Brinks Royale - Day Four

Having spent the night at Pacific Cruisers boatyard (free for hire boats £5.00 for private craft) it was a very different day to that of yesterday, sunny, warm and a real feeling of summer.  It was lovely.  I had neglected to consult my tide tables the previous night and wished now I had since my destination for today would be Norwich and it did not take Einstein to figure out half way there the tide would begin to ebb and I’d be going against it – had I left earlier I would have arrived at slack water and left with the ebbing current.  Hindsight eh?

The Chet was beautiful – most of the boats at the Staithe had already left which meant by the time I was heading down river I had it to myself.  While some charm has been lost with the recent bank works I welcome the wider more open feel to the river so you feel more confident should you meet a boat coming the other way.  It is only a short river and before too long the mouth was approaching the tell tale metal ‘navigation’ posts came into view and soon it would be time to turn onto the mighty Yare.

I welcomed the wider river that the Yare is, but was surprised it too was devoid of boats – just blue skies and wide open water it is times like this that makes boating special and the feeling of escapism from the daily chores of life all the more rewarding.

The reason I had decided upon Norwich as the destination was the fact I needed some provisions and while a little way to go I felt like ‘stretching my legs’ after yesterday’s battle with the rain all day and niggles with the boat.  I planned to moor before the Yacht Station at moorings where alleged ‘fake’ Police notices have been placed with respect to mooring and how long one can stay for.  True or false if you can moor here Morrison’s is but a short walk and no fee to pay compared to the Yacht Station.

It was just past the Cantley sugar factory that I pondered going to Rockland Broad – to the Staithe and walking into Rockland St. Mary, you see on my map it indicated ‘Post Office and Stores’ in the village. However with so many Post Office’s around the country going did it still exist?  This is where the analogue map and digital services can come together perfectly.  I looked up the village on Google Maps and found out how long the walk would be, then I used Street View to find out if the shop was there still – it was and that sealed the deal, Norwich was off and Rockland St. Mary was on.

This would be my third visit to Rockland Broad and each time I have gone the scene seems to change. 

Last October it was calm, serene and peaceful with the tide out – then in April this year it was windy and small wavelets came over the water, while fluffy clouds peppered the blue sky.  Today the Water Lilly’s were out in such an abundance it was remarkable, the sunshine was powerful the sky blue with a few clouds and air was still – once again I had the place to myself and as I came up the narrow waterway to the Staithe I was surprised to find only two private boats moored.  New posts were going in too and a large old work boat which had surly seen a lot of action on the Broads was moored next to a platform with a ‘whacker’ slamming the posts into the mud.

The pub was not open when I arrived and it had a notice that food was not being served until that evening due to staff absence.  A shame, as I would rather have liked lunch there.  The day had got incredibly hot, I left the canopy sides off the boat and locked the doors and headed off – turning left at the New Inn.  While the road is often quiet, when a car does come along they are travelling at some speed so it is wise to have your wits about you.

It was not until I came into Claxton that I realised I had in fact gone completely wrong.  Further my phone had no data connection so I could not load maps (wished I had put my MiFi unit in my pocket with me to provide my phone with a connection – even better if O2 just made Norfolk not such a black spot with 3G connections).  Walking back I did consider just going back to the boat, but I had come to get to the shops so I would carry on.  Back outside the New Inn I consulted the sign which showed the various walks one can do, I had indeed gone very wrong – you should turn right.

If it was a Spring day, or perhaps in the Autumn it would have been a lovely walk – but under the sun with about 28 degrees Celsius it was not the most comfortable of walks, however the shop – a Londis, was excellent, it has everything you could need and was air conditioned which was a boon!  Having got the things I needed it was straight back out and heading towards the Staithe – the walk back seemed to go faster than going there, but I was pleased to get back on the boat and have a cold drink and a some food.

So it was a lovely day, some more boats had arrived now Quartet from Barnes Brinkcraft, they had the canopy back and lunch was being produced with a very Mediterranean  feel to it, but it was time for me to go – there was no need to go to Norwich but I do like to cruise and explore than moor and stay put during the day – so I would head to Bargate which would be nice and quiet and be able to give some underwater filming a go.

When I arrived at Bargate (maps can show this broad to be called Surlingham Broad) there were already some boats on their mudweight’s – but the place was tranquil, silent other than bird song.  I opted to use the cheaper of my two recently purchased ‘action cameras’ for if all else failed and water got in the waterproof enclosure I would not have lost as much money compared to the other.  My concern was using string should the camera get tangled on a weed at the bottom of the Broad the string may snap as I pulled it up – so I used the mooring rope from the boat, but I feared this would float.  I used tape, cable ties and string to mount the camera secure but facing the right way and put it into the water – then I heard some beeping, loud enough to be heard through the enclosure.  I feared this was some kind of alarm that water had got in, but no it was low battery – all of the work and 10 seconds later it was dead.

I charged the camera a little and went for take two.  It was predictably murky, but I was pleased to capture some underwater plant life and I think it would be good to try at other locations to see what one might capture.  All in all very good and no water did get into the case, well that was until I took the camera out and some ran into it but the camera was dry.

I was going to stay here overnight and if I had, it would have been the first time in my life (even as a kid) to have mud weighted on a Broad overnight.  However I did then consult the tides and it would mean another very early departure since tomorrow I was heading back to the northern rivers to catch the tide at Yarmouth and then cruise all the way to somewhere on the Ant – or I could moor at Reedham and wake up later and have less distance to cover, Reedham therefore was on the cards.

I left Bargate for another time and headed along through Brundall and out on the more exposed reaches of the Yare, it was glorious – the heat had given way to a cooler fresher late afternoon but still with the sunshine and a fresh breeze perfect boating weather.  I can’t say there was too much of interest to recall over the cruise to Reedham but by the time I had got past Reedham Ferry I would be pleased to moor and relax.  As Reedham Quay came into the view I looked through my binoculars and spied things were pretty full, but there was space for two boats pretty much outside the ‘Rangers Hut’ so I prepared for a slow controlled arrival against the now flooding tide.

When you have two cameras recording your approach and a Ranger waiting at the quay looking at your ever move it does tend to make the heart beat that bit faster, but for a slight change of wind at the last moment I was happy with the mooring – even the Ranger said it was good and remembered me from last year – a nice chap to talk to I find but a stickler for anyone who might be going a touch too fast and soon he was off to give help to another crew mooring.

So here I was – the end of the day and the last evening of being on the far more tidal southern rivers, it would be nice to be back up north and not needing to worry as much about slack in the lines and rise and fall of the tide.  Tonight, it was time try another pub – The Ship.  Now from the outside with the boards up about the food on offer and such I thought it was going to be more a ‘gastro pub’ but upon walking in I soon found it was more a drinkers pub, a game of Darts was in full swing and I made the mistake of getting in the way of some spectators, then I made a mistake about enquiring for a table for 1 – ‘take whatever one you want’ was the answer.

I opted for the Steak, the menu was not that long and it was the most expensive item on it but sometimes you need to ‘push the boat out’ and I took a seat facing the swing bridge and was pleased to catch a train made up of two class 47 locomotives go over, I think doing surveys of the track bed but they sure made a good growl and rubble as they passed over the bridge.  Problem was my food had not arrived – 20 minutes now since ordering.  Almost half an hour later the food arrived. What a disappointment! 

The Steak was certainly not cooked medium, the chips well they were some cheap flat ‘steak chips’ but probably from the bottom of the bag since the portion was made up of many small chips and ‘broken’ pieces.  Two onion rings – but they were the type where it is not actually a ring of an onion covered in batter but a mush of onion covered in batter – you get the idea, and some very cheap catering sauces for the ketchup.  If you are to pay such a price it would be nice to have proper chips, branded sauces (or at least something with some richness to it) proper onion rings etc.  It filled a hole but was not worth the wait nor price in my opinion, but if you want a drink by the river a game of Pool or Darts then this is a pub your enjoy.

Back to the boat and I sat out at the back feeding the ducks and watching the sun set over the river – all in all it had been a lovely day and I was looking forward to tomorrow.