What's your story!?

[Dan]

Whatho Everyone

 

Planning our non boating break (always a traumatic experience for me) reminded me of our last non boaty break last year and a thread I started on it on a quieter, now defunct forum and I thought I would post it here too, to see how everyone got to be into boats, and where their story started....

 

I got into boats when I was eight when we went to the canal and I have just been bonkers about boats ever since. The inland motor cruisers, which it's fair to say are now my real passion came two years later when I was ten and it's these pictures I was scanning in last year after a trip back, at the age off 33 to where my inland motor cruiser fixations began as a 10 year old!

So, my Dad fancied boating in Scotland and we tried to book a Seamaster 30 on Loch Lomond but it was fully booked. I remember being sat round the phone with my parents (oh how holiday reversations have changed hey) and being quite distraught... at least my Sister's were not around at the time to suggest a week in the Algarve or something!

Anyhow, Hoseasons suggested the rather more expensive Lomond Heather instead and after a bit of discussion my parents got it booked up.

I remember the morning of the trip as my Dad and I had to go and pick up our Escort from Gordon Ford (it spent a lot of time there, possibly connected to my Mum's driving lessons in it around a similar time!) and this meant we were quite late leaving and the journey from Cheshire seemed like aaaages when I was ten. Anyhow about five hours later I remember zooming along the road, knowing we were nearly there and being very excited, and then seeing a break in the trees and the boat there tied up at the jetty, with no other boats around and the water was sparkling away. The Inverneg Inn was owned by the same people and we checked in here and were directed to our boat, the instructions to take place the following day due to our late arrival.

We drove under the road and parked nearby, the boat looked a bit scruffy and less snazzy/impressive than the brochure picture, and the interior was ok, but not as plush as expected... brown lino with a massive burn mark, brown laminates and brown vinyl upholstery.

Anyhow, the weather was quite good all week, with just a few odd exceptions, and I remember being out on the Loch one day in very choppy conditions and one of my Sister's really hating that trip! The Loch is only about 20 miles long I think so there wasn't too many places to go or moor, so we'd often just venture out for the day and then return in the evening for a decent mooring and to the Inverbeg Inn for another meal. I bet they did a roaring trade from the boats in this way!?

Now, after Le Boat were unable to honour my booking for the Thames last October, due to strong river flow the two of us ended up booked off work with nowhere to go. We decided to go to Edinburgh for a couple of days, and I ended up googling The Inverbeg Inn. It seemed to have a good name for food and had been upgraded/changed owners a few years ago (having left the ownership we experienced in 1993), so we decided to have a third night there.

It had changed massively and been extended quite majorly but there was still a strange feeling of deja vue as I entered. We ventured down the slope and under the road which felt really quite weird, it all came flooding back. The jetty that was once quite long was now very short, and the creek to the right of it where I always remember the blue Bounty 27' "Lomond Crusader" class craft being moored had been filled in.

The impressive owners house which was brand new when we were there in 1989 was now being used as an annexe to the hotel and looked less grand. Good it was still being used but a bit of a waste in a way I thought.

It was nice to return, though a little bit sad also - as I would rather it still as it was with all the associated buzz of a little hirefleet going on.... but not difficult to remember & picture it how it was, and after 23 years nice to return to where it all began.

To me, someone interested in hotels & holiday companies and boats it was the place that had it all. A hotel/inn, a holiday hirefleet and a nice owners house with big windows to see the boats.... at least some aspects still remain

Dan
P.S Six years after this and after several more boating holidays we booked a holiday on the Broads!

 

 

Some piccies from 1989....

 

[Dan]

... and some as it was last October

[C.Ricko]

Great photos Dan,

I wonder what happened to all those fantastic craft??

Is that the same hat you still wear on your Broads holidays?

[Dan]

Great photos Dan,

.... Is that the same hat you still wear on your Broads holidays?

 

Not just on my Broads holidays Clive

[trambo]

I wonder what happened to all those fantastic craft??

 

 

[Jim]

Crikey Dan!  Non boating holiday will leave you suffering with withdrawal symptoms.

 

My first boating experience was a trip on the Coventry and Oxford canals with my friends family back in 1969.  Memories of that two week holiday include some fantastic hot weather and some lovely Oxfordshire villages.  The locks were hard work though! 

 

It was some years after that that we first hired a boat in March 1979 from Southgates in Horning.  She was an Elysian named Crystal Stream 8 and is now in private ownership somewhere on the Broads. Considering we only had a week, we managed to cover visits to Salhouse, Womack, Barton, Reedham, Brundall and more.

 

I suppose that's when the boating bug got me and the next year saw us hiring a smaller boat, Moonstone from Corig Cruisers in Thorpe. We ventured over pretty much all of the Broads except Loddon and Beccles in 1980.

 

In 1982, we hired from a yard at St Olaves whose name I forget. There were four of us this time so we managed to sqeeze in a lot of places and finally got to Beccles and Loddon as well as getting north for trips up the Ant and Bure and a visit to Potter to see if we could get through.  After a long wait for the pilot, he decided against us passing under the bridge so it was a case of turning round and heading off to Womack but not before yours truly slipped off the quayheading for my one and only (so far) dip in the river.

 

After a break of  a few years, in 1987 we hired an Aquabell from Bell Boats in Brundall and set off for a fews days up north and then headed back to the Southern Broads for the rest of the trip and settled down for our penultimate night at the Waveney River Centre.  After dinner in the pub and watching the now infamous Michael  Fish weather report on their TV, we headed back to our boat for one hell of a night!  That story is posted elsewhere on the forum.

 

The following year we hired our last boat before becoming owners nine years ago.  The boat was Ferry Privateer 3 which was then owned by Ferry Marina and later to belong to our fellow forumite James. As the rivers were so busy (and the boat was very big) we found ourselves a bit restricted in terms of where we could reach and stayed north for the whole week. What didn't help was a pic of our boat stuck under the bridge at Yarmouth with the comment "don't let an accident like this spoil you holiday"

 

I decided to start my own business in 1989 and as most small company owners will tell you, you don't get to take holidays for many years.  Finally, I managed to get a week off in 2004 which saw us rent a riverside property in Ferry Marina and one of their day boats for the entire week. I'd always fancied the idea of us owning a boat but lack of funds and time meant it never happened...up and till then!  NYA had some nice looking boats for sale and despite the protests from SWMBO, we had a look over what was to become our boat. She is a Falcon 22 SPC and I arranged the quickest pre purchase survey I could, borrowed the money and within a week, she was ours!!  We have had some good breaks aboad over the years but time off work is restricted so we're hoping to get a 10 day break later this year. As part of my job, I spend a lot of time working on inland sand dredgers and riverside wharves and just lately, I seem to spend most of the time watching commercial traffic on the Thames which does not compensate for the Broads.    .                 

[Dan]

...I wonder what happened to all those fantastic craft??

 

Yeah, wherever might they have gone hey Clive!

 

The one we hired is now on the Thames and is for sale, but luckily has had some owner 'improvements' which, along with an ambitious pricetag help suppress any ideas of taking her on!  http://www.thamesboatsales.co.uk/boats-for-sale/boat-details/?BoatID=3892355&desc=3892355 - Cheeseman Ideal 40#.Ud0ftihwbIU

 

The then owner told me that when they decided to close he advertised in various places and organised for a crane to be there for one day for inspections and he was surprised at how many people turned up, from lots of different places including Ireland and France.  He was dreading selling them one buy one and it being a long, messy process, until someone came in the house and offered to take the whole lot.  I guess where that place was will remain a mystery though

 

Dan

[Dan]

Crikey Dan!  Non boating holiday will leave you suffering with withdrawal symptoms.

 

My first boating experience was a trip on the Coventry and Oxford canals with my friends family back in 1969.  Memories of that two week holiday include some fantastic hot weather and some lovely Oxfordshire villages.  The locks were hard work though! 

 

It was some years after that that we first hired a boat in March 1979 from Southgates in Horning.  ...

I decided to start my own business in 1989 and as most small company owners will tell you, you don't get to take holidays for many years.                  

Great stuff Jim

 

Your story took me back to when those boats were about on hire.  I always quite liked the Aquabell's and the Bounty Sedan's but as you say, they are a bit tall.  The last time I was on a San Remo from Richardsons, which was also an ex Ferry Privateer the picture you describe of Jimbo's old boat stuck under a bridge was still there.

 

The non boating trip will be a bit of a nightmare for me, but I have managed to get it down to two days due to work commitments and if all goes well will suggest calling in at a boatyard or two that are 'on the way' back

 

Dan

[Jim]

Great stuff Jim

 

Your story took me back to when those boats were about on hire.  I always quite liked the Aquabell's and the Bounty Sedan's but as you say, they are a bit tall.  The last time I was on a San Remo from Richardsons, which was also an ex Ferry Privateer the picture you describe of Jimbo's old boat stuck under a bridge was still there.

 

The non boating trip will be a bit of a nightmare for me, but I have managed to get it down to two days due to work commitments and if all goes well will suggest calling in at a boatyard or two that are 'on the way' back

 

Dan

 

I'm trying to remember the names of both the Aquabell and the Foster (I think) that we had from St Olaves.  The Aquabell was on Craigs listings but I could't track down the Foster anywhere.  Must dig out the pics to check!!   

[Dan]

Could it have been Beaverfleet at St. Olaves.  They were, I think , where Alpha Craft were in recent times, quite near the bridge and it became Crown Cruisers before they moved to Somerleyton?

 

They had quite a few different ones.  The Aquabell's were just called Tango I think and ran from Bell Boats at Brundall before Richardsons bought them and they became Broadland Tango's.

 

Quite a few Foster's ran from Thorpe, Corig Cruisers and the like.  The ones I remember were called Rhinestone (a bit like an uglier Bounty 34 Sedan), Nugget (a slightly strange shorter centre but fixed cockpit job), Emerald but lots of others too

 

Dan

[ranworthbreeze]

Hello Dan,

Our first boat adventure started in 1975, and I agree with you booking an hire boat in those usually via Hoseasons or Blakes was a long drawn our afair usually perfored after work onto an answering machine. You had to give your prefered boat and week but also two or three alternatives, this would take ages quoting the page number boat type and boat name etc.

Our first trip was on the Trent & Mersey Canal from the shared marine that Barrington Boats and Black Prince operated above the Stenson Lock. We hired a 10 berth 56 foot Narrow Boat for the all in cost of £299.00 if memory serves me correctly, included in the hire was two bikes (what a pain lifting below decks and off of the roof to go through the bridges).

Our party included myself and my girlfriend (Tan my wife) and four other girls of a similar age.

Everyone we met saw all the girls and nodded approvingly. We managed to get to Stone on that trip.

The following year still with a drought conditions we all went on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

We also went on the Caledonial Canal shortly afterwards, two couples and a baby in a 25 foot boat.

We still have Narrow boating holidays most years but now it is three elderly couples working our ways down the locks.

We also come down to the Broads 2 weeks a year after buying our share in Ranworth Breeze in 2001.

We love the water, one day we will both have to learn to swim.

Regards

Alan

[Jim]

I've probably seen you Alan at Ferry Marina when the syndicate boats were moored there before re-location to Brundall.  I don't know who owns both boats these days but I remember Sam and her dad doing a great job valeting and polishing ours just before the 2008 meet at Burgh Castle.

 

I've remembered the name of the Foster?  which was Triumphant Lady but can't remember the name of the yard.  It dawned on me that the Aquabell was called Tango 3 or 5 when Bell Boats hired it to us.  I need to get some of the old pics I took of all our hire boats scanned so I can upload them here.   

[trambo]

Wow Dan, that young chap in the hat has some attitude!

 

My first trip on the Broads dates back to 1962 when I was twelve years old on the King of Hearts. In those days I and my friends were avid ship spotters and we thought that the Hearts boats looked like "real" ships. I had two more trips on this magnificent boat in 1963 and 1964 and on the Ace of Hearts in 1965. The Ashby's kept their boats immaculate and on the 1965 trip I won a Swiss army knife for the best written log. The knife and a letter from Harry Brooker that accompanied it I'm ashamed and sad to say were lost.

 

In 1967 just myself and parents had Bondi 2, an Aston built craft from Maffett Cruisers, A series of family holidays  followed. Tudor Rose from Little Ships, Loch Lundie from Loynes and three trips on George Smiths Salamander 3 which was very much a Tardis and had a superb layout for three but was not at all uncomfortable for four when my girl friend  joined us in 1967. Glenis and I then went together on Loch Morraig from Loynes and Wharfdale which had just gone under new ownership from Cuttings, who had kept her in top condition but now under Dale Line was in a sorry state. Fortunately today , under private ownership she is once again i tip top.

 

My last Broads trip for many years was on the Brooms beauty Navigator 2. A superb craft in every way, my only complaint being my mother inlaw's snoring which travelled via the bilges which seemed to act as a megaphone from the fore cabin to the saloon berths!

 

At this point I discovered canals and the Broads held no interest for a long, long time. Also one of life's darker periods followed when personal turmoil turned into personal honesty and I got divorced. Amicably I might add and we are still great friends. I had a son and where was I going to take him on holiday? He was too young for me to manage a canal boat alone but maybe a Broads boat. So we booked Flamingo from Maffetts and the week was a total success and was followed by weeks on Cloudless Safari, Cadet 1&2 and my favourites the two Golden Realms from Pearson Marine at Reedham. Jimmy Pearson was so laid back and the total opposite of the fastidious Mrs Broom, Two different personalities but the end result was the same, a really well presented boat. Also had a couple of last minute weekends with the lad which I booked from Hearts on Lightheart 2 and Knave of Hearts. Hearts by this time was owned by Rico and was great fun. Very friendly people but they always seemed to be in a state of total panic! I was always proud to take the boat back spotless not only inside but also outside. It took some effort, believe me!

 

By 1992 I was in a relationship and my son was at the age that he wanted to do his own thing, so the two of us went on Santa Cruz from  VIP Harvey Eastwood. The new partner was not keen on boating so got the boot! Then along came Derek who is my civil partner today, and we got on from our first meeting. Our first Broads holiday was again from Pearson's and was on Golden Star followed by Golden Realm 2. Then disaster struck, Jimmy stopped hiring. Aggggh! There then followed a number of hires some good, some ok and one terrible! First the good, Swallow (sister boat to Flamingo which I had hired before). Wonderful little budget boat from really nice people. The o.k. twice on Brinks Omega a superb boat and really top class, spoilt in my opinion by the yards attitude. Whilst not unfriendly, also not friendly, if you know what I mean! Also just O.K Hawaiian Goose from Whispering Reeds A lovely Opel28, fitted out by Phoenix Craft just looking a little tired and my big, big, no no, perspex windows. Not only perspex windows badly scratched ones! Now the bad and I will mention them because they no longer hire. Woods Dyke Boatyard and Cederwood. Absolute shambles from the moment we arrived. There was no kettle,the oven did not work (they solved by hitting something on it with a mallet), smoke poured out the exhaust and the batteries would not keep a charge. The engineer came out three times in one week, plus we retuned to the yard twice (to get a kettle and have the oven waked again) Every cloud has a silver lining and in this case it was the gent in reception who on telling of previous trips took me over to one of the sheds and there behold was the King of Hearts which had started my love affair with the Broads and was having a full restoration. After a full guided tour I forgave him everything! 

 

Then it happened, someone I was moored next to raved about Silverline. Had always thought their boats to look good but have to admit I was not fond of starting from Brundall. Anyway today I too rave about Silverline. I cannot fault them. They are professional, friendly, want to please and their boats are fitted out and presented to the highest standard. Find  a look a like boat in another fleet and I think I can assure you the Silverline one will be smarter and better equipped. The only criticism I have seen is the price of their diesel  but I can live with that! Anyway, advert over! Have been on so far on Solano, Harmony and Symphony. Will be on Symphony from this friday as well.

 

Anyway thats it up to now, probably missed a boat or two, usual do when I witter on like this!

 

Fred

[Dan]

Hi Alan

 

I know of Stenson only really from the couple of years that Black Prince were there, when they took over from Clayton Line who ran some green boats that were all built by Mindon Marine and I always quite liked the lines of them.  I have some photos somewhere that I was sent from the mid 80's but goodness knows where they have gone!

 

Fred,

 

Interesting stuff.  I've always liked Silverline, and interesting to hear of how you got to them being your yard of choice.  I've always liked the colours and presentation, but like as you once thought, somehow I like to start north, also they are quite heavily weighted towards week hire, and often I hire for short breaks.

 

Dan

[C.Ricko]

Yeah, wherever might they have gone hey Clive!

 

The one we hired is now on the Thames and is for sale, but luckily has had some owner 'improvements' which, along with an ambitious pricetag help suppress any ideas of taking her on!  http://www.thamesboatsales.co.uk/boats-for-sale/boat-details/?BoatID=3892355&desc=3892355 - Cheeseman Ideal 40#.Ud0ftihwbIU

 

The then owner told me that when they decided to close he advertised in various places and organised for a crane to be there for one day for inspections and he was surprised at how many people turned up, from lots of different places including Ireland and France.  He was dreading selling them one buy one and it being a long, messy process, until someone came in the house and offered to take the whole lot.  I guess where that place was will remain a mystery though

 

Dan

Would that have been Premier gem?

[Dan]

Hi Clive

 

No, the one in the link was one of the Lomond Heather/Modern Gem.  I did see Premier Gem (which was Lomond Fern at the end of its Scottish life) at NYA a couple of years back, so she is probably still on the Broads,

 

I think Craig has the two Lomond Heather's muddled up but would probably need to sit in a quiet room to recall the differences and why I think it, but I think the one you are still running as Eastern Gem is not the one I hired (which makes the one in the link the one I had)

 

Dan

[C.Ricko]

 

 

My word, that is a lot of shiplap in a couple of years.

[ranworthbreeze]

I've probably seen you Alan at Ferry Marina when the syndicate boats were moored there before re-location to Brundall.  I don't know who owns both boats these days but I remember Sam and her dad doing a great job valeting and polishing ours just before the 2008 meet at Burgh Castle.

Hello Jim,

More than likely you will have seen me at the couple of locations we had whilst on The Ferry Marina, moving a third time to be moored with the Ferry Marina hire fleet was the last straw and Sam at the time consulted with a number of the owners on both boats (Southern Crusader & Ranworth Breeze)and it was decided to move the boats elsewhere. We tried to get two northern based moorings but without any luck. Personally I prefer the Southern Broads and the Tingdene Marina is a far superior marina IMHO.

Ranworth Breeze and Southern Crusader have always been owned by the owners of the two syndicates.

Over the years since the launch of the boats we have had a turn over of new owners.

Regards

Alan