Picture of the WWW

East Anglia has always had a long tradition and association with the marine and tourism industry An internet based resource  was needed to meet the needs of the marine and tourism industry, that is so prominent in a county that’s bordered by the North Sea, boasts the inland waterways of the Broads and holds the status of a national park, both industries are a vital element of Norfolk’s economy however the past year hasn’t been the best – people are being scared off from investing in boating and holidays thanks to growing debt and fears over the slowdown in house prices.

With UK retail sales falling over a twelve month period for the first time in more that three years whilst internet sales increased to over 16% over the last year.

So how could the wealth of information that the internet held become part of every day business practice. To meet the opportunity to expose business to a broader audience. Back in January 1997 living just outside Portland, Oregon, USA,  James and Fiona Clabburn bought the domain name Norfolkbroads.com. In today’s market web design and website hosting for commercial organisations is a big business market with lots of players in Norfolk. One of the most successful design and hosting companies but also an ambassador for the region as a place to do business and to visit  James and Fiona Clabburn found that the  principle issue facing all smaller websites would be that of being readily found on the Internet. James says, ‘with many businesses finding their marketing budgets  far more cost effective on line and the percentage of their budgets they spend there are ever increasing. Many companies have realised that the web offers unique opportunities to reach new customers, target advertising effectively, and deliver strong measurable return on investment.’

With tourism set to get a much needed boost this year with so many families deciding to take their annual holiday in the UK. It has been reported that a real sign of hope is out there for the East as it is well placed to avoid the bite of the credit crunch in 2009, due to it’s thriving potential to draw tourists. With both the marine and tourism industry being a major employer in various capacities,  and is worth about £470m a year to the local economy.

The big question is just how does a industry that is such a traditional trade, achieve the optimistic view of business leaders. The lowering value the pound is the most important factor in propelling people towards the east coast from all over the world.
In short, it’s a bigger industry with many more facets than people might realise. The challenge is to ride out the economic slowdown and ensure that these historic Norfolk trades are shipshape and set fair for the future. Originally the company was run from offices based in the gardens of the family home however to mark ten years of continued growth and success in June 2008 NorfolkBroads.com moved to their purpose built offices in Rackheath with a major investment in equipment to further meet the needs of business and tourism for the future now employing ten people the company is set to meet the challenges in delivering a quality service.

In the time honoured tradition of keeping a business model as simple as possible the Clabburn’s set about creating a website that could not only promote the region but also be the perfect vehicle for businesses to hook into for maximum exposure. In the first year of trading 1998, 8000 visitors viewed a few score entries mainly boat yards and guest houses. Today the site is not only a directory but a guide, history and forecaster of trends in the region – and it also provides “speakers corner” an, at times, controversial exchange of views from anyone who wants to contribute to what is now an opinion-forming and at times challenging forum. The Company now enjoys the opportunity to design and build other people’s web sites through the creative arm of the business Innershed and can show over 500 to date. James Clabburn says, ‘with 83% of businesses in the East of England having a website, (putting the region ahead of the rest of the country), It’s forecast that most private individuals and certainly all businesses large and small should take full advantage of the internet’

NorfolkBroads.com has achieved in it’s ten year existence over 2.5 million visitors per year  and in so doing has put the East of England on the world stage. If you need a design and host team to create a powerful site they will offer you numerous testimonials from a broad range of clients.

The lowering value the pound is the most important factor in propelling people towards the East coast from all over the world.
“If you look in the perspective of drawing inbound visitors into the country, the low value of the pound is one of the pluses, because it is cheaper for them to buy,” said Michael. “It is always hard bringing in more visitors from overseas, but hopefully the work we have been doing over the years as a county with the East of England Tourism Board and our partners will bear some fruit in 2009,” he added.

Research by the tourist board also shows that travellers from the UK are going to be choosing Cromer over Copenhagen and Norfolk over Norway. “People love coming to Norfolk and it has a great following. With the exchange rate working against foreign holidays at the moment, all the research shows that people will be changing their holiday habits and reviewing their budgets,” said Michael. “Tourists in 2009 are going to be taking fewer holidays, but ultimately they are going to be choosing Norfolk. Norfolk has a stock of quality accommodation and attractions.
Michael feels businesses should act now in order to profit from the potential tourist surge. “Don’t cut back on the marketing. Make sure you’re on the portal websites – Visit Norfolk, Visit Norwich and your District Council’s own website, such as the Greater Yarmouth Tourist Authority website. “Make sure your adverts are in advertising guides. Be ready, be there and get out there as quickly as you can,” said Michael.

An appeal is now being launched to raise £35,000 for a finger pontoon which will provide temporary moorings for launched craft, seven permanent moorings, and fishing facilities for people of all abilities. It will be floated in front of new quay heading on the site of the old staithe.

Work to redevelop the derelict staithe as a village amenity is being carried out by BESL (Broadland Environmental Services Ltd) as part of the creation of new flood defences in front of the British Sugar factory at Cantley.

At the moment there is only one other public slipway on the River Yare and the Cantley slipway, which is near a water ski zone, will provide a much needed free amenity for dinghy sailors, canoeists, water skiers and anglers.

Robert Beadle, parish council chairman said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to attract more people to the river and our riverside pub. We hope to encourage youth groups such as Scouts to use the facilities and the annual Cantley Regatta, which is at present confined to broads cruisers, would be able to include dinghy racing. It is intended that the pontoon, which will be wheelchair friendly, can also be used for fishing.”
Lesley Marsden, Broads Authority Landscape Architect said: “This is a multi partnership project which has been a long time in the feasibility, design and fundraising stages. Its ultimate success will be due to the hard work of the community members of the project team led by Robert Beadle. I believe it will be the first new public slipway for a good number of years.”

The £270,000 Cantley Staithe Project has been financed by two landfill communities fund schemes, Biffaward and WREN, Broadland District Council, the Broads Authority, the Inland Waterways Association, Cantley Parish Council, and the Environment Agency Fisheries with help in kind from British Sugar the Broads Authority and the Environment Agency.

The Cantley Staithe Management Group, comprising respresentatives from the Reedcutter pub, British Sugar, the Broads Authority, Cantley Parish Council and local volunteers, will be responsible for allocating permanent moorings and the maintenance of the staithe.

Reproduced by kind permission of Broads Authority

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Innershed can help you promote you website. Norfolk is sometimes ‘behind the times’, but with Innersheds help, you can be on that first Google results page. Check our site out and contact us if you would like our help!

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Want to find information about the Norfolk Broads? Then www.norfolkbroads.com has all the information you will ever need. Find hire boats, boating holidays, water front accommodation, plumbers, caterers and many more!

Now that NB.com is on Facebook, its even easier to keep up with all you Norfolk Broads needs!

Sailing Boat on the Norfolk Broads

Before you invest in any type of watercraft, you must teach boating safety to make sure your family knows how to properly, operate the watercraft. You yourself will need to take a class on watercraft safety before you purchase a boat. You may also want to enroll your family in the watercraft safety class as well.

If however it is not possible for your family to take any kind of classes then you should read up on all of the boating safety materials you can find. Once you are confident that you know how to safely, operate the boat or watercraft you can then teach these things to your family members.

Both the young and the older family members will need to know this information unless the family member is too young to understand. You can teach these things to your family members before or even after you have the boat or watercraft. After would be much better as your family members can actually see the part of the boat you are talking about or demonstrating.

You must go over every part of the boat or watercraft with each member of the family and let each family member operate each part of the boat also. Therefore, you know that the family member understands how to properly, operate the part of the boat.

The reason you need each family member to know how to properly, operate the boat or watercraft is for safety. If something should happen to an adult while out on the boat or watercraft, the younger members of the family can get the family safely back to the shore. Then get help for the adult if help is, needed.

In addition, to the safety issues there is the fun factor. Each family will want to participate in the driving or operation of the boat or watercraft. Boating is fun and recreational as you and your family can do several things while out boating.

Family Boating can be, done for playtime as in riding tubes, skiing, or simply swimming off the back of the boat. Family boating is also an excellent way to fish for the much larger fish that stay out in the deeper waters.

There is also the best reason of the entire boat or watercraft ride, just simply to enjoy being out on the water and taking in the sun. Family Boating is an excellent way of getting out on the weekends with your family to just, get away from everything else.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Irsan_Komarga

George William Manby

George William Manby was born at Denver in Norfolk and for a short while attended the same Downham Market school as Horatio Nelson. It is doubtful the twelve year old Nelson would have remembered a child seven years younger but the common experience later assumed great significance in Manby’s life. Manby’s father had fought with the Welsh Fusiliers under Wolfe at Quebec and his son trained as a gunner at Woolwich. At seventeen, he volunteered to serve in the American War of Independence but he was turned down on grounds of his height. He was never a sea captain but a served with the Cambridge Militia – the equivalent of a nineteenth century, Territorial Army. Manby eventually inherited a small estate at Hilgay, near King’s Lynn and Lordship of the Manor but things didn’t go well and he moved to South Wales. Manby’s wife sought relaxation in the arms of a Captain Pogson of the East India Company, who shot Manby in the back of his head. Taproom gossip had him walking away from a duel. The lovers fled the country, leaving Manby to nurse his wounds and his debts. At thirty eight years of age, he wrote a treatise on the threat posed by the French. His pamphlet brought him to the attention of the Secretary at War and looking like a tramp, Manby desperately offered his services to assassinate Napoleon. The Secretary had been a fellow officer in the Cambridge militia and instead decently appointed Manby Master of Great Yarmouth barracks with the rank of Lieutenant-Captain.

In the nineteenth century, the seafarer’s lot was dangerous. The East Coast was the country’s main north-south highway but between 1866 and 1875, nearly ten thousand ships were lost – excluding fishing vessels. About one percent of fishermen drowned every year – which seems a low figure until one considers that fishing for thirty years earned a thirty percent chance of drowning. The first chart of the North Sea wasn’t produced until 1847 and up to the end of the nineteenth century many skippers were illiterate.

Yarmouth Roads provide some scarce shelter along the East Coast and it was usual to see a large fleet of ships anchored off the harbour. On February 18^th 1807, a storm swept a sinking merchantman onto the gun brig Snipe. She was carrying thirty French prisoners of war and a number of women and children but had to cut her cable and was swept on the beach close to the pier. The wreck was only sixty yards off the beach and a local pilot named Phineas Grimble bravely tried to get a line out to her but became so entangled with the rigging that the line he was carrying strangled him. No one made another attempt and only twenty souls out of a total of ninety-eight on board survived; the rest either drowned or died of cold and their cries were heard by everyone on the beach. Manby had stumbled across the paradox that ships are in greatest peril, not in the middle of vast oceans but when closest to shore. The loss of the Snipe clearly made a great impact on him and he wrote:

“I then made a vow that if it pleased God, I would produce a means to prevent a similar occurrence.”

Manby remembered that as a young gunner at Downham, he managed to fire a line right over the church (he broke one of the church windows in the process). After some initial difficulties stopping the line closest to the shot being burnt through, he developed a mortar small enough to be carried on horse-back. The following year, the brig Elizabeth of Plymouth stranded 150 yards from the shore at Great Yarmouth and with Manby in charge, the crew of seven were all rescued. Manby is reported to have fallen to his knees and cried but overcame his emotion sufficiently to persuade the master, John Prouting to write a statement describing the incident. The Navy viewed the soldier’s attempts to help sailors in difficulty as impertinent but Parliament voted him two thousand pounds for his invention. The famous Manby Mortar was used in the rescue of a thousand people and only became obsolete with the arrival of the Boxer rocket in 1865.

Manby was never quite satisfied with his lot and felt his inventions should have been worth a knighthood; a delusion regularly often reinforced by various courtiers. He wrote regularly to Dawson Turner, a wealthy Yarmouth banker and patron of John Sell Cotman, complaining of government indifference. After the death of his first wife, Manby married Sophia Gooch. The arrangement failed to find favour with his bride’s brother, later Sir Thomas Sherlock Gooch and heir to the family fortune and a substantial estate in Suffolk. He regarded Manby as a penniless mountebank; an adventurer whose motive in courting the forty year old Sophia was to get hold of her fortune and he carried on a relentless campaign of slander and vilification against Manby. The success of this defamation was considerably aided by Manby’s own behaviour. He continued to spend long periods away in London and even Paris, hoping for the Legion d’Honneur; whilst his wife was left in Yarmouth in virtual penury to fend off creditors and a long suffering sergeant ran the barracks. Medals and minor honours were showered upon him and 1831 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society; yet still no knighthood. Debt was a constant problem as Manby developed the ideas that flowed from his mind in the form of uncontrolled enthusiasms. When the owner of his London rooms seized his medals, Manby was panic-stricken but Dawson Turner bailed him out again. Manby was pompous, proud; full of his own importance and ridiculous in the eyes of many of his contemporaries; yet he made a significant contribution.

He experimented with fitting wooden barrels into under the thwarts of a lifeboats as an early example of built-in buoyancy. James Beeching built an example was built in Yarmouth, which for some reason, was tested in Lowestoft. Manby was not popular there, whilst safety at sea was regarded by many on the beach as an unwarranted intrusion into their rightful living. The lifeboat was launched and floated when filled with water but the lifeboatmen began to rock it from side to side. It turned sideways to the tide and capsized. Manby couldn’t swim; indeed confessed to a terror of the water. The crew helped his Beccles tailor ashore (history does not relate why on earth he was on board) but the diminutive Manby was left to his own devices. He later remarked that the incident proved any man could swim if put to it but was afraid he had hastened the end of an Admiral Pakenham, who despite gout had gone into the sea to help him.

A whaling trip to Greenland generated similar resentment of his ideas from seamen but resulted is the invention of a harpoon with an exploding head – Manby cannot possibly have realised the implications of his invention on ballistics over the following century and a half. He produced an early percussion cap in an age of muzzle-loading, flintlock weapons, although he often wrote that the idea of taking life rather than saving it was alien to him. He went on to design the first powered lifeboat, the first chemical fire extinguisher (which he named the ‘Extinctor’) and an elastic ‘jumping sheet’ to save people leaping from blazing buildings.

None of Captain Manby’s inventions won him the status and income that he so desperately sought. At the age of eighty he was finally removed from his position at Yarmouth barracks and moved to a modest little house on the High Road in Gorleston, looking out over South Denes to the impressive pillar erected to the memory of the Norfolk Hero. Whilst his wife was dying on the first floor, Manby’s lifelong delusions about Nelson lead him to transform the ground floor of the house into a rather sad little Nelson museum and continuous correspondence with the Nelson family. He commissioned his own memorial, which he had erected in the tiny front garden of his house. A later occupant found the mortgaged marble structure so out of scale that he had it removed by the council. The tiny Captain Manby died penniless and alone at the age of eighty-nine. Despite his delusions and pomposity, it doesn’t seem quite what a man who’d saved so many lives deserved. Manby Cottage hasn’t even warranted a blue plaque.

Bittern Model in Southwold Reading Room

No other traditional craft quite equalled the rich diversity of commercial sailing boats that were built to work from British beaches. Lute-sterned Hastings luggers had little in common with double ended, North Norfolk crabbers; which in turn bore little resemblance to the cobles that launched from north eastern beaches. Standing astride this magnificent diversity were East Anglian beach yawls. They were quite simply the longest, fastest and most spectacular of them all. Usually written ‘yawl’’ the word is pronounced ‘yoll’ and a corruption of the Scandinavian ‘jolle’, describing an open boat. They weren’t yawls at all but the name stuck. The beach yawl Thought was recorded sailing the 8 miles between Yarmouth and Lowestoft in thirty-four minutes – an average of 16 miles per hour – in the mid nineteenth century. A magnificent, yet strangely forgotten genre of vessels and men.

Before the railways came to East Anglia in the mid 1840s, nearly all cargo had to be transported by sea and usually unloaded on a beach. A large number of Beach Companies serviced the thousands of relatively small coasting vessels.They covered about sixty-five miles of coast from Happisburgh in the north, to Shingle Street in the south and usually maintained a range of boats for specific jobs. In 1882, Winterton played host to two Beach Companies of sixty men apiece. The Blue and the White Companies operated from Sea Palling and painted their oars to match. The prosperity that followed the herring shoals ensured Great Yarmouth was home to the largest number of Beach Companies including the Standard, Diamond, Roberts, Denny, Holkham and Star companies. Three companies operating from Gorleston on the opposite bank of the River Yare seem to have been the last to function on the East Coast. The Storm, Rangers and the strangely named Young Flies Company latterly kept their yawls inside the Haven at Brush bend.

The companies functioned as co-operatives. Some had over two hundred shareholders with a proportion allocated to widows and dependants. Usually about one percent of earnings went to the needy. There were unwritten (illiteracy was still a problem in 1900) rules that a man had only to touch the boat during launching to claim part of crew’s share. The Companies maintained tall lookout posts, usually next to their ‘shod’ where the gear was stored and constantly scanned the horizon. First to arrive at a ship got the business. The beach yawls that they used for rescue and pilotage became their pride and joy and earned them big money.

Beach yawls were maintained in a permanent state of readiness. To launch, the mizzen was set first and sheeted to a long bumpkin; whilst other crew members carried the moveable ballast, usually sacks of sand and gravel that were easy to empty before returning to the beach in a rough sea. Some yawls were berthed on skids, so that as soon as the stools were removed, the vessel immediately moved. In anything of an onshore wind, a hauling off line would be used. Once afloat, the crew piled in and the lugsail set with halyard and burton to windward. They went to sea in all weather and their crews displayed superb seamanship.

In the first half of the nineteenth century, the longer ‘yawls’ were three-masted luggers. Those based in Great Yarmouth tended to be longer than those on other parts of the coast with several over sixty feet long. They were clinker built, had no keel or leeboards and . with low freeboard, needed crews of twenty-five or thirty men to sail and bale them. It was not uncommon for the leeward rail to be eighteen inches under water as they powered their way through the short North Sea chop to pilot a ship through the treacherous outer banks that defend the East Coast. Skippers never gave a second thought to sailing across the banks and yawls often bumped. The long, narrow hulls gave devastating performance on a reach but were not quite so convincing to windward. Tacking had to wait for a spell of calm water when the lugsails could be lowered and re-hoisted on the other tack and it was essential to take seas bows on, as one over amidships could easily swamp their shallow hulls.

The most successful beach yawl of her day was Reindeer. She was a three masted lugger, seventy-five feet long, with a beam of twelve feet and built by Jermyn of Great Yarmouth in 1838. When the schooner America won the Queens Cup in 1851, the beachmen issued a challenge to sail a match for the required £200 purse. Today, it’s easy to overlook that America was specifically constructed to win money for her owners. Commodore Stevens of the New York Yacht Club, one of the America syndicate, sent one of his friends to Great Yarmouth. As soon as he saw Reindeer’s speed on a reach, he advised declining the challenge; ostensibly on the grounds the yawl was an open boat and not a yacht. Just to make sure; the visitors also raised the stake money to £1,000, an impossible figure for the beachmen, who took their rebuff as a compliment to their outstanding vessel.

Subsequently it appears the above para ranks as a load of oft-repeated (and reprinted) bollocks. The Great Yarmouth Mercury ran a story not long after America had won the cup to the effect that the NYYC Syndicate had sold the boat to a new owner who intended taking America to the Med. He wasn’t interested in accepting wagers/challenges, although he did say £2,000 might persuade him.

James Beeching of Great Yarmouth was already well known for fast beach yawls when he began to tinker with lifeboat design. His family hailed from Bexhill, where they were noted for their smuggling exploits and in the early years of the nineteenth century he built fishing boats and fast vessels in Hastings that owed at least some of their existence to smuggling. When the business failed in 1816, Beeching set up again in Flushing and in 1819 famously launched a smuggling vessel, endearingly christened Big Jane. By the mid 1820s he returned to England, settling in Great Yarmouth, where he set up a yard near the old Trinity House base. An eccentric army captain from Gorleston called Captain Manby, who was already well known for his rocket launched Breecher’s buoys and cork lifejackets, commissioned Beeching to build a lifeboat fitted with barrels for built-in buoyancy. James Beeching began to tinker with his own lifeboat designs an in 1851 he won the hundred-guinea prize offered by Rear Admiral Algernon, Duke of Northumberland for the best design of a self righting lifeboat for the RNLI. Beeching’s entry was closely based on his beach yawls and the old smuggler’s feelings on mixing in such exalted company can only be imagined.

Several of Beeching’s products have survived but alas no beach yawls. He was something of an innovator and all of his boats seem to have been constructed with ‘joggled’ timbers; that is ribs rebated to accept individual planks. Whilst this produced a stronger hull for launching off a beach, today it provides restoration of his work with just another headache. Smaller, commercial sailing vessels built in Great Yarmouth (including Norfolk Wherries) are notable for what is known as a ‘Yarmouth hump’. This is a slight reverse sheer or ‘hump’ in the sheerline between the bow and the shrouds, sometimes said to help keep spray out of the boat.

Although largely redundant by the 1850s, a number of Beach Companies retained their magnificent open boats for increasingly competitive racing and the beach yawls developed into a celebration of the Victorian obsession with gambling. In 1853, the Young Company of Lowestoft became the first to abandon three masted yawls when they built Mosquito. By 1892, her successor The Young Prince was too old to race and a group of wealthy gentlemen clubbed together and built Georgiana. Although relatively short at forty eight feet, she was probably the fastest beach yawl ever built. Not to be outdone, the Old Company went to G.L.Watson, who was still working on his design of Britannia for the Prince of Wales, to draft the lines of Happy New Year, the fifth yawl to bear that name. Henry Reynolds of Oulton Broad built her in 1894. Despite their pedigree, Happy New Year and Jubilee; also designed by Watson never really equalled the locally designed Georgiana.

The last yawl race was held at Lowestoft in 1907, although Yarmouth continued for a little longer. The majority of yawls went through to the Broads to live out a peaceful retirement as houseboat or motorboat conversions. Only one is known to still be afloat; a small, thirty five foot Caister yawl called Cafila which was converted to a motorboat many years ago. Happily lines were taken from several examples and a number of fine models are in existence before they disappeared completely. These spectacular vessels have captured the imagination of generations of East Coast sailors and it only remains for someone to produce a replica so another generation is able to see one in action.

Juno - Blakney Spit

Hubby and I recently found ourselves at 7.30am standing on the quay at Wells bathed in glorious sunshine but swaddled in fleeces and waterproofs because it was blowing a ‘hoolie’. We were about to have a mini adventure on the north sea together with eight very good friends, all complete landlubbers, who arrived shortly after us in convoy mode, spilling out of their cars laden with picnic baskets, fleeces, blankets, cameras, kitchen sinks not to mention vast quantities of wine!

It all started twelve months prior at a charity auction doo, and our table, after having quaffed a fair amount of grape juice, put in a bid to spend a day on a boat sailing along the North Norfolk coast, inspecting the seals and getting down and dirty in the sand at Blakeney with a picnic - Bliss!  Much to our surprise we got it and it took the next twelve months to get the ten of us, the weather, and the boat to agree to a date.

The day finally dawned and the prayers for sunshine had paid off – it was one of those days that artists love, crystal clear light and visibility, with scudding clouds racing across a sailors blue pants sky.

We found our way down the dock and waited in a state of great excitement and expectation alongside a wonderful little sailing barge called Juno, whose Captain (Charlie) and his stalwart crew (Jill) were making last minute preparations to go to sea.  At last they were ready for us and we heaved ourselves on board and Jill busied herself showing us around the boat, telling us what not to put down the loo and stowing our huge amounts of luggage (you would think we were setting off for a two week holiday in Holland than spending just one day on the boat).

We all then had to sit down in the cockpit armed with a warming cup of tea passed up by Jill from the depths of the galley and listen to our safety talk.  The general idea was for us landlubbers to stay close to the cockpit until we got more comfortable with the motion of the boat and to hold on at all times – one hand for oneself and one for the boat.

The fun started when we had to put on our lifejackets which were stowed under the cushioned benches where our bums were parked – of course without leaving our seats,   All I can say is, for those who are not sailors, a lifejacket is not an easy beast to fit properly over extra layers of clothing – too many straps with not enough give for those of us with big boobs or tummies – God help you if you blessed both!  Amid loud gruntings, gaspings, and holding in of stomachs, elbows in eyes and much giggling, we managed to fit them on.

The Captain started the engine, cast off and we gently moved out of the berth. Juno pushed forward on an ebbing tide, gliding past all the brightly coloured beach huts and the Lifeboat station and the smell of the bacon wafted up through the galley hatch (one of our landlubber party had volunteered to provide bacon butties for breakfast.

As the boat reached the open water, our Captain and crew shook out the sails, stopped the engine and set a course for Holkham Beach.  The wind was blowing a mere 30 mph making Juno heel over and start to pound over the waves, driving along at a good clip with the spray flying across the deck and covering the would be sailors in a fine coating of salt and starting just a shiver as the cold bite to the wind found its way down each neck of the fleeces.

The butties were a little slow in coming up, so I went down to see if I could help.  It was becoming hot down below as the hatch was half closed and our valiant chef was looking a little peaky round the gills.

She was actually cooking the bacon in the microwave, timing the opening of the door when the boat was on the downward side of a wave so that the bacon did not fly out of the micro down the length of the galley with each lurch.  She was hanging onto the butter, the ketchup, the chopping board and wondering which foot she should use to field the buns as they bounced around the worktop.

Between us we managed to make everyone a buttie, despite one of our party asking for the fat to be cut off the bacon!   Feeling much too icky to respond with something withering, we duly cut off the fat and handed him his diatetic buttie.  All this concentration on moving objects was having the usual effect and it was not long before the pair of us galloped up the companionway steps, gabbling “that was it” , and “we had had enough” and by the way, “there was a  piece of bacon left over”. We then sat very still, gazing at the distant horizon, tummies gradually returning to normal.

After a while, feeling somewhat more settled, I thought I had better go down below and clear up the bacon fat and bread crumbs.  While I was mopping the sink I spied this congealed leftover piece of bacon which I promptly threw in the bin thinking that nobody would think of eating it now.

Job done, I went on deck and was confronted with “while you’re down there can I have another buttie please!   I meekly went down below without comment, fished out the bacon from the garbage, attempted to wipe off the fluff that seems to inhabit even the cleanest of rubbish, took the fat off it, stuffed it in a bun dash of ketchup and handed it over – it was greatly enjoyed fluff and all!

Once Holkham Beach hove into sight, Juno was turned back and set onto the Gin and Tonic course – following sea and wind producing a gentler motion easier on the stomach and much warmer – everyone was in great humour, chatty and relaxed, even though my husband was by this time steering!  I have to confess, he has spent most of his life sailing boats both as a career and then for pleasure and was enjoying himself immensely.

Juno is so responsive and she has the feel of a much bigger boat and she seemed to inspire in us all a feeling of safety and wellbeing while we creamed down to Blakeney Spit.

We rounded up into the wind and our ever efficient crew dropped the sails and we gently cruised under power toward a spit of sand.   This was our destination, the home of the seals.  They were basking in the sun with their tails and heads lifted towards the warmth like giant sausages waiting to be picked up and dipped into bbq sauce.

We dropped anchor in the quiet waters of the inlet a scant 12′ feet away from the seals and waited for the water to go and for the boat to be marooned high and dry.  It doesn’t seem right somehow to sit on a boat waiting to be aground.  I have only been aground on a non voluntary basis and that was a very bumpy and frightening experience!  However Juno settled gently, perfectly upright and almost wriggled her backside with pleasure to be finally ashore and resting.

Well now what to do for the next 4 hours?

The only thing you can do in that situation short of putting the kettle on is to break out the grog!  We suddenly all found our appetites were well and truly wetted having survived vomit free, our initial sea voyage and we eagerly tucked into the fine spread of food which magically appeared out of all those bags that we had heaved on board.  Finally, fully replete we sagged against the cockpit coaming (our lifejackets at this point were threatening to suffocate us due to belly expansion) watching the seals who were swimming ever closer, curious to see what these humans were up to.

Finally the water had gone leaving the most wondrous impressions in the sand, ripple upon ripple, swirl upon swirl a complete sculpture of a landscape ever changing with each new tide.  A ladder was brought and tied to the bowsprit and we were expected to climb down it and onto the sand.  Having surveyed this, several of the party decided that the bunks seemed a better option and disappeared down below to sleep of the excesses of lunch.

The rest of us gingerly navigated our way downwards onto the sand and with the sun behind our heads and the wind propelling us forward set off towards the distant dunes armed with nothing but a camera and a piece of toilet paper in case….

Several lagoons away, we came across a wreck which lay mostly submerged under the sand – only a part of the boiler remained recognisable, barely large enough for one person to stand in.  Well what can I say, there was no one around to see us, so what if 60 somethings behave occasionally like 10 somethings.  We splashed through the lagoons (crikey the water was cold), chased stranded crabs and we pretended to be Captain Bligh or Jack Sparrow (depending on age) in charge of the fine ship Woebygone, marooned on a desert island with the Juno, albeit hard aground, coming to rescue us.  Fat chance! The rest of the party were too busy snoring to hear any cries we might make for help!

The sands around Blakeney Point provide such a beautiful desolate landscape with only the calling of the seals and crying gulls interrupting the distant sound of the sea and we watched the cloud formations charging across the sky dominating the horizon in every direction.  Observing the force of nature seems so good for the soul.

Time flew by and before long it was time to return to Juno and await the tide.  The wind seemed to be getting stronger as the afternoon wore on causing clouds of sand to blow almost horizontally across the beach, reducing visability, stinging our bare legs and feet and hardening the sand into ridges, making the inward trek a lot less pleasant than the outward one!

Juno was a welcome respite from the sandy wind and after getting rid of the sand and salt by dibbling our feet into a bucket of exceedingly cold fresh water, we climbed the ladder back to the safety of the cockpit and watched the foaming water rushing back around the hull.

The seals were basking in the sun on their tiny piece of sand, taking full advantage of the heat before they too were covered by the creeping water.

Before long Juno was lifting free of her temporary resting spot, it was time to start the engine, power back off the beach and set a course for Wells.  Hubby back in charge of steering again, so sails unfurled, Juno set off into the wind and sea, bolting for home like a starving Labrador at supper time!

The trip back was exhilarating.  We found ourselves shrieking with laughter as Juno plunged over each wave, the wind causing great sheets of spray to whip across the deck, hitting us full in the face. That together with the run off swirling around the cockpit, took barely five minutes before all of us were soaked through to the underpants!

People are so funny when caught in adversity. I can guarantee that if this had soaking had happened on a trip to the supermarket, laughter would have been the last thing coming out of our mouths!

Before we  all turned into pillars of salt, we found ourselves sailing up to the channel leading into Wells Harbour, the sea calmed, the pitching stopped and we managed to catch our breath.  Our crew dropped the sails and Juno powered her way slowly into the harbour on the incoming tide.  This was our cue to drip our way down below, mop salt water out of every orifice, thank the Lord that we had made it back in one piece and pack our bags.

Just as the day was beginning to fade into dusk, the Captain eased the boat into her berth alongside the quay and cut the engine. That was the end of our Great Adventure. We all looked at each other in that moment of peace that comes from surviving a scary but fantastic moment with good friends.  Goodbyes and sincere thanks to the very patient crew were said, bags were handed onto the dock as were we, still a bit shaky from the thrill of the sail and the cold.

We waved to the valiant Juno and its crew and made our way back along the dock.  On route, we were stopped by a complete stranger and asked if we had just come off that boat and was it available for hire and was it good?  In unison we chorused “Oh yes, and worth every penny”.  As we kissed each other goodbye and made our way back to our respective homes, I think we all felt sad that such a special day had ended.

Would we do it all again? You bet you life we would – although I think the bacon butties will be ‘off’ next time!

Green Boats

Sunday 13th September 10am- 4pm, Salhouse Broad, Norfolk

“Cleaner and Greener” is the theme of this year’s Green Boat Show on Sunday 13th September at Salhouse Broad in Norfolk.

The show is open from 10am to 4pm and is the longest running boat show in the country showcasing green energy, sustainable “low carbon” boating and environmentally-friendly practices. Demonstrations of rowing, paddling, pedalling, sailing, electric and biofuel-powered boats as well as fuel cells, solar panels and wind turbines will all be available. It promises to be a great day out, with children’s activities and workshops running through the day in the beautiful surroundings of this Broads beauty spot.

About 1,000 people are expected to turn out for the event where they will be able to take to the water in a wide range of boats including canoes, kayaks, electric, pedal and rowing boats, yachts and dinghies. They will also be able to travel to the show by electric water taxi. A regular return service will run all day from Granary Staithe by Wroxham Bridge, starting at 10.00am.

In addition to the boats on show, Broadland District Council’s energy bus will be promoting ways of reducing household energy and giving away free energy saving items. The Broads Authority will be providing practical advice and on ways to help improve the quality of water in our rivers and offering free green boating products.

There will be a large marquee with displays from local companies and environmental organisations. A traditional jazz band will provide entertainment and light refreshments will be available. Admission is £3, including car parking, whilst the 20 minute water taxi trip from Wroxham, including show admission, is only £5. There is generous car parking in fields close to the broad.

This is the fourth annual Green Boat Show organised by the owners of Salhouse Broad, who kindly donate the broad and surrounding land, and the Broads Authority with support from the Electric Boat Association. Exhibitors wishing to participate in this year’s event can register on the Green Boat Show website www.broadsgreenboatshow.co.uk or contact Rachael Evitt, Broads Authority, on 01603 756002.

For further information contact: Peter Howe on 07887 480331; Tobi Baker 07795 145475 or Hilary Franzen, Broads Authority Press Officer, on 01603 610734; mob: 07775 563030; email: hilary.franzen@broads-authority.gov.uk.

A chance to try your hand at canoeing in the most beautiful parts of the Broads comes up this Saturday morning—for free!

From 10 am to 1pm on Saturday May 16^th the 10 canoe hire centres in the northern and southern broads will be offering their canoes for a free hourly trial on a first come, first served basis.

The centres have varying numbers of stable Canadian canoes which each hold three people and are suitable for adults and children. The silent propulsion and fact that they are low in the water allow you to take time to explore the narrower, reedy waterways and get close to the wildlife.

“Canoeing is a wonderful way to explore the natural world of the Broads and become absorbed in it,” said Tobi Baker, Countryside Ranger for Salhouse Broad. “We wanted to give everyone the chance to experience it.”

Canoe camping is also becoming increasingly popular. It is available at all the centres for £35 for a 24 hour period. Campers must bring their own equipment and the centre will provide a map of designated rough camping sites.

The usual hire charges are £30 a day or £20 a half-day. For hourly rates enquire at the centres.

The following centres are taking part in the taster day:

Bungay - Outney Meadow Caravan Park, NR35 1HG, tel 01986 892338, www.outneymeadow.co.uk

Burgh St Peter - Waveney River Centre, NR34 0BT, tel 01502 677343, www.waveneyrivercentre.co.uk

Geldeston - Rowan Craft, NR34 0LY, tel 01508 518208, www.rowancraft.com

Hickling – Whispering Reeds, Staithe Road, NR12 0YW, tel 01692 598314, www.WhisperingReeds.net

Martham – Martham Boats, Valley Works, Cess Road, NR29 4RF, tel 01493 740249, www.marthamboats.com

Salhouse Broad, NR13 6RX, tel 07795 145475 or 01603 722775, www.salhousebroad.org.uk

Sutton Staithe Boatyard, NR12 9QS, tel 01692 581653, www.suttonstaitheboatyard.co.uk

Thorpe St Andrew – Broadland Boat Club, Girlings Lane, Yarmouth Road, NR7 0HE, tel 07963 268415, www.broadlandboatclub.org.uk

Wayford Bridge – Bank Dayboats, NR12 9LN, tel 01692 582457, www.bankboats.co.uk

Wroxham – Barnes Brinkcraft, Riverside Road, NR12 8UD, tel 01603 782625, www.barnesbrinkcraft.co.uk

For further information contact: Hilary Franzen, Press Officer, on 01603 610734; mob: 07775 563030; email: hilary.franzen@broads-authority.gov.uk or Tobi Baker on 07795145475

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