Our Week Aboard Star Gem 6

GeoffandWendy · April 25, 2015

Captains Log Friday 17th April 2015

We have been waiting a long time for this day to arrive, or what seemed a long time, since we booked our holiday back in January.

Well the day for our departure from home finally arrived and we were up at 4.30 am. We had decided to set off early morning, when only the truck drivers are out and about and the roads are reasonably quite. After finishing off loading the car, we were on our way at just after 5.30. There was no real rush, so we just tootled along, hardly going above 60 mph. It is a straightforward run to Norwich from where we live, just a matter of hopping on the M42, to join the M6 south and finally the A14 towards Huntingdon, before joining the A11 to Norwich. What a difference the A11 is now from Thetford, it was just single carriageway when I last travelled down it, through Elvden.

We stopped several times en route, for toilets and refreshments before finally reaching the Norwich inner ring road, where we turned left towards the airport. The traffic was quite heavy by this time, as commuters were travelling to work, which was just after 8 am. So nice to not be one of them as we finally reached the A1151 for Wroxham. We took this route rather than the A47, to avoid the road works, where the new bridge is being erected. We arrived in Wroxham at 9.30 and parked in Roys car park, so we could pick up some fresh provisions for the boat. We had a bacon bap and a coffee and spent about an hour there, before leaving for the last few miles to Stalham and Richardson's Boatyard, arriving just after 11 am.

Our boat was not quite ready and we were told to come back to reception at 12 pm, so we had a stroll down to Swan Quay, where Star Gem 6 was moored. I was surprised to see how big these boats are, much bigger than they appear in the brochure, but was not put off by that. After a quick cup of coffee from the on site catering van, we went back to reception, to get the paperwork, then collect our life jackets and drove the car to the jetty where the boat was moored, so we could unload the car. You would think we were having a month on the boat, with the amount of stuff we had packed, but within ten minutes everything was stored aboard. We were given a run through of the boat, and shown all the necessary controls and given a brief run down about the handling, without having to do a trial run, as our instructor was quite happy that I been on the canals before and said that it is no different and was quite happy to let us get under way. So without further ado, we slipped the mooring ropes and were soon on our way up the River Ant by 12.30. Within 10 minutes, I was handling the boat like a regular visitor. instead of a first timer, I think it must come natural to an ex matelot, it must be the salt in my veins. :dance

We had a nice slow amble along the Ant and across Barton Broad and had the river to ourselves, until we reached How Hill, where we met several boats heading towards us. We decided to head for Wroxham for our first nights mooring, then changed our minds and decided to head for Ranworth instead. Had a bit of a tricky moment at Luddon Bridge, which was clear for us to enter, but as soon as we came through, another boat came round the sharp turn, by the boatyard, on the right hand side instead of the left. I had to slam Star Gem into reverse, to avoid hitting it. The chap on the boat apologised for being on the wrong side and praised me for my quick thinking, otherwise, I'm sure there would have been a few scrapes along the side of both his and our boat. Quite a nasty S bend at that point and all the moored boats on both sides don't make things easy. Anyway we survived out first incident and I felt quite proud of my self having avoided a collision.

We arrived on Malthouse Broad just before 3.30 pm and there was just room for two boats at Ranwoth Staithe. The wind had got up a bit since we left Stalham, so I thought I might have a problem with a stern on mooring, our first one as well. But like a trusty old sea dog, I managed to swing the boat around and gently slipped it into reverse and I am happy to say, did a splendid first time mooring, in between to other boats. A few guys were there to assist with the tying up and when they found out that it was our first time on the Broads, congratulated me for a decent bit of boat handling. :clap I felt quite chuffed with myself and thought by the end of the week, I would earn the rank of Commander at least, before becoming a fully fledged Captain. pirate

What a beautiful spot, Ranworth is. It was a lovely day, despite the strong wind, so we strolled over to the Maltsters for a beverage, where I sampled my first ever pint of Wherry, now that' s what I call a good pint, and it wasn't the last I was going to taste before the week was out.. We had a gentle stroll up to the the church, but unfortunately, it is having its roof repaired and most of the outside was covered by scaffolding, so not much good for getting any decent photographs. I manage to take one from inside, but even some of the furnishings were covered with dust sheets, so maybe next time when we come back in September, the work will be finished.

Back on board for a nice cup of tea, then half an hour on the bed, just to chill out, before having a shower and going back to the Maltsters for a meal and some more of that lovely ale. We opted for Beer Battered Cod & Chips with good old mushy peas, a pint of Wherry for me and a glass of Aspels cider for Wendy. Just for a nightcap, we had another drink, then decided to have an early night, as we were both rather shattered, having been up since 4.30, it had been a very long day. It didn't take much rocking, before we were both snoring our heads off, well I expect we both were, cos I know Wendy snores, but I didn't hear her that night.

Coltishall is on the itinerary for tomorrow, so until tomorrows Captains Log, enjoy reading about our first day of our holiday and a few photos we took. :wave for now.

BroadScot · April 25, 2015

Hi Geoff,

Excellant start to your holiday. look forward to the next read. :wave

cheers Iain.

littlesprite · April 26, 2015

Nice start Geoff, waiting for day 2. :party:

ranworthbreeze · April 26, 2015

Hello Geoff & Wendy,

I hope you have both got into the swing of things. I guess you were not allowed up onto the Ranworth Church roof if repairs were being carried out.

Looking forward to your next instalment.

Regards

Alan

LadyPatricia · April 26, 2015

Sounds like a great start to your first Broads outing Geoff and Wendy. Looking forward to reading the rest

cheers

Steve & Deb

BroadAmbition · April 26, 2015

AAAARRRGGHHHHHHHH - Star Gem 6 is a chuffin 'Bathtub' !!!! :naughty: :hardhat:

That aside, great read, made me smile - 'You would think we were onboard for a month with all the stuff we had packed' most of have fallen into this trap and still do!

Looking forward to reading all your holiday tale

Griff

MauriceMynah · April 26, 2015

Ranworthbreeze said... " I guess you were not allowed up onto the Ranworth Church roof if repairs were being carried out."

I take it the stained glass window was on it's side because they'd put the whole church down like that to do the repairs. Much cheaper than scaffolding these days.

Nice tale G&W

GeoffandWendy · April 26, 2015

Thank you guys for all your comments so far. There is lots more to come yet.

Alan & Tan

Yes the church tower is open, but we said we will leave it until our next visit in September, when all the scaffolding will have been removed. There is nothing worse than scaffolding on the side of a building, when you want to take photo's. Same with Norwich Cathedral, as you will see later in our blog. Parts of it has scaffolding up.

Griff

I know, I know, I know a ruddy bathtub! :shocked

But it had plenty of room and was all on one level, which suited us, we are not as nimble as we were twenty years ago. Only one criticism, with having front steering, is is difficult to see the stern of the boat, through the rear door. Could have done with some Truckers wing mirrors. : :lol:

GeoffandWendy · April 26, 2015

Captains Log : Saturday 18th April 2015

Having had a good nights sleep, despite the 5' 6" length of our four poster bed, it was a matter of sleeping diagonal to stretch out, but we managed okay. The only other gripe was being up against the rear bulkhead (notice the navy terminology, they don't have walls on boats) which made it a hassle to get in and out in the middle of the night to visit the heads. It meant disturbing Wendy, who was on the outside of the bed and it was freezing at 3 am in the morning. I will come to the heating later.

Anyway we awoke at 7 am to a nice blue sky, which looked promising for another lovely day. We had our breakfast of cornflakes, orange fruit juice, followed by hot crispy bacon baps and filter coffee. Wendy had a quick shower, whilst I washed up the breakfast dishes, part of my duties for the rest of the week! Wendy was Chief Bosun's Mate and Chef. I had my shower, whilst Wendy did the make up ritual, a thing that needs at least half an hour. Having done with my shower and shave, I topped up with water from the jetty hosepipe and by 8.30 we were ready to set sail again.

With the engine ticking over, the Bosun's Mate was ready to let go aft, whilst I lifted the mud weight. We were advised to drop it after we moored up by one of the other boater's as there was a strong side wind blowing across the bows. The gentle cruise out of Ranworth to the Bure was beautiful, and we watched the village and the tower of Ranworth Church disappear into the distance. There was quite a bit of traffic about, as we reached the Bure, so it was a matter of tucking in behind another boat coming from the direction of the Ant mouth, as we headed towards Horning. We carried on past Horning and had a quick look at Salhouse Broad, then rejoined the river and into Wroxham Broad. As we approached Wroxham, the pilot's mooring was empty, except for a flock of swan's which were being fed by some onlookers at the jetty. They soon dispersed as we came along side to embark the pilot.

With the pilot aboard, we were soon through the bridge. We were now on our way to Coltshall for a few hours at least, before returning to Wroxham, for our second nights mooring. The run up to Coltishall was very relaxing as we ran at just above tick over at 1200 revs, just enough speed to take in all the scenery and observe the wildlife, as we slowly meandered round bends into the unknown. It took us about an hour to reach Coltishall Moorings, where we turned the boat, opposite the Rising Sun and moored up alongside the Common. It was a lovely day, with a gentle breeze, so we decided to have a stroll up to the pub for a few drinks. Again, I sampled the Wherry and Wendy tried a half, which she really enjoyed. We had a nice ham & salad baguette and an ice cream to finish off, before ordering another pint and a half of Wherry.

Took a few photos and a bit of video before strolling back to the boat and getting the folding arm chairs out, that we had brought with us. We just sat by the side of the boat, watching other boats coming and going, before deciding to move on again back to Wroxham just after 3 pm. Wendy had her first try at the helm, as she was a bit nervous about having a go before now, but once she got used to steering in a straight line, she was fine and only once did I have to come to the rescue, when she almost gave a group of overhanging trees a haircut, when some stupid day boat driver came at us from around a blind bend, doing well over the speed limit. Again a quick reverse action avoided any disaster and we were soon on our way again without any further mishap. Wendy stayed at the helm until we reached Bridge Broad near the railway bridge.

The Viaduct moorings were full up but there were a few stern on moorings vacant at Hoveton St John moorings and in no time, were were safely moored up for the night, with another first time docking manouvre. We had a quick wash and brush up and had a look round Roys. Blimey do the Roy's own all of Wroxham? Wendy bought a straw hat to keep the sun off. We then sat by the bridge and had a triple cone ice cream each, I choosing rum & raison with toffee fudge and Wendy had a rasberry ripple with pecan nut, just like two big kids, we licked and licked these massive chocolate cones for at least twenty minutes, and yes I did spill some ice cream down the front of my t shirt, but that's what kids do isn't it.

We had our meal on the boat, rather than dine out and had Prawn Tika Masala & Naan Bread, followed by cheese and biscuits and a nice glass of Rose wine, finishing with a cup of coffee. We then had a stroll along the river bank, under the railway bridge, as far as the Viaduct Moorings, then came back at sat in the gardens near to our mooring, before going back on board for a few games of scrabble and listen to some music on CD. We never had the TV on all week, just made do with CD's and the radio. It was starting to get a little chilly, so we fired up the hot air heating system, which would have been fine if it had had a thermostat to control it. After about half an hour, the boat felt like a tropical plant house, so we had to turn it off. Then half an hour later, icicles were starting to form on the windows, no seriously it went rather chilly again, so on with the heater again to get warm. Off again to cool down, not very good in my opinion, if it had been thermostatically controlled it would have made life easier, but it wasn't and it got very cold during the night when you left the comfort of your duvet, to use the toilet. We were tucked up in bed by 10 pm and again had another good nights sleep. Wendy said I was snoring most of the night, but I didn't hear it. :lol:

Here endeth the second day of the Captains Log aboard Star Gem 6

Say Cheese!

Nearly bed time, even for the Starlings

Gracie · April 26, 2015

Fantastic G&W, the photos are brilliant...... just what I like to see, a lady with the Captains hat on (as it should be lol) she looks lovely. Keep it coming

Grace

JawsOrca · April 26, 2015

Really Pleased you guys seem to be enjoying your time! You sound like a pro with all the nautical terms Geoff

Looking forward to reading the rest of your week.

cheers

alexandlorna · April 26, 2015

Love the bit about the heater , our old one is exactly the same , on for 20 mins and its reached blast furnace temperatures

Many of the older style Webasto hot air heaters cannot be controlled at all

Even modern hotair units do not really like running at low settings and will constantly cause problems needing overhaul ( as told by service engineers for them )

We replaced it with hydronic heating which is much more controllable , but kept the old unit too as back up

At least you can actually get heat in these cold times

GeoffandWendy · April 26, 2015

Love the bit about the heater , our old one is exactly the same , on for 20 mins and its reached blast furnace temperatures

Many of the older style Webasto hot air heaters cannot be controlled at all

Even modern hotair units do not really like running at low settings and will constantly cause problems needing overhaul ( as told by service engineers for them )

We replaced it with hydronic heating which is much more controllable , but kept the old unit too as back up

At least you can actually get heat in these cold times

I used to be a truck driver, before I retired and had a sleeper cab, which I used if parking at a truck stop for the night. All sleeper cab trucks are fitted with night heaters, that burn diesel fuel. But at least they were controllable and you could set the temperature and leave them on all night.

Day 3 of the Captains Log coming tomorrow.

alexandlorna · April 26, 2015

It would be interesting to actually know if these boats use old heaters like the Webasto D2 or similar , maybe Mr Richardson could enlighten us

Its probably not economical to simply dump working heaters on older boats , but would be nice to know the facts etc

BroadScot · April 26, 2015

Hi folks,

I am a bit confused here, I have hired Majorca from Richos about five years ago, the switch/stat was on the wall next to the saloon wardrobe. It was a simple press the stat switch on get the blower going full pelt, THEN I turned the stat down to reduce the fan speed, once it was too hot, it worked a treat on low and medium settings. It did of course stop hot air getting to the rear cabin. So some are stat controlled.

cheers Iain

deebee29 · April 27, 2015

great write up

it looks like you had a great time.

the pictures are great but I notice you have failed to mention the pole dancing ( unless that's in a later installment) ....only joking two guns

by the way I'm writing this reply moored in Beccles Marina moored up next to Steve & Deb who I had the pleasure of meeting yesterday

looking forward to the next installments (as and when I get a signal)

Gracie · April 27, 2015

Ah yes, the pole, I remember the pole :naughty: hope you are having a lovely time David.

Geoff, back on topic, I am so glad you fell in love with the place and more photos please lol

Grace

GeoffandWendy · April 27, 2015

great write up

it looks like you had a great time.

the pictures are great but I notice you have failed to mention the pole dancing ( unless that's in a later installment) ....only joking

by the way I'm writing this reply moored in Beccles Marina moored up next to Steve & Deb who I had the pleasure of meeting yesterday

looking forward to the next installments (as and when I get a signal)

Actually the pole on Star Gem did come in handy, but not for dancing. All will be revealed later. Have a nice holiday David and look after Steve & Deb

LondonRascal · April 27, 2015

I always look for boats that have a thermostatically controlled heater and have to say prefer the Webastro ones over Eberspacher – the Eberspacher ones tend to do weird things like decide to suddenly fire up to high for a bit, then go down back to low moments after and you stop and think eh? Also their fuel pumps tick faster on low making me think they are drinking more fuel than the slower tick of a Webastro.

Anyway, there are plenty of boats out there that have just a switch that turns on the heating and no thermostat – this may be down to the fact it costs more for the control unit in older models as an add on so not worth it, that the model is very much older and cannot have such unit or as sometimes I have found they DO have a thermostat (take Sunlit Horizon) but I only know this to be the case as it is intended never to be ‘used by the public’. Inside a saloon cupboard, the rear of which had three large holes cut out for ventilation and through the middle one you could spy the knob to adjust the heater.

On Belmore TC I would set the heater to about ‘eleven o’clock’ position and it would stay on low for hours and keep the boat just warm enough. The only issue was it took air from outside the boat under the rear outside hatch cover so it was always going to have to heat outside colder air not re-heat warmed air from within the boat. Some heaters are installed as to take air from within the boat heat it and discharge it. But taking air from outside not only does the heater on a very very cold not not going to be able to heat say 3 degree air as well as 15 degree air it also creates a constant positive air pressure in the boat. Pushing inside air that has to escape out of vents and such taking with it valuable warm air.

One thing you can do is control the air flow – most hire boats have long lost the heater outlet covers than enable you to close off an outlet, and you are left with just a hole (some I have hired feature a problem where the heating pipe that attaches to the vent come adrift so some air goes out of the outlet, some wasted behind the bulkhead so I’ve reattached and all is good.)

Okay sorry to go on so much about heating

GeoffandWendy · April 27, 2015

Captains Log: Sunday 19th April 2015.

We woke up early at 6am to a beautiful sky, thinking we were in for another nice day. How wrong we were! Later in the day, the clouds rolled in and it turned out to be the coldest day of our holiday.

A nice cup of coffee was in order at this hour, so on with the kettle and the heating, just to warm through the boat. Having both taken a shower, we had a light breakfast of crunchy nut cornflakes, toast and marmalade, then went for another stroll along the river bank. As we got back to the boat, it was becoming cloudy and the sun had disappeared behind the clouds and it went rather chilly. Time to phone the pilot, for our passage back through the bridge. Destination for today was Potter Heigham, Acle, Stokesby and Stracy Arms (our limit for this holiday).

The pilot came aboard at 8.30 and we were the first boat of the day to go under the bridge. Once through, the pilot hopped off again onto a row of moored day boats and bade us farewell and bon voyage, or something to that effect. Well we were on a cruise I suppose.

The chef had got the kettle on again for a nice cup of tea, as we slowly headed along the river towards Wroxham Broad, were we did a detour from the main channel for a run round the broad, before rejoining the river again.

We passed through Horning about 9.45am and made our way towards Benets Abbey. There were a few boats on the move, but we were surprised how many hired boats, still had their curtains drawn. I know the weather was a bit offish today, but we like to be up early when on holiday, not spend half the morning in bed, what a waste of precious time. Still if people want to spend their holiday, getting up late, then that's their choice. We decided to spend some time at Horning on another day, when and if the weather improved, which it did, but today, we only had the weather man's prediction for the days ahead. It was pretty bleak as we passed the Abbey and the moorings were empty, is it any wonder on a day like this. We had planned on stopping at Potter, to have a look through Lathams, but it had started raining, so decided to just fill up with water, turn turtle and head back to the Bure for a run south to Stokesby. I am so glad we had decent weather for the rest of the week, because if it had been wet, it would have been a pain to see out of the windscreen when the rain is blowing against you. Why windscreen wipers are not fitted is beyond me. No points for Richardson's on that score. Are you reading this Clive, get some windscreen wipers fitted on these boats.

After leaving Potter, the rain stopped as it was just a passing shower, so at least I could see through the windscreen again. It was still a bit bleak outside, but nice and warm in the boat, with the heat from the engine acting as a radiator, definately not a time to have the sliding sun roof back, but there were a few draughts coming in around the top edges of the roof, where the seals are situated, but I expect these are pretty worn out and could do with replacing. A few towels to plug the gaps, seemed to do the trick, but hardly up market, especially if you wanted to invite visitors on board for a coffee. "Oh sorry about the towels, but we have a few draughts coming in!"

We reached Acle Bridge, just after 12.30 and moored at the shop, to pick up some bread and milk and a few naughty but nice cream cakes. I asked if we could stay moored for half an hour, whilst we had some lunch and the lady in the shop said, not unless you spend £30 (only joking) she really said, of course you can. Only the mooring sign says, only boats using the shop can moor here. Mind you we did use the shop, but wanted to have lunch before we left. So it was off again, to explore the southern reaches of the North Broads, as far as Stracey Arms. We passed Stokesby and did a turn round at Stracey Arms, where only a few boats were moored.

What we might be able to afford if we don't win the lottery.

We were not so keen on this end of the Broads, it seemed rather uninteresting, just reeds and not much vegetation, so we will be giving this section a miss in September, and travel no further than Potter, concentrating more between St Benets and Wroxham and of course the Ant and its dykes. So having said good bye to Stracey Arms, we headed back again, past Stokesby, under Acle bridge and past the Abbey to the mouth of the Ant, were we did a right to take us towards Ludham bridge. Since our holiday began, we have come to realise that you don't usually meet any boats, until you come to a narrow section of river, or unless you are approaching a sharp bend. Since joining the Ant, this was the case, and yes, sod's law again, we met three large sailie things with masts down, coming through the bridge, as we rounded the S bend, Oh dear, time to reverse and pull over, to let them pass. We actually got in close to the jetty alongside the boatyard and waited our turn to go under the bridge. When the last sail boat come through, I then engage forward gear to line myself up with the bridge, when lo and behold, a great big posh cruiser was just starting to come through, very slowly. I thought he wasn't going to make it, as it was quite high with a bridge cockpit. I think he was about half an inch lower than the bridge, but very slowly, he edged forward and just cleared. Glad I wasn't the skipper of that boat. At last, we had a clear view through the bridge and managed to pass under at a slight angle, without catching the side of our boat.

We never saw anything else until we were approaching How Hill and there were only a couple of boats moored there. We decided to visit How Hill later in the week when the weather was better, although by now, the clouds were unfolding and eventually the sun came out, as we were passing Irstead Staithe. No room there, as it was full. So our plan was to make for Netishead for our next night.

Back over Barton Broad, keeping to the left, past the unavigable Turkey Broad, we entered Lime Kiln Dyke. A boat was just coming out and we were told that the moorings were full, so we did a lft and entered Gayes Stain, were ther was room for just one more boat. This is a pretty little spot and we moored up behind a Summercraft Boat for the night. Time for a well earned cup of coffee and a chill out, before going to the White Horse for a meal. It is quite a walk to the village from Gayes, but a stretch of the legs was welcome, after sitting at the helm all day, except when Wendy took the wheel for a few miles. The sun was well out by now and was a little warmer than it had been earlier. After a wash and brush up we walked down the path from the staithe, to join the narrow road into Neatishead village and entered the White Horse. This is a lovely pub and has recently been refurbished with a new restaurant

but we manage to find a nice little table in the bar area. For starters, it was another pint of Wherry and Wendy had her usual half pint of Aspels cider, before ordering our meal. I opted for rump steak, mushrooms, onion rings, grilled tommatoe and fresh garden peas.

Wendy had roast chicken in a garlic sauce, mushrooms, onion rings and side salad. It was a lovely meal and came to just over £26 including drinks. After a few more drinks, and chatting to another couple on the next table, we decided to haead back to the boat before dark, although we did have our torches with us, but had left the cameras on the boat, so no photos of the White Horse.

We picked up a box of new laid eggs from a barrow at the house near the entrance to Gayes staithe and popped £2 in the honesty box. Despite the earlier weather it was a nice ending to a perfect day and before long, we were nicely tucked up in bed again for the night, in this very peaceful place.

GeoffandWendy · April 27, 2015

The last photo is the one I meant to have referred to regarding not winning the lottery, Not the Bridge Inn at Acle.

BroadScot · April 27, 2015

Hi Geoff,

Some of the draughts I think are deliberate, because of gas used on board. But we have done exactly the same as you have and used towels to help keep things cosey.

I have noticed that Broadway2 does not have a windscreen wiper, so will get the wife or the sis in law to stand out in the well :naughty: if it rains, and use the Window Pane blade, we bring to clear condensation in the mornings.

cheers Iain

Gracie · April 27, 2015

If you read this Mrs Broadscot, take my advice...... I wouldn't worry about wiping the windows in the rain but I would certainly wipe the floor WITH Mr Broadscot :naughty:

Grace

BroadScot · April 27, 2015

Hi Grace,

One is not that daft as to let her read this forum! :naughty: Anyway, she likes clean windows!

cheers Iain

GeoffandWendy · April 27, 2015

Captains Log: Monday 20th April 2015

We were woken by the dawn chorus in this tranquil place. The sun was peeping through the trees as mist was rising from the water. The ideal time to take a few photos. This morning had the makings of a perfect day. After a light breakfast of muesli, scrambled egg on toast and coffee, we took our daily showers. Replenished our water tank from the staithe hose and left a donation in the box. We were away at 8am. Our plan for this morning was to head straight for Horning, where we would have a chance of mooring at the public moorings, so we could have a look at this lovely waterside village. It was a beautiful through the end of Barton Broad and down the River Ant. Other boats were on the move at this time, taking advantage of the lovely sunshine, some were still moored as we passed How Hill, but all had their curtains open, I am glad to say, it was too nice not to be up and about.

I couldn't believe it, we actually had a clear run through Ludham Bridge without meeting another boat and didn't see any more until we turned right onto the Bure, where quite a few boats were heading in both directions. This part of the Bure is so breath taking, with all the waterside thatch roofed dwellings, all with their own private moorings. What I call proper drooling properties, if only... we won the lottery! If we did, my luck would be that there would be none for sale. Ah well keep dreaming Geoffrey, our nice little bungalow tucked in the corner of a nice quiet cul-de-sac, suits us perfect.

We where about five hundred yards from Horning and with a quick look through the binoculars, I could just see one boat tied up at the moorings. It turned out to be Capatain Dred. As we approached the jetty, the owner of the boat, a guy called Jasper, was ready to take a rope and in no time we were safely moored up. Jasper has just joined the forums and lives aboard Captain Dred. It is a lovely old boat, but needs a bit of work doing to the interior, so Jasper is cutting out new templates, to panel the bulkheads and get it looking ship shape again. It has some nice portholes in the forward cabin, which gives it lots of character,

We chatted for quite a while and he said if you want a good all day breakfast, to try the cafe, next to the Swan.

We were feeling a bit peckish by now so we decided to try this cafe. Small breakfast, consisting of 1 bacon, 1 sausage, 1 egg, tomatoes and beans, with two slices of toast and tea or coffee £3 each, not bad and it was what I call a good English breakfast. The same cafe, runs a souvenir shop attached, so we bought a few nick knacks, like a fridge magnet and a tea towel for our next door neighbour, for looking after the cat. We called in the local convenience store to get some fresh milk and some fruit yoghurts. We then had a stroll round the village before returning back to the boat.

Our next port of call would be Benets Abbey to take some photos, possibly one of the most photographed places on the Broads, but you can't not take any yourself, especially if it's your first visit. There was plenty of room to moor and I decided to turn the boat, so we were facing the way we had come from, for an easy departure. Not thinking about the tide, I turned the boat, came alongside and Wendy secured the starboard side stern rope to the bollard. Before we could get to the bow rope, the bows started drifting to port, with the current of the incoming tide, so we ended up mooring the other way round than we intended. Never mind, at least we were secure alongside the jetty. It is hard to imagine how impressive this monastery must have looked before the dissolution, as it covered quite a big area when it was built. Why the windmill was built adjoining the gatehouse actual spoils the ruins, it's a pity that it wasn't built slightly away from the ruins, but it is pretty unique as ruins go I suppose. The boat moored in front of us was a syndicate boat and the couple on board had brought their pet parrot with them. He was called Billy. we took a photo of him.

It was time to move on again and our plan was to head back up the Ant, call at Ludham Bridge for a pump out, as the toilet tank was getting rather full. It must be all the pints of Wherry and good old Norfolk cooking, that's all I can say. We soon arrived at the boatyard and was surprised that it cost £15 for a pump out. I thought it might be cheaper, being it is only a two berth boat. Anyway, come what may, we couldn't leave it full.

With the boat smelling a bit sweeter, we continued on our way up the Ant, and decided to have a look at Barton Turf. Whilst we were having our pump out, a boat passed us, heading towards Barton Broad, so we thought by the time we were ready to cast off, he would be quite a way in front of us. I couldn't believe it, within three or four minutes, we had caught up with this boat, chugging along mid channel at no more than 2mph.

We had to throttle back from 3mph, as we were getting closer. I believe in going slow to enjoy the scenery, but this guy was going really slow, yes I mean very slow. I had to get out the binoculars, just to make sure he was going forwards and not backwards. Yes he was moving forward, just! Was he trying not to disturb the fish, or was he having a senior moment. A quick sound of the horn, might make him pull over, so I could pass, but no, we just got a wave. Another blast of the horn, indicating to him by hand signals to move over, finally did the trick. It was going to be a bit tricky, as there was a bend, 100 yards ahead, so I moved a bit closer, ready to pass when the time was right. Just before the bend, another bathtub came towards us, but managed to get past us okay. As soon as we cleared the bend, I gave the boat in front another toot to let him know I was going to pass. I pushed the throttle to about 1500 revs, so I could gain enough speed to clear him, before the next bend. Wendy was rear look out and as soon as we were clear, I eased the throttle back to 1200 revs and moved over to the right side of the river again. At least we could make some headway, and it wasn't long before we had left him well behind.

We carried on past How Hill, and decided to call there tomorrow, so continued on in to Barton Broad and into Barton Turf, the idea was to have a short stop and replenish with water. The water point was on the jetty just beyond Cox's boatyard, so we moored alongside and filled up. We then took the boat across to the Paddy's Lane Mooring for a quick bite to eat and a cup of tea. We got talking to another couple who had their own boat and lived near Potter Heigham. We mentioned that we planed on going up to Dilham, but was told that it is very narrow and only room for three boats to moor. If it was full, we might have problems turning round, so we decided to moor up at Wayford Bridge, as time was getting on. We left Paddy's Lane at 4 pm to rejoin the Ant behind the island. It was only about an hours run, so their was no rush. We came to the fork for Dilham and Stalham and took the left hand and headed for Wayford. This is a lovely stretch of river and the Hunsett Drainage Mill is one of the nicest we have seen, which comes into view as you round a sharp bend. We went under Wayford Bridge and turned the boat round in the wide basin, then back through the bridge to moor up at the staithe. There was just one more boat moored there and that was a B A barge, as work was going on replacing the timbers at the staithe.

We decided to stay on board and have a Sweet & Sour Chicken, which we cooked in the microwave, a nice bottle of Rose wine, we bought in Aldi, and brought with us, only £4.95 and it's lovely. We then chilled out, listening to some classical music on Classic FM and had a few games of Scrabble. Why is it that Wendy beats me every game, she must be cleverer than me. :shocked

Well that rounds up another day of our holiday, just enjoy the photos. I will post the next Captains Log tomorrow sometime. by for now :wave

Gayes Staithe on Monday morning