Norfolk Broads - LIVE!

The last full day (for me at least) is the wind down day, because you have to be close to the boatyard for the morning return - or like me moor in it - it is not a day where you might want to do as much as previously and so it was for me. I left the moorings a Paddy's Lane after 10:00am and though very much less windy than the day before it was certainly not calm.  I headed off to Neatishead just to go back up their via Lyme Kiln Dyke  which is beautiful, in fact I would go as far to say  that in summer when you have all the foliage on the trees and the birds are in song it is the most pretty stretch of water on the Broads.  It just feels like the most back water of backwaters so quiet and special. After turning it was back to Barton Broad then down the River Ant - funny how the weather can change things for we had not had much in the way of rain but the wind direction and pressure had caused the tide to do strange things - it was incredibly ...

Today began with a plan of being a short day as far as cruising, and doing rather little - however it evolved into a very full day with an awful lot including a visit to  the White Horse in Neatishead but it all started off around 6:00am in Horning. After yesterday's long cruise back north from Reedham, I had spent a nice evening in the Ferry Inn with some good priced, nice food and drink and I had come back to the boat and feeling worn out had an early night.  I woke up in the morning and despite being only around 5:15am I could not sleep more and was restless, a cup of coffee later and I was all set wanting to do something - so I got ready and thought I would leave at 6:00am and go to Wroxham, shower have breakfast pop into Roy's and then have a nice slow day and more up somewhere around mid afternoon and call it a day.  How plans change. It was lovely going past the chalet's all quiet without fishermen outside and needing to stay clear of their li...

It does not matter how I put this, today was not the most interesting of days on the Broads because it was what some might say is the 'long drag' when you leave the southern rivers behind and head north, knowing that there will be a long and winding mud and reed lined passage up the Bure towards Acle ahead. I did not need to be up too early today because having moored overnight at Reedham I was well positioned to catch the last of the outgoing tide to help me towards Breydon.  What surprised me was the amount of boats who had left or were leaving and whom I knew were heading back north and who would enjoy a rapid transit to hand over Breydon before hitting a brick wall of tide heading against them as they turned at the yellow post onto the Bure. I waited but there was an air of impatience wanting to get going and knowing one has a long way to cover - I departed calculating that I would hit the tide ebbing still out of the Bure but it would not be too g...

We had spent the past days cruising for many hours and often getting up early - today therefore was going to be slightly less hectic so it was a later start and not before 9:30am that we departed Loddon Staithe.   It was low water and I was anxious as it did feel like we were cruising in a paddling pool leaving the Staithe and me worrying how much water was under us - our all but one of our neighbours having departed earlier when perhaps there was more water to be had.  However my worries became true when having passed the last set of moorings (just before the Staithe on the left hand side as you approach Loddon) there was a large floating mound of Reeds.  I moved to the centre of the river to avoid them and just as we came past what now appears to be a type of basin (the bank works scooping out a very large area oblong in shape) I felt the boat touch bottom and slow momentarily as if just struggling to keep going through the water and t...

It felt rather odd boarding the train at Liverpool Street with my Dad for usually whenever we come to Norfolk it is in the car, but alas that was being worked on and so the train would need to take the strain. It was not long before we were in sunny Norwich, and walked from the station to the large Morrison's stock up for the 4 night break ahead - and as ever you always seem to go a bit mad on things especially considering we were going to be eating out on 3 of the 4 nights.  Once out of the store it was a called to ABC Taxi's to collect us and take us to Freedom's boatyard , just off Bungalow Lane in Thorpe.   We set off and our driver turned out to have grown up not far from where we live in London - funny old world - and soon it was time to turn into the unmade lane that leads to the boatyard.  Rather interesting affair, under a rail line at a bridge then further down a manual level crossing - open the gates yourself, drive over the...

And so on 5th July 2013 two ex-hire boats - Broad Ambition and The Coriscian left Stalham on the Norfolk Broads to begin a journey which would see them arrive some 13 hours later in Haven Marina, Ipswich. Join their adventure with the trying night navigation in fog, then see the sunrise as they begin their journey down the coast before arriving at Felixstowe and onward up the River Orwell.

A five night short break on Tideway 2 from Richardson's Boating Holidays , together with footage from the Norfolk Broads Forum annual meet at Ranworth Island.

Over the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May, I hired Belmore from Barnes Brinkcraft in Wroxham.  A lovely boat she is too and with the discount offered over the weekend, meant it was a very good deal.  So settle down and watch the feature length edition of this Captain's Blog for a full rundown of the boat and review, together with events as they happened over the weekend.

  I am not sure about others, but for me the last day of a boating holiday is always one of reflection – where it all began, how the boat which is now your familiar home was once unfamiliar and new. It is also a time for taking things at a slower pace – as it was today. I woke and after getting read began to do the more tedious of things just so it was out of the way – packing my case and checking I had not left anything in one of the many shelves and drawers this boat has.  After that it was time to depart Womack Dyke and I headed down the river Thurne to where it joins the Bure.  The Broads Authority ‘Thurne Mouth’ moorings were free, the wind was kindly blowing towards the bank so I knew mooring here would be easy – and it was a mooring I had not stopped at previously.   Once there I remembered why I much prefer overnight moorings on the quieter, narrow rivers – for here on the exposed Bure the wavelets were hitting the bow of ...

I had an appointment to keep this morning, which when you are on the Norfolk Broads is a rare thing to have to do – but I was to meet Lord Paul – photography extraordinaire  and as it turned out pretty nifty with gadgets and electronics and the cherry on the cake an all round good guy and very welcoming too.  So what was the deal with meeting him on this sunny morning? The previous evening I had a call asking where I was moored and would it be ok to meet and take some aerial footage of me on the river – since I was on the Ant and he was going to be coming down from Stalham it was ideal – in fact he came down just as dusk came and the sky does that beautiful transition from day to night and moored a few corners down the river from me.  I left my mooring and just a few minutes later I spied his trust Freeman moored by Clayrack Drainage Mill and kindly helped with the Rhonde Anchors and ropes and invited on board his boat. He has taken a...

The overnight rain had meant for a less settled sleep, the fact that the aft cabin of Distant Horizon has a lower ceiling over the double bed seems to make the noise of the rain hitting the outside deck above all the more loud – or maybe it was that special Norfolk rain. When I woke and peered out the window the wet scene that greeted me did not make me want to rush to get ready – so I took my time and had breakie and listened to the radio – these two simple things are both things in the morning at home I usually skip – more a case of a slice of toast and out the door to work.  By now the rain had stopped and there were some breaks in the cloud, perhaps today was going to be another sunny day after all. And so I left the mooring at and slowly headed down the river Ant – my intention being to stop for a top up of water before the bridge and dispose of my rubbish.  Just after I had filled up with water a couple walked past – they asked me about h...

Waking up to the sound of rain and heavy grey skies reminded me this was April after all – and made me stand out all the more with my sunburn on a grey day – it seemed quite amazing only yesterday I was in a T-Shirt being gently roasted and yet today it was on with the waterproof clothes and a fleece. I had a rough plan to leave Acle, stop off at Horizon Craft and pick up an extra blanket for the nights were forecast to be cooler too – and while there get a top up of oil to the bottle that had been provided with the boat – not to say it was out, but at the current rate of use I feared ending up somewhere and not having any to top up with.  As it turned out I did not need use hardly any more oil from this point in – showing that the only reason I had previously was the 7+ hours spent cruising for the last few days. Horizon Craft really are a great team and asset to Richardson’s if you need anything they are very helpful and when I mentioned about the oil ...

After a lazy start and a breakfast the sun was soon out and I could tell today was going to be another scorcher.  I toyed with heading into Norwich for it was not too far along the river – but I felt pretty certain if I did this I’d miss the tides for the return crossing over Breydon Water – so instead opted to get something to sooth my now very poorly skin at Reedham. Brampton Common is a very nice over night mooring and the scenery here is lovely – I however do think that it would be better to hire on the southern rivers to explore this area more than come here from the north to do it justice and soak up the area.  That way one can enjoy without the need of having a long slog back to your boatyard on the northern rivers. Shortly after I left the moorings I did a sensible thing – went below and used the inside helm almost all the way to Reedham.  It is funny how the night before I was going along here feeling a tad tense wondering if ...

It was an early start – around 5:30am.  I had not intended to be up at this time, but I could not seem to rest easy thinking a lot about the day ahead – when should I leave the mooring to get the ebb tide to Breydon?  Where and how was I going to place the cameras and would the new cables I’d bought work for those who would come and watch live later and where exactly would I be making for as an overnight mooring? Breakfast was had and after a couple of coffees I was feeling much more clear.  The usual messing about with cables and cameras resulted in the also very common issue of none of them working when they were plugged in and had power – a lot of choice words and configuring software later everything was set and working.  Time to chill out and go for a walk. It was a glorious morning, but the wind was just as bad today as yesterday.  I walked along the dyle to the River Thurne and just sat down by the river and let all the worries eb...

  I t seems that the ducks at Cockshoot Dyke are especially loud and tame – much the same as at Womack Water – and so it was they who woke me and appeared very keen on any food going, and as is always the way you feed one and the whole neighbourhood turn up. Today looked gloomy and felt cooler than of late and there was talk that in the coming days rain and snow would return – quite a difference to the mild sunny weather that had graced me earlier in the week. Because today was my last full day I planned on doing less and would over night at Sutton Staithe where I could pop into the Sutton Staithe Hotel for dinner and take my time packing things away and cleaning the boat. With that in mind how would I spend today? Well first off it was out of the dyke and on the Bure towards Horning – this is such a pretty stretch of river and despite the quietness of place, the public staithe still had two boats – then a further two outside the Swan – the most b...

On the Tuesday evening I found myself indulging somewhat in some rather nice Chillan red wine whilst at the same time having a chat in the Norfolk Broads Forum’s weekly ‘Tuesday Night Chat’ in the chat room.  This is where technology can be wonderful – me moored up in on the River Ant and yet joining in a good banter online with others. So morning came of the third day and I found while my tastes may like the wine, my head was feeling rather fragile – I therefore did not rise too early and my plans for the day were going to be rather sedate – cruise down the Ant to Ludham Bridge, take on water – then head up the Bure to Wroxham for lunch. And so having departed for Ludham Bridge it was once again a lovely day, cooler than of late and with more cloud but none the less it was good to be on the water – and I arrived at Ludham to find another boat at the moorings taking on water themselves.  Now despite it being the third day, these forward steer...

Having previously looked at the weather forecast I knew that Tuesday 5th March would be the best day – mild, with clear sky and sunshine forecast for much of the day.   With this in mind I had an early night on Monday and rose about 4:45am on the Tuesday. It was cold to begin onboard, but once the engine was going, warm air heating on things were just toasty – this is why I also like out of the way moorings or being on your own because naturally there is no one to disturb – not that today would be a problem as there were nobody about for miles anyway. After a shower and a coffee I was ready to brave the cold morning and it was very icing outside – I used the bucket and some hot water to melt the ice on the decks and I was on the frozen ground just as dawn broke – it was magical – to my right the moon was still out, yet to left the glow of the sun on the horizon had already begun – but it was not just the light that was putting on a great show, the birds w...

First of all you may remember early march was not ice and wind, but mild and sunshine - if you like tranquil waters, amazing winter light then the above link to the Captain's Blog may make your day.  It was beautiful. I took a short break on San Selino, and in my opinion this is the best fitted out and most comfortable boat in this class – when compared to the likes of Magic, Gold, Bronze  and Clear Gem – all the same boat style and length and all sleep the same number of people.   So the question had come to my mind what would it be like having one of the cheapest boats that one can hire on the Norfolk Broads?  Would you really have to make do without and would one find things internally very dated and a large gap between the budget end of the market and the prestige cruisers and high prices they attract?

Our first broadcast shall be a crossing over Breydon Water on Sunday 1 st April and all being well shall begin sometime between 12:15 and 12:30pm (subject to tides check Twitter for updates).