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A year on the Norfolk Broads – 2009 retrospective
On bridges
We’ve got the hang of the railway swing bridges now and they no longer cause any significant trauma. A state of karma exists. This is because:
- We aim to pass under the swing bridges at low water if possible and work out the windows of opportunity well in advance.
- If contact is required, we don’t bother with the VHF as sometimes this is ignored. Instead, we use the published phone numbers. The phone is always answered as the bridge operator has no idea of who is calling. Could be the boss, the wife, or just me!
- We also carry inboard the railway timetable to help in arranging arrival times when the bridge can be opened.
The state of most of the bridge clearance gauges remains lamentable. At the low water end they are mostly unreadable due to slime; for squeezing under bridges at low water these are the figures of most interest yet they are usually illegible. Why is nothing done?
On Hire Boats
No bumps this year! Our mooring strategy has paid off, or perhaps lady luck was with us. What we do is very simple.
- Avoid hire boat hot spots like Reedham
- Avoid moorings with pubs
- If 2 above is asking too much, then at places like Berney Arms and Cantley where there is plenty of room, moor as far away from the pub as possible.
- At other locations - work out which way the tide will be running for most of the stay (daylight hours), and moor up at the end from which the stream will be running. Hire boats are less likely to be swept on to you that way.
- Always deploy protection fenders –despite the above strategy, these have been used in anger more than once this year.
On moorings
We have found plenty of lovely places to stay, but there are also plenty of hazards to catch the unwary. Like the noisy irrigation pump at Langley Dyke; high water overtopping the staithes at Herringfleet, Reedham, Cantley and others; noisy earth moving machinery by the flood defense works at the Dutch Tea Garden; privately owned boats flouting the 24hour mooring limit at Rockland as no-one seems to collect the fee for overstaying.
The new floating pontoon mooring on the Yare at Hardley mill is great. It comes with 240v power and a beautiful newly restored mill with visitor centre. Definitely worth a stop.
And we did get to the river Deben in July and discovered the pleasure of a swinging mooring at Felixtowe Ferry.
On wildlife
The Broads never disappoints us. This year we have seen otters at several locations which is a first for us. We were able to get a good look at one otter over a period of several minutes.
We continue to revel in the variety of bird life and quite often make a trip half way down Breydon Water when the tide is out, to see the wading birds in their hundreds. With the autopilot doing the steering we can both have a good look through the binoculars.
On the weather
They say it is windy on the East Coast and we can wholeheartedly endorse that view. Over the year we have had some glorious weather but on so many occasions there has been a cold northerly or easterly blow as well.
Our plans to head down the coast have been thwarted on several occasions by the weather and while everyone was sweltering in the high eighties in early July, the East Coast of Norfolk and Suffolk was covered in cold fog!! We were eventually rewarded with a glorious few days on the Deben including a perfect evening at Felixtowe Ferry
However we are beginning to wonder if we were just lucky on our previous visits or last year was exceptionally windy.
On Cove Marina
This has to be the best place to keep a boat on the Broads - or anywhere. We love it here. The surrounding area is all about boats, boats, boats! Everyone at Cove is very friendly and it is truly a peaceful location. And the two Davids just cannot do enough to help, whatever the issue; between them they must know everyone on the Broads worth knowing! And what they don't know about boats ain't worth knowing!
On the future
This is the hard bit. We have decided to sell Starry Night and relocate our boating to the South West - which requires a boat more suited to permanent sea duty. We love the Broads and the Thames but they are a long way from where we live now or may live in the future. We are not going to hurry the sale so there is still the possibility of some more cruising on the Broads next year.
The end of another season!
Typical bridge clearance gauge
Hire boat antics at Cockshoot Staithe
The restored Hardley Mill
Rockland St Mary - a favourite stopping place
Another favourite - Worlingham Staithe
Swinging at Felixtowe Ferry
Fog in July! - at Lowestoft
Tranquility at Cove Marina
Copyright © 2009 Mike Hawkridge