ranworth. In fact Beccles will be one of our stops in September when we take our friends from Devon down to the southern broads on Royale Light 2.

Chris

 

[BrundallNavy]

3 hours ago, mikeyboy1966 said:

This image was posted on BRAG,

Plus comments on how many boats moored up at the hire yards.

price hikes too much?

We went past Ferry boatyard yesterday and was surprised how many boats were still in. Over the weekend it seemed to be mostly Ricos and HW out. 

[Broads01]

1 hour ago, ExSurveyor said:

It is thread drift, happens a lot when no new information is available.

I'm aware that happens but a new unrelated subject belongs in a new thread IMHO. Probably just my data oriented brain in overdrive as that's what I do for a living. I'll say no more.

[DAVIDH]

Not sure the prices have been hiked between 2022 and 2023. I've looked at just a few I still have prices last year for and Richardsons seem to be holding them level, eg Commander A - 7 nights August £3146 each year.

Swan Ranger 7 nights August  £1873 2022 and 2023

Fair Regent 4 nights August £1192 in 2022 - £1035 in 2023,

Fair Monarch 4 nights August £1841 in 2022 - £1695 in 2023

Brinks Quartet 4 nights £1575 in 2022 - £1469 in 2023 though now £1329 with discount

Of course, the prices were hiked between 2020 and 2022 so still leeway to come down. I don't think it's the prices so much as the Broads holiday afloat being seen as a second holiday. Many are 3 and 4 night breaks now, so not a "main" holiday. The overseas travel industry is still reporting buoyant sales, which is a surprise with things as they are. Perhaps people are foregoing their second holidays and that's why sales are down, and boats are still tied up. 

 

[LondonRascal]

Honestly, it is not just the Broads, I just spend the weekend down in Hampshire and paid a visit to the Watercress Line (Mid Hants Railway) - now in the past when I have visited this (and other heritage lines) you'd see a real mix of people and they would be busy especially on a June weekend..But not now it was a surprise. The Hotel we stayed at had 48 rooms, but only 12 were let. Despite this, it cost £126.00 for the room, it was tired and dated with dusty nooks and crannies and just reminded me how bad we are in this country with accommodation outside the major chains who seem to at least have reliable standards.

What is going on across the country, are many just are being more and more careful with spending. I have been surprised how quiet once guaranteed to be packed Whetherspoon pubs are (and just how expensive they have become for food). Now you think about the Broads and almsot all riverside pubs now charge for mooring which is not refundable if you eat there, the beer is expensive as is the food, the boat has cost a lot, the food and drink you bought to stock up the boat has cost you a bunch too. Driving the car to the boatyard is not cheap, things all going up but what has stayed the same? your income. I fear that it might not just be the boatyards who are going to suffer this year, its all the local businesses who also bank on this time of year for visitors too.

[Mouldy]

10 hours ago, DAVIDH said:

Of course, the prices were hiked between 2020 and 2022 so still leeway to come down. I don't think it's the prices so much as the Broads holiday afloat being seen as a second holiday. Many are 3 and 4 night breaks now, so not a "main" holiday. The overseas travel industry is still reporting buoyant sales, which is a surprise with things as they are. Perhaps people are foregoing their second holidays and that's why sales are down, and boats are still tied up. 

 

Is there now leeway for a reduction in prices, given the enormous rise in energy prices and other associated costs over the past twelve months?  Remember also that the cost of parts required for build or maintenance will also have increased, for all the same reasons, fuel, wages, transport, raw materials etc..

I think that another factor may be the sharp increase in diesel prices last year, which must have impacted the yard’s operating ‘all inclusive’ deals massively.  If the cost of diesel for an average holiday had been factored in at say £1 per litre and it had actually cost £1.75 per litre, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that some losses must have been incurred on those craft, especially if the hirers weren’t careful with throttle usage and covered much of the network.  ‘All inclusive’ pricing for this year will surely have been calculated using fuel prices, which were at their peak last year, when in fact fuel costs have dropped dramatically over the past few weeks, making those prices artificially high for this year.

Maybe we’ve forgotten The Broads pre-pandemic and can now only remember the artificially increased numbers caused by imposed post pandemic foreign travel restrictions.  To be fair, who can blame someone taking a cruise around the Norwegian Fjords, for example, when the cost for two is less than hiring a boat on The Broads.

I don’t ever recall a Broads boating holiday ever being cheap and with deals available on jet away holidays in the sun being offered for less than the cost of hiring a boat, is it any wonder that folk are returning to fighting over a sun bed, supping cheap booze around a sun kissed swimming pool?

[marshman]

Its not the Broads per se but post pandemic -  its not just the Broads that have changed ,but the whole holidaying issue - the early eating isn't just a Broads thing but even in Norwich that is now commonplace. I thought London Rascals post hit the nail on the head.

The Broads were already becoming a second holiday spot and short break orientated, and that market will be struggling. I note the comment about Ferry too, but they do have over 40 boats these days and they may of course, have a booking later in the week.

Markets change all the time and firms have to adapt to survive - and they probably will cope as they have in the past.

 

[floydraser]

We are currently in His Majesty's Lake District and the campsite is full. Walking around Derwentwater today (10 miles!) we saw people being turned away from the launches as they were full. I think the weather has a lot to do with it as we are currently getting 20+ degrees and blue skies every day. Last minute dot com holidays and all that. Sitting under that blanket of cloud is not helping Norfolk. 

[gancanny]

we are only around 100 miles from you on the north-east coast and it has been a cold and very overcast day,  it is a better forecast for tomorrow and the rest of the week

[Meantime]

The BA press machine springs into overtime again!!!

EDP Update on Ranworth here

[SwanR]

Interesting article. And if it’s stopping people overstaying thereby giving more people a chance to use the moorings and access the facilities then that’s a good thing. 

[Mouldy]

15 minutes ago, SwanR said:

Interesting article. And if it’s stopping people overstaying thereby giving more people a chance to use the moorings and access the facilities then that’s a good thing. 

It looks more like it’s stopped a lot of people from visiting at all.  There are pictures on FB taken yesterday afternoon.  Only two dayboats arriving between 12:00 and 15:00 and only two people sitting at the pub.  That’s more like November than a sunny, warm June afternoon.

I fear that the BA might be interpreting figures to justify their actions and possibly to introduce mooring fees elsewhere.

[CambridgeCabby]

It’s full now @ 11:27 

[Broads01]

To claim the upturn in trade at the Granary restaurant is due to the introduction of mooring charges is complete nonsense. They cannot possibly link the two and the increase is far more likely to be due to the restaurant changing their business model, offering evening meals and doing it well.

[oldgregg]

Indeed. Even by the BA's standards that is scraping the barrel.

I bought a Sainsbury's meal deal the other day and thanks to that a man in London was able to achieve his dream of buying a Ferrari and a Private Jet. Go me!

The granary has ditched the "80's teashop" vibe and everyone is saying how much better it is. That's why it's more succesful.

[SwanR]

59 minutes ago, Mouldy said:

Only two dayboats arriving between 12:00 and 15:00 and only two people sitting at the pub.  That’s more like November than a sunny, warm June afternoon.

Don’t forget yesterday was a working day for many people. And the weather here has been like November until the last couple of days. Plus Friday is either a changeover day or people position themselves for a Saturday return. Given so many of the boats out now seem to be Richardson’s or Herbie Woods’ then Ranworth isn’t ideal for that. 

[Mouldy]

5 minutes ago, SwanR said:

Don’t forget yesterday was a working day for many people. And the weather here has been like November until the last couple of days. Plus Friday is either a changeover day or people position themselves for a Saturday return. Given so many of the boats out now seem to be Richardson’s or Herbie Woods’ then Ranworth isn’t ideal for that. 

Good point, but there have been photos of Ranworth all week on FB showing available spaces into the evening.  Also, just two dayboats?  I can’t help thinking that this is BA cultivated propaganda, to substantiate their actions and possibly encourage them to do the same elsewhere.  How much income could they generate at How Hill, for example?

Let’s also remember that over April and May, there have been several Bank Holidays, including school holidays, when there should have been more holidaymakers to potentially increase their averages.