Norfolk Broads - LIVE!

Today was the last full day of the trip and after several days of getting up early, it was nice for a change to take my time.  The evening had been cooler but the heating on Mystic Horizon was very good and kept things snug.  In fact because of the boats layout and height the living accommodation does not feel as small as boats of similar lengths, but at the same time the fact she is not a large boat means things like the heating do a better job and there are no drafts to annoy you. I had a very painful right ring finger where I had thought the nail had begun to grow in.  It was only back in London on the Friday night things really got bad and I realised it was a serious infect that was spreading.  I called 111 (formally NHS Direct) and actually got a very helpful man who said I should go to A&E.  To cut a long story short being in a hospital on a Friday night is not the nicest place but suffice to say after havi...

So it was an early rise around 6:00am at Reedham and I witnessed something rather special.  It had been a worry that I was directly behind a lovely kept Princess 45 boat at Reedham - thinking when I come to depart in the morning with the tide running I would have to be very on the ball not to drift into her stern. As it happened just as the dawn began to break she started one of her engines - but you certainly knew all about it a deep throaty growl and with navigation and deck lights on certainly looked something.  You know someone is serious about boating when they have two revolving radar antenna on the 'radar arch'.  Once out into the main river she held station and within a few minutes the swing bridge had began to swing and off into the murky morning light she slipped.   That was good to see I thought and now I had bags of room when it came to leaving the mooring too.  It was just before 7:00am I slipped the moo...

Having had about 2 hours of unrestful actual sleep due to feeling so unwell with my cold, by the time morning came at Bramerton I was all up for staying in bed and leaving the day to come and pass without me doing very much at all.  However, two things got me up and ready: 1. I wanted to explore more of the places I have not been to before on the Southern Broads - Surlingham Broad, Rockjland Broad, Langley Dyke and the River Chet to Loddon . 2. I had a Blog to film. So it was that I took my time getting ready and after some toast and coffee I was feeling somewhat with it - truth be known I did a piece to camera but sounded and looked so awful It never made it past the edit - and so around 9:00am I left the moorings and headed towards Brundall. Unlike the Northern Broads these rivers - in this case the Yare - despite their width and length seem so peaceful, such little actual moving traffic it was a lovely morning and after another coffee I was feeling a ...

So are you ready for a feature length Captain's Blog?  Fancy going to Norwich by river...Me to, alas I had noticed in the night that my throat had got rather sore and my nose was rather stuffed up - not a good combination and only mean one thing that a Cold I had tried to avoid getting prior to coming away I had indeed got after all. It was an early start up at 6:00am and waiting not for sun to rise but now for the fog to clear enough to make safe passage to Yarmouth.  By 6:30am it was a lot better and by 6:45am had cleared enough to depart Stracey Arms and head south for Yarmouth.  I was surprised how many of the boats moored the previous night had left already and clearly when the fog was at its thickest.  It worked out well for me though as there was still a good ebbing current under me and a glorious light show with the sun rising in the sky and the mist working together to form a very warm comforting light spectacle. It w...

Now I should point out to those following along watching the Blog that accompanies this that things are going to get better – think of it as a slow build up to a special crescendo. So I was awoken in Barnes Brinkcraft’s yard by an odd sound that seemed to be getting louder shortly followed by the boat jolting.  Up like a short I found Trinidad who had moored over the way from me in the basin was making an early start and using me and some of Barnes Brinkcrafts boats as a sort of floating guide to bounce off of and make for the river.  No visible damage done thankfully and since I was now up thought I would get ready and have a coffee. I had intended to go to Roys to get the rest of the weeks provisions but being Sunday and since that meant not opening till 10:30am I thought I could make do and instead would make my way to Ludham Bridge – thus I could see for myself the sing erected on the River Ant ‘The Corsican Was Here’ and see if The Corsican h...