An Adventure Of Mystique

[Broads01]

We travelled to Norfolk today for a night at Acle Travelodge before picking up Silver Mystique from Richardsons tomorrow. "We" this time around is Mrs Broads01 (Mel), Suzie our Shih Tzu and myself. It was the worst journey from South Wales I can remember for some years - the M42 was slow, the A14 was slow and the A11 was worst of all. Never mind, we're here now and enjoyed a really nice meal at The Hermitage, our first visit there. Give us a wave if you see us.

 

[Karizma]

have a great time on the river ..............

[Broads01]

The Travelodge, was, well a Travelodge, being an OK room to stay, no more, no less. We could have done with air conditioning and a better bed but at £77 for the night it was cheap by today's standards. The location is handy though, being a quick drive down the road to Acle Bridge and a breakfast at Dune's River Cafe this morning in the sunshine. Then we had time for a drive to Wroxham for Mel to do some shopping and me to nose around the river with the dog. There was only 6 foot 8 showing at the bridge but a few craft had managed to pass through. After a visit to Tesco at Stalham we checked in to Richardsons at 2pm. The boat was ready for us and we were soon on our trial run. Unusually, Richardsons only let you load your belongings on to the boat once the trial run is complete. This, I was told, was to avoid people "failing" the trial run and then having to unload everything, which, I was told, used to happen. Trial run complete and our galley area at least slightly organised, we were away around 3-40...and then back again half an hour later once we'd realised we hadn't checked the bedding and we didn't have enough..doh! Off we went again and the weather couldn't have been better as we chugged down to Barton Broad and then as far as How Hill where we stopped for our first night, plenty of spaces just after 5. It did fill up after though, with the usual folks turning up about 8 o'clock and wondering why there were no spaces left. It was a beautiful evening.

[Wussername]

Hi Simon

Enjoyed your story, but somewhat confused, how does someone fail the trial run and would seem a common occurance. May I suggest because of drink but easily identified before the trial run as such.

Great pics by the way. Enjoy.

Andrew 

[Vaughan]

5 hours ago, Wussername said:

Enjoyed your story, but somewhat confused, how does someone fail the trial run and would seem a common occurance.

I quite agree - in all my career I have never heard of that one before.  Also, in all my career I have only ever had to "fail" two people.

Seems very strange since normally you don't ask for the trial run until you are all ready to leave.  You have your run and when the instructor is happy, he jumps off and away you go.

Don't tell me this is some sort of new "safety" procedure that yards are being told to adopt?

[Ray]

Perhaps putting the idea of failing concentrates the minds of the few who are, shall we say, over confident or too keen to get under way!

[MargeandParge]

Talking to hirers of Moorhen from EW at Upton and they had half a days instruction before taking the boat out,  with a skilled helm.

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[Ray]

This could be developed into a feature of the holiday, half a day's tuition with an experienced helm. I would have loved that when I first hired.

In fact when I bought my last boat I had the pleasure of spending an hour with a very experienced helm and boatyard owner, honing skills and picking up tips, it was really enjoyable. After all, doing your best at boat handling is a big part of the fun of a boat holiday!

[Mouldy]

Nice photos, Simon.  Phone, camera or both, if you don’t mind me asking?

[Mouldy]

28 minutes ago, Ray said:

This could be developed into a feature of the holiday, half a day's tuition with an experienced helm. I would have loved that when I first hired.

Nice idea, but very difficult to put into practice in a big yard with maybe 15 or 20 first timers arriving on the same day, perhaps.

That said, looking at how some folk perform, one does wonder how bad someone has to be, to actually ‘fail’ their trial run.

[SwanR]

I wonder whether this was actually introduced as part of changed procedures following Covid lockdowns. They’re also more strict about giving everyone a trial run at Richardson’s than they used to be. It works well. They check the boat is ready and send you over, asking you to stay in your car until someone comes to greet you. They are then looking out for you on the quay. Boat run through and trial run completed they can then move on to someone else while you unload and get away when you’re ready. It’s probably quite time efficient for the yard. 

[Mouldy]

42 minutes ago, SwanR said:

I wonder whether this was actually introduced as part of changed procedures following Covid lockdowns. They’re also more strict about giving everyone a trial run at Richardson’s than they used to be. It works well. They check the boat is ready and send you over, asking you to stay in your car until someone comes to greet you. They are then looking out for you on the quay. Boat run through and trial run completed they can then move on to someone else while you unload and get away when you’re ready. It’s probably quite time efficient for the yard. 

The Rangers at the Yacht Stations and Reedham were tasked with asking hirers about their handover procedures at the start of their holidays and filled out some kind of survey form a couple of years ago.  I was talking to the ranger on the quay at Reedham about it at the time.  I’m guessing that the feedback from that, together with the findings from the enquiries regarding the accidents over the summer of 2020, may have something to do with a change in how things are done.

[jeffbroadslover]

I remember that not very long ago, it was always mentioned on the trial run that if there was anything that you were not sure of then "ask and we will go through it again until you are ok with it".

This was the norm at every boatyard I have hired from.

Are you not allowed to ask questions nowadays or is it "get it right first time or you are out" ?

Can you imagine the queue of cars waiting to be dealt with blocking the road outside the yard ?

Jeff  

[TFrench89]

What happens if you come on the train? Are you supposed to leave all your belongings on the quay heading? Are dogs allowed to board?

[gancanny]

5 hours ago, jeffbroadslover said:

Are you not allowed to ask questions nowadays or is it "get it right first time or you are out" ?

dont worry,  there is no way any yard will fail anyone,  it sounds like one of the yard crew winding someone up

[JanetAnne]

After that particular incident at Great Yarmouth there has been an enforced monitoring of procedure at handovers. Boatyards are now being extra vigilant and there is the QAB scheme, now adopted, that is being followed.

Years of experience no longer counts for anything when there is a form to be filled in.

[YnysMon]

10 hours ago, MargeandParge said:

Talking to hirers of Moorhen from EW at Upton and they had half a days instruction before taking the boat out,  with a skilled helm.

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

EW are very proud of Moorhen, as they should be, she's been beautifully restored.

[Broads01]

1 hour ago, gancanny said:

dont worry,  there is no way any yard will fail anyone,  it sounds like one of the yard crew winding someone up

That's not the impression I was given. The guy had worked there 3 years and told me in all seriousness. He said the practice started during Covid and they stuck with it.

 

9 hours ago, Mouldy said:

Nice photos, Simon.  Phone, camera or both, if you don’t mind me asking?

Thanks Malcom. I'm not a serious photographer at all and I don't own a camera. My phone is a Samsung A33.

[Mouldy]

Just now, Broads01 said:

. . . . . I'm not a serious photographer at all and I don't own a camera. My phone is a Samsung A33.

The camera phone has all but destroyed the market for compact cameras now.  They’ve come such a long way over the past few years.  The only things that they don’t do well are zoomed images, as they simply enlarge the pixels and lens flare, such as the green spot that can be seen in the photo you’ve taken directly into the sun.

The multi lens camera phones will help with telephoto shots and a little post processing can fix the effects of lens flare.

[Vaughan]

1 hour ago, JanetAnne said:

Years of experience no longer counts for anything when there is a form to be filled in.

All this makes me rather glad I am retired.

[Vaughan]

8 hours ago, Mouldy said:

The Rangers at the Yacht Stations and Reedham were tasked with asking hirers about their handover procedures at the start of their holidays and filled out some kind of survey form a couple of years ago.  I was talking to the ranger on the quay at Reedham about it at the time.  I’m guessing that the feedback from that, together with the findings from the enquiries regarding the accidents over the summer of 2020, may have something to do with a change in how things are done.

I see.

So the logistics and management involved in the efficient and safe operation of a yard running 200 hire boats, have now become subject to the opinion of the "ranger" on the quay at Reedham.

A very sad reflection on how much the BA really think they know about the business.

 

[Mouldy]

17 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

I see.

So the logistics and management involved in the efficient and safe operation of a yard running 200 hire boats, have now become subject to the opinion of the "ranger" on the quay at Reedham.

A very sad reflection on how much the BA really think they know about the business.

 

The rangers were asked to give forms to crews with questions relating to their handovers.  As JanetAnne intimated, this was in response to the incidents in 2020.

[Broads01]

Sitting having breakfast at How Hill this morning, our next door neighbours on a Richardsons Bounty 37 were clearly struggling to exit their mooring, it being a narrow gap and windy. I offered my help for which the helm was grateful and talked him through manoueveeing the boat out by flicking the stern out with the rudder and then reversing. The wind was against him but he managed well, only to lose his nerve part way through and come back in to the bank. After another failed attempt I did something I'd never done before which was to offer to come aboard and helm the boat out myself. The crew gratefully accepted and I managed the task but it was harder than I expected. Talk about a bath tub it handled like a bath tub as well with an unnecessarily stiff rudder to boot. I took the boat further up the mooring where there was a gap, stepped off and waved them on their way.

We set off a while later, initial brief stop Ludham Bridge to buy a couple of things we'd forgotten yesterday, then on to Acle where we had a lunch booking at the Bridge. The river was a little busy but probably less than I'm used to at this time of year. Lunch was a little disappointing, to be honest. There was no roast on offer which surprised us, it being a Sunday and our meals were OK but a little overcooked. We enjoyed ourselves nevertheless before being on our way and bound for the southern rivers. There was hardly a soul on the river between Acle and Great Yarmouth. I wasn't sure if we'd pass under Vauxhall Bridge with the screens up but fortunately we did with room to spare - I hadn't fancied being either stuck with then down on Breydon or struggling to put them back up on the move. Breydon was choppy, with constant spray on the screens, making it all the more fun in my view. We moored at Berney Arms intending to stop overnight, but it proved too wild and windy for our taste and so we carried on as far as Reedham Quay. I always find the rangers at Reedham helpful and as we came alongside he was there and doing all the tying up for us, even though it was almost 6pm. The rain has come on this evening and it feels stormy.

 

[ExSurveyor]

It is chucking it down now in Brundall. The forecast for the next week is not promising. 🙁

[OldBerkshireBoy]

11 minutes ago, ExSurveyor said:

It is chucking it down now in Brundall. The forecast for the next week is not promising. 🙁

Sure is, had to turn the TV up its so loud on the roof!