Carribean Light

[MuddyDuck1]

Hi - We are on Carribean Light 1 for a week from 31/03/12, any one else around then? Also hope to be able to give a fair review on our return. We should be on both north and south rivers, as tides look good for Great Yarmouth. We should be easy to spot, as we should with luck have 2 sailing dinghy's tacked on the back (Depends on HW's availability!) Have hired from HW before, but a long time ago, so hope they are still up to it. Only 19 days to go, still feel like a kid when looking forward to a holiday afloat!

[goodall_m1]

Look out for a big white bathtub called Fair Freedom with a forum flag flying from a staff on the cabin roof.

We are going out from Freedom at Horning the same time as you and also probably heading down south early in the week, and then coming back up north for the easter weekend as we have her until Easter Monday.

Fair Freedom is the same size as Caribbean Light 1, but lower so we wont be able to see over the reeds down south as well as you.

Watch out for the slack water times towards the end of the week though, 16:48 on Thursday, with sunset at 19:32 will be ok to get north again but 17:37 on the Friday with sunset at 19:34 would possibly be too late for you to get close to Potter before sunset.

I dont know how used to Broads sailing dinghies you are but I found this site useful the first time I took a lug-sail dinghy out...http://www.amateurboatbuilding.com/articles/howto/lugsail/lugsail.html, I also had a few problems with the centre board popping back up of its own accord so a bit of bungie cord or some spare line might be useful.

The rest of this post may be teaching "Grandma to suck eggs" but could be useful for the un-initiated...

I haven't booked a dinghy this year but my biggest worry with a dinghy down south would be the strength of the current.

Don't underestimate the speed of the river, those little lugs aren't Lasers and I reckon even an Optimist would leave them standing.

So be aware of the state of the tide if taking the dinghies out especially on the lower parts of the rivers or you could find it difficult getting back to the cruiser. Not so much of a problem if the skipper is on the cruiser and can play "rescue boat" if required, but a bit more of an issue for us as the skipper is the only one who takes the dinghy out.

The other thing to remember "down south" is that the tidal range is greater than for most of the northern section.

So if you go sailing with an ebbing tide dont get stranded on the mud. (Breydon looks like a great wide stretch of water for sailing on at high tide but shows its true shape at low water, mud, mud, glorious mud.)

Also remember the dinghies when mooring! (This is from someone who attempted to do a stern-to with one still tied on the back..)

Moving them to amidships on the outer side can also make coming in side-to easier but make sure that whowever moves them ties them on securely (I had mine go drifting across the river at Dilham one year...)

And of course dont leave the sails or oars in the dinghies when under tow, I once had to help someone who arrived at Reedham right and bail out a dinghy after their's "flipped over" crossing Braydon under tow in a Bf 6, they never did find the oars!

(In my opinion Broads dinghies don't have enough internal bouyancy, I like to be able to sit in it and bail after righting a capsize not have to bail enough water out while swimming in order to get the free-board high enough to get back in again...)

A couple of old plastic lemonade bottles could also be useful, cut the bottoms off to make bailers in case the dinghies don't have their own (and tie them on with lanyards so they dont float off or sink in a capsize)

One last little warning, dont underestimate the problems of getting back onto the cruiser from the dinghies. Broads cruisers actually sit quite high out of the water and trying to climb back on from a dinghy which tries to flip if you stand near the side of it isn't necessarily that easy.

A spare line which will reach from the cabin roof over the side can make this easier (hire yards don't seem to give you much spare rope), or be posh like me and take a plastic "fender ladder" as well.

[Hockham Admiral]

Hi - We are on Carribean Light 1 for a week from 31/03/12, any one else around then? Also hope to be able to give a fair review on our return. We should be on both north and south rivers, as tides look good for Great Yarmouth. We should be easy to spot, as we should with luck have 2 sailing dinghy's tacked on the back (Depends on HW's availability!) Have hired from HW before, but a long time ago, so hope they are still up to it. Only 19 days to go, still feel like a kid when looking forward to a holiday afloat!

Welcome aboard MD1 from us. We'll be out and about on the North Broads from Monday April 2nd. We fly a pale blue RAF ensign and Friday Girl is easy to spot...

Martin, we'll be moored up at Womach Water over the Easter weekend if you have time to visit for a jar or three! (or anyone else around).

[goodall_m1]

Ok Admiral,

Look out for us on Good Friday as we will probably be coming back from "down south" on the Thursday, and aiming for the Bridge in at Acle that evening.

My only hard "booking" is for the New Inn on the last night (Easter Sunday) ready to take the boat back to the yard early on Monday morning.

Tide times are not great for the further Northern reaches later in the trip, (I hate low water times that come when the pilots are all off duty) so we might be calling in on Steve at the Salhouse Bell on the Saturday evening but Womack and the Kings Arms for Good Friday seems a good proposition.

(As an aside, Salhouse is the only place on the Broads where I have actually seen the mating dance of the MuddyDucks, two amorous Black Swans necking)

Womack on the Friday night might be a good idea for MuddyDuck1 as well as it is one of the closer spots to spend their last night before setting off to Potter early on the Saturday.

I have never tried a double parked stern-to mooring on the Broads before but there is plenty of water at Womack, I wonder if they would charge if you are not actually tied to the staithe..

Of course Muddyduck1 could always go on the other side and use their dinghies!

[Hockham Admiral]

Sounds like a good idea, Martin! Hope MD1 makes it as well.

We've decided to take the easy option and just chill over Easter instead of fighting for mooring spaces...

[Bumpazorber]

Hiya Muddyduck

We will be around the broads from the 30th March for a week on a boat called San Remo (I believe it is largely Green see pic!)

We get our boat from Richardsons at Stalham on Friday 30th and are planning to spend the first night at the Ludham Bridge as there is a band on.

On the Saturday we are going from Ludham Bridge and fancy hopping off for a short visit in Horning and spending the night in Wroxham although we can't get under the bridge so don't know where we are going to moor up yet but would like to visit the Shed as hubby wants to sample a few of its 50 real ales

Sunday - Wroxham to Salhouse broad (as I believe it is very pretty with nice woods to walk dogs) with possible visit to the Woodfordes brewery at Woodbastwick (good 30 min walk for our dogs!") and quick photo stop at St Benets Abbey on our way to mooring up at Acle Bridge/Great Yarmouth (there is an American and Classic Car show on the prom at Great Yarmouth on Sunday 1st but may not have time to catch it!

Monday Acle/Great Yarmouth to Reedham (slack water is 13.50pm) and a visit to the Humpty Dumpty Brewery at Reedham.

Tuesday - Reedham to Norwich as early as we can with intention for a gander around Norwich and a meal at Bella Italia at the Riverside complex using our clubcard vouchers

Wednesday - Norwich to Great Yarmouth slack water 14.56 and stop in Great Yarmouth again this time to visit the Greyhound racing as we have some Groupon vouchers to use there (£5.00 got us race card, free drink, and burger and chips meal hoping to win the cost of the hols back!!)

Thursday - Great Yarmouth to Stalham/Neatishead so we are local to return the boat on Friday morning would like to have a go on/at least have a look at the boat Ra.

I know they say you shouldn't make a plan so it's all pretty flexible!!

If you see us you will have to shout MUDDYDUCK!!

Madlissa & Paul

[Dan]

....on a boat called San Remo (I believe it is largely Green see pic!)

...

Great photo.... looks familiar!

[Hockham Admiral]

.

On the Saturday we are going from Ludham Bridge and fancy hopping off for a short visit in Horning and spending the night in Wroxham although we can't get under the bridge so don't know where we are going to moor up yet but would like to visit the Shed as hubby wants to sample a few of its 50 real ales :

Madlissa & Paul

You should be able to find a spot at Faircraft Loynes only a minute from the Shed. Or at the Hotel Wroxham and walk across the bridge. Good Luck!

[Bumpazorber]

Sorry Dan

I couldn't remember where I pinched the pic from I put it on my pc to show a work colleague. I agree great pic thankyou

Madlissa

[goodall_m1]

Hiya Muddyduck

We will be around the broads from the 30th March for a week on a boat called San Remo (I believe it is largely Green see pic!)

We get our boat from Richardsons at Stalham on Friday 30th and are planning to spend the first night at the Ludham Bridge as there is a band on.

.......

If you see us you will have to shout MUDDYDUCK!!

Madlissa & Paul

Madlissa / Muddyduck1

I think that Rickos still have two San Remo's so someone on the other one might wonder what on earth is going on with people shouting MUDDYDUCK at them..

That photo of San Remo reminds me of the first time I took my friend and his daughter out on the Broads and we met one of the green machines, Amber called out to this guy as we passed him, "Nice boat mister, but I don't like the colour. Paint it PINK!" Typical seven year old! (If you find any old photos of the San Remo's you will see that originally the entire superstructure was green)

Madlissa,

Watch-out for the tide times when you are going to go up the Bure from Yarmouth on the Thursday. If you get away fairly early you will have the flood with you, leave it too late and you will be pushing into the ebb and using more revs to keep your speed over the ground up. Remember that more revs means more fuel burned and less chance of getting any of your fuel deposit back.

Also when stopping at Yarmouth remember to allow enough slack in your lines to allow for the tidal range, only Neaps that week so not as bad as it could be, but there are plenty of horror stories of boats hanging from mooring lines down there with the bottom clear of the water. The range at Springs there is about seven feet so you could still get four or five feet of movement with a Neap!

I can remember on one occasion passing a boat on the lower Waveney where they had pulled into a little dyke at high water. When we went past having just come through Yarmouth at slack and across Breydon with the start of the flood we were actually looking UP at the bottom of their boat which was sitting on the bottom of the dyke, embarrassing for the crew, and especially their skipper....

Martin

[MuddyDuck1]

Hi All

for the advice, trip to Southern Rivers is planned for first part of the week, I had thought much the same about slack water times at the end of the week! reasons for this are twofold, 1 Haven't been up the Waveney for a good few years, really looking forward to getting up beyond Beccles, it was always so quite and tranquil above the bridge. 2 in more years of boating on and off both motor cruisers and yachts I have never actually sailed on Breydon water, so my apprentice Skipper will have the cruiser controls after Breydon Bridge and I intend to sail up Breydon (weather permitting) second part of the week, up the Ant maybe, and possibly up to Dilham where I am assured the pub does good food, I like the contrasts of Lower Bure/Breydon to the ends of navigation. Last night I was thinking about Womack Dyke, second mooring on the left as you turn in, but if there are going to be others in Womack Water we may well head there, as you rightly say its the perfect spot for Sat and getting up to the yard sharp. Am hoping we can get the boat early (HW seemed to think this would be OK) as it means we could get a good amount of time on Saturday - well at least be well away from Potter for the night.....Maybe Fleet Dyke for first night..

[Bumpazorber]

Thanks Martin

Yes I know all about leaving enough rope.

The last time I sailed on the broads in early Oct 1997 we couldnt get under the bridge at Yarmouth when we came back across Breydon from Norwich so moored up and went to do a bit of shopping and a pub to wait for the tide to go out again (we werent the only ones BTW!!). ON our return we found our boat hanging from its moorings with no water in sight!!

Going to be ultra careful this time as I'm in charge of navigation and tides etc and not leaving it to an ex royal navy sailor that should have known how to read tide charts lol. Thanks for the tip on getting away from Yarmouth early on Thursday

Madlissa

[goodall_m1]

Madlissa,

Oh the joys of the ex Grey Funnel Line, but I must say that very few boats on the Broads will carry charts, and my sea going leisure foilio for the East coast hardly shows Great Yarmouth, much less details of the lower Yare and Bure.

But even so anyone used to the sea shouldn't get caught by the tide going out, especially when that was exactly what they had moored up to wait for!

You aren't the only one to come a cropper with ex RN crew on board.

On my first visit to the Broads I took my parents along and thought that I could let the old salt (CPO RN 1939 - 1953, with a few year in the reserves between WW2 and Korea) do some of the driving.

Going around a bend on the upper stretch of the Ant, up by Wayford Bridge, the old sea dog put the bow to the left and forgot that that meant that the stern went right...

The guy moored on the outside of the bend wasn't happy as our stern rubbed along his boat!

When I remonstrated with Dad later he said "The last time someone told me to steer a boat was June 5th 1944 when I had to take a motor whaler from Yarmouth (IOW) to Cowes and back. And I only got that job because things were a bit busy that day and all the Seaman Petty officers were already out, remember I was a CPO Stoker not a Seaman!"

(You can read a lot into Dad's little comments. D Day was postponed by 24 hours from the 5th to the 6th June 1944 due to bad weather, so I wonder what the conditions were like in an open whaler on the Solent that day? All I have ever got out of Dad about it was that the area was very "busy", and that shortly after he got back to HMS Ursa they raised steam on all the boilers and sailed for Normandy to provide covering fire on the coastal defenses with her 4.5 inch guns at first light on the 6th)

MuddyDuck,

Watch out for the fact that the stretch going up from Wayford Bridge to Dilham is narrow with overhanging trees etc. In older times they used to keep the river banks clear of obstructions because of the sailing trade but not any more.

It is a very nice stretch though but any inexperienced helm will find that meeting other cruisers taxes their confidence as both boats will be brushing the bushes on either side.

Sailing up Breydon after coming through Yarmouth, a nice touch if the apprentice helm is staying around or planning to wait for you at the Berney Arms. Be prepared to call it off though if the conditions prove to be against you. Breydon with a flood tide and a Southerly wind to give wind over tide can get really lumpy! (and I mean spray coming over the bow of the cruiser)

I took a 36' bathtub across in a Bf 6 with wind over tide and it was not pleasant, Broads cruisers are shallow draft and go to leeward like a table tennis ball would. I had to steer about 40 degrees off course and let her crab up. They closed it for all hire craft just after we got across!

Have you considered some form of cruiser to dinghy communications?

I use two of those little PTT, "Press to Talk" radios (on the basis that they are cheap and cheerful, dont need a license, and are not too expensive to replace if they end up in the drink) rather than taking the mobile phone out on the dinghy.

Hope to see you next month.

Martin

[MuddyDuck1]

Hi Martin

I do seem to recall it being narrow up Tylers Cut, but worth the effort! Good idea about the PTT radios, have just got myself some, the idea is the apprentice will once we have departed, trickle up Breydon, turnaround and come back down gently (I know against the tide, but would rather he turned around with plenty of room, rather than head further upstream sounds like I am paranoid - but its my name on the hire agreement!) and we should be able to meet up somewhere near the top. If this doesnt work, next plan would be to moor at Berney. and take a sail down into Breydon (weather permitting again). Not the end of the world if it doesn't come off, just being afloat again is the main thing and has been mentioned elsewhere not to have to many plans, just go with it. Be good to catch up somewhere during the week - although you may think other wise once catch sight of our rabble...

Rob

[Matt]

Well if you are down South and you see us please give us a wave!

No real plans as such other than staying South.

[goodall_m1]

Hi Martin

Be good to catch up somewhere during the week - although you may think other wise once catch sight of our rabble...

Rob

Rob, I've got 5 kids (2,5,8,9 and 11) and their parents on board with me, so we can compare rabbles.

At least this time we only have a single steering position boat. When I took the 5 year old out on a dual steer the boat was going all over the place when he was playing at being skipper on the other wheel...

You don't really expect someone to go hard a starboard when you are just chugging down a straight bit of the river...

On their first trip three years ago I told the older ones they had to be 8 to take the helm under the BA bye-laws

Now they are 8 and above they all want to drive!

(But I only let them where it is quiet, and keep a careful watch on them)