A Long Anticipated Break In Regal Star

[William92]

22 minutes ago, Graham47 said:

I saw a Regal Star moored at Reedham this morning. I think it moved off down river at about 10.30 / 11.00. 

That definitely wasn't me, my dad has bad memories of being left on the bank there by his dad during mooring (in the 60's, mind!), so I think he's a bit reluctant to try again 😂 he definitely prefers mooring out of the rivers proper, especially in the south.

There may be an imposter 😁

That's alright @YnysMon - I still haven't put names to faces to boats yet, so I would have spent some time working it out! We've passed by a few times now, can't miss the Cymru flag in this wind!

[William92]

A long journey today, Beccles to Thurne Staithe. Quite eventful! 

None of this 3mph stuff today, we wanted to get all 8'8 through Yarmouth. A late low tide meant a leisurely start, seeing Moonlight Shadow depart quite a while ahead of us. A bit of debate over which tide table to believe led to a call with YYS who set us right (apparently "The Broadcaster" is correct? 🤷‍♂️)

So we set off. Patches of blue amongst the cloud cover, and some light drizzle now and again. Nothing to use the tiny wiper for.

A few changes at the helm, mostly in response to bird sightings or for food (it is quite funny how the motor slows down when the kettle/toaster goes on. We can't hear either of them ping/pop to say they're done, but the engine revving tells us!)

A bit of confusion after Oulton Dyke as we catch Moonlight Shadow, who are stuck in the bank and being assisted (see their thread).

We get to Somerleyton Bridge and it is closed and too low for us, so we turn around and call the bridge - "it'll be 15 minutes, another train has to pass" - so 10 minutes upstream (Moonlight Shadow passes, rescued successfully) and then turn again for 5 minutes and it opens as we slow to idle. Back on it, we get to New Cut and decide to attempt St Olaves... too soon. A quick turn before we get too close to the bridge, back to the junction... at this point we repeat this procedure a few times. We just want to get a bit of tolerance in for the bridge really - we see 8'9 but decide to go back up to New Cut for a final time, and pass under fine. @Broads01, full admission - it felt dicey and I did brace 😅

Back on the (productive) move again, the engine barely straining to get us to the speed limit - the tide was running nicely. We got across Breydon and under Vauxhall Bridge (showing 10'+) in 39 minutes, even after backing out of the throttle to let the engine rest before we got to punch tide up the Bure. The beached vessel looked uncomfortably angled but being a bathtub it should have been OK to move and get north after floating again (I hope the engine didn't suffer from that?)

No Seals on the way back up, a huge disappointment. Moonlight Shadow appeared behind us near Stokesby (I wasn't paying much attention, I don't know how long you were there, I was down below at the time) as we had settled on 4mph or so up river, and after a convoy through a pleasantly busy-looking Acle they passed us, and we carried on to Thurne Staithe for a takeaway from the Lion. A sailing dinghy popped out of Upton Dyke and were solidly gaining on us until they were forced to tack. They had a lovely long reach most of the way and were building up a great bit of speed!

So, Regal Star, a few days in:

I don't think it suits us for a future trip. Belmore (a close relative to this boat) was fine a decade ago, but I don't live with my dad now so we need more space each to stay sane 😅 and we both are less nimble now so I fall off the side of the boat like he used to, and he doesn't want to get stuck off-boat. Stern-on mooring is the only way for him with this boat.

The head is only really suitable for slim people and even then only in an emergency. We prefer to find a good pub or Beccles YS.

The battery seems good, we are frugal with power it seems, we've not needed to hook up to shore power once yet. The compact galley etc don't lend themselves to power-hungry tasks when moored so close to pubs and chippies...

The helm is uncomfortable for both of us, but when I got cramp in my knee (?!) I was at least able to massage it out by pushing my knee into the wheel without moving an inch. I spend a lot of time standing next to the helm seat instead of sitting.

The view over the reeds is better than in a bathtub style boat thanks to height, but at the expense of bridge/tide faffing. 8' seems to be more usable (also, I love the Ant, and we aren't risking it this year). The dual helm boats also have an uninterrupted 360 degree view, which would be a huge improvement for me waving a camera around trying to get birds to stay in focus! I'm sure I have many photos with the boat blocking part of the frame 🤭

I'll have more... thoughts soon. Having a nice time overall, but I need to demolish a small wobbly table and rearrange it into a bed. I did anticipate this when we booked but I've decided I'm getting a full time berth next year 🤣

A parting thought: the mosquitos have been absolutely horrendous. I have a full afterbite stick at home. Did I bring it? Of course not 😬

[William92]

Back in the North, no real risk of an adventure up the Ant, so a late awakening for me. My dad stays in the boat (no real choice unfortunately, moored to the side) to dabble with some watercolour pencils (he has recently gained an inclination to the artistic after 70 years of seeming indifference, brilliant 👏) and I took a walk to Lathams.

From Thurne.

I had my trusty backpack, a lightweight waterproof jacket, a bottle of water from the shop in Thurne, a stick of suncream, and of course my Pentax dSLR with a honking great zoom lens on the front (it weighs a tonne but goes everywhere I do). "It's just a mile, ish".

Anyway, 2 miles later, I get to Lathams, get a newspaper for dad and some supplies to get me back to the boat. Really, the camera was superfluous but I know if I don't bring it, I will see something amazing. 

The walk was great. My feet are killing me, haven't walked far for ages. I was listening to Coot Club on my headphones as I walked, and as I was walking past the bungalows on the entry to Potter the characters in the book make their first voyage into Potter, and it was honestly pretty magical being able to hear my surroundings being described in a way that holds up well today! I didn't bother looking for Pug Street, but I did have a chat to the pilot's collies, and offered a hand with a mooring line as a boat pulled in to get water, being as I was there and had time to spare.

I really like the cooperative nature of the Broads. People stopping for a chat (if you want to find out where birds have been seen, carry a camera with a silly lens - people will stop you in the street to make sure you know!), offering directions for alternative routes back to Thurne afterward, helping with a mooring or even one nice chap down in Beccles who had just bought a mobility scooter and was showing me how it broke down into manageable-ish chunks that enabled him to feed them into his boat and get about when ashore wherever he went. Then of course there is the waving. Behaviour that would get you locked up if you did it when driving! Almost essential here.

I digress. The bakery staff in Lathams were wondering about the weather - they hadn't been outside all morning - so I said it was nice but felt like it might turn. I went outside and it immediately started to rain gently. I also predict lottery numbers.

After my walk, we got moving promptly from the mooring, visited South Walsham, Malthouse and Ranworth broads just to have a peek for wildlife photo opportunities, and then trundled up to Potter so I don't have to walk far tomorrow for a paper 🙃 (I am saving my legs for a an amble in Hoveton nature reserve).

Next year it's tempting to hire one of these mostly-electric boats with an auxiliary generator. I like the sound of an engine up to a point (though these do sound a bit grim when punching the last of the ebb coming up from Yarmouth. If it were a pair of 300hp monsters barely above tickover to keep a steady 5mph it wouldn't feel so mechanically abusive tbh) but surely with this style of boating the future is even more peaceful? And further to that, maybe a kayak would be a good way to get myself past Potter Heigham and truly into the ever elusive Hickling broad (part of the reason we hired Encore was to go up there, part of the disappointment of Encore was that it was still too big...)

[YnysMon]

Loved the latest post. I too have been hoping to track down the elusive Pug Street. 

[Lulu]

Ahh so it was you! I wasnt sure if there is more than one Regal Star. We were moored on the corner at the time in Fleet Dyke and waved when you went by :) 

[Broads01]

Enjoying your tale, thank you. I thought St Olaves might be hard work with the air draft and I won't be attempting Ludham either. I actually had Regal Star booked initially but then changed it to Belmore TC when my daughter gave me a pleasant surprise by telling me she wanted to come too. I couldn't be dealing with sleeping in the saloon nowadays- been there, done that. Look forward to the rest of your tale.

[kpnut]

I love your descriptions of your travels. Thankyou. 

Did you walk along the riverbank path from Thurne to Potter, and if so, was it in a nice state? 

You probably passed me at some point this afternoon, moored up on the Bure between fleet dyke and Thurne mouth. I got there about 3pm I think. 

[William92]

29 minutes ago, Lulu said:

Ahh so it was you! I wasnt sure if there is more than one Regal Star. We were moored on the corner at the time in Fleet Dyke and waved when you went by :) 

Aha, I never know who waves for what now - I assume everyone waved on the Broads so to be waved at out of recognition is a new dimension 🤭 what's the secret nbn wave?

@Broads01 - it's a shame, as the lower reach of the Waveney is much nicer (in my opinion anyway) than the neighbouring section of Yare. I know the water level is expected to be higher in autumn so it may be the only sensible choice. Delaying and missing the clearance under Vauxhall Bridge would really put plans to the test if the tide times aren't useful that week - this week has had sunset after 9pm so we had a great opportunity to put some distance between us and GY without losing daylight.

[William92]

34 minutes ago, kpnut said:

I love your descriptions of your travels. Thankyou. 

Did you walk along the riverbank path from Thurne to Potter, and if so, was it in a nice state? 

You probably passed me at some point this afternoon, moored up on the Bure between fleet dyke and Thurne mouth. I got there about 3pm I think. 

Yes, it was fairly easy to follow and I didn't twist my ankle or have to battle through nettles. I think it's getting enough foot traffic, possibly, to keep the route nicely flattened.

We did pass you, you took a break from shearing around your mooring to wave. Nice tidy job you'd done there!

[kpnut]

6 hours ago, William92 said:

We did pass you, you took a break from shearing around your mooring to wave

Oh, did I? Good. 

7 hours ago, William92 said:

what's the secret nbn wave?

Usually, open the window and stick your hand out, or shout incomprehensibly and inaudibly to the other helm. 

Thanks for the update on the path. I’ve been going across the fields to Repps and then dropping down to Potter along the main road. I got very caught out along there a couple of years ago and haven’t wanted to repeat the experience in the growing season. But I will now give it a go early next week. 

[YnysMon]

2 hours ago, kpnut said:

Usually, open the window and stick your hand out, or shout incomprehensibly and inaudibly to the other helm. 

I Iove it when people shout out to us, but invariably I can't hear what they are actually saying. Never mind...it's the attempt at communicating that is the important thing. 

[William92]

Drama at Potter Heigham

A returning HW boat helmed by someone with the ability to only use full ahead and full astern. It took quite a long time to navigate the entrance and eventually when inside, HW staff directed them to a mooring far from other boats.

I made a duff knot and it slipped off the bollard 😬 properly embarrassing and I'm not sure we had many witnesses, but I'm admitting it as I've just commented negatively on someone else's boating. We saw the stern swing out and it looked peculiar so "the line's come loose". Life jacket on, no shoes, get down onto the gravel of the path and figure out what's going on. Stern is... a decent degree of leverage too far from the bank now, but I spot that we are clear to swing around 180 degrees and moor facing that way so we do that instead. The tide pushes us around no bother. Panic over, time for a sausage roll and Belgian bun from over the bridge, and a lottery ticket. £110m would be the beginnings of a fairly snazzy fleet 🤭

Then just to cap things off, a yacht moored on the other side of the river gets entangled with a hire boat (not HW). Not sure how exactly, but it took about 30 minutes to get the bowsprit free and now the hire boat is being steered away with much yelling of "hard right!" and fending with limbs

[William92]

On 04/06/2024 at 22:36, William92 said:

That definitely wasn't me, my dad has bad memories of being left on the bank there by his dad during mooring (in the 60's, mind!), so I think he's a bit reluctant to try again 😂

Correction: he left his dad on the quay there. As he isn't the one who leaps ashore, I reckon he fears the temptation might strike him again when I get ashore.

The hire boat at PH came over to our bank so I helped them get moored up (you know how mistakes breed mistakes?) and pointed them in the direction of Lathams. 

We're just reaching the boundary of PH - passed 4 yachts and another 2 headed our way. Some of them have their sails reefed and I suspect that wind contributed to the hire boat mishap detailed above...

[William92]

Just about to assemble the infernal part-time berth for the final time. Wistful already!

After the events above, a trip up to Ludham where we moored for an hour or so (we have never managed to get in, usually it's rammed!) I had a solero and helped a chap moor his lovely old wooden HW boat (the year on the transom - 1927. Almost a century 😳 and the engine is older than my dad, at a mere 72 years old) as the wind was playing games and there was a mean post that the fenders weren't going to line up nicely for.

Then a nice trundle down to Hoveton Great Broad - the river was absolutely heaving. Yachts and day boats everywhere, as well as cruisers and the rather odd pseudo paddle steamers (the oddness being the cosmetic paddles, I find a double decker boat quite charming).

Spotted a kingfisher using the Eastern gate of Hoveton Great Broad as a diving platform, we did a quick turn back to try and get a decent photo but it is a kingfisher. I have a photo that shows a blue-orange blob on the gate, from my initial "oh bloody hell a kingfisher" reaction. I'll curate my photos in another post when I have use if my pc!

Hoveton Great Broad is a lovely little diversion. Moor up, chat to the rangers who give you a pamphlet and warn you about the boardwalk floating in places etc, and go for a stroll! It's free and honestly the engineering work done to improve the water quality via natural processes is just spectacular.

And I believe I saw a stoat leaping across the boardwalk at one point. What a photo that would be! Anyway I had my lens set to focus from 2m to 6m after a previous wildlife encounter and in my haste to switch back to 6m -> infinity... I switched the lens to manual focus, I then didn't get anything. So when mentioning it to the rangers afterward, we had a debate about whether it was a stoat or a mink (invasive species, sightings need to be reported), and settled on "probably a stoat".

After HGB, we moved to the last BA moorings before Wroxham, on the island at Wroxham Broad. We haven't got a long way til we give back this awkward boat that really isn't ideal (in so many ways) but that has been the setting for such a lovely week overall.

I've got that lottery ticket in my pocket. I should check it when we get back to Barnes. Might have to take the long way out of Norfolk and spend some of my hard-earned in a boatyard... right?

(If it isn't clear, I bloody hate the last evening of a holiday. It's like a month of Sunday evenings.)

[kpnut]

8 hours ago, William92 said:

 

(If it isn't clear, I bloody hate the last evening of a holiday. It's like a month of Sunday evenings.)

I remember that horrible feeling all to well. The hollow feeling that applied to the last cruise up the Ant to give the boat back at Richardsons, trying to go as slowly as possible to take in every minute. And vowing even harder to buy a boat by hook or by crook. 
Even now, I think of the Ant completely differently to the other rivers. 

Hope you can return soon, your daily logs are very entertaining.  Thanks. 

[Mouldy]

9 hours ago, William92 said:

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . (If it isn't clear, I bloody hate the last evening of a holiday. It's like a month of Sunday evenings.)

A feeling shared by a good many of us, I would imagine.  Our last nights as hirers (we used to hire from a yard in Hoveton) were usually spent at Salhouse Broad.  I’d spend the last evening thinking about what we done, where we’d been and that it would be another 51 weeks until we returned, never seriously thinking that one day we’d be in the fortunate position to own a boat of our own.

Saturday mornings meant an early start, getting ready, stripping the bedding and tidying the boat, before setting off on our final cruise back to the yard, loading the car and popping round to the Golden Arches for a breakfast before heading home.

We’ve owned our boat now for a few days shy of five years.  She’s not very big, but big enough for us two, not very luxurious, but comfortable enough for us, but we can enjoy time on The Broads as and when we want, something that I continue to be very grateful for.  Thinking back to those ‘last evening’ thoughts and feelings only goes to reinforce that!

Have a safe journey home.

[addicted]

Even after owning our own  boat for  40 years  plus I never lose sight of how lucky we are  to do so. 

 

Carole

[Bikertov]

I too feel incredibly lucky, having owned my boat for only 7 months 

As Mouldy says, the Broom 29 we both have is not massive, and lacks the storage of a typical bathtub boat, but it's mine and I can just sit onboard and be in my little bit of holiday sanctuary just an hour or so from home.

Peace and tranquility- living the dream !