How And ,why And When Did You First Visit The Broads

[Troyboy]

We came several times with mum and dad in late 60s and 70s. Caribbean class boat, Vesta 3, one from Sandersons and a few more. I fell in at Acle Bridge and almost drowned when I was about 10 yr old. Older lady pulled me out and I woke up in my parents cabin. I can remember it clearly even though it was 50 yrs ago. I look at various places on the broads that reminds me of childhood visits.

[MargeandParge]

Just read through this thread again 

Thanks Ian for a great posting will probably read through it again. Seems like everybody cares .

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[YnysMon]

1 hour ago, Troyboy said:. I fell in at Acle Bridge and almost drowned when I was about 10 yr old. Older lady pulled me out and I woke up in my parents cabin. I can remember it clearly even though it was 50 yrs ago. I look at various places on the broads that reminds me of childhood visits.

Coo, that’s real Broads loyalty! Not even nearly drowning put you off.

[MargeandParge]

10 minutes ago, YnysMon said:

Coo, that’s real Broads loyalty! Not even nearly drowning put you off.

Life jacket or beer.

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[LizG]

I'll have to work on this and find some photos 

[kpnut]

Well Ian, what a super interesting thread, thanks very much.

I could go through each post and just 'like them all' but that seems a bit silly, but the memories are just wonderful.

In terms of actually going on big boats, I'm maybe one of the most newbies. That started in 2018, after a houseboat hire from Simpsons the year before, 2017, just Catherine and me and her dog. I realised there must be so much more to the broads than driving round to places in the car after we hired a dayboat from Whispering Reeds in Hickling and we had a grand day out, getting as far as Womack Dyke.

2018 we were on Concerto 3 from Richardsons. From that moment I couldn't stay away and persuaded friends to join me again in September on Bronze Gem. Then Concerto 1, Gold Gem, San Salvador, Supreme, Classic Gem twice, Magic Gem. All between 2018 and 2020. One common theme - all bathtubs. I fell in love with them, but to be honest, I've never been on any other type while it's actually going along!

My friends got fed up with me annotating the Richardsons brochure layouts re-designing them for my own needs, so my plan to buy a boat started in 2017 and finished with the purchase of Silver Gem 7 in April 2021. Not a day that I've regretted the decision, even if I am poorer. I think I've caught up a bit in terms of time on the water, 20 weeks last year and 16 the year before. 

Catherine's continued to use the boat, now named Springer's Retreat with her now husband and on Saturday it will 6wk old grandaughter's turn to be introduced to the boat. I couldn't be happier about that.

The two men in my life, husband Tony and son Richard can take it or leave it though which has surprised me. Tony's an agricultural engineer so I thought he'd live the mechanical side and Richard's usually up for an adventure. Oh well.

BUT I suppose it first started in 1999 (I had thought it was 1997 till I got the photos out). We hired a houseboat on Lower Street in Horning, at the yard next to JB Boats where the little wooden bridge is over the dyke. From the river end of the dyke there was a willow tree that I think has recently been cut down. Near where Water Wytch moors.

It came with a rowing boat that Catherine took to. She and Richard spent many an hour in it. I'd read about Cockshoot Broad that was only accessible by boat, so on the day between Tony leaving and mum arriving, I rowed them down there, not far I thought, and after a look round that boardwalk, decided to carry on to this interesting sounding new floating visitor centre on Ranworth Broad. We stayed to the side and got buffeted about a bit by passing boats. You never know, some of you may have passed me!!!

Little did I realise that the river was tidal and it had been easy enough coming down on the tide. Rowing back from Ranworth to Horning against the tide was rather more demanding and I had horrible blisters on my hands on arrival back.

Someone asked for photos.

Looks like boats could moor up at the staithe at the visitor centre then.

This was on a pond dipping day at How Hill. Funnily enough, I found this exact spot just this week on my wander round the nature reserve.

I do think this is the same ranger who still takes the Electric Eel trips now. I'll show him the photo next time I'm at How Hill.

I wonder what the name of that passing boat was.

And this last one is in the garden of Phyliis Ellis, wife of the late Ted Ellis of Wheatfen. She invited us for a cup of tea when she spotted us taking a lot of interest in something near the footpath, which perhaps was at the bottom of her garden.

Looking back at these, is it any wonder that Catherine chose a career as a freshwater ecologist? She gets to paddle about in rivers and drive boats!

I'm going to enjoy re-reading this thread in more detail tomorrow.

 

[Roy]

My introduction to the broads is a bit different to all the others. 

My dad owned a mooring plot in Brundall when I was born until I was 20 so I spent many weekends in my rowing boat rowing exploring brundall and bargate broad i would just go off for hours at a time.  The rowing boat turned in to a day boat so we could explore Norwich and reedham and London regular. 

Then the day boat turned in to a 35ft broom so more exploring eventually he got tired of the same bit of river and sold everything up !!and moved the boat to Ipswich on the Orwell 

its my ambition to this day to own a boat on the broads would like a Hampton Safari ( oh if only we still had that mooring plot !! ) 

roy 

[Boatingman]

1964 for me Jack Powles Rippling Foam with my father and his brother in law mum hated boats only ever went twice.

Next trip was 1966 Richardson's Broadsman with a family party

My first trip as Skipper was Bell Boats Aquabell we learnt how not to cross Breydon on that trip treated it with great respect ever since

I have at least for a week every year since cruised with Powles,Collins,Barnes,Summercraft many times,Ferry,Richardsons,Woods,Bell Boats,Brooms,Astons,Hippersons and for the last six years Pacific finished a week on Saturday on Pacific Oasis already booked for next year

Ray

[Chelsea14Ian]

I'm still reading some posts. Clearly you've all enjoyed  you time on the broads.Since moving  to Norfolk I'm surprised  talking to our neighbours,our knowledge  of Norfolk  is better then many of our neighbours, apart from native Norfolk  folk.We put that down to us not only boating,but also travelling  around  Norfolk and Suffolk. 

 

[Gracie]

10 hours ago, MargeandParge said:

Just read through this thread again 

Thanks Ian for a great posting will probably read through it again. Seems like everybody cares .

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

Dear MargeandParge I just love threads like this, I could read peoples adventures all day long whether they are epic war and peace posts or smaller ones. They all show the two things we all have in common no matter our background or age, our love of the Broads and Boats

We do have a proper nice community on here  x

[kpnut]

I succumbed on my second read through of everyone’s tales and couldn’t not ‘like’ them all individually. There needs to be a ‘wonderful’ icon. 
 

The boatyard owners, past and present all ought to be very proud of themselves  to have given so many folk such lovely memories. 

[Chelsea14Ian]

Now we all clearly love the broads. This may be a bit unfair,but where what is your number  one favourite  part/place of the broads?

[grendel]

for me, its wherever I am moored up at the time, though I will confess that I love above Potter heigham Bridge (dont always appreciate the swarms of insects though)

[Ray]

14 minutes ago, grendel said:

for me, its wherever I am moored up at the time

I think that says it perfectly 👍

I've always loved wild mooring for overnight especially when you find a spot for just your one boat, the peace and wildlife spotting opportunities are priceless. Sadly compared to when we started boating such spots are rarer and harder to find.

[vanessan]

Reading all these posts does tell me that a lot of us are, how shall I put it, a little past our prime perhaps!! It’s clear how much we all got hooked however. 
Favourite place is a difficult one, I have quite a few. Langley Dyke used to be one of them 😢. Fleet Dyke is another. Oh heck, what grendel said, anywhere I’m moored up!

[bucket]

Two come to mind; a slow, summer evening cruise from Sutton Staithe back to our home mooring at Horning.....magical!

Or sitting on the terrace outside the Rising Sun at Coltishall.....boat moored on the green, pint in hand, waiting for our dinner to arrive.......perfect.

[YnysMon]

My favourite spot so far is that wild mooring just before the Irstead bend. I say 'so far' as there are lots of mooring spots that we haven't tried out yet.

I love above Potter Heigham bridge too and have a hankering for mooring overnight at 'Dungeon Corner' which is on a bend before you get to the stretch that passes Martham Broad. Obviously we won't be doing that on Moonlight Shadow!

[Mouldy]

6 hours ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

I'm still reading some posts. Clearly you've all enjoyed  you time on the broads.Since moving  to Norfolk I'm surprised  talking to our neighbours,our knowledge  of Norfolk  is better then many of our neighbours, apart from native Norfolk  folk.We put that down to us not only boating,but also travelling  around  Norfolk and Suffolk. 

Isn’t that true for most of us?  I think we’re often oblivious of places that are nearby, concentrating more on places we visit on days out or holidays.  Maybe we just take our everyday surroundings for granted.

[Chelsea14Ian]

Living and working  in London  most of my life.I thought  I knew all of London.Many times people  would mention  places I had not seen of been there.Still it is a big place.

[Chelsea14Ian]

Meanwhile here in Martham,it's been a very busy day for some.

[MargeandParge]

A fine question our answer is it depends on what we are doing or who we are with and our mood so just like water we go with the flow.

There are special places everywhere on The Broads and there is always something or someone that enhances or reduces that feeling of perfection. 

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

 

[JawsOrca]

Welll..

Back in 1991 I found a hoseasons brochure down stairs, I asked mummy what it was and she said "Your dad wants to go on a boat but we aint doing that we going on a horse holiday to norfolk instead". I tried talking to Daddy to see if we can go on a boat as the boat looked cool and Daddy said Mummy was being a wimp and afraid of the water so no chance (To be fair I enjoyed the horse holiday though). Mummy was still a wimp and we never went as a young family so when I was 17 and dave was 18 (what 2000 maybe)  I booked the first trip with Silverline on Silver Melody 2, we came up by National express from london which was painful but it was brilliant holiday, I crashed "Mel" so many times god knows how she stayed afloat, but we returned again and again (Funnily not with Silverline though?!), mainly with Alpha craft as they were modern! (Then funnily with Marthams towards the last few days as they seemed original).  We abandoned the broads for a bit and did some sailing locally in Kent, after getting fed up with Mud and a few too many dodgy moments we got Orca and she came up I guess 8 years ago now (geez! - although Covid years don't count).

[catcouk]

I suspect my journey started before I was born when my parents honeymooned on the smallest aft cockpit cruiser in 1980. My first cruise was in the early 90s when our family hired San Christian 3 (a bathtub from Richardson's). Beyond knowing it was Easter time (still my preferred time to visit), I can't remember much. I seem to have a vague memory of eating battenburg 'window' cake whilst mid weighting somewhere above Potter Heigham (maybe Hickling) and that my parents had a bed in the saloon that folder down out of the wall.

After that, we had one other bathtub before largely having centre cockpit sliding canopy cruisers. We could only afford to do it every other year but I remember the excitement of browsing the Hoseason's catalogue 'helping' our parents choose that year's boat!

Happy memories!

[kpnut]

4 minutes ago, MargeandParge said:

A fine question our answer is it depends on what we are doing or who we are with and our mood so just like water we go with the flow.

 

6 hours ago, grendel said:

wherever I am moored up at the time,

Too right, both of you. 
 

Far easier to say where I don’t like. I don’t like Potter Heigham (I did like the quiet moorings), or Hoveton St. John’s, either in or out of the main season. 
I don’t really like Womack staithe or Ranworth or Salhouse in season but love them out of season. 
Wild moorings trump everything else! 

[catcouk]

I feel as though I should log my first trip as an adult too which was also my son's first trip. It was an awesome week aboard my favourite ever boat, Contessa from Richardson's (an Aquafibre Crystal 37 dual steer). We went with friends and the rest of my family came too, albeit aboard a second boat. So much fun and marked a wonderful return to the broads after a 15 year gap.

The boy was only 8 weeks old and we knew the wife might not be up for much after labour so I suggested the broads as an easy holiday where she could just sit in the lounge if worst came to worst. When asked how this was different to staying at home, I said the view would always be changing and it would be beautiful!