Broad Ambition - Underway on the H2O

[BroadAmbition]

Sigh your blue / white fender key fob complete with small blue lanyard Grendel gave you last Tuesday box wrapped- remember?

Griff

[LondonRascal]

Yes. I remember now - Oh I had put that out of mind and trust you to reignite things...I am sure I'll think of something to cock up on one day, but leaving the shed fenders on will not be one of them I can assure you - now you salty sea dog get on with some grouting

[BroadAmbition]

I remember now

There seems to be a common thread here re forgetting owt inflatable, blue, with a lanyard on it!

Griff

[BroadAmbition]

Oh and this 'Salty sea dog' (I can't begin to tell you how glad I was she used that tag line)  ain't got any more grouting to do today - grouted w/c walls this morning.  Now just a stack of small glass mosaics to tile kitchen walls with I positively / actively detest tiling with glass mosaics

Griff

[BroadScot]

4 minutes ago, BroadAmbition said:

positively / actively detest tiling with glass mosaics

I have heard tile fixers say lots of sweary words fixing them or trying  too, to a wall ! 

Iain

[BroadAmbition]

And then some

Griff

[grendel]

16 minutes ago, BroadAmbition said:

Oh and this 'Salty sea dog' (I can't begin to tell you how glad I was she used that tag line)  ain't got any more grouting to do today - grouted w/c walls this morning.  Now just a stack of small glass mosaics to tile kitchen walls with I positively / actively detest tiling with glass mosaics

Griff

It was better than the Tornado Boat though.....

[Vaughan]

16 minutes ago, grendel said:

It was better than the Tornado Boat though.....

Oh Gawd, I noticed that as well.

I fear that if we want publicity from the TV nowadays, we also have to put up with their cringe-worthy ignorance of the subject they are supposed to be presenting.

Actually it does remind me that the MTBs my father served on in Hong Kong before the war made a lot of noise with their 3 petrol engines. The local Chinese fishermen christened them the Wind Thunder Boats.

[grendel]

MTB 102 is running at present with less that 1/3 of her original horsepower, and yet she still showed the two Navy boats a clean pair of heels.

 

[grendel]

4 hours ago, LondonRascal said:

Yes. I remember now - Oh I had put that out of mind and trust you to reignite things...I am sure I'll think of something to cock up on one day, but leaving the shed fenders on will not be one of them I can assure you - now you salty sea dog get on with some grouting

Actually I think Kate said Ex Salty Sea Dog (is that worse?)

[JennyMorgan]

One day, Robin, you will be promoted by being given a 'real' boater's key ring. Real boaters have cork balls. 

[BroadScot]

26 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

Real boaters have cork balls. 

Really JM???  Sorry too early in the morning for me!

[addicted]

 

 

2 hours ago, BroadScot said:

Really JM???  Sorry too early in the morning for me!

 

[addicted]

Cork Balls? Monkeys' Fists surely?

regards,

Carole

[grendel]

this one actually floats too, even though it is fender shaped.

[ranworthbreeze]

I think you are all being mean to Robin just over a fender, its not as if he has had too many other issues on the Broads. 

His can opening is a legend, second only to Guy Martin for his home made bean can

Regards

alan

[BroadScot]

2 minutes ago, ranworthbreeze said:

His can opening is a legend, 

Indeed Alan. It should be on every elf and safety video !

Iain

[Polly]

Just a hoary legend, not a gory legend I hope? 

[LondonRascal]

Broad Ambition - The River Blogs - Part 8

 

It is 'throwback Tuesday' here at London Studios of the Captain's Blog - cast your minds back to May, 27th actually which saw myself and Shiela on Broad Ambition over the Bank Holiday.

So here is the first of two episodes - we begin with a night nav from Stalham, just a short way down to Barton Broad where we mud weight and the following morning head the short distance to Gays Staithe.  From there, a walk through the countryside to the Barton Board Walk (where Shiela and I likely offended a bunch of my viewership) before we returned to the boat for a cruise to - well we were not too sure at the time.

Once I figured it would be nice to visit Malthouse Broad we found it full - no surprises there, but we dropped the mud weight none the less because if a spot had been free we could pop over to see those who run the Norfolk Broads Boaters group on Facebook, who happened to be hiring Brinks Royale.  Note at this point in the video just how windy conditions are - being virtually unable to hear us speak with a constant stiff cross wind.

I draw this to the the attention of those here, for what followed was two attempted to moor in a sport about the width of Broad Ambition and I decided a third attempt was one too many and we departed - for the Thurne and our evening mooring at the Lion pub, but little did I know 'Mooring Gate' had erupted over Forums with my attempt to moor in 'perfect conditions'.

 

[BroadAmbition]

A first for me today.  I actually watched your latest blog whilst I was at work.  I found my phone with a 4g signal so I sat it on top of the window sill whilst wall tiling, enjoyed it too.(The blog not so much the wall tiling)  Enjoyed the interaction between you and your galley slave / Evening entertainments officer, made for a proper relaxed blog - BZ   When do we get to see part II ?

 

However just one small point, where 'B.A' is concerned you need to start referring to her by name and not 'The Boat' !!  She has got feelings and likes her name.  If she sees or hears of one of your Captains Blog episodes with one of her owners (You) calling her 'The Boat' she won't be best chuffed.   She is a fairly mature lady and has achieved some amazing trips (For her anyhow), she has plenty of history too.   So it's a bit like addressing her maj.  First greeting of the day one must use due deference by using her full name i.e 'Broad Ambition' thereafter for the remainder of the day one is permitted to refer to her as 'B.A' or even 'She'

Examples:-  'B.A's is ready.   Not 'The boat is ready'     -   She will be thinking - 'Oh aye? wonder which boat that is then? one of my neighbouring craft perhaps?  Can't be me as I have a great name that I like a lot and my custodians know full well what it is'

I will gently have a word with her on your behalf before you are due onboard this Saturday and pacify her before she opts to leak rainwater in whatever cabin you are due to be in, or blows hot air from her heater all night!

Griff

[ZimbiIV]

Griff, 

Just a question do you have any rituals when arriving/ leaving B.A.?

Mine are (continually reminded) of, are saying Hello Yare as we go over Possick Bridge and goodbye when coming home, then saying hello to Zimbi when we arrive and goodbye when leaving.

paul

 

 

[BroadAmbition]

I can't tell you how glad I am you asked me that!

Postwick Bridge (Going over it not under it) Yes, Usually something Like Heyup and I'm back on the Broads and saying tarra till next time when heading East.  I always greet 'Broad Ambition' when getting onboard for the first time at her home berth and have a few words with her.  When leaving her bound for home as I'm securing her I always bid her farewell til the next time and thank her for giving us another trip onboard her out on the rivers.  Much like yersen I spose

Griff

[LondonRascal]

Broad Ambition - the River Blogs - Part 9

 

So, bringing us up to date with the 'River Blogs' it is typical Bank Holiday weather - grey, and very windy.  One of these times I will be on the boat (excuse me, Broad Ambition, her gracious ladyship) and it will just be nice and calm and but today was not going to be such a day.

Shiela and I walked through Chalet Town from the quiet moorings (where no engine running or fishing is permitted) into the the usual places - Lathams, but then somewhere new - the Potter Tea Room.  I was very impressed with the food, choice and general quality this offers and my only gripe was queuing up to place an order, the same being written on a notepad and then moments later tapped into the till which generated a printed order chit to give  to the kitchen - skip the notepad part and the service would have sped up.

Back to Broad Ambition we went and this is where Skippers and guests go through a very different through process.  A guest might just be pleased to be back onboard, out of the wind and get the kettle on but the Skipper will be thinking 'I don't like that wind direction and we've got to turn her in this too'. The wind was steady and pushing Broad Ambition away from the bank, that was no problem but of course the moment we let the lines go we would have to turn 180 degrees to head down the Thurne.  Having seen how a hire boat went about this (power, power and more power scrapping stern along) I opted for a different approach.

Shiela on the bow with a spring line, stern out and around she slips the line and we reverse into the middle of the river - all proceeding fine - then a huge gust of wind starts beginning our bow round (handy) but it all started to happen rather faster than I was happy with, not to mention the couple on a Hampton 25 looking through their saloon window watching our bow.  No worry though we were round and on our way with several feet to spare between us and them.

We then went 'off video' for some time cruising to Salhouse but decided it would be nice to moor on the River Ant, and while we thought we may have to 'wild moor' found the moorings at How Hill with spaces, so about turn and moored just opposite Turf Fen wind pump for the evening.

It had been a nice weekend, with a mix of shore time, boating and Blogging.

[JawsOrca]

I didn't know the tea rooms did cooked food, last time we was in there they didn't so that's really good to know.. been in a few times and sandwiches have been good and well worth the money.. Looking forward to fish and chips in potter now  Spot on.!

[ScrumpyCheddar]

Awesome and funny blogs .... Just love um ..