The 2 W's Afloat 1st June 2024

[CeePee1952]

Not quite afloat just yet but all prep done ready for departure from home at about 1030 ish! Pooch will be off to the kennels for 0900 hrs and then return home to remove the dog guard and pet cover from the boot area, hoover out the ton of hair that she will inevitably leave behind and then load the car up with provisions and equipment for our week afloat on Olympic Light from HW. Normal takeover of the boat is officially 2.30 but we've been very lucky the last couple of years and usually we're aboard and away from the boatyard by 1.30 (now that I've said that it'll go t*** up today ). We're hoping to cross Breydon on Sunday after overnighting either at Thurne Dyke or if that's full, we'll cruise down to Acle and hopefully nab a mooring there.  Slack water at GY is shown as 2 pm (BST) on Sunday but I will check with GY yacht station before departing from where ever we end up tonight! Plans for the south side? Well, we might visit Norwich as we haven't been back there for a few years or we might just head for Loddon or Beccles or Oulton Broad!! Plan on returning back up north on the Wednesday - slack water is shown as being about 5 pm so we will stop overnight at either Stracey or Stokesby or even Acle if the sunset doesn't arrive too early! Not sure if we will get under Ludham bridge this time as our boat has an 8 ft airdraft and even if we manage to get under to go up towards Stalham, I don't want to risk not getting back on the Friday!!

SWMBO has just informed me that it's breakfast time so that's it for now - looking forward with some trepidation at negotiating all the rag and stick brigade who will be doing the 3 Rivers race when we depart HW this afternoon! 

Chris and Brenda

P.S. Oh and it's also our wedding anniversary today so I'll be in deep poo poo if I don't find a mooring spot with a pub/restaurant for tonight! 

[MargeandParge]

Happy Anniversary, safe journey and enjoy your holiday 

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[LizG]

You'll need to be out the yard pretty smart if you want to avoid the 3RRs boats - they will be moving pretty fast today although it's suggested the early boats will head down the Bure?

[CeePee1952]

13 minutes ago, LizG said:

You'll need to be out the yard pretty smart if you want to avoid the 3RRs boats - they will be moving pretty fast today although it's suggested the early boats will head down the Bure?

Yup!! We'll be in 360 degree head swivel mode for most of the afternoon and paying attention to any instructions from them when given!

Chris and Brenda

[SwanR]

Happy Anniversary and have a lovely week. There’s something nice about getting back to a boat you’ve hired before and know well. At least you’ll have a decent view from on top for negotiating those sailies. Forecast seems to be for a breezy day. 

[Gracie]

A very Happy Wedding Anniversary to you both  I do hope as well as taking your lady to the pub, you don't forget the wine, chocs, flowers, jewellery etc. That way, if you don't make a pub you will still be intact for the rest of your week 

Have a great trip

Grace x

[kpnut]

Happy anniversary and enjoy your week. Good luck on the river today. If Thurne is full which I would think it might be with people watching the race, try Upton dyke and the White Horse. 
There’s always the grass quay headed moorings below Acle Bridge (Mill House Farm, £5) with a walk up the footpath to the Acle Bridge Inn. 

[Lulu]

Happy anniversary and have a fantastic week afloat :)

[YnysMon]

6 hours ago, LizG said:

You'll need to be out the yard pretty smart if you want to avoid the 3RRs boats - they will be moving pretty fast today although it's suggested the early boats will head down the Bure?

They certainly are!

[CeePee1952]

Quick update! Ooops! I had brain fog this morning and got the boat name wrong! We’re on Superior Light 2, NOT Olympic Light! Main difference is that Superior Light has bow and stern thrusters whereas Olympic Light only has a bow thruster! Well, I knew we wouldn’t get away at 1.30! Arrived at HW at 1.15 and finally left the boatyard at 2.20 after waiting for the boat to be signed off for cleanliness etc. You’re not wrong about the rag and stick brigade zooming around!! We were overtaken a couple of times after leaving the boatyard by them! Managed not to ram any of them and now safely moored in Thurne Dyke for the night and mooring fee paid and table booked for 6.30 in the Lion. Rang GY yacht station and got the advice for when to arrive at Vauxhall bridge tomorrow from here, I can’t praise those guys enough!! Very very helpful and very very polite and courteous. There’s only about 3 boats here at the moment but I expect more may turn up later. Time for a coffee- it’s blowing a right hooley! Oh and there’s a lovely woodie moored down the dyke as well!

Ta ta for now!

Chris and Brenda

[CeePee1952]

Wow! Very impressed with the meal in the Lion last night! Brenda had Halloumi fries for starters (be warned - there was 6 of them and they were bigger than jumbo sized fish fingers!) and then for main course she had the sea bass. I had chicken strips with bbq sauce (again the strips were huge and very meaty) and for main course I had the pulled pig pizza. The quality of all the courses was excellent, service was good considering there were a fair few in the pub and the price was reasonable. Brenda washed her meals down with a couple of large Zinfandel rose wine and I had a couple of pints of Miss E Malt (which was very nice!). We both felt stuffed to the hilt afterwards and retired to the boat and watched James Bond on ITV before retiring for the night. 
Awake this morning at 6.30 and still a bit of breeze blowing. A couple more hire boats arrived yesterday teatime but the dyke is relatively empty which I thought unusual! We will leave here about 10 ish and make our way towards GY and then Breydon, hopefully we’ll get a spot at Loddon basin where we will overnight. So far so good 

Chris and Brenda 

[kpnut]

Enjoy the trip across. The weather looks set fair today, if a rather breezy morning. Can’t beat sunshine sparkling on the water across Breydon. 

[CeePee1952]

Good morning Moonlight Shadow!! Just passed you moored at Stokesby at 1050 hrs!

Chris and Brenda

[YnysMon]

Good morning! Did we overtake you on the way down? 

[Broads01]

I love The Lion, it doesn't surprise me at all you enjoyed the food.

[MargeandParge]

Always good in The White Horse at Neatishead as well

 We invested in a discount card worth a look at

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[Troyboy]

We had our 1st night on the Thurne Dyke and went to the Lion. It was the best meal of the 4 pubs that we ate at. Steak pie was good. 

Enjoy your week. Looking forward to seeing where you are going. 

[CeePee1952]

3 hours ago, YnysMon said:

Good morning! Did we overtake you on the way down? 

Er yep! I think it was between Stracey and the yacht station  we would have been a little bit nearer to you had it not been for that Sunway 1 faffing about between us before the yacht station! We followed you albeit at a fair distance until you hung a left to go up the Waveney and then we went up the Yare and then down the Chet to Loddon basin where we are now and hooked up to leccy for the night. Couldn’t ask for better weather - it’s glorious!! 
P.S Lovely to see the two dogs keeping an eye out to port and starboard 

Edited June 2 by CeePee1952
Text added

[YnysMon]

I didn't really want to overtake Sunway, but they seemed to slow right down at one point, only to speed up again after I'd passed them.

Ah well, it was nice to be able to go through the bridges without anything immediately in front. 

[CeePee1952]

After last night’s mega feast at the Lion, we decided to have our own meal on board tonight. Herb crusted pork steaks with a black pudding in the centre (from our local butcher), new potatoes and a few mushrooms.It was delicious! Now relaxing and watching the BGT final. Tomorrow we will cruise to Norwich yacht station- it’s been a long time since we were last there.

Chris and Brenda

 

 

[CeePee1952]

Left Loddon at 8.40 and a gentle cruise back up the Chet. To our surprise as we exited the Chet and turned left there was Moonlight Shadow moored up on our port side! We did wave honestly  another glorious start to the day as we make our way to Norwich.

Chris and Brenda

[CeePee1952]

Arrived at Norwich yacht station approximately 1340 hrs. Moored up down by the leccy posts by the yacht station bloke, then found out that leccy cable wouldn’t reach the leccy post! Waited about 15 minutes while said bloke dealt with another boat and then we spun the boat around on the stern rope with a little help from me on the thruster. I then plugged the cable in only to discover that the socket had tripped!!! Rang the office, explained and he said he’d be back in about 10 minutes. On returning, he said socket had tripped and promptly reset it from the back of the post (which I could have done if he’d mentioned it - doh!). Anyway now all sorted and time for a walk into Norwich.

Chris and Brenda 

[CeePee1952]

Just booked a stern on mooring with leccy at Oulton Broad yacht station for tomorrow (Tuesday). Then Wednesday back over Breydon late afternoon and will hopefully moor up at either Stokesby or Acle. Unfortunately it looks like we’ll be punching the tide all the way tomorrow but hey ho!

Chris and Brenda 

[YnysMon]

4 hours ago, CeePee1952 said:

Just booked a stern on mooring with leccy at Oulton Broad yacht station for tomorrow (Tuesday). Then Wednesday back over Breydon late afternoon and will hopefully moor up at either Stokesby or Acle. Unfortunately it looks like we’ll be punching the tide all the way tomorrow but hey ho!

Chris and Brenda 

Sorry we missed your waves. We were probably either having breakfast or taking the dogs for a run.

[Broads01]

Enjoying your tale. I'm intrigued to know why you go for moorings for electric - are you needing the heating?