Royalls Boatyard

Launching Royall Velvet 1

2012-02-01T14:06:00.001Z

Solace–New aft deck

2012-01-25T20:24:00.001Z

Just before Christmas the owners of the pleasure wherry SOLACE decided that as it was a relatively quiet winter for repairs that now would be a good time to relay her aft deck. As far as I am aware mine is the third laid deck she has had and I think I am right in saying that her first, dating from her building sometime around August 1903, was in some kind of pine that survived until the first teak one was laid in a rather peculiar manner and was not entirely successful.

We had nearly enough teak on hand from when I re-laid SOLACE’s foredeck a few years ago, a much more difficult task than the present one as the longer planks were some twelve foot in length and each plank was absolutely individual being marked out with string lines to get the edges straight.

Quite quickly the wide troublesome teak boards were pried away allowing a disappointing closer look at the deck beams. Years of slight leaks had caused catastrophic decay, rather unfortunate as I like to keep things original if possible, however they really were too far gone and in any case the smaller aft one was already a replacement. This came out easily but the larger beam although badly rotten fought to be released, especially the two ends tucked under the plank ways or side decks. Alas the top of the stern apron, the inside bit of the stern post, had also got it bad so the first job was to cut this away and repair it. The two beams were next to be replaced and the larger again needed fiddling about with as it had to have a very long scarph, or diagonal joint through it to get it into place.

Now the interesting work could begin. Burma teak is I am assured sustainable, but due to humanitarian reasons is not allowed to be imported into Britain at present. Our batch was tracked down several years ago to a container in Holland and we were extremely lucky to get it through Tim’s perseverance in the required lengths.

Unlike the foredeck a pattern could be used for the aft deck so after dividing the widest dimension at the aft bulkhead into the twenty required planks and then dividing one of the beams also into that number a ply wood pattern was made and used for each and every plank being cut and altered as required.

Starting from the centre line each 2” thick plank was made up bearing in mind that the shape of the well also needed to be cut out as we went along so that only the side planks ran the full length.

The twenty planks have now all been made and fastened into position and the small stern sheets bulkhead with its little central cupboard door repaired and replaced. Of course the whole area was literally soused in wood preservative before it was once again sealed up.

It only now remains to tidy up the caulking seams, prime them and pay in the black Sikaflex. Really Sara, we have always used this material it’s not just because it’s Swiss!

Lifeboat launch of Royall Satin

2012-01-23T13:50:00.001Z

Poor quality video I am afraid as I filmed it on my phone just in the nick of time.

January–Back to work!

2012-01-15T17:19:00.001Z

After our lovely 2 week break over the festive period, we all returned to work, rested and rejuvenated for the New Year.

The top two photos were taken just before Christmas when it very slightly snowed and the river dyke iced over briefly.

Royall Stuart out in the shed having a spruce up and then after launching, looking pristine and shiny. Now in the process of having it’s new electric mudweight fitted

Me, spring cleaning an oven, looks like Royall Velvet 1.

Royall Diamond’s front end with the bow plate for the new electric mudweight.

Royall Oak’s new electric mudweight.

A quick in and out for Houseboat Heather to have a slight leak at the stern repaired.

Helping the new owners of ‘Mr Toad’ to move her from her moorings to Le Boat’s quay so she could be craned out and transported to the Cambridgeshire River Ouse.

Installing the wiring for the new bow thruster for Royall Commander 1.

Dynamo Dave varnishing the interior of Royall Satin.

Royall Velvet 3 awaiting her new black rubber to be fitted.

Rockland Ramble

2012-01-04T20:08:00.001Z

It is a breezy dull day with a rather biting wind but we have decided that as is it is the last day of our holidays, that we shall “do” a Broads walk. Over the last couple of weeks we have walked around the Burnhams of North Norfolk seeing Brent Geese guzzling on the meadow grass and Pink Footed Geese on the higher fields, we have seen the spot where the rectory stood in which Nelson was born, travelled to picturesque Baconsthorpe Castle near Holt and watched wild Bewick swans on the Beccles and St Benets marshes.

Today though we must first make a flying return visit to Twyfords in Beccles to purchase our picnic lunch before returning toward Thurton where we turn off toward the marshes and Broad at Rockland St Mary.

The Broads Authority have provided a nice little car park at the staithe and some very interesting information boards that we will look at upon our return after walking for about eight and a half miles, our route taking in some of the Wherryman’s Way. Of course you could easily moor your boat here by the The New Inn pub and enjoy a meal having worked up an appetite on the suggested walk

Well, we had best get loaded up and away through the village passing as we do so, a new development with the catchy road name “Eel Catcher Close”.

Further on we pause to look at a couple of nice cottages and a garden decorated with a shell covered windmill, a castle, and various other items, wow, that’s an awful lot of cockles to eat to get that amount of shells.

A gate on our left leads up a narrow alley and onto what we suspect are large grazing meadows known as Low Common, we remark that you never know what to expect once away from the road and this area is certainly very pleasant if a bit boggy at present, though easily passable.

The path leads across a scrubby drainage dyke, through a particularly wet field and over a nice little wooden bridge, climbing up out of the mire on a very slippery path. We have now gained a little height and proceed along the ridge toward Claxton church with fine views of the low lying marshes.

We had seen shooting brakes transporting guns, handlers and dogs near Ashby as we drove in, and now many of the fields are marked by rows of white painted posts littered around their bases with brightly coloured cartridge cases, luckily we seemed to have timed it correctly as all is quiet at present as the guns probably are enjoying lunch, however the pheasants are quite correctly much alarmed and loudly calling.

From our high vantage point we look down a track straight toward Claxton Manor with its bit of ruined castle tacked on the side. At Sara’s suggestion we descend to get a closer look, passing a field on the way containing a herd of young fluffy Hereford bullocks who appear astounded to see Tillie and Raven on the other side of the fence and who would no doubt have liked to have invited them in to join them.

Alas the views of both the manor and castle are somewhat screened by various trees and buildings now that we are nearer, however the castle was likely to have been built around the mid 1300’s by the Keridston family and largely pulled down in the 17th century to provide building materials for the hall or manor house. OOPS, our route now takes us across the bullock field, “Taint so likely” as we say around here, so we nip along the road to climb back up onto the ridge by a parallel track.

Once up here again we follow our original route arriving eventually for lunch at Carleton St Peter church. This church is set back from the road behind a couple of small fields, accessed by a dividing grass track and here we sit to eat lunch and divide a crispy crunchy cake as it would take a good man to eat a whole one in a sitting.

From here we pass the rather mucky black and white cows at Hall Farm where we veer away from the road past Lower Farm, just as it were to have a look, before crossing some fields on a very narrow path indeed, all the time taking us down toward Claxton.

At Mill Lane we head out toward the marsh first passing by quite a picturesque group of buildings that once surrounded the wooden sided smock corn mill that stood here. It was shown on maps from the early 1800’s and apparently worked by wind alone until the mid 1930’s and then by oil engine for a few short years until it was dismantled in 1945 after a bit of it collapsed. Neatly laid out cattle pastures line the track before it descends into a dell and out onto the dead flat marshes toward the Beauchamp Arms, seen on the distant river bank. A herd of pure white swans attract our attention, especially as one or two seem constantly airborne but they turn out to be Mute Swans.

Out along the path by quite a wide and free flowing drainage dyke, we can see very little apart from hundreds or maybe even thousands of Jackdaws which seem particularly upset by the resumed banging from up on the ridge and noisily swirl about the manor house trees and flights of Peewits on the Buckenham marshes on the far side of the river.

Lights burn in the public house windows as we turn along the river bank. What are those ducks all bunched up ahead on the main river, the whistling tells us Wigeon and the telescope confirms that this is so with two superb Shoveler drakes milling about the crowd. As we draw near, of course they take wing vertically, hanging momentarily head to wind in front of us before zooming away toward a scrape on the Stumpshaw marshes already occupied by Peewits.

At a flooded pasture just where the Fleet dyke heads up to Rockland, hundreds of Wigeon are all a guzzle on the short grass, and quite close to us too, behind them are nervous geese, Beans I had hoped, but no, ordinary Greys I am afraid. Its a bit chilly now and getting dusk, though early, so as a Barn Owl quarters the nearby marshes we walk along the muddy path until at the Broad we meet the easy access gravelled path that will return us to the car park.

Though there is a hide, no birds except for gulls and an odd coot can be seen as we look across toward the Slaughters. This I think was named by the late famous naturalist Ted Ellis from nearby Wheatfen broad and consists of a row of wherry hulks sunk in the early 1930’s by J Hobrough to form a breakwater. There are some famous vessels sunk here although it is about thirty years since I stood upon the LEVERET’s flush aft deck from where Uncle Billy Royall steered her as he delivered forty tons of coal at a time to Norwich gas works from Yarmouth for her owners William England with Great Grandfather Chris as mate. Another big wherry here is MYTH along with Colman’s HOPE and the smaller TIGER. Look, that little old wherry is DILIGENT skippered by Jack Gedge’s Father and there, nearly alongside is their old GLEANER (often confused with their new GLEANER ex ORION) all brought by him to life as we sat by his fireside at Swayfield where he lived with his daughter, and himself over a hundred years old, when I used to visit him probably about 30 years ago.

Well, as we look out across the reed fringed broad in the gathering gloom, does the ghost of the old Breydon pirate, Scientific Fuller glide out from amongst the reeds in his slate coloured gun punt and taking aim with his old twelve bore have a go at an unwary ghostly duck flaring in to land upon the broad to feed. For many a long year Rockland was his kingdom and he watched over it like a hawk or as I have seen him described, a spider, scuttling out to catch any quarry in the line of fir, feather or fin. I am not sure off hand when the old chap ceased operations but he could well have still been about when the wherries were scuttled.

Returning to the car park we read the caption boards, load the tired dogs into the car and share out our last crispy cake.

Back to work tomorrow.

Boxing Day walk around South Walsham Marshes and Upton Fen

2011-12-26T17:38:00.001Z

Distance about seven miles.

Having parked in the small car park near to South Walsham Broad and festooned all our equipment about us like Christmas tree decorations we started the GPS tracker on Sara’s new telephone and began walking toward the boatyard and Fleet dyke.

A fleet of beached blue and white day boats normally let out on hourly hire from Hoveton during the season nearly filled a concrete pad and amongst them we spotted our old La Prima, still, it appeared, in reasonable condition, bringing to mind an evening several years ago at Coot corner Wroxham broad when as dusk was falling we swept round the corner in SOLACE after a long ten hour trip or so from Oulton and spied La Prima laying in the reeds her decks awash and abandoned but strangely with the dash board lights glimmering under water.

Two couples passing on the track recognised us and paused to talk to Tillie and Raven but we unfortunately did not know them. Next, as we trooped alongside the dyke passing a hire boat chugging toward the broad, Matthew, our neighbouring boatyard owner appeared in the cockpit waving and shouting a greeting, to which of course we replied.

It is a fairly mild day for the time of year with a light breeze. The South Walsham cattle marshes spread out on our right are completely deserted except for the odd ramblers along the far river bank and a herd of mute swans in a small pool. Across to our left lay the vast reed beds and Alder Carr belonging to the Ranworth estates. St Benets Abbey gateway with its ancient derelict oil mill appears in this light, to lay on our side of the river but of course we soon arrive at the main river Bure across which it lies. Nearby on a slight rise a great wooden cross marks the position of the high alter around which, especially at this time of year, the ghosts of the monks must surely be gathered. Many people are out and about on that side of the river as on ours, some sheltering under the castellated wall ruins.

The flat landscape spreads far and wide, devoid it seems of wildlife, or at least it remains well hidden. Between the two pump houses we scan the marshes across the river on the St Benets levels spying a group of stark white blobs, of course its out with the scope and sure enough it is another herd of swans, but what luck it seems, although difficult to tell precisely at this distance, that of the approximate thirty swans spread along quite a length of drainage dyke that a few are mutes, most are Hoopers and at least a couple of outlyers are Bewicks, a herd of which we got quite close to on the Beccles marshes before Christmas for the very first time. Unlike then though one or two at a time now spread their great wings and distantly whooping beat them slowly almost seeming to hover against the wind before descending a little further along the dyke.

Well we have spent quite a while studying these wild swans and it is now time to move along a bit turning away from the river wall at the next pump house onto the lower marshes at exact sea level where of course our view is somewhat limited to the immediate flat area, only just it seems vacated by the cattle.

At a small rippling sluice the path climbs up along a muddy bank but we chose to proceed along the concrete track toward Tall Mill standing black with a white cap in the distance and it was a good job we did so as we missed having to traverse a very muddy cattle driftway, the Norfolk Wildlife Trust now own these marshes and the ramblers seem to use any tracks they please whether footpath signed or not, however we stuck to our route coming away from the marshes and skirting the edge of Upton Fen Nature reserve (which can be enjoyed by anyone) and along a B road to Cargate Green at the farm of which we turned off along a footpath once more along the wood edge. Tillie and Raven race ahead, balancing on the narrow wooden walkway beams and through the saplings we can see the new Post mill at Pilson Green high on the horizon. If only it had its sails fixed in place, this breeze would be sure to have had them spinning, even so it is a remarkable feat to have built this pretty mill from scratch and quite a landmark. It is an exact copy of the one that stood on the Belaugh Road above Hoveton station (and the one at Happisburgh, all built by the same unknown mill wright) by the brickworks and fertilizer factory that was burnt to the ground somewhere around 1880. The miller must have had a premonition because he managed to remove all the mill equipment previous to the fire and subsequently sell it at auction! The concrete base which the fan tail trolley ran round upon was in place until recently along with the mill house but both I think have made way for a recent build.

Enough about mills, we follow Marsh Road passing some pretty cottages and along the marsh edge by an equestrian centre near some converted barns with exquisite views marred only by a plethora of telegraph poles and beyond a derelict cottage that absolutely begs to be restored, we cross a couple of fields back toward the car park but before arriving are surprised to find that St Benets Abbey can be seen way off from here in the far distance.

So ends a highly recommended walk that could be started from Fleet Dyke or the Norfolk Wildlife Trust car park along Marsh Road.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T13:47:00.001Z

Christmas Party

2011-12-17T10:59:00.001Z

Click the picture of the video screen below and see the video of the Royalls Boatyard Christmas party. You will be redirected to the JibJab site where the video will load in a few seconds. Enjoy!

Saturday in Somerleyton

2011-12-03T19:25:00.001Z

We decided today to go for a fairly short circular walk starting from the staithe at Somerleyton. Oops! when we were only one hour into it and half way round Sara asked if we were nearly back at the car yet, why did she have to ask, it only upsets her to know there’s at least another four miles or so to go.

A train rumbled across the swing bridge as we drove over the hump back flood bank and onto the small car park by the river. We soon had our boots laced on and our gear ready and walking into the low sun retraced our route back up along the track where we joined a minor road by the Dukes Head turning right.

This was taking us back toward the village but before reaching it we turned right again to pass around the back of the boatyards. A long row of terrace houses with fancy brickwork attracted our attention as they looked somewhat out of place and we wondered whether they had belonged to the railway company but the answer soon appeared on a plaque on some tumbled down ruins which were the remains of the brickworks that I had believed to be nearer the pub than that, in any case the brick workers lived in the terrace and the long dyke was the access for the wherries to load, I remember Percy Rump telling me that as a boy he went with his father in the little North river wherry HILDA for a freight of bricks here, warm from the kiln and thrown along a chain of men two at a time and god help you if you dropped one.

About twenty five years ago one of ALBIONS early vanes fluttered from a post in a garden at the head of the dyke, the family being related to the Powley’s but I could not see it today.

Round by Somerleyton station we walked toward Waveney Grange Farm, here turning off onto a very nice lane running alongside the railway and Waddling Wood. A round brick wall down a short track leading toward a marsh level crossing proved to be an estate pound for stray animals which both Raven and Tillie seemed rather reluctant to enter.

We had hoped to spy into the two small broads, Wicker Well and Summerhouse Water but the undergrowth proved too dense but as the path dipped down to cross a stream on a board walk nearby Sara spotted an all black male pheasant crouched in the grass trying to hide although strangely he was waving his bright red beak about, he was probably nervous as we had heard a fair bit of gun fire nearby.

We had been on the Angles Way but a short way along Waddling Lane we diverted along a slight bank overlooking the vast Somerleyton cattle marshes that perhaps was the edge of the vast old estuary from Roman days when Dynamo Dave was just a young tear away, in any case it was very pleasant and eventually we turned up toward Blundeston Prison along Marsh Lane from where we could see the trees surrounding Flixton duck decoy, set in around sixteen acres of water although the actual decoy has been out of use since at least 1827.

It was here that we had to revise our route and instead of passing up around the top of Somerleyton Hall which during the Summer is open on two or three days of each week and certainly used to have a very nice tea room and gardens, we started across some fields back toward the village from a nearby nursery. Sara had just put the dogs on their leads when a hare bolted through a hedge and we walked within yards of another nibbling the new crop much to Tillie's incredulity. Unfortunately we needed to keep on a narrow verge along the busy road from here and once we arrived at the church that was holding a Christmas tree festival I left Sara and the dogs looking at a flock of jet black sheep over a wire fence, whilst I walked along the busy road to fetch the car. The grass verge was a lot wider on toward the village with nice views of a large house over the estate wall.

As the road curved toward the green I went through a narrow gate and back into the village, there are some very pretty cottages through here but the pond was very nearly dry.

At last I arrived back at the car and having collected Sara we drove to Beccles for our normal lunch at Twyfords, their chocolate crispy cakes are just gut-busting. Walk distance approx 6 miles.

First day of December

2011-12-01T11:54:00.001Z

The lovely unseasonal weather continues all this week with gorgeous sunshine most of the day. We have returned recharged from our wonderful week away ‘up north’, all the better for seeing No 1 son Sam

In the shed at the moment is Royall Stuart.

Royall Solitaire is out on the car park having the bow thruster fitted

Paul is in the process of wrecking our favourite boat Royall Oak. He is fibre glassing the bow ready for the electric mud weight winch that is being fitted.

Today Dynamo Dave and Nigel are varnishing the interior of Royall Velvet 1.

Our loyal work force, raring to go!

Not forgetting the over worked office staff below – Raven (file clerk) & Tillie (office manager)!

Winter work Nov 2011

2011-11-22T16:33:00.001Z

We had a few boats out on hire in November. The weather was fantastic for this late on in the season, not at all cold yet and plenty of fish were apparent for those that chose to partake in this activity.

The only downside to holidaying this late on in the season is that the facilities are few and far between as most of the boatyards close and are full up with their own fleets. We are now closed until middle of March as the last boats returned this last Saturday.

Royall Commader 1 has her bow thruster in and is now back in the water. Royall Solitaire is now out on the car park and having her thruster fitted also. Royall Diamond has been in and out of the shed already.

Royall Ambassador 3 has been compounded and polished and been pulled out in the shed opposite, for the normal routine jobs as well as a major repair from an incident occurring earlier on in the season. The damage had to be made good and the black rubber had to be steamed back into place.

This time last year the water level were very high and the yard and car park were under water. Luckily at the moment we have remained dry.

Nigel has been working on the roof of Solace and rubbing down and varnishing the interior woodwork on some of the fleet boats.

Nigel and I are ‘up north’ holidaying in Derbyshire this week where we are also enjoying the unexpected mild weather. I have managed to post this blog entry via a connection using a dongle – a great little gadget but useless on the Broads when I tried it earlier this year whilst out cruising on Perfect Lady.

Burgh Castle to Breydon

2011-11-13T18:06:00.001Z

After poking SATIN down through Wroxham bridge, a rather unusual event this time of year as the water levels are normally quite a lot higher, we stopped off at Lathams in the car for Sara to bulk up her wool stocks and after a short drive, we arrived in the sun at Church Farm, Burgh Castle just the other side of Great Yarmouth.

Before the lunch time crowds arrived we sat by their panoramic windows drinking coffee and eating a slice of cake looking out toward Berney Mill across the very bottom end of Breydon Water, brim full at full flood tide though calm.

A small flotilla of bright white ducks bobbed near the entrance to the Norwich river and proved on inspection through the telescope to be Sheld-duck in spotless attire.

Once the dogs had carried out their business we dropped down onto the Angles Way running along the top of the river wall toward Yarmouth. The bay below the Farm teems with wildfowl feeding on the mud at low water but now it was a large sheet of water in which sheltered a mass of ‘wheooing’ Wigeon, some preening and some sleeping and some drifting out into the main channel where two boats crept upstream before turning up the Yare.

Raven and Tillie had great fun roaring about as we ambled along looking for anything of interest, when suddenly we realised Tillie was eating cow pancakes from some very recently departed cattle, possibly those grazing further on amongst the bright green marshes in which nothing stirred.

The Dickey works were awash with a small parcel of redshank and mallards resting on the bank eagerly awaiting no doubt for the tide to ebb so that they could resume feeding, across toward Banhams Mill around another forty Sheld-duck splashed in the gently rolling waves joined occasionally by others flighting in from the marshes, they looked startlingly white against the grey background with their dark wing stripes. Nearer, a paddling of Mallards appeared none too bothered at our approach and just carried on sleeping as we decided to turn back on reaching a gate.

A flock of twisting Redshank flashed white in the sun, piping loudly as they swept low alongside the bank and as the tide turned, Peewits higher up over the marshes also flickered so that it was no wonder that they were attracted to the gunners deadly flashing mirrors.

Back through the narrows, a fine Cattle Egret swept a few yards above the water and I noticed that for the first time, it had yellow feet. The sun was now in our eyes as we passed Church Farm once again and mounted the steps up to the castle, surely though this should be fort in Roman. From here we had excellent views far and wide across the flat cattle marshes and over the still flooded bay into which we could now see many Teal and Wigeon.

We decided to drive home along the Acle straight and as we neared Stracey Arms, Sara spotted in the distance several huge v’s of geese heading inland but of course they were mere specks and far too distant to make out the species.

The River Great Ouse

2011-11-11T09:08:00.001Z

A couple of weeks ago, saw us pay a visit to my sister Jane who lives just the other side of Peterborough. Whilst there we took a look at Houghton Mill on the Great Ouse.

My sister and I are very familiar with this river, because our parents have always been boat owners and as children we spent many, many weekends ‘on the boat’. My parents kept their boat amongst other places at Lode on the River Cam, Upware, March, Ely all of these places excellently situated to explore the inland waterways surrounding these places. It was weird to go back 30 years later and re visit some of the places we cruised to.

Houghton Mill was one of these places, having a lock alongside, we used to pass this place regularly on one of our summer holiday cruises.

Back to present day, we walked from Houghton Mill now run by the National Trust, towards Hemingford Abbots passing some really lovely houses, many of which had thatched roofs with these delightful animals incorporated into the thatch.

Once out of Hemingford we strode along a large meadow towards St Ives where we enjoyed a lunch alongside the river.

We then walked back along the river on the other side back to Houghton Mill, a round trip of 5 miles.

Mooring are more abundant on this river – they have 48 hour moorings here. If you join the Great Ouse Boating Association you have access to loads more moorings too.

Next summer, Nigel and I plan to have Perfect Lady craned out and transported to Ely for a couple of months so we can explore these waterways ourselves. No doubt it will bring back many memories, one of which was my brother Jonathan falling in at either St Ives or St Neots. He was only about 5 at the time and when he popped up again, all he said was ‘The boat’s all blue on the bottom!’

Winter work begins

2011-11-03T07:45:00.001Z

As you can see from the photo we have had Royall Sovereign back at that the yard for a paint job. The orange has been changed for a dark red and the annoying stripes are now gone. I hope you like her new look Pete & Sue?

We have a few boats still out on hire making the most of the extremely unusual mild October/November, but winter work on the fleet has now started in earnest. The bedding has been taken off, curtains taken down and the winterising begins. Already Royall Diamond has been prepped and sanded and has now been hauled out in the shed opposite. Royall Commander 1 is now sitting on the car park the office side in preparation for her new bow thruster to be fitted.

To answer all the buzz over the sale of Royall Continental and the question ‘Are we replacing her?’ The answer is yes………..eventually, but this is happening over the next couple of years so no new addition to the fleet for 2012.

The 2012 prices have been loaded on to our website now and you can see full availability for 2012 there also. This is pretty much up to date, so if you have a date in mind, please give us a ring for your 2012 holiday.

So long old girl!

2011-10-31T07:21:00.001Z

Saturday saw Royall Continental arrive back off hire for the last time. After 21 years in the fleet, this grand old lady has gone onto waters new, well not that new, she is only going down river to Horning. Her new owners, Mick and Loraine, came to pick her up Saturday afternoon and after a quick run through, to show them all the bits and pieces on board, in the October sunshine they motored her off to her new berth.

Taking on average that she would have been hired out about 25 – 30 times a year, that’s about 500 times she would have provided a Norfolk Broads holiday. I wonder how many families can recall their holidays on board her, especially in the 90’s?

Hickling Part 2

2011-10-10T20:11:00.001+01:00

After promising Perfect Lady that we would return and not leave her on her own for too long at Hickling, we all piled into the car on Wednesday morning and drove over to Whispering Reeds Boatyard. The weather was dry but quite blustery and as we reversed out of the dyke and entered the Broad it was, as we put it ‘blowing a hoolie’. After turning round and walking Plover back to the aft end we started motoring across the Broad towards Horsey.

Nigel asked me to get the mops & such like off the roof just in case they lifted off and went in the water. After completing that task we were then heading off when an enormous gust of wind lifted the boat cover off the fore deck and deposited it in the water whilst we merrily motored past it Some quick manoeuvring from Nigel with the outboard and we luckily leaned over the side and hauled in back on board before it sunk to the bottom of the Broad, we then, albeit a little late, placed the mudweight on it to stop this happening again!

After that bit of excitement we motored across the Broad only seeing two other boats, a lone dayboat and a Broads Authority launch and headed up Deep Go Dyke, turned left at the dredger and up the narrow and twisting Meadow Dyke towards Horsey Mere, and then across the Mere to Horsey Staithe and Windpump where we moored up. The chap came along for the mooring fee and Nigel fell into conversation with him as he expressed an interest in the punt Plover.

It turned out that this chap was Derek Applegate who works for the Buxtons on the Horsey Estate and whilst a young man back in the 50’s used to amongst other things, help with reed cutting, go on the shoots with Major Buxton etc. I think Nigel would have spent all day talking to him but at last Derek managed to get away.

We walked the dogs across the road and over the cattle marshes out towards the coast. By this time the day had got out and the sun was shining and the skies cleared to a brilliant blue, although it was still windy.

As we approached the sand dunes we put the dogs on their leads and climbed up the steps onto the beach. We had hoped to see the seals again and we were in luck. Quite a few were in the water and would suddenly pop their very dog like whiskery face up out of the water and then with a flip of their tails dive back under the surf only to pop up again in a different place.

We cautiously made our way along the beach a little way to where the main group were hauled out and sat on the large rock sea defences and watched and listened to them singing to each other, lazily rolling on their sides with flippers casually waving in the wind.

They haven’t pupped yet but I guess this will happen a little later on this year. After awhile we realised that the time was pressing on and that we were hungry, so we reluctantly said our goodbyes and returned the way we came.

After a late lunch we lazed around, then Nigel went off in Plover to explore a bit.

We didn’t want to get back to the mooring at Whispering Reeds too late and in the dark, so we slowly made our way back. After mooring up we made everything ship shape and went home not before stopping off for dinner at The Kings Arms in Ludham where Nigel enjoyed a Carvery.

We wanted to bring Perfect Lady home to Wroxham at the weekend and after checking the tide tables realised that low water on Sunday morning was 6.00am. After a busy turnaround on Saturday we piled some gear in the car and headed over to Hickling once again. We uncovered the old girl and left the moorings at Whispering Reeds in the gathering twilight and with our nav lights on headed once more over Hickling Broad towards Potter. Luckily the evening was still and it was a veritable calm mill pond as we crossed over the Broad but a light drizzle had begun. The weather had turned distinctly chillier since last weekend and so I lit the wood burner up as we may our way towards Potter Heigham.

It didn’t take long to reach the 24 hour moorings just before the Yarmouth Road New Bridge but by this time the rain had become more persistent. We moored up and battened down for the night ready for our early start in the morning. I would have liked to say we at last had a restful night on board but alas we did not. This time it was not the dogs fault but the culprit was the steady downpour of rain we had all Saturday night and early Sunday morning. Oh the joys of owning a wooden boat! After the previous two weeks of scorching weather, the poor old girl had dried out somewhat and at about half past midnight, I was awoken by some splashes of water coming in. I groggily got up to shut a window where I thought it was coming in only to discover that it was coming in all over the place. We hastily placed all the receptacles we could lay our hands on under all the drips and tried out best to get back to sleep, not easy balancing bowls and buckets on top of duvets. The alarm went off at 6 and Nigel quickly got up and untied us and we crept under the bridge with very little to spare. It was still raining and poor old Nigel captained Perfect Lady all the way home standing out in the uncovered cockpit, only sustained by a supply of hot coffee and equally hot bacon sandwiches. We arrived back at home at about 8.30am where we proceeded to unload all the wet and soggy bedding and cushions and everything else that got wet. In fact they are all draped around the house still drying off. It finally stopped raining about 11.00am and so Nigel went round with his special grease and hopefully has stopped the leaks for now anyway!

Hickling Part 1

2011-10-05T20:35:00.001+01:00

After the previous weekends shenanigans with Perfect Lady’s outboard, luckily no lasting damage was sustained and with much flushing through, Paul managed to get the engine going again. Also the bracket was sorted out, so we were good to go again.

Sunday morning saw us leave our home mooring in Wroxham, nice and early as we were hoping to catch low water at Potter Heigham bridge. Sunday was promising to be another unexpected, early October scorcher and as we motored past Wroxham Broad a low hot air balloon was taking advantage of the bright blue clear morning. We reached Potter without incident at bang on low water at 11.00am, having followed our Royall Oak all the way from the main river turn off.

The current took us somewhat by surprise but we managed to clear the bridge reading 6½ foot, which was just right as we need about 6¼ to get through.

After navigating the nearly closed Martham ferry and negotiating some sailing dinghies we motored on up to Somerton, not before at last spying a couple of the illusive cranes we had longed to see.

We spent a pleasant lunchtime, moored up and after just about being able to turn round on the ropes in the dyke, we then motored back onto Hickling Broad proper where we mud weighted out of the main channel and proceeded to watch the sailing activity. We spied in the distance, what looked like a sunken yacht, which later turned out to be a yacht from Martham Boats which eventually later in the day was unceremoniously towed back to Martham by one of their cruisers.

Nigel had bought along his gun punt Plover for an outing. He quanted over to Rush Hills scrape to look for wildfowl but alas we surmised we were a little early in the winter season to view any and anyway the scrape was almost dried out.

Again we saw another pair of cranes drop low into a reed bed, their gangly body and legs lumping down amongst the reeds, only to disappear from sight. Apparently, the Norfolk cranes have not faired that well this year as a marsh harrier ate some of their chicks. After most of the sailing activity had died down later in the afternoon we up anchored and headed across the broad and motored over to Whispering Reeds, where they had very kindly allowed us to moor for the week. We disembarked our gear, covered the old girl up and headed home, after promising her we would return on Wednesday.

Week ending 25th September 2011

2011-09-25T18:43:00.001+01:00

Another lovely sunny and warm week was enjoyed by visitors to Norfolk this week. A change of scenery this week as for two days, Nigel,Steve and Paul with the help of a hired cherry picker platform, trimmed and cut back some dangerously high and overhanging trees down at home that border our garden and the boundary at Summercraft. At the fullest extend of the platform the views were great of the village and surrounding areas – how I would have loved to have a look but like Steve, I have no head for heights. Another day was spent clearing all the debris up. Not only are the trees safer now but it has let in much needed light at home and at Summercraft.

Solitaire sustained a broken window so that had to be dealt with in the middle of the week. A busy end of week again with all the boats returning but sadly this week saw the bigger boats laying in for next week but all of them out again next Saturday. To service, pumpout, clean and get ready 10 boats, 1 dayboat, dinghies and 1 holiday property on a full turn round Saturday involves Nigel and myself, Paul, Dynamo Dave, 4 boys for exterior cleaning and 12 girls & boys cleaning and making beds inside and all of this has to be done in 4½ hours - only another 8 weeks to the end of the season!

After work Saturday we had arranged to tow with Perfect Lady, Houseboat Heather to Salhouse Broad for the Green Boat Show that was taking place there on Sunday. We lashed both boats together, also towing behind were support boats Shoveler and Elver. Only after a short while disaster struck as the outboard mount that holds Perfect Lady’s engine on snapped and the outboard took a nose dive into the drink only being saved by sinking to the bottom of the river by having been padlocked onto the boat. Only with great difficulty, the outboard was hauled ashore, as this was extremely heavy. By this time we had drifted over to one of the houses that line the river, so we temporarily moored there whilst Nigel rowed back to the boatyard in Shoveler to get the dayboat.

Eventually with one boat lashed either side of the dayboat we continued on our way to Salhouse arriving at Salhouse spit just before it got dark. Luckily an uneventful, (but again disturbed by restless dogs) night was spent on board.

Sunday dawned lovely and sunny again and we rowed into the Broad to have a look around. There were allsorts of various boats you could have a trip on, canoes, paddle boats, yachts, water taxis etc. We decided to move Perfect Lady from her spot on the main river on the spit into the Broad and after doing so, we lay on her mudweight and enjoyed a leisurely day in the sun watching the goings on. Later on in the afternoon we lashed up to Heather again and made our way back to Wroxham depositing Houseboat Heather up stream of the Bridge.

Our trips out on Perfect Lady will now be on hold until we can get the engine running again and a different and more substantial bracket made.

Week Ending 18th September

2011-09-18T12:00:00.000+01:00

The webcam is now online again!

Some gusty old weather this past couple of weeks but nice and sunny with it, although we have also had some small thunder storms with some impressive sheet lightning. Last Monday was particularly windy not only here but for the whole of the country but this was forecast and most of the fleet took heed and laid somewhere sheltered until the winds abated. Luckily no damage was sustained but at home we have some trees that are looking a bit precarious so next week we have a couple of days ear marked to sort these out with the aid of a hired platform type cherry picker, especially as our boundary borders Summercraft’s customer car park!!

We mentioned last time that Herbie has been completed and is now berthed at her new moorings, at that time we were unable to take some decent photos of her before she departed but luckily Lisa (Paul’s significant other) was on hand to take some – She does look smart now after about 15 years pulled out in a field.

Speaking of Lisa, this last week, saw her and her family out on Royall Ambassador 3 with Paul joining her on odd days, the other photos are taken by Paul & Lisa the other Sunday at Maritime Yarmouth.

We quickly lifted two boats out last week, one for a pre purchase check and the other M/C Sioux for a pressure wash and antifoul.

Pleasure Wherry Solace’s season is over now and the whole fleet was towed off the Broad, and now lays at Wildwood ready for gear being taken off and winter storage.

Paul finished fitting the new wood burning stove on our own boat Perfect Lady 2 and we had a ceremonial lighting up to test her and to prove all the new paint, now we hope to be nice and toasty on our winter cruises

At last our new sprung mattresses arrived from Jeckells for Perfect Lady and with the covers of the old mattresses they were able to make us some back rests for the settee saloon. After a very long day at the yard on Saturday, we loaded up and headed off for a very short jaunt down to Wroxham Broad, where we cheekily lay on Solace’s recently vacated mooring buoy. This was a new venture for us mooring away from the bank as usually we have to find shore moorings for disembarking the dogs for comfort breaks but after some intense training combining the use of a new gangplank from the yacht into Nigel’s punt Shoveler and back on board again we thought we would give the Broad mooring a go.

We enjoyed a very nice al fresco supper in the cockpit of Perfect Lady amongst the gathering clouds and distant rolls of thunder and lightning and the skeins of geese rolling in for a night on the Broad. We were all tired so proceeded to implement the dog training and with ease boarded the dogs from the yacht onto Shoveler and quickly rowed them across the Broad in the twilight to the beach and slipway in the right hand corner of the Broad for their last wees of the day. I can report that the mattresses were really comfortable but we were unable to enjoy a goods night sleep due to one member of the crew (Raven) being very restless. Of course as I type, he is now motionless and fast asleep, catching up on some not well earned rest.

We spent a pleasant day moored on Wroxham Broad watching the Yacht Club come to life, first with the little shoe box type Optimists sailing and later with some cruiser class yachts racing about. Poor old Perfect Lady looked longingly towards the racing yachts, reminiscing about previous wins in the past but realising her days of sailing are over and now she will have to be content to spend her retirement as our motor houseboat.

1970’s Tea Towel

2011-09-14T18:23:00.001+01:00

Does anyone remember this tea towel from the 70’s kindly lent to us by Derek & Margaret Nicholson?

A week on Royall Diamond 4th–11th June 2011

2011-09-12T20:27:00.001+01:00

A guest blog from the crew of the Royall Diamond – Chris, Chris, Steve & Jan

This is a short diary of our wonderful week spent on Royall Diamond

Day 1 Saturday – We arrived to a very warm welcome from Nigel and Sara and the rest of their gang. Once we had loaded our clobber onto the boat we were off on our journey. We headed for the The Lion Inn at Thurne, there we had an excellent meal.

Day 2 Sunday – We started off and headed for Potter Heigham where we had a browse around Lathams and then back to the boat for lunch. As we couldn’t get under the bridge we made our way to The Ferry Inn at Stokesby, where we had another really good meal

Day 3 Monday – We left Stokesby early to make our way to Yarmouth to cross Breydon Water to head for Rockland St Mary. We had another good meal in The New Inn which by now may not be open as there were some doubts on whether it would remain open.

Day 4 Tuesday – This morning 2 of us decided to walk to the shop, it took us ½ an hour but luckily a very nice lady gave us a lift back to the boat as she was going that way. Once back at the boat we set off for a trip to Norwich. We didn’t stop as the moorings were very few and a bit small for us to fit into, so we turned back and headed for Cantley to The Reedcutter (Red House) for the evening, where we had another really lovely meal.

Day 5 Wednesday – We left at 8 to get back through Yarmouth, once through we headed for Ludham Bridge. We had lunch there in the Tea Room as they didn’t open in the evening but it made a change to eat then and the food wasn’t bad.

Day 6 Thursday – We started off up the Ant to Barton Broad to se all the lovely cottages on the way. We then turned and headed back down the Ant to see if we could get into Ranworth but it was full so we came out and tried Horning but no luck there either, so motored back down river to Thurne to have another lovely meal in the The Lion Inn again and stop there overnight.

Day 7 Friday – We set off for Ranworth again, this time we were lucky enough to get a mooring space. Once again we decided to eat in The Maltsters at lunchtime and had a very good meal. After lunch we then left there to head back to Wroxham to the yard and moored up just in time as it started raining.

All in all we had had a wonderful weeks holiday on Royall Diamond.

Late Summer Round Up

2011-09-07T17:55:00.001+01:00

The school holidays are over now and it looks like the nice weather along with it. Some of our summer jobs have now been completed. Herbie is finished and has now left for her new home at Wayford.

Houseboat Heather has been launched and is looking very different now with her aft cabin all open.

Poor old Ambassador 3 sustained some nasty damage to her aft end rubbers at the disgracefully, unsafe moorings at Oulton Broad Yacht Station where not only did she get damaged but at least half a dozen more on the same night.

We have been for several mini trips in Perfect Lady 2 but as we haven’t enjoyed a decent nights sleep on board yet due to the rock hard front mattresses we will wait for Jeckells to make us some sprung mattresses.

I am writing this whilst we take a quick break away in the Peak District. As you can see from the photos Tillie and Raven have now got the hang of going over stiles which is a god send as before we have had to lift the heavy brutes over.

Back on Friday, hopefully refreshed and ready for a really busy weekend.

Summer

2011-08-23T20:39:00.001+01:00

I can’t believe the school holidays are nearly over. It doesn’t seem that long since the beginning of the season and yet we are only 12 weeks away from the end of the hiring season – we finish hiring on 19th November.

Saturday turn rounds have been manic – all hands on deck literally. Luckily we have had only a few wet Saturday mornings which everyone dreads – very difficult to make the outside of the boats look anywhere near what they should look like when its wet and miserable and we always try (weather permitting) to have all the canopies back for the customers when they arrive, we think they look more inviting that way.

Obviously in the week we are kept busy clearing up from the previous weekend, and carrying out work on privately owned craft.

Recent jobs were a hull paint and tidy up on Broom boat ‘Papaver’

A trial solar panel fitted to the roof of Royall Commander 2 to help with charging of batteries on board and so far the trial has proven well worthwhile.

Even Dynamo Dave has had one fitted to his craft which is somewhat more comfortable than the one pictured below!

Raven of course oversees and supervises all jobs carried out.

Work has been carried out on our own boat Perfect Lady 2 which we have overnighted on several times – more about this in another posting.

Houseboat Heather was towed from her moorings outside the Kings Head Pub in the village through the bridge and pulled out to have all new gunnels and rubbing strakes, the aft cabin sides removed to form a sun area, hull repaint and antifouling.

Herbie the Broom Skipper has been worked on over the summer by Paul having many jobs completed, soon to go to her new moorings.

Raven in trouble again!

2011-08-18T20:25:00.001+01:00

Last day of July

2011-07-31T12:14:00.001+01:00

Unfortunately no more postings from Sam for a little while as on Friday he made his way back ‘up North’ to return to his life in Sheffield after his holiday back here in Norfolk.

After a couple of really long and exhausting turn round days where every single boat in the fleet came in and went out again, today Sunday dawned bright, blue skied and very sunny with the promise of a proper summers day at last. We were out and about early this morning to walk the dogs before the day got really hot. We didn’t want to travel far in the car, so stopped at one of our favourite Broadland walks starting from Ludham Bridge. It was still fairly early, about 9.30 but nevertheless it was really busy with all the moorings more or less full both sides of the river and plenty more boats milling about midstream either waiting hopefully for a mooring to become vacant or waiting for navigation to clear under the bridge.

We soon left the busy throng of people and boat traffic and tramped determinedly across the marshes towards How Hill. We saw a pair of Marsh Harriers in the distance gliding high up on the morning thermals. Pleasing Nigel, who had long wanted to spot one of these birds, we spied a Bearded Tit in the reeds, looking very smart with his dark brown moustache (the bird, not Nigel!).

It was really hot in the middle of the marshes with no shade whatsoever, and the dogs now rather regretted their mad first few minutes of roaring and chasing out about at top lick, both were panting now and both being black only attracted the sun more. Luckily, there were plenty of shallow beaches along the route where they were able to drink from and paddle about to keep cool.

At last we escaped from the full glare of the sun into some shade of some trees where the dogs had a short rest not before disturbing a young froglet minding his own business in the cool grass. Tillie left him well along, remembering times past where she accidentally tried to eat a rather disgusting tasting toad and paid dearly for her efforts.

We left the marshes behind us and carried on towards Whitegates in Ludham picking a few blackberries for our breakfast tomorrow morning, then crossing the road and heading back towards Ludham Bridge not before passing the lovely Ludham Hall. We were then back onto the main road past the Dog Inn and back to the car, stopping briefly for ice creams from the shop at the bridge.

The Adventures of Black Poker (Part 2)

2011-07-28T22:05:00.001+01:00

A guest post by Samuel Royall

Undeterred by my little run-in with a cruiser on Monday, both Tuesday and Thursday mornings found me out and about in my Breydon punt, Black Poker. I’ll be sure to write about Wednesday another time. Rowing tends to give you blisters fairly quickly, but my parents were kind enough to buy me some sailing gloves. They definitely help to keep the soreness down, which also means I can venture a little further afield. Definitely a worthwhile purchase for anyone who doesn’t row enough to build up callouses! My grandmother had also given me the gift of a lovely windcheater jacket, which definitely takes the chill out of the breeze on the cooler mornings.

I knew that the Yacht Club had a busy schedule on Tuesday, so I scooted up to Wroxham Broad to watch the sailing for a short while. I think most of the sail-boats this side of Breydon must have been present and even Solace (an enormous wooden wherry regularly moored at the far end of the broad) literally had all the flags out.
My original plan was to nip up one side or the other and take the river back, but the huge quantity of boats made it quite impossible. Any space not taken up by yachts or smaller sailing dinghys (all within feet of each other at quite a rate of knots) was filled by rescue boats and spectators. So, although it did cut a little off my journey, I eventually turned around and retraced my route home.

After such a pleasant (and incident free!) morning out, I thought I’d better get a really good distance covered on Thursday. Being much more familiar with the river heading eastward, I instead headed west for Coltishall. With the weather much improved, I whipped through Wroxham bridge with quite a crowd of spectators!
After passing the moorings through the railway bridge, the anglers and day-boats thinned out. It may be just my imagination, but the water seems clearer too and a sort of grassy plant is visible waving along just under the surface. The silence was only broken by the odd cruiser or adventurous launch, so I just ambled along for a good half-hour or so.

Eventually, I spotted a launch moored up ahead at Cane Meadow and thought that would make an appropriate place to moor up for a few minutes. A rest was certainly in order, as just the outward journey had already taken the same time as the entirety of my usual circuit! With the sun shining it had also become fairly warm and I’d neglected to bring a bottle of water. While it is quite a distance by river, it’s not really so far as the crow flies, so the mooring was in easy walking distance of the Shell garage at the end of Wroxham.

Having made everything fast at the slipway, I crossed the bridge over the railway and bought a bottle of water. I think the attendant was rather surprised I didn’t have a car with me, but breakfast before I left was all the fuel Poker needed to cover a fair few miles!

On my return journey I passed through my usual turn-around point, Bridge Broad. This was more by accident than choice, as coming back toward Wroxham a turn is required to avoid it! I must admit to being fairly knackered by this point too, but I got a text from Mum asking me to drop by the boatyard if I was out and about, which was rather a relief to be honest, as it was closer than home! I had hoped for another incident free jaunt, but it wasn’t to be, as I was cut up very rudely by a cruiser just after the bridge. No colourful language this time, but a nice loud ‘Oy!’ got me an embarrassed look from the captain and some amusement from those standing on the shore.

Visiting the yard gave me a chance to consult with Dad and Steve (the builders of Poker), too. They kindly fashioned a much larger piece of wood for my heels to rest against, which I’m sure will be much more comfortable on long journeys in the future.

After a quick photo-shoot (the results of which I’m sure you’ll see!), some shopping for dinner and an icecream, it was time for the last few minutes row home. Apparently, everything was fairly quiet before I arrived, but as I left, two of our boats, a couple of day-boats and a cruiser all wanted to get past or moor up, which made for some interesting maneuvering. Once I finally managed to extricate myself, I threaded home through the main river traffic.

Soon, it’s time for me to return to work and university, so I’ll be leaving Poker in Dad’s hands, but we did manage to squeeze in a quick blackberry collecting mission which I’m sure you’ll read about soon. What with all the new equipment, I’m sure I can travel even further next time I’m down south. Sadly though, this is the end of this particular series of adventures. I don’t worry too much though, as I’ve been tipped off that Poker is seen zipping about with Dad on the oars fairly frequently, so I’m sure she won’t feel forgotten.

The Adventures of Black Poker (Part 1)

2011-07-26T23:11:00.001+01:00

A guest post by Samuel Royall

As seen in an earlier blog post, I am the proud owner of a Breydon punt. Sadly, although I live next to the river in Sheffield, there’s not enough draft to keep her up North. I have to make the most of my time in Norfolk. So assuming it’s not raining, I’ll try and take Black Poker out for a quick morning spin. Were you to catch me arriving at the boatyard around tea-break, I can assure you it would be entirely coincidental.

Sadly, I only managed a couple of quick outings last time I came down. This time, then, I was determined to make the most of my holiday. Recently returned from a week on Royal Continental (a story for another time), poor Poker must have felt more of a run-about than a separate craft. I did manage to do a few circuits of Hoveton Little Broad and some light ferry work for various members of the crew, but she was definitely second fiddle to a 42-foot, 8-bed cruiser.

After a quick tidy up of various bits and pieces relating to an ill-fated outboard attachment (slightly sacrilegious anyway in my opinion!) I was ready to head off Monday morning. Since Dad had already dropped a punt off at an event for Wroxham Week, I thought I’d head in that direction. The outward journey up to Bridge Broad passed uneventfully. I even managed not to crash while trying to peer at some of the stalls set up in the park. The broad is always fairly deserted, which I certainly won’t complain about. With the amount of recent rain, almost no-one’s getting through Wroxham Bridge anyway.

I must admit to being something of a geek when not boating, so I always take the opportunity to track my little journeys on GPS. If you were to see me wearing a earpiece, please don’t think I’m listening to music! The sound of wildlife and the water slipping under the punt, with the steady creak of the oars, is far better than any album. However, there is definitely some motivation (and a lot of geeky satisfaction!) in hearing a distance or speed readout every few minutes.

Being only a mile or so each way, I thought I was home and dry by the time I reached Barton House Railway. I manage a brisk (for me) 3 mph or so which does mean that cruisers and day-boats alike generally have to nip round. I always seem to run into one of the large trip boats which regularly depart Wroxham, but I must say the captains have been very accommodating. The same cannot be said of a few of the hire cruisers. The members of Arthur Ransome’s ‘Coot Club’ refer to them as ‘hullabaloos’ and set one of their boats adrift in the night. While not particularly charitable, I must say the idea is somewhat appealing after the incident I am about to relate.

As an unpowered craft, a quick “Morning!” or “Any luck?” is only friendly when passing another boater or fisherman. I had the somewhat dubious pleasure of such a short conversation with a hullabaloo aboard a large hire cruiser as it steamed past me at a particularly inconsiderate rate of knots. If you ever pass a punt, please remember that your foot-high wake will throw me upward by the entire height of my little craft! If nothing else, you’ll make me lose my rhythm, which I can assure you is not the case when passed by obeying the speed limit.

“You’d go faster with an engine in that!”, he shouted from a side window. I managed only a fairly weak, “Yes, but that’s not the point...” before all hell broke loose. Inexplicably, the unseen driver of the cruiser decided to take his craft landward and pulled a hard right into the key-heading directly ahead of me. Amidst the sound of straining fibreglass and squeaking, creaking wood they fairly well stopped entirely. The first I knew of this was a huge jolt as Poker stopped dead and oars, pumps and indeed I, went crashing forward. Thankfully she has a small fender on the bow for towing which saved any damage as I flew arrow-like into the side of monstrosity now towering over me.

Without a second thought (or perhaps he never even saw me) the cruiser rocketed off again into the distance, weaving away wildly. It is perhaps best that my grandparents were absent from their nearby lawn, as I gave the cruiser’s crew a rapid introduction to some of the more colourful aspects of both the Sheffield and Norfolk dialects. Recovering my oars and generally straightening everything out, a passing captain asked if I was alright (“Yes, thank you kindly!”) and I scooted home.
So all-in-all, no harm done, except perhaps to my opinion of a very small minority of the tourists who join us each summer. I am however keeping a rather closer eye on anyone nearby, especially if cheap cans of beer are in evidence. Still, one can’t let an isolated incident ruin an otherwise delightful trip. I promise an account of Tuesday’s trip in the other direction will have a lot less crashing and a lot more yachts!

Finally then, it’s time to slip in through the water-lilies and join the other small fleet of punts which have accumulated outside the house. Once the oars are stowed and anything that might get damp is carefully tucked away, Poker only waits for the next Broads adventure.

June/July

2011-07-25T22:16:00.001+01:00

At last we have got round to updating the blog! Lots has been happening since last we blogged. You may remember we talked about acquiring a new wooden yacht called Foxglove, well after seriously thinking about it in the cold light of day we realised that we probably wouldn’t be afloat for about 3 years so we decided not to buy that particular boat. However we were lucky enough to come across this special old girl (the yacht, not me!)

She is a Herbert Woods 1936 Perfect Lady, Perfect Lady 2.

In full swing now

2011-05-31T07:50:00.001+01:00

I can’t believe we are at the end of May already. We are now extremely busy on turnaround days. The last couple of weeks and this coming week we have everything in (no fortnights which gives us a little breathing space). Luckily we have a good crew helping us.

Several call outs over the last couple of weeks including, 2 boats run aground on Hickling (thanks to Whispering Reeds for the loan of a boat!), a boat aground on Breydon (we promised not to identify the boat!), ropes round propellers, one boat run aground at Ranworth, blocked toilets, all the usual little problems that go hand in hand with running a hire fleet.

This last Saturday was a particular trying day – an early start leaving home at 6.30am, shortly after arrival, a taxi calling to pick up some customers to take them to the airport to fly back home to Scotland, reversed into our boatyard sign, breaking it in several pieces. Then Harry, one of the Saturday boys fell in and had to be taken home to change his clothing (he now knows why we insist on life jacket wearing at all times whilst outside cleaning). Then, the third but most catastrophic disaster, whilst manoeuvring one of the boats around, the mooring rope was picked up causing the coupling to snap which joins the propeller shaft to the hydraulic motor. This set us back a long time, eventually arriving back home 12 hours later at 6.30pm.

During the week the chaps are busy with private work.

This former eel man’s flat has been renovated for use as a work boat for local builder Rodger the Bodger.

We saw the arrival of Herbie a Broom Skipper from the Fens (after being lifted into the water at Le Boat) which needs re-engining and new electrical and gas work, before the owner can continue fitting her out.

At the moment on the slip way is another Broom – Papaver having a hull paint up.

Lastly a little glimpse into a new acquisition Nigel and I have made. More on her in a later post.

A ramble in and around Beccles

2011-05-18T20:45:00.001+01:00

Following a tasty takeaway lunch from Twyfords in Beccles town centre, we drove down to the free car park near the yacht station. The weather was overcast, threatening rain showers and the cows on the surrounding cattle marshes seemed to confirm this by laying down. A huge white bull rolled with his legs pointing skyward before lumbering to his feet and wandering off to peruse his harem of pretty young females.

Sara, Tillie, Raven, Rocky (on holiday with us for a couple of weeks) and I followed the riverside path under the road bridge towards the Beccles Amateur Sailing Club, where we studied a map of the marshes showing a 3 mile and 4 mile walk and then an information board concerning the remains of an ancient causeway that followed a slight depression on the marsh side of the river bank. Across the river, a very nice house looked down from a hill, below which horses grazed in a meadow near a mooring with a sunken boat that has been there for several years. To our right the lush green marshes were intersected with reed fringe dykes dividing meadows on which cattle grazed on the succulent long grass. Gold finches flitted amongst the trees and an occasional duck flew by or took wing from the dykes, no doubt upset by one of the dogs sniffing about.

If the wind had not been so keen it would have been really lovely, however we followed the river bank until we nearly reached the old railway bridge piers but before that dipped down through the long grass joining a very pleasant lane that slowly wound its way back toward the yacht club.

Surprisingly Sara suggested walking back uphill into town so we crossed the footbridge and up past the old ‘Loaves and Fishes’, a maltings in use up until the 1950’s or 60’s when it was visited by laden Thames motor barges, gaining entrance to the Broads via Mutford Lock in Oulton Broad.

During the 1980’s, the maltings were converted into a pub and now it has been renovated into flats. ‘The Ship’ around the corner near the bridge has also been closed, but for how long I do not know, although it retains its sign, a rather nice painting of ‘Albion’.

Northgate street is undergoing a cosmetic makeover and looks very smart.

Sara went into one shop, quickly re-emerging and I went into the second hand bookshop, really interesting but perhaps luckily it has only five minutes to closing. Beccles has a very nice church of which the Beccles Clock Tower stands next to but not attached to. It has 3 clock faces, the west side of the tower without a clock is the side that faces Norfolk – supposedly so that Norfolk wasn’t given the time of day by Suffolk!

Tiredly we took a different route returning toward our car, arriving at the ‘Pound’ a gated circular head high wall in which loose stock, especially horses were in the olden days secured until released on payment of a fine.

The marshes at Ludham Bridge again

2011-05-09T08:04:00.001+01:00

After piloting Royall Solitaire through Wroxham Bridge and sorting their TV out in the morning and completing an emergency plumbing job at home, as it was such a lovely afternoon we decided to take the dogs along the marshes at Ludham Bridge again.

This time Nigel remembered to bring his scope with him

The walk is separated from the River Ant by several flood defence drainage dykes on one side and pond like ‘scrapes’ on the other side.

We were never far away from the river and saw quite a few cruisers motoring towards and away from Ludham Bridge.

Either there are some giants on Ludham marshes or someone with very short arms!

It’s thirsty work being a greyhound!

These tufted duck were quite far away but this was the closest picture I could get.

How Hill

A small group of greylags.

The reeds were alive with birds, we could hear the reed warblers but they were so well hidden it was a job to make them out. Their nests must be very well hidden as we could see them flitting in and out of the reeds but couldn’t find any nests. We were hoping to see some Bearded Tits but were unlucky this time. We did see some Gadwall Ducks, a Redeshank and some Lapwings. We also saw a solitary male Marsh Harrier soaring above the marsh, floating on the thermals. According to the RSPB website, there are only supposed to be about 360 nesting pairs in the UK.

Solace May 2011

2011-05-05T06:39:00.001+01:00

A short video of the Pleasure Wherry Solace leaving the boatyard after her long winter maintenance. Excuse the poor filming techniques as I am just getting used to the camera!

April Update

2011-05-02T20:14:00.001+01:00

The season is well under way now so our attention shifts from preparing the hire fleet for the beginning of the season to preparing all the private craft we look after for various owners.

Solace is released from her winter quarters after having all of her gear piled on the decks and taken round to the boatyard for her pre season cleaning and rigging.

The tender launch for Solace and Brown Boat ‘Redshank’ are finished up.

Solace’s vane has her new lag sewn on.

Another client’s White Boat ‘Painted Lady’ is also finished up and we heard over the weekend that she won her first race of the season!

Last minute repairs to a sailing dinghy hired out with one of the cruisers.

The Sailing Lesson

2011-04-20T08:03:00.001+01:00

Captain Haddock teaching the Juvenile Haddocks (aka the Jeffrey Family) the art of sailing coypus on board Royall Continental 9th – 16th April 2011.

Visiting the seals 2011

2011-04-07T20:57:00.001+01:00

You may remember last year around about this time we went to see the seals at Horsey. Well as it was such a lovely day yesterday (Wednesday), after work we all clambered into the car and drove the 15 miles to Horsey again. On looking back at last years blog I noted that we were a couple of weeks earlier this year. It is always a bit hit and miss, not really knowing if there are going to be any there or not but last week the crew of Royall Courier managed to get through Potter Heigham bridge and walked over from Horsey Mill to the coast and reported that they had seen numbers of anything up to 600. We parked a bit nearer to the beach than Horsey Mill because as it was in the evening we didn’t want to run the risk of being locked in the National Trust car park, plus Nigel being a bit tight didn’t want to pay the parking fee!

The dogs enjoyed a roar round along the long track leading up to the gap in the sea wall, sniffing about for bunnies and just before we arrived at the dunes, I made sure they were securely on their leads. We made our way over the steps on to the viewing platform and as luck would have it below us were several groups of seals basking in the evening sunlight.

We made our way onto the beach and took it in turns holding the dogs so we could each get a closer look. The pups were a fair size now and there were the most amazing variety of colours, ranging from all one colour of dark grey, cream and brown to allsorts of dappled, dalmation type colours and even one very rusty coloured pup. There were also various ones bobbing about in the sea, lazily swimming in and out of the surf.

At a rough count there must have been about 200 in total. On the evening air the soothing musical song of the seals could easily be heard as they playfully rolled about on the beach, play fighting, and jostling about for the best spots. We watched them for ages and then reluctantly made our way off the beach back to the car, still hearing their distant lyrical calls to each other. As we made our way back along the track, the sun went down quite rapidly but leaving the most amazing sunset which Norfolk is so very famous for.

New Royalls Boatyard Mug Available

2011-04-04T13:45:00.001+01:00

New for 2011 is our new mug design. An earthenware mug with Nigel’s original artwork. Available from the boatyard for £3.50 each.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-16T22:02:00.001Z

Nigel takes a dip (unintentionally!)

2011-03-01T17:43:00.001Z

If anyone is going to have a mishap it invariably is Nigel and true to form last week found him taking a very ‘early in the season’ dip into the very cold river. He was moving boats around and shoved Ambassador across the river and as he didn’t want it to bang into the quay heading opposite and spoil all Steve’s hard work he thought he would leap off the front and push it away. However he misjudged it and ended up hanging off the pulpit and eventually sitting in the water (up to his neck) on the slipway. Unfortunately no one had a camera available to take any photos but he did offer to re-enact it but even I wouldn’t have made him do that! He managed to pull some muscles in his left arm which got him out of jobs at home for a few days.

Royall Velvet 3 went back in the water and Royall Velvet 1 took its place in the shed – only Royall Courier left to come out now.

Dave was volunteered to do the hated job of sanding down Solace’s Tender which I think over the years, everyone has had to do at some point or other – that is apart from Paul managing to get out of it – looks like we may have a volunteer for 2012!

Nigel continues to sand and varnish Solace as well as working on the fleet doing odd jobs. I am still ploughing my way through the spring cleaning, working through Royall Diamond this week as well as washing and ironing loads and loads of curtains.

This weekend sees the return of some seasonal staff to start the cleaning up of the outsides of the boats.

Still cold here, has not been much more that 5c so far this week and very overcast so far. Can’t wait for some warmer weather now.

Pre season jobs continue

2011-02-20T20:34:00.001Z

Only a very few weeks before the first of the boats start hiring (Royall Satin 10th March) and the job lists seem to grow rather than diminish. One major job has been completed, Royall Retreat, our holiday riverside bungalow is now ready and the first visitors of 2011 arrived on Saturday. Just a few minor jobs to complete outside (finish fence painting, get some chippings in to fill the gap where the Leylandii hedge once was and a few painting and repairs on the verandah to do once the weather improves.

As the weather seems to be slowly improving, a decision was made to start gradually dewinterising the boats. Also Paul has been taking out and rebedding quite a few leaky windows, as well as leaving his mucky fingerprints over my newly cleaned galleys!

Nigel has been continuing varnishing on Solace, as well as varnishing some of the boat interiors and replacing some unit tops as well as all the little jobs I have on a list for him! I love lists and get great satisfaction in crossing jobs off once done – it has nothing to do with not being able to remember anything without writing it down!

In quick succession Royall Diamond and Royall Solitaire have been pulled out and relaunched in the shed opposite and once Royall Velvet 3 is launched after quite major repair work caused by yet another high speed crash in reverse in Horning last summer, it only leaves two boats left Royall Courier & Royall Velvet 2 to do.

I am half way through spring cleaning, only another 7½ boats to go! I will now be washing and ironing all the boat curtains in the next couple of weeks.

The following pictures are of Royall Ambassador 2 in a state of chaos!

We often get asked – “Do you go away for the winter?”

A winter walk around Ludham

2011-02-13T17:50:00.001Z

Sometimes you just have to have a little luck and this was certainly so on Sunday morning when we decided to park at Ludham bridge and walk a roughly four mile circuit.

As we set off along the river bank toward How Hill it was dull with just a glimmer of sun and with a cold wind blowing across the marshes. On either side the dykes and pulk holes held more water than last weekend although the path itself being quite high was relatively mud free. Geese honked from across the far grazing marshes as we trudged along with Raven and Tillie roaring at full pelt up and down only stopping to sniff.

The first tiny reed fringed broad still held a raft of Tufted ducks or Pokers but now the ratio had changed to a greater number of females whereas these were almost non existent when we passed by this way last weekend. Odd trips of Tufties swept with quick wing beats above the reeds, showing jet black with flashing white wing bars, hence their local name Black Pokers, and we further noticed more swans than before either resting on the mud banks or idly drifting up the drains, though well spread out, which has relevance shortly.

Two of Blucher Thain’s fifty year old steel sugar beet wherries rested from their river work just around the bend from Neave’s mill, where a disturbed Harnser (Heron) flapped upward “Franking” loudly in complaint, they are called Franks in Suffolk, and where the skeletal remains of a cygnet no doubt brought down by power lines greatly interested the dogs. Shortly following this a small trip of large ducks also rose grunting vertically from the reeds only to drop again quickly into open water a few hundred yards further on. Through the telescope we could spy on them and further clusters gathered on this more sheltered water, at first it was quite difficult to identify the species but as they seemed to keep more or less to themselves we eventually made out, more Tufties, again mostly female, the males seemed more flighty today, mallards over to the left, Gadwalls upending near the reeds, and our grunting ducks turned out to be very smartly dressed Wigeon that I have only seen previously whilst prowling about the Breydon drains in a gun punt. Of course several coots skittered about amongst them whilst sea gulls circled overhead as we reached a small wood and turned here up a sunken lane toward a rather nice house overlooking the marshes.

The lane, now tarmaced, climbed gently through ploughed fields up to Whitegates, from out of a wooded carr in a hollow on our left a superb rusty coloured female Roe deer sprung away only to pause to look at us before dipping down to cross the road and climb up the far bank and along a field edge where it lay down to study us, as we in turn studied its black button eyes and nose and large fluffy ears through the scope.

We wondered if it was being awfully clever and drawing us away from a well hidden fawn back in the carr. Having passed Whitegates and the Laurels where the headlands on the fields had thoughtfully been left fallow as footpaths instead of having to walk along the lane, even though there is very little traffic along here, we turned toward Ludham crossing the Norwich road directly to where the track dipped slightly. Up toward Hall common, beyond the houses by a farm house a large white bird took flight from a beet field and though we were up wind we thought we heard faint hooping. It was far to big to be a sea gull or such like and so we cautiously went forward to where we could see quite a spread of white and as I said to Sara, “I bet that they are Whooper swans, cause you don’t see Mutes in large flocks like that.”

The strange thing is that on the previous day we had travelled for just over an hour to the Wetlands Trust at Welney on the Ouse washes near Downham Market which I had not visited before to more or less see some Whooper swans. Although there were about forty swans drifting about in front of the hide windows and that several thousand arrived later in the afternoon but quite some distance away, we found it all rather mechanical in the way that food was put out to attract a certain number and of course there were considerable crowds, mainly though these had visited to see a rather dull pink Flamingo that had escaped from Marwell zoo several months ago and who was feeding within easy viewing of the hides. Previous to this I have seen one winter many years ago, a herd of Whoopers in a field alongside the Stalham to Potter road and a skein flew over our house once “hoop….hooping.”

Here we were, within a couple of hundred yards, perched under a finger footpath sign watching an estimated herd of easily over one hundred purely wild Whoopers, they were not feeding but standing with necks bolt upright their bright yellow beak flashes easily seen. The reason for their interest was a jogger coming down the slope and with a “hoop…..hoop…..hoop” they began to take to the air, not running but springing, one following another and forming into skein after widely spread skein flying low and white in the glimmering sun, the last laggard leapt skyward and spread his enormous wings and we watched them grow smaller before we think dropping onto some marshes over toward Potter Heigham. Shortly, as the ice and snow melts they will take wing for their exhausting flight to their summer breeding home in Iceland and the wild swans will be gone for another year. Unfortunately we couldn’t take any photos of the swans as the battery had just ran out, isn’t this always the case!

Passing through the yard at Ludham Hall we noticed medieval brickwork on this fine old house that may be the remains of the old Bishops house from the time of St Bennets abbey although I believe that this burnt down following nasty old King Henry’s reformation. Back along the lane toward the pub and then along the footpath by the road toward the bridge in a light rain shower we soon arrived back at the motor car where the dogs thankfully hopped aboard for a well deserved kip.

Sam’s new gun punt

2011-02-06T12:46:00.001Z

Sam’s new gun punt and some historical notes concerning Breydon punts.

A Breydon gunner on the lookout

Having decided to build Sam a gun punt for his 22nd birthday, the choice of a specific type was easy. Our punt collection already includes:

Plover a narrow Suffolk type punt

Shoveler a big sailing and utility punt

A river Ant punt, quite narrow and workman like, ideal for qaunting and reputedly built around 1880 by one of the Hickling Nudd’s,

WEE MAID, a tiny Hickling punt from the 1920’s and now residing in the Broads Museum and lastly the use of another old punt constructed with outriggers and thowl pins by one Hickling Beales.

Some of what follows may have been mentioned in an earlier article but since further information has come to light and for the sake of continuity it has been left in.

Sam’s punt then was to be of the Breydon water type and although it must be usable and useful it was to be identical in as many details as possible including all the accessories and of course the big swivel gun.

It may be thought difficult to study Breydon punts dating back to the 1870’s or 80’s but nothing could be further from the truth as punting was at its peak around then both professionally and by amateur gentlemen gunners, consequently several books were written and published packed full of punting paraphernalia following somewhat of a lull since Colonel Hawkers “Letters to young sportsmen” which went through many editions but by now was rather out dated on gunning matters, if not on the actual punt details themselves.

We must though stick resolutely to Breydon punts finding that they were not hand paddled over each side such as their narrower brethren, but sculled with one oar from a crutch positioned on the gunnel where the aft deck meets the well or cockpit. (we shall of course use the Breydoner’s boat part names) This meant that the punts could be designed with a greater beam making them more sea worthy and none the less shapely for that, indeed by some they were counted amongst the finest punts ever built.

Several Breydon style punts are mentioned in Lewis Clements “Modern wildfowling” published in 1889, the author’s own big two man punt shown in a sketch along with a set of drawings was designed and built under the supervision of R Fielding Harmer a noted Breydon gentleman punter who had quite a hand in improving the type from the old fashioned gunning scows.

Lines drawing of Fielding Harmer’s double handed punt

This double punt and a further single also by Harmer show certain Breydon characteristics, the wide beam counted among them.

My drawing E T Booth

However we must now turn our attention to E T Booth who I have mentioned before and who was born in 1840 and died in 1890. A man of limitless private means he was a noted naturalist and greatly renowned punt gunner. For most of these gentlemen gunners it was not the quantity of birds that they wanted such as the professional gunners relied upon for their living but specimens for their own stuffed and mounted collections and the renown of having shot and killed some lonely rare migrant, however horrid that may seem to us now. Booth was no different and intended to collect every species of bird on the British list as well as those visiting winter migrants, all by his own hand and none other.

Booth’s Punt

He kept a railway carriage in constant wait at Brighton station and as soon as he got word of something interesting any where in the British Isles it was coupled onto the next suitable train and away he went. Booth mounted a few of his own birds but later cases were by many of the well known taxidermists of the period and he was one of the first to make dioramas out of the cases insisting that the background details matched his notes taken on the spot at the time of shooting. He seems to have begun shooting regularly in Norfolk and especially Hickling broad (where Miss Turners island was at one time known as Booths hill and where his long since disappeared boatshed stood amongst the reeds in Heigham corner) and Breydon water from about 1869 right through the 1870’s before tailing of into the 1880’s until his untimely death aged 50 on February 4^th 1890. In the meantime he had a special building constructed adjoining his house at Dyke Road Brighton in which to display his immense collection of birds and at the time of his death this was bequeathed to Brighton Corporation in whose ownership it remains largely unaltered today. Most interesting for our purposes though is the fact that before his death he had ordered from Harwood of Great Yarmouth a double handed Breydon punt.

Lines drawing Harwood’s double handed punt

This may have been Ben Harwood a Yarmouth cobbler and punt builder who introduced the well known local naturalist and author Arthur Patterson to Breydon whose collectable books concerning that local estuary contain much information about the gunners and their equipment and whose own punt YARWHELP measured 18 foot x 4 foot. According to Arthur’s books Breydon was a very different proposition in those days, the bar across the harbour entrance kept the tidal flow very much slower than it is today and although the mud flats at the upper end of Breydon from Runham round to Stone corner were at low water riddled with named drains or dykes navigable to punts, the lower end down to the Dickey works (a wooden groin still visible) was of greater depth. In those far of days reed beds and clumps spread across the shallower parts of Breydon, making it not dissimilar to Hickling at the present time. “Poker” grass grew in great abundance until its sudden disappearance due to disease and this habitat attracted not only huge quantities of local fowl but also interesting and much sought after rare winter migrants that fetched almost fantastic amounts of money for the local gunners from the local dealers who were much to blame for the hiking up of the prices for these birds and the hot reception that they received on their weary arrival from overseas. Dredging the harbour mouth and the consequent silting up of the estuary combined with the commencement of a closed shooting season meant that to the old gunners, “Breydon was done for.

Harwood’s punt for Booth has been described as one of the most sea worthy punts ever built and amazingly it has survived intact because Booth passed away before he could make use of it. His widow gifted the punt with all its fixtures and fittings including the big gun (although it is displayed with two) and its mountings to the museum where it sits beneath the glass fronted cases that remarkably contain amongst them wildfowl shot by Booth on Hickling broad and Breydon water around one hundred and thirty years ago during the 1870’s, available for any one to visit if they so wish. Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity of visiting Booth’s Dyke Road museum to study this punt, although the curator Dr Legg very kindly provided me with some detailed photographs.

Interestingly though in Henry Sharp’s book “Practical wildfowling” published in 1896 he provides a set of drawings for this punt whose main dimensions are 21 foot 7 ½ inches x 4 foot 3 inches, sketches also include a few of the accessories along with some measurements, really though the drawings speak for themselves.

Luckily the Broads museum also contains a couple of Breydon style punts (although the reconstructed deck layout of one of them is rather dubious) and although these differ in length they both measure just under four foot on the beam and provided extremely useful data as although we based Sam’s punt very definitely on the Harwood model we did not want a great big twenty odd foot double handed punt similar to Booths.

From amongst the wood shavings an 1880’s single handed Breydon punt emerged, skilfully put together from my rough drawing by Steve. It would be quite tedious to describe minutely the construction of the punt which at that phase was known as POKER but which for various reasons soon to be described was altered slightly.

Poker was the name given to the Pochard diving duck family and other mislabelled ducks by the local gunners and was sub divided like this;

Common Pochard                                    -      Sandy Headed Poker or Poker
Red Crested Pochard (very rare)              -      Red Headed Poker
Tufted Duck                                           -      Black Poker or Black Headed Poker
Scaup                                                     -     Scaup Poker
Goldeneye                                              -     Golden Eyed Poker

Once the hull, which is flat bottomed but rockered along its length, with its tapering stem and stern posts and flared side strakes was complete the well rounded deck beams that Booth thought so highly of to keep out a sloppy sea were laid across the fore, after and side decks and the carlins added that now showed the sweeping shape of the well. The decks were screwed down and the rails (coamings) put on with the traditional folding wash boards running to a point 12 inches forward over the fore deck, these boards could be lowered to allow extra depression of the swivel gun when in action or raised to keep out the lop of the water.

Black Poker

On the original Harwood punt the stem and stern are protected with quite fancy stylized metal fleur-de-lys which we wondered at some length over how to replicate, suddenly, out of the blue an ancient and weather beaten wherry tiller arrived having been stored out in the open for at least the last forty years or more. Unusually the strengthening tiller band was made of mild brass and was finished with superb fleur-de-lys, one to each side. I have only seen this on one other wherry, the surviving ARDEA and I can only assume that both the tiller and the brass work on each are by the same craftsmen. Because the tiller was in such poor condition we had no misgivings about giving those brass patterns a new lease of life on our new punt as this would also give POKER a ready made history. It is more than probable that the tiller originated from the pleasure wherry BLACK PRINCE, latterly a house boat at Stalham and so we felt it appropriate to now call Sam’s punt, BLACK POKER.

Full drawings were available for the punts fittings which included a box seat that appears to have been popular on Breydon where stools were also used before the more common sloped ammunition box/seat came into fashion. In any case it has a curved seat on an open box as shown in the photographs and is very much more comfortable to row from than the newer type even if a cushion is used.

Two sets of differing length punt oars were provided by Harwood, and likewise by us for Sam’s punt, each having a square section between the oar leather and handle, this was presumably to act as a counter balance to the rather wedge shaped blades, differing from modern practice by being wider at the tips.

Booth considered the ideal colour for a punt to be that of a kittiwakes back and so BLACK POKER was given a coat of a kind of light blue-grey, painted on every surface except the waterline and bottom which was black, probably tar in his day but antifouling now, oar handles that were left natural wood and the inside of the strakes and bilges, painted red.

There were two types of gun mountings called the swivel and the stanchion. The stanchion types tended to be of the larger bores ranging from 1 ¼ inch up to and over 2 inch. The barrel laid along the fore deck with the breach supported around the gun beam by a crutch or similar device. Further forward It rested on a billiard rest style elevation gear with a handle reaching back into the well. Sliding this rest up or down the deck elevated or depressed the muzzle slightly.

Stanchion and swivel gun drawing

The gun could be swung in a very limited traverse from left to right or occasionally tipped up for a flying shot but in reality the punts bow needed to be carefully aimed at the target. Recoil was taken by a large diameter rope passing through the snout and running up the foredeck both sides of the barrel to be hooked by various methods onto trunnions firmly fixed onto the gun barrel just forward of the breach or through a hole in the guns stock which by now was probably one of the short pistol type.

Some of the larger Breydon punts were so fitted, but the professional gunners and the majority of the gentlemen gunners preferred swivel guns which by necessity tended to be of the smaller bore size but this was not always so as some quite large swivel guns were pivoted on the swivel peg that dropped into a swivel knee or chock and generally locked somehow. Some gunners preferred to keep about six pounds of weight on the swivel gun’s stock but Booth kept his gun equally balanced, tucking the butt under the port rail in order to keep the well area clear when the gun was not immediately wanted.

The gun beam did not take any of the recoil whatsoever unlike some of the earlier Breydon and Hickling punts which had an extra thick beam through which the swivel peg was located into a socket and which was strengthened by lodging knees. By Booth’s time the more modern mounting consisted of either an iron frame work or wooden block called the swivel knee or chock fixed rigidly to the punts bottom, having no allowance for movement what so ever.

There was a great debate raging concerning the use of swivel guns in these fixed mountings as obviously the punt needed to be strong enough to withstand the massive recoil inflicted upon it. Booth who had designed an iron swivel knee amongst others began to try out ideas that would allow the swivel chock to buffer the recoil a little to stop the guns firing so hard as they put it and upsetting the aim. Safety was another consideration because most gunners did not use recoil ropes on swivel guns and if the swivel peg snapped under the strain then it was goodbye to several teeth or a lot worse.

Some really fantastic ideas were tried to soften the recoil, ropes and pulley’s, great weights and iron rods amongst them. The simplest method that came into general use consisted of an oak block or chock sloping down front and back that slotted into metal brackets with an inch or so of lateral play, the empty space being filled with India rubber pads allowing just so much compression to soften the blow.

Booth’s recoil apparatus

Booth, as expected went his own way producing an oak box in which an oak block ran on small iron wheels on a short piece of track. This block was buffered with India rubber pads at either end and through a slot in the top of the box poked up the swivel post on which the gun was mounted. Booth used a light recoil rope running through a hole in the punts snout along the fore deck and around the swivel peg and also at times a heavier recoil rope passing to the stem under the fore deck.

For Sam’s punt we felt that this wooden recoil box apparatus would take up a bit too much room in the well so we had made up Booth’s rigid iron mounting dating to about 1870.

BLACK POKER is complete, Sam helped slide her down the slipway on the 6^th January 2011 and had his first row in her, reporting that the punt handled very well indeed.

Launching Black Poker and her maiden voyage

A gunning trip on Breydon, about 1880.

Modern Breydon punt

Under the dull flickering boatshed lamp the old gunner carefully loads and rams the great 1 1/2 inch bore, ten foot long muzzle loading punt gun with 16 ounces of shot and rather a bit more powder before adding and tamping down a ball of oakum wadding. The big guns swivel peg has already been slotted into the mounting socket in the punts well, locked and made secure. Releasing the pall from the hand winch lets the punt slowly drop down the steeply rollered slipway until its dull grey cigar shaped hull lifts to Breydon’s murky gentle swell. Two puntsmen, swathed in grey woollen mittens, caps and jackets and each encumbered by thigh length greasy leather boots load the last of the gear including two 12 bore cripple stoppers before unhitching the tow rope and tumbling as steadily as possible on board. Into the early morning darkness the twenty foot punt easily drifts down past the darkened and deserted Bowling Green public house beyond which a couple of early trading wherries drop out of the North river with lowered gear and chains on the very last of the ebb about to sail up Breydon and gain an early loading turn at Beccles or Norwich. The punt keeps well clear of their manoeuvres and in any case shortly turns out of the main channel and in the gloom rows up the Lower drain toward Red House corner near to the North wall.

Spying on Wigeon

A succulent patch of “poker” grass has irresistibly attracted no small number of its name sake who in the early dawn bob up and down on the water as they begin to feed. Down the drain the gunner lays to his weapon, removing the breach weather proof covering, and pulling back the hammer until it clicks open. The puntsman, a local boat builder and somewhat taciturn professional gunner going by the name of Pero swings the short gunning oars into their notches on the side decks and he too slowly drops down out of sight behind the rails his right arm poking out, his gnarled hand grasping the sculling oar handle. Without thought Pero begins to sweep the oar to and fro propelling the punt forwards with little swings of its snout. He keeps his head down, steering by orders from the gunner, not verbally but by signs and taps of the hand or foot. Rounding the lumps or mud banks just as a glow appears in the eastern sky the punt nears the Red house and the pokers notice something is amiss and stop diving, even as the dark shadow creeps inevitably nearer foot by foot and yard by yard. Many years has the gunner punted the length and breadth of the British Isles but still, as he cocks his eye along the gun barrel does his heart beat quicker as the poker blobs sink their bodies and drift closer together disinclined to take flight this early in the morning. At seventy yards, the sky still lightening, the ducks are in two minds about the nearing low grey shape and knowing that their low bodies will miss the shot the gunner bangs his booted foot heavily onto the punts floor boards panicking them into flight even as a terrific boom rents the air, the recoil sliding the punt gently backwards through the water. The shot, at the optimum sixty yards, cuts a lane through the rising ducks and through the clearing smoke Pero is already banging away at the wounded cripples, the remaining surviving ducks swing away greatly alarmed over Lockgate farm. Soon the punt is paddled in amongst fourteen corpses floating paddles up from where they are collected and placed upon the aft deck with tucked and folded wings.

Following a few hours in the rapidly filling drains with little or no further luck the punt is turned and rows downstream, once back alongside the Bowling Green a grubby character with dark lined features and wearing a filthy tan smock and a black oily sou-wester leans over the parapet greatly interested in the punt, removing his stubby clay pipe he remarks, “What cheer Pero?” to which the puntsman nods a non committal reply that doesn’t stop old Stinker leaning further over before adding, “Nice lot o’ black pokers you got there squire Booth.”

Breydon gunners at the Bowling Green Pub

Winter Maintenance continues

2011-01-26T16:51:00.001Z

We can’t believe January is nearly over already, literally only a few weeks before the season for us begins again and yet there seems to be ‘oceans’ of jobs still to be done. Pulling and launching continues, with in quick succession Royall Satin out in the shed for a paint and polish and luckily the first of the fleet that didn’t sustain any damage last year, so no lengthy repairs to hold Steve up.

She was closely followed by Royall Oak, which did suffer a collision and damage to her port bow by an out of control private boat at The New Inn at Horning, whilst being hired out by our friends ‘The Wotsits’. Royall Oak will be launched again in the morning to be replaced by Royall Stuart. Royall Continental is out on the car park because the rudder skeg was loose – there again, she is going back in the water tomorrow also.

Nigel continues to work here there and everywhere, sometime in the garage working on Peter’s White Boat ‘Painted Lady’, where he is replacing planking with Russian redwood boards and steaming new American Oak timbers in. Then also working in the ‘Wherry Shed’ on Solace, painting and varnishing as well as finishing up a few window repairs. All this as well as organising jobs for Paul, Steve, Dynamo Dave and Alex, as well as odd jobs on the fleet and anything I can find him to do!

Boat safety exams that were due this year have been carried out on three of the boats – Royall Commander 2 and the 2 day boats Royalty and Royall Tiger. The new bathroom in Royall Retreat is coming along nicely, with the wall and floor tiles being done this week. Hopefully next week will see Roger the Bodger finish up and then I can get in there for the massive clear up and spring clean before our first customer in February.

I have started the seemingly never ending task of spring cleaning – firstly tackling all the cookers, then scrubbing all the galleys. Inventory has to be checked and a shopping list drawn up of ‘missing’ items, as well jobs listed for Nigel and Paul to do as I go round each boat. I quite enjoy working my way round as long as I can have Radio Norwich blaring out which as most of the engines are disabled for the winter involves trailing extension leads round the yard. All ‘bumph’ letters have now been sent out and I am now getting back some people’s arrival details, either by mail or via the website. Just bear in mind if you ring the boatyard this time of year, please give us a chance to answer as we may not always be in the office near to the phone. We are always happy to talk to you and answer any questions you may have and of course priority, take bookings from you!

Earlier in January Sam came home for a visit and to celebrate his 22nd birthday, whereupon he had a surprise present from Nigel…………..details to follow in a future blog!

Re launching Royall Commander 2

2011-01-12T12:15:00.001Z

Royall Commander 2 now back in the water after having her new bow thruster fitted.

Christmas & New Year

2011-01-06T22:08:00.001Z

The period leading up to Christmas was very cold and icy, however we still managed to proceed with maintenance on the hire fleet. This has included all the normal pulling out of each individual boat, painting, polishing and antifouling. On top of this all the larger cruisers have been or are currently undergoing re varnishing throughout as well as all the general repairs and replacements after their hard work last season. Luckily Paul winterised all the boats in good time as it is surprising how many vessels have sunk even in our local area due to neglect in this matter though it is fair to say that it is the wooden ones that tend to suffer worse as the ice thaws and pushes the planking apart obviously letting water in, even so for any engine it is a dangerous time unless they are drained properly or filled with antifreeze.

COMMANDER 1 slid down the ways in mid December looking very smart having been given a brand new coat of orange paint by Steve and was replaced in the shed by VELVET 2 where we soon removed the black plastic fendering from around her hull. Steaming the new plastic around proved problematical as we just could not get it hot enough to make it supple in the biting cold however eventually the spreaders were hauled around the boat and the plastic clipped into place, it is always surprising what a difference new rubbers make to the look of a boat.

Meantime work progressed on STUARTS new engine and COMMANDER 2’s new bow thruster as she sits perched on our car park, what big hulled brutes these look whilst ashore.

We had hoped to launch VELVET 2 but with the ice in the dyke being just over 2” thick and only a narrow channel enough to pass our ferry to and fro we decided to wait and see what happens and certainly the yard dyke is now perfectly clear.

Slowly though the rivers were gripped by ice, Paul reported having seen Breydon under a vast sheet of ice, Hickling too, when I qaunted down Catfield dyke in the gun punt was also laid thickly with a couple of crows hopping about vainly hunting for scraps on the ice in the middle of Swim Coots, a wake (open water) in Smee Corner held the remaining wildfowl.

The Santa boats from Wroxham bridge continued to batter their way through the ice back and forth but even one of these sustained damaged to its plating and sprung a leak, upstream of the bridge toward Coltishall the river did freeze but not for long as the flow of fresh water and slightly milder climate soon cleared it away though we hear that Barton is still impenetrable as are a lot of the back dykes. Indeed when we broke some ice outside of SHOVELER’s shed a couple of days ago it was still nearly 3” thick still, Shoveler has not been out of her shed since the 5^th December and it doesn’t look likely yet.

Over the holidays we have been on a couple of Broads walks, on the first we parked at Wickhampton church following the icy concrete track toward Muttons mill and then round to Halvergate. The weather was bitterly cold and slightly murky, as far as the eye could see everything was still, frozen, and grey, evidently nearly all the wildlife had gone to ground or moved on as we only saw a couple of swans dabbling in an open wake in a drainage dyke and a few hungry looking crows. A small skein of yapping pink footed geese circled the marshes as we put up out of a reed clump a small flock of redshank and about the same number of unhappily calling curlew. Lapwings, normally seen in wing flashing flocks instead sat in solitude huddled in the stiffly frozen grass.

Having crossed a meadow by the black tarred mill where cows stood immobile and shaggy we stumbled over a stile onto the most cattle churned rough track imaginable, whereas so far the ground had been firmly frozen this mud was half thawed and glutinous making our boots heavy with large mud clods. Luckily the dogs faired better than us in passing this obstacle but still emerged somewhat plastered in mud.

For our second walk we parked this time at Chedgrave church, following a footpath alongside the grave yard to the back of the marsh and the boatyards. The river Chet was clear being low and slack but the marshes were like those at Halvergate frozen solid apart from one clear dyke in which had collected a number of wild fowl including mallard and at least one pair of nervous shovelers that took wing toward the nearby flood. The bank here down toward the common is laid over with plastic mesh making the walking easy but beyond the common the height drops toward water level and it becomes progressively muddier toward the hide. Hardley Flood swarmed with fowl but blast it I had forgotten my new birthday scope, however all the normal suspects could be made out as well as a few shelduck and although we could not see them we could hear some smee-ooing widgeon. Having decided to turn back now we stood a moment on the footbridge watching the sluicing water pouring into the river before heading to Beccles for lunch.

Emma’s Holiday Blog

2010-12-07T10:32:00.001Z

Emma Leech`s Holiday Blog

Aged 9

Day 1 (31/7/10)

Today was our first day on Royall Oak! We were running around like headless chickens. Trying to get everything ready! Then finally we set off, on our way to Acle! During our travel Me and Harvey (my brother) were taking pictures of every boat we would like to go on! When we arrived we had our good, gorgeous meal! Then we went playing, I love the park plus Harvey loves the cars! In the arcade I won: a whoopee cushion, a car and a plane! All for Harvey. Me and my dad (Gary) had a game of air hockey! He won 6-5. You’ll never believe what time we went to bed... half nine!

Our first day was incredible!

Ready for our night out

Day 2 (1/8/10)

Today was our second day! In the gorgeous Royall Oak! We were going to Beccles today! But we have to go over the Breydon Water! We were quite bored because it took 7 hours from Acle to Beccles! Me and Harvey had a sleep. When we arrived all of our family went to the park. It got really sweatie! Then at night we went rabbit hunting! We only say a few but it’s better than nothing! Tomorrow were off to Loddon!

Us with Grandma at Beccles

Day 3 (2/8/10)

Today we went to Loddon! It was not that busy! We set off from Beccles! Down the long new cut past Reedham! The cut was very long and narrow! When we arrived there, me and Harvey had another sleep. We set off to the village! It was a quite a long walk but I didn’t mind because the weather was gorgeous! On our way back two horses came along with a new born foal in-between them! Right next to Me and my Dad. Then we did some fishing! Harvey (who is 4) caught the most fish! Tomorrow were off to Thurne Mouth back over the Breydon Water!

Harvey – ‘Another one in the net’!

Day 4 (3/8/10)

Today we went to Thurne Mouth! We set off from Loddon! But we had to go over the Breydon Water! It took a long long time! We stoppred at Stacey to have a look at all the animals and get an ice cream..Finally when we arrived at Thurne Mouth I went on Grandma’s boat (Royall Velvet)! We played dominoes and did a word search! Then we went on a walk to the white windmill! We came back and had tea! Today’s weather was on and off!

Stopped for an ice cream at Stracey

Day 5 (4/8/10)

In the morning we had a short trip to Potter Heigham to go shopping and fill up with water. We also had to get more maggots ( or magnets as Harvey called them )for fishing.

After Potter Heigham we headed to How Hill , i love it there because there is a big field where me and Harvey played tennis and could fly his kite.We were both very tired but still had time to do some more fishing before bed..

Kite flying at How Hill

Day 6 (5/8/10)

Not very far to go today because we had booked a mooring at The New Inn . The weather we nice again today so went up to Barton turf to fill up with water then headed back down the Ant to South Walsham to do some more fishing and have dinner.

Set off at 2 o`clock to get to the New Inn for 3. Got there bang on time and Gus was waiting to tell us where to moor. Had a shower , got changed then went to the Arcade outside the pub before tea..another good day...

Moored outside the New Inn

Day 7 (6/8/10)

Our last day...it was sunny again and warm. Went back into the pub for breakfast which was yummy then a walk to the shop to get mums newspaper. Not far to go today so set of to spend the afternoon at Salhouse Broad..Went for a nice walk with mum and did some more fishing..Harvey got stung by a wasp..he screamed for a bit but soon calmed down enough to show everyone who wanted to see it his sting mark on his leg..We played games on Grandmas boat .

Headed back to the boatyard to spend the last night there..Mum and Dad packed most of our stuff into the car ready to go home...Went to McDonalds ( or McDoogles as Nigel calls it ) for tea..did a bit of shopping and went into the arcade for one last play..

Set of early Saturday to head home but will be back in October at Half Term to spend a week in the Royall Retreat.....Can`t wait .....

Sad faces, end of another great holiday

The start of the winter work

2010-11-05T19:36:00.001Z

As you can see from the photo we have had some very high tides over the last couple of weeks.

Wednesday afternoon we received a call from the crew of Royall Velvet 2 reporting that they thought they had picked something up round the propeller, after motoring across Breydon and back up the top end of the Bure just out of Yarmouth. Nigel and Paul went out to see if they could shift it with judicious poking of boat hooks but alas it was not to be shifted. Luckily John from Maffett Cruisers agreed to come out and dive underneath the following morning, which we were grateful for especially as he had really finished for the season. The offending culprit was a thick agricultural sack, probably blown off the Acle marshes.

Yesterday (Thursday 4th Nov) we launched the first boat to have been hauled out to have it’s hull painted and antifouled. Royall Ambassador 3 shot down the slipway in what we like to call a ‘lifeboat’ launch, to the astonishment of Mr Evans fishing on the Retreat’s quay, but as we said to him its better than having the blighters hang-fire halfway in, putting us to considerable trouble.

Royall Ambassador 2 was soon winched up the slope although the high winds did prove difficult. Having peeled the old black plastic rubber away from the deck edge, cut it up and disposed of it, we gently steamed the new roll to lay it out flat and cut a slot in its whole length.

Today was spent mostly fitting the new plastic in place, which although brittle, is pliable when subjected to pressurised steam up its centre. The middle aft plastic rubber is also to be replaced, being removed last thing this evening. Meanwhile ‘Dynamo’ Dave has begun his usual winter compounding and polishing whilst Alex has spent the whole day sanding all interior woodwork on Royall Ambassador 2. Paul re bedded one of the windows which needed some attention.

Earlier in the week Nigel and Adam had a long day carrying out major repairs to the canvas edges on Solace’s coach roof.

Rowing home in the rain tonight a couple of desultory red flare rockets arced above Wroxham.

Taking Solace to Burgh Castle

2010-10-20T09:37:00.001+01:00

Tuesday 21^st October was warm and sunny, having rowed SHOVELER to work at the normal time she was hung behind SOLACE whilst we made our last minute checks and prepared the TENDER for its arduous push to Burgh Castle.

10.30am, the last lines were cast away and the fleet headed down river with the TENDER tucked into SOLACE’s quarter, already Steve was down below preparing the skipper a late breakfast and the delicious aroma of fresh Italian coffee wafted from out the cuddy doorway and hatch, continuous brews being the order of the day.

We had a warm and easy run on an ebbing tide in the sunshine broken only by a substantial fry up whilst drifting down the lower Bure as the motor had been slackened right down so that we did not arrive at Yarmouth too early forcing us to fight the tide up over Breydon. The motorised sugar beet wherry LORD ROBERTS amongst others used to hold up alongside the council houses on the Acle straight and wait for the tide to start lifting before heading down, but we had no need to worry about the bar across the entrance to the North river not being laden with forty or more tons of beet and deep laden, in fact with the mast and ballast removed along with all loose items SOLACE was riding as light as can be. Somewhere around the Mautby Marsh drainage mill we put the power on and sped downward ever faster on the last of the ebb, in fact we raced through Yarmouth at a tremendous rate past the crowded yacht station with cruisers biffing the quay heading in mostly vain attempts to moor, Steve and I under strict lifejacket orders from head office were amazed to see not one of these crews, many including children not wearing theirs and we shuddered to think of the consequences of a tumble into the roaring sea bound torrent. Even experienced wherry crews used to get into serious trouble and Great Grandfather’s younger brother Joe fell overboard from the FORGET ME NOT, built and paid for by another brothers good fortunes in Canada, somewhere near Reedham ferry and neither himself or his corpse were ever seen again.

Sweeping under the new road bridge toward the rusty tram bridge by Vauxhall station we caught a fleeting glance of a dull grey gun punt hauled up a narrow slipway, SHOVELER quickly called out the riverman’s greeting, “There yer goo.” before we rounded the yellow post up against a slight out going tide.

The sand banks, or lumps were dry and much bird life spread out the whole four miles, the main channel being like a mill pond. The list included, Curlew (lots), Whimbrel (lots), Avocets (1/2 dozen or so, lots more about the following week), several large Egrets on the Burgh flats and hundreds of various Gulls and knots of unidentified smaller shorebirds. When people say to us Breydon is boring no wonder we are amazed.

At dusk, 6pm, we laid to Goodchild’s pontoon and stowed our gear.

The following day SOLACE was lifted from the water and stood on the car park along the river frontage and the following days saw us remove and replace much 1 ¼” English oak planking in, up to 18 foot lengths and completely repaint and antifoul her up to the bin iron.

A Trip on Breydon

After a very wet morning, one of several, the skies cleared and lightened leaving the atmosphere humid. Hanging the outboard onto SHOVELER laying at the pontoon end I motored through the narrow gap at the rear of Goodchild’s suction dredger at work clearing silt from their basin.

On the pump out quay Steve tumbled aboard with much further kit and with a slight ebbing tide we dropped down toward Breydon past the broken ribs of the LADY VIOLET perched upon her muddy grave with opposite, the rough overgrown brick bank of the old cement works overlooked by the grey Roman castle walls.

An Egret was already on the prowl up a drain near the wherry remains stalking expectantly and yet more were seen around the rear of the Burgh flats near some old pilings, seemingly a favourite spot of theirs. A yard worker thought it a shame to see these lovely white birds on the marshes and yet they were seen occasionally in the late 1800’s being met with a fusillade of shot, so know doubt were put off a bit, and by the 1960’s were becoming more common visitors receiving a much better welcome by then but I do not know if those seen are migrants or stay to breed.

Near them we could see a single skulking Shelduck and there again their numbers increased rapidly over the next few days although we sadly realised we were still too early for Widgeon.

Further on near the Dicky Works at the top end of the narrows where they meet Breydon, SHOVELER dipped and slapped on a motor cruisers wash, otherwise the water was calm as we headed for our destination at the Lockgate drainage mill. Unfortunately the rising tide had now covered the whole of the lumps and a vast watery expanse spread out before us, beyond the break water the channel across the flats was impossible to make out or find and any wildlife that included two further Egrets huddled under the wall. Trying to get further in the propeller churned the mud and it was then we noticed as we crept in over the shallows, various sandy contrails zooming under water suddenly from the punts stem, these trails were punctuated at equal intervals by sandy puffs. At times several of these torpedo tracks crossed each other and we eagerly looked for them concluding that they may have been made by scurrying flounders.

Turning about we made for Burgh again travelling inboard of the channel posts alongside the Burgh marshes, great rippling circles in the shallows perhaps caused by some large fish drew us in again where further flounder contrails sped away.

Staking down on the flats we watched the tide creep up the legs of a large huddled Curlew herd, their loud “Weeeee-oooooing” rang from the very marshes and nearly the whole herd rose and wheeled noisily away. All this time various odd Curlew and wild fowl criss-crossed the sky, joined by the last Curlew pair from off the mud just as a motor cruiser slid up alongside us way out of channel. The alleged experienced skipper thought to follow us although our punt drew only 2” of water at best. Whilst this skipper panicked and hopped about, his friend, first time out circled chuckling in deep water as we shouted for the marooned one to reverse out to no avail. The rising tide would soon have lifted him anyway but even so we ran out a long line made off his mooring ropes to his mate whose boat Steve now commandeered. With belching engines the ensnared cruiser easily slipped away from the mud and as the tow rope slackened the panicky one leapt aft and lifted it from the cleat but continued to hang on as Steve pulled, amidst the telling off he was receiving in no uncertain terms, a ranger boat with flashing blue lights proceeded up Breydon in a terrific hurry, the blue jerseyed crew now yelling at us to desist helping, both Steve and I turned our backs on them and giving up we watched them roar up the Norwich river no doubt in disgust about Breydon pirates, they needn’t have worried though, we didn’t get a thing for our trouble and the cruiser convoy went away up the Beccles river somewhat embarrassed and the wiser. On our short return to Goodchilds basin our Egret count amounted to nine.

A wet day at Burgh Castle

2010-09-29T21:14:00.001+01:00

Not Friday the 13th (18th June 2010)

2010-09-26T18:18:00.001+01:00

Friday dawned overcast and breezy. With a full turn round of four boats everyone was busy against the background “music” of the pump out machine’s mechanical humming. Pipes bucked wildly as the last dregs emptied out of the toilet tanks and some staff were seen to screw up their faces in a vain attempt to escape the rather horrid odours. “Phaw, some ones been eatin too many fry ups!”

Around 7.30am Sara took a telephone call from the SOLITAIRE, with the fairly disastrous news that they were moored at Oulton broad with a rope around the propeller. They were waiting for the diver to arrive at 10am which would put them passing through Yarmouth at absolute high water for an 8.30am Saturday return to the yard. Further interrogation revealed that the rope had entangled itself at around 6pm the previous evening but it was too late for the diver, when all would have been well and the tides could then have been taken correctly. A phone call now to the diver prompted him to arrive a half hour early and the information that had it of been one of his cruisers he would have sent the crew away across Breydon at high water to fend for themselves.

At 9.30am we received a call from SOLITAIRE informing us that the propeller was cleared and that they were underway to meet Steve and Paul at Burgh Castle as arranged. When they arrived our chaps found SOLITAIRE’s crew hanging onto the boat for grim death in the very strong wind and ripping tide. Perhaps Steve and Paul saved a dire situation, even so they made her fast and topped her up with diesel before casting off once again away over Breydon as Steve returned to the yard.

The wind indeed was so strong that Paul decided to lower the canopy there and then to reduce the possibility of damage, past the old cement works and the roman fort set upon its bluff overlooking the low skies and sweeping waves rolling up the ancient estuary they crept until, somewhere about the “dicky works” (a very old pier or groin) the river patrol boat ranged alongside informing them that all was lost, the incoming tide would leave little or no room under the low Vauxhall bridges, so dipping her snout like a battleship in a steep swell, SOLITAIRE turned and at slow speed so as not to fill the open cockpit with spray, returned to Burgh Castle.

The time now being about 1pm SOLITAIRE was made snug until 4pm when with a hopefully lowering tide there would be enough room under the bridges for another try, meantime food and drink were produced along with a set of domino’s to pass the time. At the second attempt Breydon was crossed over and although still extremely rough they were pleased to see plenty of room under the rusty old tram bridge as they swung widely around the yellow buoy, turning up against the still out flowing tide with 6” to spare. Once beyond the road bridge it was a long slog up through Stracey, Stokesby, and Acle where the flow eased allowing a more pleasant time of it.

Back at the yard at around 5pm Sara took yet another call saying AMBASSADOR’s engine was smoking fiercely and smelling of burning. Leaving Sara in charge of the yard, as always, and with Dynamo working on his own boat in our wet shed in case of emergency I quickly drove to Ranworth parking at the staithe. Lifting the cockpit hatch revealed an engine, further more, closer inspection showed a metal bar alongside the rocker cover crossing four tubular things with wires attached at one end, what’s that? Whatever it was it had burned all the orange paint away to a cinder, with no apparent damage elsewhere, a quick call to Paul provided the welcome news that it was the heater plug connector strip and that a plug was probably if unusually shorting out, a quick turn of the key providing an impressive spark shower proved this and isolation quickly provided an answer.

Manoeuvring the cruiser out from amongst a herd of private boats caused the rather dull owners some concern and rather silly comments, however the crew were soon away across the wind swept broad, heading home.

Later that evening just after dusk, 10pm, SOLITAIRE crept slowly onto the yard after her adventurous day.

A Picture by Sam O’Brien

2010-09-26T18:06:00.001+01:00

Here be the tales of Jack sparrow’s Yorkshire cousin Captain Arthur Pigeon alias Captain Jack Crisp

2010-08-23T10:11:00.001+01:00

Holiday aboard Royall Continental 3rd – 10^th July 2010

Here be the tales of Jack sparrow’s Yorkshire cousin Captain Arthur Pigeon alas Captain Jack Crisp

Crew:-

Ian Batty (Captain Jack Crisp)

Jill Batty (Galley Slave)

Chris Batty (Deckhand)

Alex Batty (Captains Assistant)

Deborah Moffatt (Stowaway)

Saturday 3^rd July

Leaving the house at 5.30am we set off heading for Royall’s boatyard Wroxham

We arrived at the boatyard at 12.30pm after a long journey and a trip to Morrison’s at Norwich for some supplies (beer) for the week. 1pm came and our boat Royall Continental was released to us to unpack onto, at this point the boat became a tip compared to what it was when we first set onto it, the boat was immaculately clean. Soon after Paul from the boatyard staff came aboard the boat and went through the safety talk with us then took us out onto the river where the boat became ours for the week. 2pm came and we were on our way towards our destination for the night Horning. We arrived at the New Inn Horning about 3.30pm where we moored outside the pub with the help of Gus (the mooring man).6pm came and tea time where we ate at the New Inn, what a lovely meal. When we had finished we sat on the back of the boat listening to a live Norfolk folk/swamp music band that were providing entertainment for the pub with the help of Gus banging on his tambourine.

The boat moored up in the boatyard before we set sail on Saturday afternoon.

The New Inn at Horning where we stayed Saturday night.

Sunday 4^th July

Sunday came and we went plundering the few shops in Horning with our main objective been the delicatessen only to find it didn’t open till 10am and even then at 10.15 when we went back it still wasn’t open but then again everyone is so relaxed down in Norfolk and we forgot that Norfolk time is way behind Greenwich mean time. After finding this out and looking round the shops we headed off away from Horning heading towards Salhouse Broad where we moored again. Once we had sorted out at Salhouse and paid our dues and demands for mooring we headed off on what they call a country mile on foot heading towards the watering hole at the Fur and Feather at Woodfordes Brewery and brewery shop, this was to buy/ collect orders we had taken at home from our friends for beer from the brewery and to buy some presents to take back home. After doing the shopping and walking the country mile back to the boat we had some lunch before heading off from Salhouse broad heading towards Ranworth where we were going to stay the night, heading through Horning we noticed the delicatessen was open so we stopped to plunder homemade cakes for afternoon coffee when we got to Ranworth. We eventually arrived at Ranworth at 4pm where we sat and had our homemade cakes, Tea was a BBQ then we sat on the back of the boat having leisurely drinks and talking before playing bowls on the square green, or trying anyway whilst the dog was picking the balls up and running off with them.

Monday 5^th July

5am this morning and dog was giving me a morning wash and wanted to go out, so much for the sleep in’s on holiday, having been for an early morning walk we had a relaxing morning before looking round the village shop and buying ice creams. Soon after we left Ranworth to have a steady sail up to Potter Heigham, on our travels we stopped at St Benedict’s Abbey ruins to have a walk round. Arriving at Potter Heigham at 1pm we had a leisurely lunch before heading off to Latham’s discount store and the other village shops looking for presents and just general bits and bobs. After an afternoon strolling round Potter Heigham we went back to the boat. Later in the day after we had some tea which consisted of chips from the chip shop, lovely they were, we strolled back into Potter Heigham to spend some 2ps in the arcades before going round the boatyard in Potter Heigham looking at boats and riverside properties that were for sale.

Potter Heigham Bridge.

Tuesday 6^th July

Tuesday came and we were half way through our holiday, this morning we went back to Latham’s for some essentials and rations for lunch before going back to the boat and filling with water and we left Potter Heigham heading for How Hill Staithe, when we moored up at the staithe we went for a walk to the Toads Cottage (formally the Eels keepers cottage) which has now been made into a museum and I suggest you visit if you are up that way on the water as it is really interesting. After looking round the cottage we motored on away from How Hill Staithe heading for Acle Bridge where we went for a walk to enquire how far it was to Acle village from the moorings, when we returned from the walk we set sail again heading for Stokesby. Arriving at Stokesby at 3pm we moored by the Ferry Inn pub where we met the Royalls convention, this consisted of us on Royall Continental, Royall Velvet 3 and Royall Stuart.

Toad’s cottage and vegetable plot at How Hill Staithe

How Hill Staithe

Royall’s convention: Royall Continental, Royall Velvet 3 and Royall Stuart

Wednesday 7^th July

6am came and we were up and ready to get motoring up to Acle, the reason for this was so we could venture into the village of Acle. We arrived at Acle about 8am and filled the boat with water before moving the boat a bit further down the mooring. Once we were settled we set off on foot heading for the village of Acle to catch the bus into Great Yarmouth, the walk took about 20 minutes and the bus stop for great Yarmouth was outside the Kings Head pub. We were advised by the boatyard to use the bus to get to great Yarmouth due to the rise and fall of the tide (6ft) and having a Labrador dog to get on and off the boat. The bus came and it was the X1 which was an express service which went straight down the Acle straights into Great Yarmouth. I thought I was the pirate robbing the rich (bus fares) we arrived at Great Yarmouth where the bus dropped us off at the Castle View shopping centre. Wednesday is a good day in Yarmouth as it is full market day. Once we had arrived at Great Yarmouth we walking down one side of the souvenir shops calling in at odd shops especially the rock making shop, when we got to the end we walked down the seafront before entering the beach to let the dog have a play with the sand between his feet, after leaving the beach we walked down the pier to the end and looked at the work they had done to the seafront at Great Yarmouth before walking back and walking up the other side of the souvenir shops. Arriving at the top of the shops where we began we went to the square with the famous chip stall on and got some chips and sat on a seat and listened to a man singing songs that people requested and selling cd’s, chips eaten and we carried on walking to Sainsbury’s to pick up some milk and other bits to last us the rest of the week before heading back to the bus stop to wait for the X1 coming back. The bus came and we got on it returning to Acle village and having a steady walk back to the boat arriving back at the boat at 3pm before having a relaxing afternoon.

Acle Bridge

Thursday 8^th July

Morning came and we were on our way again, leaving Acle we headed off towards Potter Heigham, once arriving at Potter Heigham we ventured into Latham’s once again for some essentials. Once we had looked round Latham’s and the few other gift shops in Potter Heigham we filled up with water before heading off again towards Ludham/ Womack staithe. This was a place we had never visited before so we went for a look to see what was up there, to our surprise when we got up there it was lovely staithe with a Blake’s shop, a gift shop and after a short walk you were in the village of Ludham which was a small beautiful village and we said that next year we would make this a overnight stay, once we had discovered Womack staithe/ Ludham village we ventured off again down the river to Ranworth Broad. Arriving at Ranworth broad about 12 noon we sat down for some lunch and a bit of relaxation time knowing that we had a mooring space reserved at the New Inn pub Horning so there was no need to rush, 3pm came and we ventured to the shop at Ranworth for a ice cream, even though it had practically melted before we got back to the boating the heat of the day. 4pm came and we set sail for the last time this day heading for a destination for the night, a place where we had already stayed once in the holiday but was well worth mooring there again, The New Inn Horning, I would recommend this pub at Horning to anyone who is staying in and around the area. Arriving at the new Inn at 4.30pm we moored with the help of the Gus, got settled for the night before getting ready and going for a lovely meal in the friendly calm atmosphere of the pub.

View from the mooring at New Inn Horning

View from the driveway of the New Inn looking at the moorings for the pub.

Friday 9^th July

Our last day came and we had yet another plan of where we were going, however it did depend on the tides. After a walk round horning for the last time in the holiday and a look in the shops for last minute presents/ treats for morning coffee and not forgetting the last few 2ps we spent on the slot machines at the New Inn we ventured away from the pub vowing if we went back we would return to the pub. Heading towards Wroxham we stopped at the nature trail at Salhouse but unfortunately the reserve is shut on a Friday and a Saturday so we couldn’t have a look round so we moored there for a coffee then headed off again heading for the boatyard at Hoveton, not to stay this time though. We stopped at the boatyard only to pick Nigel up so we could use his services to take us under Wroxham Bridge, thankfully the tides were just right and we got under the bridge and let Nigel off before heading up towards Coltishall. Arriving at Coltishall we stayed there for lunch and the afternoon relaxing and sunbathing in the sun, trying to get a tan to take home with us. Eventually we decided we had to head back towards Wroxham where we moored up by the Kings Head pub in the free moorings for a little while before ringing the boatyard to acquire somebody’s services to take us back under the bridge. Paul came and took us back under the bridge and took us back into the boatyard to conclude our holiday. Tea time came and Ken’s Fish and chip shop, well worth a visit if you are in Wroxham as the chips are lovely. Once we had finished our tea and had a tidy round on the boat and packed a few things into the car for the following morning we went for a walk round Wroxham, to the arcades and then for a final drink in the Kings Head pub.

Wroxham Bridge The view from the deck of the boat travelling up to Coltishall

Looking through Wroxham Bridge as we were coming back through it to go back to the boatyard. Back at the boatyard Friday afternoon.

Saturday 10^th July

We were up bright and early to pack the rest of the things in the car and have a final tidy round the boat handing her back very reluctantly at 8am before heading to McDonalds for breakfast. Leaving the boatyard for the start of our journey home at 9.30am. In the words from that famous film I’ll be back!

Penned by Christopher Batty (Deckhand)

Fun in the Park

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Early last Friday evening following a slight shower I rowed the Ant river punt home in choppy water as several late motor cruisers searched out overnight moorings.

To save an extremely early start the next morning for the “fun in the Broads” fete at Hoveton park, partly organised by Chris whose house boat HEATHER I had towed down from Belaugh with SHOVELER on Wednesday evening to lay on Bridge broad, I began to rig out the gun punts with their armament.

The river Ant punt is extremely old being reputedly built for a Catfield family in whose care it has remained until recently in 1880 by one of the Hickling Nudd’s. I am researching its history but certainly it was not built to carry a big gun having only a small snore hole through the stem perhaps to rig a light recoil line for an eight or four bore laid upon its foredeck, quite a common occurrence. At only just over fifteen foot long and thirty one inches wide it is quite tipply and designed to carry only one person, because the area where it was used is quite hard bottomed it would have been quanted with a twelve foot pole. Under twenty two coats of various shades of grey paint and a layer of canvas we found a camouflage design in service green and brown paint which we assume to have been painted following the second world war, this is the scheme we have restored it to and is not unusual on a Hickling punt, we do intend though to change it to grey in a couple of years time.

Having consulted with the police firearms department we made a replica four bore gun using two aluminium tubes and a wooden stock with no hammers or triggers, and this was mounted complete with the light recoil line.

Next I had to mount PLOVER’s extremely heavy big seven foot long, muzzle loading punt gun on its swivel through the gun beam. I built this punt in 1990 and is what could be loosely described as a Suffolk punt being narrower than those generally used in Norfolk. On the Broads the big guns bore tended to be smaller than the two or more inches used on the coast being around an inch or just over and firing about a half pound of shot to around an equal amount of powder. Being swivel mounted the guns had free traverse and elevation and although the professional gunners did not use recoil ropes several well to do amateurs chose to in the same manner as that used on PLOVER and the Nudd’s punt, but there were numerous fantastic designs to soften the recoil and save the gunners teeth and fisog.

Both punts lay complete and ready for the morning’s duty.

Saturday dawned overcast and drizzly, a situation that did not alter much although the morning remained almost dry with heavy rain following lunch. At about 6am I dropped the drogue over the Nudd’s punt stern and cast it away, tumbling into PLOVER using the short gunning oars I picked up the tow and slowly headed up stream, it was heavy going but at least the drogue stopped the following punt riding into PLOVER and as such we plugged on through the wet.

One or two early risers were about but the unusual sight of two fully, to all intents, armed punts emerging through the bridge hole in the rain seemed to make no impression. HEATHER had moved onto Porter’s old quay and Chris was moving around inside as I swung the punts under the park footbridge and moored them in the dyke. As I set up the signs and labels under the dripping trees, Tim the bridge pilot cycled up for a quick chat before I departed for work and he to prepare for the fete.

A prolonged downpour after lunch meant that when Sara the dogs and I visited the fete we found it somewhat deserted, a great shame after all the effort that had gone into organising it and so having talked to Chris on his HEATHER bric a brac stall and checked that the punts were alright we returned to the boatyard.

Later still I returned as the tents and gazebos were being pulled down to take the punts home. No one I knew was about and so having put all the signs on board I once again picked up the tow and rowed heavily back down stream, there was of course a lot more traffic on the river now, but managed to shoot the bridge relatively easily and proceeded on my way. Nudd’s punt, towing astern, dipped her camouflaged snout in the swell like some kind of navy gun boat on a mission and soon we turned in to row passed SOLACE’s wet shed to arrive home and dismantle the weapons, perversely Sunday proved overcast but dry.

Our week on the Royall Diamond 5th – 12th June 2010

2010-07-30T10:02:00.001+01:00

by Chris & Chris Barnes and Steve Yates & Jan Crowley

Day 1 Saturday

We boarded at 1.30pm and made our way out of the yard heading for the Lion Inn at Thurne for the night where we had a great meal.

Day 2 Sunday

we left Thurne, and headed to Potter Heigham to fill up with water and had a browse in the shops there. We then headed to Ludham Bridge for the night. we went to the Dog Inn and had a lovely dinner.

Day 3 Monday

Upped anchor and headed for Great Yarmouth across Breyden Water to head for Cantley to the Reedcutter for the evening meal there was brilliant.

day 4 Tuesday

Headed off to Norwich but we but couldn't moor so went back down to a little cut for a meal. then we headed for Rockland St Mary for the evening great time and a smashing meal at the new inn staff and owners lovely and very welcoming (especially Kev the chef)

Day 5 Wednesday

Had a walk to the shop in and around Rockland St Mary very pleasant took an hour to get there and back. We started off and had a poodle about but had to wait for low water to go back through Great Yarmouth. Once through we continued on to Stokesby to the ferry were we had a meal.

Day 6 Thursday

Poodled about all day taking in the sights then headed for Ludham Bridge again to go in Wayfarers for our meal which was good.

Day 7 Friday

set off for Ranworth to browse shop and have our midday snack then went back to the yard arrived at 5pm to a warm welcome from all at the yard then went to the Bridge Restaurant for our last meal it was OK !

Day 6 – The Last Day of Shoveler’s Broadland Gun Punt Adventure

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During the holiday there had been much discussion between the crew as to whether there was any chance of seeing otters whilst out and about along the rivers, so they were very surprised on emerging onto the aft deck following breakfast to see on the quay heading above where I lay the unmistakable signs of an otters meal. The same remains of blooded fish scales and fins that they find around the boatyard during the winter.

Bathed in the morning sun they walked the dogs along the riverbank toward the drainage pump where we moored in the brief rain storm earlier in the week, the reed beds were alive with birds and everyone and everything was stirring, a dirty yellow cruiser slid noisily around the bend, oh yes you’ve guessed it was “Thong man” again apparently completely naked this time, but no, thank goodness the strap is just well dug in, up river numerous females have swooned away and a couple of chaps are violently ill.

Meanwhile we look to see what all the fuss was about last night but one of the bad tempered fishermen’s boats has disappeared overnight leaving only a flattened area of reeds to mark where the fight took place.

In glorious sunshine we cast off for the last time and wind our way along fleet dyke onto South Walsham broad. This is quite small and the whole of one side is lined with various cottages and houses with a small staithe tucked away between. Beyond a narrowing gap we motor around the pretty inner broad as the small trip boat leaves the Fairhaven garden trust boatshed for another circular tour.

Having motored up the long straight dyke onto Malthouse broad there was some discussion about dropping the mudweight and using me to row ashore for ice creams, rather a good idea I thought as I fancied a Magnum or Solero, however time was pressing on and we had to return ROYALL OAK in a tidy and clean condition, and so swinging round in a large loop we returned back up river passed the waterworks and Horning church with its four apostles balanced precariously upon its tower, passed the Horning Ferry with numerous tradesmen working hard in the sun to reopen this most famous of broadland inns as soon as possible and back passed Charles's mill at Dydlers, the phone rang, Paul asks if we are near Thurne mouth as a yacht has rather butchered the CONTINENTAL. Resignedly we are informed that it has poked a nasty hole in her front toe rail to be repaired later in the week, but in the meantime the owner rings quickly to tell us that she unsurprisingly accepts no blame even though the woman skipper appeared clueless.

Salhouse broad looks busy, and then round the last few bends to return home. All the crews gear is removed from the OAK and once empty and forlorn a hot crew set too and clean her from top to bottom, TILLIE and RAVEN laying in their baskets in the sun alongside. Before returning OAK to the boatyard my drogue is hauled on board to dry and I am pushed into the shade of my punt shed to reflect on an excellent Broads holiday.