A WEEK OF FIRSTS

[Matt]

6foot 10 inches so in theory yes but in reality only on a very good day!

[kfurbank]

Matt, Is that the official figure, or the pilots figure? My boat is quoted at 6ft10in, the pilots normally like 6ft9in, but Pat has taken it through at 6ft7.5in.

[Matt]

That's not the pilots figure so there might be a bit to play with.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

On Lightnings helm panel, the plaque states 6ft 9ins, this will become relevent in the next days instalment.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Thursday morning, and we wake up to blue skies, and a gentle breeze. As i said before, i`m the first one up, and get showered and dressed, and put the kettle on. I plan to get away early as i`m hoping to get down through Gt Yarmouth, and take the end of the flood all the way to Reedham.  Everybody else is taking their time, so i took a quick stroll over to the shop to buy another loaf, and explain to the shop keeper that we came round yesterday, but he was shut. At first he said he WAS open, but i told him, not when we came round. He asked what time, which i said 5.15pm, and he said "no, i was long gone by then". I asked about the the card in the window saying his opening hours are advertised as 7.00 til 7.00, and was a bit surprised when he said he was very rarely open that late. hmmm, strange?.

 

Back on board, and i do the engine checks, which are all fine, then Derek says the aft toilet does`nt pump any water to flush, so they`ve been flushing it all week with the shower head :shock: . I went back to check, and do what we would all do, and tried it myslef. Foot on lever to open, press button to flush, all was well, with water swilling around the bowl. Then it came tome, Karen showed them how to flush the loo, but they did`nt know what she meant when she said "hold the lever down".

 

Crisis over, and i`m anctious to get undeerway, as time is creeping on. I don`t want to be too late and end up pushing the tide across Breydon, so i start the engine and tell the folks we`ll have to have breakfast on the move. We finally get away just after 9, and we`re doing 6mph all the way down the Bure, except past moorings. We make good progress, but just after we pas Three nile carr, i notice the wind has picked up again, and by the time we start through the twisty lower Bure, through the posts, our speed over land has dropped. What`s happened is we`re now pushing wind and tide for the last three miles, and progress is slow. I`m keeping a check as to whether the tide is still on the flood, and it is, and still quite quickly, so nearly an hour later, we`re passing the Yacht station, with the bridge height gauge reading 7ft 3ins. Plenty of clearance, but i still opened the sliding roof to see how much of a gap there is.  As we pas under the road bridge, at 7,2, i notice approx 8-9 inches of clearance, though the pulpit rail mounted post, with a small rubber ball on top only has about 4 inches above it. Well worth noting little bits like that, as now, we will be able to gauge bridge clearance much better. HOWEVER, next, we come to the old iron bridge, with blocks etc on underneath it.  We go under, but with less than an inch of clearance to the rubber ball on the post. As we go further under, this gap gets even smaller, and at the southern side of the bridge, you could count the gap in milimetres on the fingers of one hand. Still about 5 inches above the cabin,  but beware fellow forumites, the iron bridge is lower than the road bridge.

 

We`re safely out, and now turning into Breydon water. I`ve been on the helm for arond 3 hours, and now i need the loo, so i hand over the helm to Karen, We do take the last of the flood across Breydon, and with the wind coming from our port beam, i tell Karen to keep a close eye on her position in the channell. With memories of Alphacrafts Hurricane stranded for weeks on the bank, i did`nt want a slight lack of concentration leaving us high and dry.  We`re quickly across Breydon, being followed part of the way by "Spirit of Breydon", and turn up past the Berney Arms pub. How different things look now. Although we`ve never stopped there, there was often quite a few boats moored, with people in the pub. Now however, all the moorings were empty, except for Maffett cruisers rescue boat "Titan".. Our run up to Reedham was surprisingly quick, and we`re soon picking our mooring at the quay, but with no ranger to assist. We get moored safely, and imediately get filled up with water, so other people can have a shower. We also connect up to one of the leccy posts, which again still has credit on it, so that hair driers etc can be used. We have lunch, and decide to have a look in the quayside shop, and have an icecream.  and then back on the boat. With lunch, showers, and everything done, Karen suggests we get away a bit earlier, as Loddon might be busy with boats, so we get started and get underway again, and head for Loddon for the night. By now, the tide has turned, but seeing as it`s the start of the ebb, it`s not that strong, so our progress is`nt hampered too much. We pass our first nights mooring at Reedham Ferry, and promise ourselves we`ll moor there again another time. The ferry is stationary, so we pass imediately, and press on, with the mouth of the Chet soon coming into view.  With the mouth of the Chet being so narrow, it`s always adviseable to enter while heading into the tide, to avoid being sweaped into the bank. Once in, we have a very peaceful cruise up to Loddon. Passing Pies Mill moorings, there`s a few private boats, a couple looking quite scruffy, so we hope there`s still space at the staithe, and passing the yards, we reach the basin, and get a mooring quite easily. It`s amazing how so few boats can take up so many moorings.  We pick up a mooring next to an old classic Aston, and get chatting to the owner. The first thing on the agenda was to find a post to hook up on, but this time, there were`nt any with credit left on them, so we used one of the £1.00 cards we bought last year. Never mind, we`ve been lucky till now.  We go over to the shop to get something which i can`t remember, and Karen suggests we buy a lottery ticket while there, but later, we find it did`nt win. Coming out of the shop, we call in to see Caroline, and tell her we`ll be in for breakfast about 9ish, then have a stroll up into the village. So little evr changes in Loddon, which is why i love it so much. If i did`nt come back here for another 20 years, i reckon it would look the same as it is today, fabulous.

 

Back on board, and Karen and Pat start our last eat on board dinner, as we`re eating in the Yare tomorrow night, and our meal is made up of whatever we have left. Various odds and ends of cold meats, cheese, and salad.  After dinner, i get everything washed up, and venture out in the sunshine, where i notice another syndicate boat "Southern Crusader", which is the sister ship to Ranworth Breeze. I wandered over and had a chat with the owner, who very kindly complemented me on the way i brought Lightning in, which i was very greatful for. After our chat, it was back on board for a cuppa, and another relaxing sunsoaked sit in the upper helm seat with Chris Crowther. One of the other boat owners walked by, with a smile on his face, and i said "it does`nt get any better than this does it, sat in the sun in lovely surroundings, with a book and some sunshine, and a mug of tea. He laughed a little and agreed.  About 8,30, it started to chill off, and i closed the book, and went below. Karen suggested we watch another DVD.  A couple of hours later, with the film finished, it`s time for bed. It`s been a lovely day today, just a shame the beginning  of the week was`nt as good as the end. I wonder what weather the morning will bring :naughty: . We`re all tired and yawning, so it`s off to bed ............... Goodnight all.

[BroadScot]

 

 

but beware fellow forumites, the iron bridge is lower than the road bridge.

Its the weight of all that red lead paint that has made it lower Neil 

 

 

Iain

[SANTED]

Nice read neil.Next best thing to being there

Ted

[ranworthbreeze]

Hi Neil,

That old rusted bridge is about 3 inches lower than the road bridge dependant on which Bridge Height tables you look at.

The one I use is 7 foot on the road bridge and 6 foot 9 inches on Vauxhall Bridge at high water.

Regards

Alan

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

That would be about right Alan, as when i looked back at the gauge (as if you were going UPriver, the gauge was reading 7ft only, so a 3" difference was what we noticed.

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Friday morning, and we`re awake early. Karen and i usually get up at 6.00am to get ready for work, so when we`re on the boat, even though the fresh Broadland air makes us tired and go to bed early, we`re usually awake early, and just lay in bed dozing til about 8.00am. So today is no different, but what is different is the pitter patter sound over our heads. Yes, it`s raining. We both lay there listening to the raindrops on the cabin top, but then they get louder, then a little bit louder again, then soon, it`s absolutely pouring down, but then the rain starts to ease, and then there`s this distant rumbling sound,  yes, it`s thunder. We`ve been seeing Lightning every day, so now we can hear thunder, and it`s not the engine of the big white fibreglass sister ship to ours.  I get up about 7.30ish, and stick my head out of the salloon curtain, and the sight that greeted me was absolutely spectacular. The surface of the river was dancing like crazy, and i`m standing there just watching it, and looking for the occaisional flash of lightning.

 

It is`nt long before the deluge starts to ease, and we`ve seen and heard  the last flash and bang, and the rain gradually starts to die. Although i was enjoying watching this spectacular Broadland show, i`m pleased to see the rain stopping, and decide to put the kettle on and have a shower. 

 

In the meantime, Karen`s up and making the tea for everybody, and Derek and Pat are in the the throws of getting up and about. Shower over, and i`m soon dressed and doing the engine checks ready for the off later in the day. We`re not going far today, so we`re in no hurry to depart Loddon, but we do have a prior engagement at 9.00 in Loddons most respected eating establishment. Yes, we`re soon due at Rosie Leas, but Derek and Pat decide they want breakfast aboard.  Karen is now up and dressed, and we head on over to see Caroline, and make apollogies for the fact there`s only 2 of us, after she reserved a table for 4. Never mind, she will no doubt have the place filled up soon anyway. 

 

Breakfast over, and we head back to the boat, and stop off in the shop to buy a lottery ticket.  We don`t buy anything else, as we`re do well using what supplies we have left. With everything all tidied away, i disconnect the shorepower and start the engine, then fill the water tank while she`s warming up.

 

We soon filled up, and on our way, but when i lifted the mudweight, it was caked in Loddons finest, so i left it dangling in the water while we were going along to was it off.

 

The run down the Chet was a peaceful one, passing a couple of boats on the way. It`s clear we`re pushing a flood tide, and the wind has got up a little, though not as bad as earlier in the week. The skies are starting to brighten up, and before long, we`re cruising along in beautiful sunshine. As we reach the bottom of the Chet, we turn and head up to Brundall, and our progress picks up dramatically as we`re now running with the tide.

 

Very soon, and we`re passing Cantley Sugar factory, and give a wave to some workmen. I`m amazed how quickly we`re going, and soon after, we`re well past Langley dyke, and passingThe Beauchamp Arms.  A couple of years back, we saw a seal in the river here, so everybody is keeping their eyes out, but no luck, the seals are nowhere to be seen this time. Very soon, we`re well past the top entrance to Rockland Broad, and within sight of the Coldham hall. Our last days cruise is nearly over, but i decide to take one last detour and cut though Surlingham Broad. This is a really peaceful place, and sometime soon, we`ll overnight on the mudweight there.. As we`re approaching Brooms fuel quay, there`s a boat already there, so i reverse Lightning in down beside which is her new mooring. We were told last year to reverse in to our old mooring, as it makes it easier to exit, but at this one, i found out it`s not nessecary to reverse, which is great, because mooring nose in, we`re perfectly placed for the Brooms engineers to refuel and pump out the toilets. So i quickly turned her around, and we`re finally tucked up at our mooring for our last night.

 

By now, the weather is gloriously hot, and i curse the fact that this always happens on our holidays. No matter where we go, whether a boat, or cottage etc etc, it always rains on at least one day. It might only be a few spits, but it WILL rain, and this week has been no exception. Now  it`s time for the usual early start packing, and we quickly get unnessecary items packed and away in the car. We`re staying till tomorrow morning, so i`l give the boat a hoover out and window clean then, but i do take the opportunity to connect up the shore power so the ladies can do their hair, and we can use as much hot water for showers and washing up etc, as we can use the immersion heater. Wonderful things these 240v hook-ups, i`m definitely converted to them. With everything done for the day, we have a walk round to the Yare Public house and book a table for dinner at 6.30. Karen and i had a meal in there for the first time last year, and were very impressed with the place. It does`nt look very inviting from outside, but the staff are efficient and polite, and the food is very good.  Throughout the week, and the same last year, i got fed up with scraping my knuckles on the deck every time i undid and tightened up the water filler cap, so while at the Yare, i walked into Brian Wards and bought a different type which i left on board. I can`t be the only one who`s had enough of skinned knuckles?.

 

Back on board and we`ve a couple of hours before we go back for dinner, so it`s time for a cuppa and some more Chris Crowther. Unfortunately, i don`t have enough time to finish the book before we go home, so i`l just have to finish it there. 6.30 comes, and we`re at the Yare and ready for a decent meal. We`re NOT disappointed. 

 

Back on board, and we go through the remaining biscuits etc so we don`t have to take them home, and we sit down to a DVD. and a cuppa. The only problem is, now we`ve had the toilets pumped out, we have to walk over to the berth holders toilets. No real problem, not unless it rains, and a real nusance when someone regularly wakes up and needs the loo during the night.  While engaged in this little escapade, i see someone going aboard another Syndicate boat, Moonlight Shadow. So i walked over to say hello, and discover it`s fellow forumite "CooWee" Keith and Lisa. I did`nt realise who they were then i picked up on what`s left of Lisa`s american accent. Then i realised we moored next to them 3 years ago at Rockland, and Lisa came aboard Swallow to have a look. She then invited aboard Moonlight Shadow,  which furthered my enthusiasm for a syndicate boat. Now here i am on one. After a brief chat, i left them to enjoy their fish and chips, and went back to join the others for a cuppa and DVD. As the film finished, we`re ready for a good nights sleep ready for our laborious 250 mile journey home in the morning.

 

 

It`s been a real week of first in some ways, First time for the in-laws, which is ironic, as Derek spent nearly 25 years building Sunseekers, but this was their first boating holiday. First time we moored at Reedham ferry, and it won`t be the last, First time we moored at Neatishead overnight, and the first time we could get moored there anyway. And the first time i`ve actually planned my timing to cross Breydon water right.  It`s been a great week, and we`ll be back in the Autumn.

 

Good night all.

[deebee29]

Hi Neil

Thanks for the great write up

I really enjoyed it