Broad Ambition - Underway on the H2O

[Victoryv]

Shines on the righteous Doug, we are still here

[BroadAmbition]

Sunday 22nd Aug Day 18 - Final Day  (Thank goodness some of you say!)

We sailed earlier than what had been the norm in the gentle rain, straight to the wetshed and commenced sorting our stuff out, the priority was luggage out of car / locker, then sailed back round to Sutton Yard for final pump out and diesel top up.  There was a queue of craft for the slipway up to five at one point, fortunately we were second in t queue.  Back round t shed and on we cracked.  The Beta had gone over the 3'500 mark by seven hours during our summer cruise by the time we got her back onto her berth, we were in no rush so I carried out a minor service.

Purdey dog was non too chuffed to be in the back of MrsG's Q5 and made it plainly obvious.  She has been somewhat quiet since we got home too.  Still, come the 03rd Sept I'll be back onboard for a weekend and bring her with me of course.  We departed for home at 1745 which meant on arrival I had time for a shower and to visit the Lads for our usual Sunday Night club in t Harvey Arms Pub - Finningley

05 - 22nd Aug, eighteen days onboard in all.  We covered a fair few river miles, visited every river too.  Diesel consumption for the whole trip was 138 x Litres.  The Wx was so so, nowhere as good as Aug 2020 but was acceptable most of the time

The highlight of the trip had to be the having three of our grandsons onboard with daughter / partner for six days followed of course by the annual gathering at the wooden boat show including the Stracey Arms bbq on t bank

We reacquainted oursens with many friends not seen for ages and made a few new ones too

Purdey dog loved her time afloat but is getting way too over confident for my liking and not respecting the rivers nearly enough

Here's to the next time onboard.  See you afloat

Griff

[BroadAmbition]

Ok, here we go again 

Friday 08th October 

Mid afternoon took ‘B.A’ round to H.W’s, Potter Heigham cruised with Paperva as far as Womack Dyke. 
By 2200 ‘B.A’ and two Jewels fully crewed up. That’s eighteen lads and two dogs. Evening scran and drinks in Norada pub

This then is the start of our Annual Lads Week 

Saturday 09th

Busy busy, store ship, check out Jewels for items needing attention, Sailing preps. It’s a cracking morning. We sail soon for our first DTS at Acle Bridge Inn, then onto Reedham

Griff

 

[Vaughan]

Very nice looking boat Doug!  I seem to recognise your crew from somewhere, as well!

[CeePee1952]

Ok, I might be having a mental block here Griff but what does "DTS" stand for? 

Chris

[CambridgeCabby]

See Doug removed the roof so crew didn’t bump his head 

[gancanny]

32 minutes ago, CeePee1952 said:

Ok, I might be having a mental block here Griff but what does "DTS" stand for?

 

   dinner time session

[Broads01]

13 hours ago, BroadAmbition said:

check out Jewels for items needing attention

What? You shouldn't have to do that.

[grendel]

It's mainly things that most don't think to check, deflated fences (6 between 2 boats, 1 missing fender, kettle that didn't whistle, stern rope with a bunch of knots, mudweight rope unravelled, little things in themselves, but it's difficult to coil a rope property with knots, so we make sure it's right before we leave, otherwise there is no point complaining laterin return they get a snagging list when we return of items that need sorting out on the winter maintenance.

 

[Vaughan]

15 minutes ago, grendel said:

It's mainly things that most don't think to check, deflated fences (6 between 2 boats, 1 missing fender, kettle that didn't whistle, stern rope with a bunch of knots, mudweight rope unravelled, little things in themselves, but it's difficult to coil a rope property with knots, so we make sure it's right before we leave, otherwise there is no point complaining laterin return they get a snagging list when we return of items that need sorting out on the winter maintenance.

 

It is quite right to check over your boat before departure - you are signing for it, after all.  Deck gear especially punctured fenders, is easily overlooked.

A rope with over-hand knots in it can be dangerous if it snags in a mooring ring and it can tear your hands if you are not careful.  But it wasn't the yard who put the knots in the rope - it was the customers, who left the knots in before coiling the rope, so they jam up tight under tension when you next moor up.  Never leave loose knots in a coiled rope and never in the shore power cable, either!

[andyg]

16 minutes ago, grendel said:

It's mainly things that most don't think to check, deflated fences (6 between 2 boats, 1 missing fender, kettle that didn't whistle, stern rope with a bunch of knots, mudweight rope unravelled, little things in themselves, but it's difficult to coil a rope property with knots, so we make sure it's right before we leave, otherwise there is no point complaining laterin return they get a snagging list when we return of items that need sorting out on the winter maintenance.

 

Apart from the kettle they are all things that should of been rectified on turnaround around. Can't see why not !!! Richardsons actually check all fenders are in place and are OK when doing the handover. I would imagine come this time of the season you'd be hard pushed to fine a hire boat that didn't need a new rope or two or had a few knots in it. Long gone are the days when every hire boat had its rope coiled on take over. Just another example of slipping standards. 

[Vaughan]

36 minutes ago, andyg said:

Just another example of slipping standards. 

My natural loyalty prevented me from saying that but Andy is quite right, in some cases.  Some standards do appear to be higher than others, which is a pity for them, as regular customers often move elsewhere.

[Hylander]

1 hour ago, grendel said:

It's mainly things that most don't think to check, deflated fences (6 between 2 boats, 1 missing fender, kettle that didn't whistle, stern rope with a bunch of knots, mudweight rope unravelled, little things in themselves, but it's difficult to coil a rope property with knots, so we make sure it's right before we leave, otherwise there is no point complaining laterin return they get a snagging list when we return of items that need sorting out on the winter maintenance.

 

When you get on a Richardsons boat ,   if you read the manual that you are given and it is for you to take away with you, there is on page 19 a list and I quote.

 

Deck Gear

Buoyancy jackets  £50

Television aerial £25

Keys £25

Lifebelt £22

Mudweights £30

Mop £18

Boat hook £18

Rond Anchor £8

Hammer £8

Ropes £8

Fenders £5

Water key £2

 

These are a scale of charges relating to any lost items for which you are liable.

 

So moral of the story - make sure everything is shipshape before you leave as Grendel has said.

 

 

 

[Mouldy]

6 minutes ago, Hylander said:

When you get on a Richardsons boat ,   if you read the manual that you are given and it is for you to take away with you, there is on page 19 a list and I quote.

 

Deck Gear

Buoyancy jackets  £50

Television aerial £25

Keys £25

Lifebelt £22

Mudweights £30

Mop £18

Boat hook £18

Rond Anchor £8

Hammer £8

Ropes £8

Fenders £5

Water key £2

 

These are a scale of charges relating to any lost items for which you are liable.

 

So moral of the story - make sure everything is shipshape before you leave as Grendel has said.

 

 

 

Ropes at £8 are cheap.  The 14mm mooring lines we have for Norfolk Lady are circa £3 per metre and then there’s the b*llache of splicing them!  

[Hylander]

My theory is that it is more physiological in the fact that folk will be far more careful with gear knowing that there is a possibility they will be charged at the end of the holiday.    Gone are the days when if a fender went missing then that was just replaced and nothing said.    Saying that and I guess they must do a proper check after you have left the boatyard (remember they still have your card number) if anything is missing then you will get a bill for it.

 

 

[Vaughan]

4 minutes ago, Hylander said:

if anything is missing then you will get a bill for it.

But not if you have paid the damage waiver.

[Hylander]

Well we paid the damage waiver in with our booking ,  I thought it was always something you had to pay for, you could not opt out.   so why put that in the manual.  I still think it is to hopefully to send out the message that these items are costly.        When you think of it,  when you arrive back in the boat yard the night before,   after dark , if you have lost your mop,  then you could somehow 'acquire' one from another moored boat alongside.

[Vaughan]

41 minutes ago, Hylander said:

 after dark , if you have lost your mop,  then you could somehow 'acquire' one from another moored boat alongside.

And don't let's think that never happens!

Let's stand back for a moment, and look at this from a different perspective.  If a yard are seriously charging their valued clients for burst plastic fenders, then they don't know a lot about marketing!

When you come to see us in France for a week, on a luxury cruiser costing over €3000 in high season, we only get to "meet" you twice.  About an hour when you arrive and maybe 10 minutes when you leave.  In that short time we have to somehow impress you with our welcome and personal service, so that you will want to come back again next year.  The hire boat business is all about regular customers.

If you get in your car to drive away with your family, after paying that money, and say "Cor, that miserable ******* in the office just charged me seven Quid for a fender",  then you are not going to think about coming back next year!  If however, you drive away with happy thoughts about your holiday and our friendly service, and decide to book a boat again for next year, then that will pay for all of the fenders that we have burst on all of the boats for the whole season!   About five times over!

Marketing is not rocket science. It is based mostly on simple human nature.

[CeePee1952]

I do wonder why hire craft still have boat hooks on board. Most hirers think they can use them to fend off from other boats usually resulting in damage to the other boat! When we hire, the first thing I do is consign it to the roof top or other suitable flat surface and there it stays for the duration of the holiday!

Chris

[Coryton]

4 minutes ago, CeePee1952 said:

I do wonder why hire craft still have boat hooks on board. Most hirers think they can use them to fend off from other boats usually resulting in damage to the other boat! When we hire, the first thing I do is consign it to the roof top or other suitable flat surface and there it stays for the duration of the holiday!

Chris

I sometimes wonder about that.

Our first go at boating was a holiday in Ireland in a cottage on the Shannon that came with a day boat.

On something that size you can use the boat hook to pull yourself in to a mooring (I don't know if it's good technique, but it's what we were told to do).

But on a cruiser I'm not sure what to do wth one. Fish things out of the water I suppose, if there is something you can hook it onto.

On the Broads the only time the boat hook left the roof was when someone knocked it off into the water when we were moored. (Fortunately a helpful person in the next boat down used their rowing boat to rescue it for us).

 

[CeePee1952]

8 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

And don't let's think that never happens!

Let's stand back for a moment, and look at this from a different perspective.  If a yard are seriously charging their valued clients for burst plastic fenders, then they don't know a lot about marketing!

When you come to see us in France for a week, on a luxury cruiser costing over €3000 in high season, we only get to "meet" you twice.  About an hour when you arrive and maybe 10 minutes when you leave.  In that short time we have to somehow impress you with our welcome and personal service, so that you will want to come back again next year.  The hire boat business is all about regular customers.

If you get in your car to drive away with your family, after paying that money, and say "Cor, that miserable ******* in the office just charged me seven Quid for a fender",  then you are not going to think about coming back next year!  If however, you drive away with happy thoughts about your holiday and our friendly service, and decide to book a boat again for next year, then that will pay for all of the fenders that we have burst on all of the boats for the whole season!   About five times over!

Marketing is not rocket science. It is based mostly on simple human nature.

Exactly! That’s why we have booked with Herbert Woods for next year and the year after. I know everyone has different aspirations concerning quality of boats and customer service but HW ticked all the boxes for us which is why they have got our repeat custom.

Chris

[Vaughan]

4 minutes ago, Coryton said:

But on a cruiser I'm not sure what to do wth one. Fish things out of the water I suppose, if there is something you can hook it onto.

In the Navy there is a term "hooked on" when you bring a boat alongside and can hold it against the ship's side with the boathook while you sort out the moorings.  It is also great for pushing the bow out (with the other end) when leaving a mooring.

You will soon find out how useful it is if you ever have to catch hold of someone who has just fallen in, by their clothing or lifejacket, so that you can stabilise them while efforts are made to get them out again.

[ChrisB]

1 hour ago, Mouldy said:

Ropes at £8 are cheap.  The 14mm mooring lines we have for Norfolk Lady are circa £3 per metre and then there’s the b*llache of splicing them!  

A lot of hire craft are fitted out with Polypropylene warps. Under £0.30p per metre for 14mm when the VAT is reclaimed. However, if you have ever had a burn or a splinter off polyprop you would never use it.

 

[grendel]

When picking up the sailing dinghy at Herbert woods I used the boathook to catch the ropes as the staff pushed it from shore to save us doing a full stop to collect it.

[grendel]

Currently jewel 2 and broad ambition moored at lodden, BA had a slight electrical wiring issue this morning, so has had the fuseboard replaced and the shower pump rewired. jewel 3 had issues crossing breydon and was limped into reedham with an escort, she is currently still at reedham as the HW engineers replace the gearbox, engine mounts and universal joint. We have heard the gearbox has been replaced, and the rest of the work is ongoing, several of her crew continued with us to lodden, and are happily fishing or visiting the pub.

Jewel 2 and I am anticipating the skippers orders, eg I heard him asking for the fenders to be deployed and the dinghy brought up front when I was 2/3 of the way around the boat deploying the fenders and heading towards the dinghy.