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Boating Tales From The 1970s
By Arthur
By now it was starting to get dark so it looked like we would not be able to make the Woods End at Bramerton that evening. So we were now on the lookout for somewhere to moor. It looked like the moorings at Cantley were full but we saw someone waving toward us and directing us toward a space that looked far too small for the boat. However, my first attempt at approaching a mooring was excellent and we were soon moored up for the night. Next morning we set off toward Yarmouth hoping that we would be able to buy some food items somewhere. Mooring at Reedham we went ashore and managed to find a small shop open. We spent some of the cash we had left on stocking up the larder for the next few days. We mentioned to the lady in the shop that we were on a boat and she started to tell us about how when people drowned in the river they used to hold the post mortems in the village hall. Whether this was true or not I have no idea but it was not the sort of thing you wanted to hear your first time on a boat.
Soon we were on our way across Breydon and we were amazed how fast the boat was when the throttle was fully opened. In those days the boats were not governed right back like they are today. In fact the power and size of the engine was one of the details listed alongside each boat in the brochures. We were aiming to reach Wroxham for the night so we pressed on though Yarmouth and up the Bure. Shortly after passing Acle we found ourselves among a large number of yachts. Some tacking and others following the same course as ourselves. We managed to get through without incident and it was rather nice to be thanked by yacht skippers after you had been good enough to wait for them to go about before proceeding. In fact the friendliness of everyone on the river was something that really impressed us. Everybody waved to us, both hire boats and private craft. Wroxham was crowded out even that late in the season so we turned back thinking we might try Ranworth or South Walsham. As we came round past the Swan at Horning we were amazed to find a place at the staithe. So that is where we spent the second night.
Next day was spent exploring the northern broads. We headed up the Ant with the intention of stopping for lunch at Stalham. The trip was made without major incident. We passed several yachts successfully despite our inexperience and the narrowness of the river. The only near disaster was when we reached Stalham. Not having been there before we followed Stalham Dyke and were caught out by the way the dyke comes to a sudden end. Still all was ok and we actually managed to moor. The galley was once again stocked up using most of the money we had left. It was obvious that at some time during the week we were going to have to find a bank and obtain some more cash. Lunch cooked and eaten we then set out once again back down to the Bure and up the Thurne to look at Potter Heigham bridge. We knew there was no way the boat would pass but after hearing so much about this famous bridge we wanted to see it. As we headed toward the bridge and made ready to turn another boat came through the bridge. A gentlemen, who we later realised was the bridge pilot looked straight at us and said something along the lines of, “You must be joking!” I think he must have thought we intended to get him to take us through the bridge.
Next we headed back down the Thurne and headed for Yarmouth with the intention of getting back across Breydon. We had misread the tide table by looking at the wrong month and when we arrived in Yarmouth the tide was still far too high to pass under the Bridges. There was nothing for it; we ended up stopping for the night at the yacht station. This did give us the chance to take a walk into town and obtain more cash. This cleared out the little I had in the bank but at least we were no longer totally without funds. Next day we set off across Breydon again and headed south for Beccles, stopping in Oulton Broad for lunch. Duly moored up on Beccles quay we thought about getting off the boat and going to the cinema. This turned out not to be such a good idea as we found the cinema was now being used for bingo rather than showing films. Alas another early night.
Next day we headed for Norwich. This journey gave us one moment of blind panic when we rounded a bend on the Yare to be confronted with an enormous coaster coming in the opposite direction. It did not look as if the ship would fit between the banks let alone allow is to get past it. We headed for the bank and stopped. As the large vessel passed by we were surprised at just how much room there actually was between her and the bank. We were certainly in no danger of being run down. We arrived in Norwich and took a walk into the city, getting totally lost and having to ask directions back the Yacht Station. On the wall near the yacht station we noticed a poster advertising a play at the theatre royal that evening. To make a change we went to the theatre and bought tickets. Cant remember a lot about the play but during the interval us two dressed as we had come of the boat stood out like a sore thumb amongst all the regular theatre goers all dressed up for the evening. Still it was a pleasant evening.
Next day we intended to spend the night at Reedham with the intention of spending
the final day making sure the boat was clean and tidy ready to hand back to the yard. We
would then head back to Loddon to spend the final night at the boatyard. Arrived
at Reedham hours too early to stop so we headed through the bridge and down the New
Cut. We then turned north again and headed back to the Yare via St Olaves. As we
approached Reedham we experienced our one and only major problem with the boat. The
sliding roof over the cockpit jammed solid and there was no way we would get under
the bridge with it up. Worse still the rising tide seemed to be sweeping us toward
the bridge and we were unsure if it would be safe to try and turn. Fortunately the
bridge man saw our predicament and was decent enough to open the bridge for us. After
mooring up it took as quite a while to sort out the problem, breaking one of the
pulleys in the process. Evening came and we were at last moored up in the yard for
the final night. We had now eaten everything on board and had nothing left to cook
that evening. We tried to persuade the boatyard to give our deposit back early but
were not successful. We went to bed that night having dined on half a mars bar each.
This was my first experience of the broads and despite the shortage of cash and the limited time it was for me to be the start of regular visits which continue to this day.
1975
After my first trip to the broads in 1973 I was now hooked and could not wait for the chance to come again. I was now working for a company that operated a 2 week closedown during the summer so my choice of holiday dates was now limited to the main season. Myself and another friend decided we would arrange another trip to Norfolk. Knowing how early the boats got booked up we made the booking in the autumn of 1974 for August 1975. As we had plenty of time to save we also decided we would go for 2 weeks and try and see as much of the broads as possible. First choice boat was not available but we choose another, a two berth wooden cruiser based at a yard in Wroxham. The boat looked really good in the brochure.
Eventually the time came for our trip and this time the journey had to be undertaken by train as neither of us drove at that time. Eventually we arrived at Wroxham station and set out to locate the boatyard. Presenting ourselves at reception there was no friendly welcome like I remember at Aston Boats on my previous visit. The man in the office simply said “what do you want?” as if they were not expecting any visitors. I gave him my name and presented the hire invoice to be abruptly told. “You’re too early, come back in a couple of hours”, after a long train journey we were not happy with this reception but agreed to do so. It was with some reluctance that the yard allowed us to leave our luggage whilst we went back into Wroxham to kill a couple of hours.
After having a meal and shopping for a good amount of supplies for the next few days we set off back to the boatyard. This time there was a lady in the office who after taking our money then asked one of the men if they boat was ready. We were told the boat was not quite ready and the lady invited us to sit in the office until it was. We were assured it would be ready shortly. We could actually see the boat from where we were sitting. It was over an hour before we were allowed to board and during that time we had not seen anyone go anywhere near the boat. At last we loaded all our gear aboard and then tried to find someone to do the usual trial run and instructions to allow us to leave the yard. It was another hour before someone came aboard. He seemed keener on stressing that any damage would be deducted from our deposit than instructing us in the operation of the boat. I had noticed on boarding that there was a fender missing. The rope was there but no fender was attached to it. His reply was, “You still have enough fenders, stop worrying about it”. I then expected a trial trip but he simply told as to go.
We headed under the bridge and were aiming to spend the first night at the Rising Sun in Coltishall. However, the moorings were full so we turned round and headed back down river, eventually stopping for the night at Belaugh Boats. This is where we discovered our first problem with the boat. The pilot light on the fridge just kept going out. Eventually after dealing with this problem on a regular basis we gave up with the fridge and left it off.
Next morning we noticed a couple of inches of water in the bilge and set too to pump it out. This boat did not have and electric bilge pump and it took a fair amount of pumping with the hand operated pump before the water was finally drained. After breakfast we headed back to the yard to report the problem with the fridge. No joy, the yard was deserted.
Giving up on the fridge we carried on down river to stop at Salhouse Broad for lunch. We moored up and then proceeded to cook lunch. The previous day we had purchased a chicken with the intention of cooking a Sunday roast. After a couple of hours we checked the status of the chicken. It was nowhere near cooked. We eventually had our roast dinner. The oven had taken 6 hours to roast a chicken. It was so late now we spent the night as Salhouse after a long walk to the pub and back
Next day we headed off up the River Ant going up to the limit of navigation and then
stopping for the night just above Wayford Bridge. Next morning my friend was really
ill. He felt so bad that I took the boat round to Stalham and we headed for the doctors
surgery. The doctor saw him almost immediately and then said that as soon as his
surgery was finished he would come out to the boat. My friend did not seem to be
getting any better and when the doctor came to the boat he insisted on calling an
ambulance to the staithe. The doctor told me he would be in for at least a couple
of days. My friend was destined to spend the next 4 nights in hospital in Norwich.
After the ambulance had left I was going to take the boat to Norwich ready for when
my friend would be able to return.
More things were destined to go wrong though.
I got as far as the Stracey Arms when I notice the engine was overheating and beginning to misfire. Looking over the stern I realised at once that the problem was probably a blocked weed filter. However, there were no tools on board so I had to phone the boatyard. It was now 5pm and there was no answer from the yard. I spent the night at the Stracey Arms. Next morning I spent so much time pumping the water out of the bilge I was sure this boat was leaking. 0915 I once again phoned the yard. They kept on telling me how to deal with the problem. I
already knew that but without any tools I was unable to. Eventually I managed to persuade them to come to my assistance. 4.30pm the van eventually arrived and a few minutes later the filter was cleared. It was now too late to continue through Yarmouth that day so I headed back to Acle where I moored for the next two days, travelling by train into Norwich to visit my friend. Whilst at Acle I decided to top up the water tank. As the tank became full I noticed the water coming out of the overflow was rather discoloured. I think that this may have been the cause of my friend getting ill. I let the water continue to flow until it was clear. This took some time. After that all water on the boat was boiled before use.
On the Thursday when I visited the hospital I was told he would be discharged the next day. So Friday arrived and we were both back on the boat and setting off for the Southern Broads. There were more problems to come though. Friend now recovered and returned from hospital we set out from Acle aiming for the Southern Broads. A good passage through Yarmouth despite the hazards caused by boats attempting to moor at the yacht station. In those days it was usual in peak summer season to see boats moored 3 abreast. This did not give a lot of room in the channel if you happened to meet a large craft coming the other way. Clear of the Yarmouth bridges we set off across Breydon. About 2 thirds of the way across once more strange noises were heard from under the engine cover. No sign of overheating or loss of power but nevertheless this needed investigation. Lifting the cover I was staggered to see an incredible amount of water in the bilge. Not just a few inches but a significant amount. Not relishing the idea of having to swim home it was all hands to the pump. Well at least one of us pumped like hell with the hand operated bilge pump while the other steered.
We made it to the Berney Arms fortunately. Once moored we took turns with the pump and thankfully the water level dropped. Eventually we had emptied most of it out. The problem was now apparent. A hose had come off the engine with the result that the cooling water was being drawn from the river but instead of being ejected via the exhaust was pumping straight out into the bilge. We pushed the hose back on but it took some time feeling around in the gunge at the bottom of the bilge before the clip was located. Not wishing to lose another day waiting for the boatyard the hose clip was finally secured with the help of a suitable knife from the galley pushed into service as a makeshift screwdriver. Boat no longer in danger of sinking we set about cooking. The cooker being so inefficient we had given up on the oven and only bothered with meals that could be cooked on the hob. Can’t give a breakdown of meals after all this time but I know we cooked a lot of those Vesta, ready meals, curry etc., as well as many items on toast. A lot of the time we managed to eat ashore.
Having at last had a bite to eat we decided not to risk making tea or coffee and went to the Berney Arms for some suitable liquid refreshment. From then on we visited a number of pubs, all very welcoming as nearly everybody seems to be in this part of the world. By this time we had made up our minds that no matter what happened now we were going to make the most of what was left of our two week holiday. Next day we set off for Norwich. This time with no further problem with the boat, apart from the usual amount of pumping required every morning. (Water was certainly coming in from somewhere but at least we could contain it). Stopped for a break in Thorpe village, just managing to get under the railway bridges. This was a matter of good judgement as there was no height indication anywhere on the boat. This is the only time I have not found this information clearly displayed on a hire cruiser. Arrived in Norwich and after another session on the bilge pump we had a meal in town.
After the problems at the beginning of the fortnight we had tried to eat ashore as much as possible. We had also tried to moor near a pub. Apart from the obvious reason for doing this it also enabled us to use their facilities rather than the toilet on the boat. This had been very smelly right from the beginning and we vowed to use it only in emergencies. It was now beginning to smell really bad but could hardly be in need of a pump out as we had only used it a couple of times.
Next morning we set out very early from Norwich and travelled all the way up the Waveney to Geldeston. A quick lunch and then back down river to spend the night in Oulton. Proceeding along Oulton dyke I was delighted to come across the wherry Albion moored to the bank. What a wonderful vessel. It must have been quite a sight a few years ago when these great wherries were in their heyday carrying cargoes on the Broads rivers. Another good night at the yacht station in Oulton Broad and in the morning I took a quick trip into Lowestoft on the train to get some more cash from the bank. Travelling back and stepping off the train at Oulton Broad South I realised that that the guard had yet to take my money for a ticket. No getting away with it though. There where a number of people getting off the train and he stepped down onto the platform and took the money off everybody before allowing the train to proceed. Off again and back toward Breydon via St Olaves. This time we crossed Breydon without incident and stopped for the night at Yarmouth Marina. Once again handy for a pub.
Next morning we decided to walk up the road to North Denes airfield and splashed out on a flight over the broads. It was rather expensive but was something to be remembered for some time. Very interesting trying to pick out the various rivers and broads from the air. In those days there was private flying from North Denes, I think now that it is only the helicopters flying from there.Off again up the Bure, the smell from the toilet getting so bad now it could even be detected on deck. I could not understand this. It was the same type of toilet that was installed on the Aston boat previously hired in 1973 and in that case there was no smell at all. In hindsight I would guess that when the toilet had been pumped out the tank had not been flushed through or possibly the thing had never been pumped out after the previous hirers.
We proceeded to Potter Heigham and waited for the pilot. Even he commented on the smell coming from down below. Through Potter I was rather interested to see another wherry, Hathor, being used as a houseboat moored at Martham Boats. I remember at the time thinking how great it would be to have her fully restored and sailing again. Next stop The Pleasure Boat at Hickling and then on to Horsey. Paid a small fee and had the chance to climb to the top of the windmill. The view from the top was well worth the climb. Off again and ended up at West Somerton for the night. Had a great deal of bother from a horse that kept trying to eat the top of the gear lever. He was a friendly animal but he seemed to being paying far too much attention to the moored boats.
Next morning we headed back down through Potter Heigham and stopped at Womack Staithe and went into Ludham for lunch. We just had to get away from the awful smell on the boat. Purchased several air freshener sprays in Ludham and gave the toilet compartment a really good dose of whatever fragrance they were. This seemed to subdue the smell for the time being. Suitably fed and lubricated we proceeded to Ranworth for the night. Another visit to the pub then back to the boat where the bilge pump once again demanded attention. Having got the bilge water down to a reasonable level again. I gave the toilet another good dose of air freshener and we settled down for the night.
1973
next page
A week or two later in early March I had managed to get enough money together for
the deposit. Next stop was a telephone box where after having decided on a boat and
a date I made the call to Hoseasons. Oh how different things were in those days. It
was early March and there was nothing available for hire as they were fully booked
until the end of September. So a late holiday it had to be. One of the few boats
they had available, even at the end of September was Aston Elm. This was a 4 berth
cruiser, 35ft long by 10ft beam. Much larger than my original choice. Still I was
not going to let the opportunity pass and a booking was made and I mailed the booking
form and the cheque the same day.
All I had to do now was to find someone else to
join me for the week.
It was not long before one of the staff from the yard showed us how everything worked and gave us a list of the daily engine maintenance tasks. Oil level, Stern tube greaser etc. He then took us for a short trip up the river and in no time at all we were on our way down the Chet. With the narrow river and all of the blind bends this was certainly a way to quickly get the hang of steering.
I had moved away from my parent’s home in the south of England
the previous autumn and was living in a rather dingy bed-
As we negotiated some of the narrow bends in the river we came upon a very interesting sight. A Bermuda class from F B Wilds at Horning seemed to be on the bank rather than in the river. On rounding the bend we could now see the exact state of affairs. The boat was not completely out of the water but had obviously been travelling at some speed and had steered away from the line of the river. The bow had climbed so far out of the water that the crew heaving hopefully with a boathook had no chance of getting it back in the water. A couple of other cruisers had stopped and it looked like one of them was going to attempt to pull the unfortunate craft back into the water. They waved us past so we never got to see how this incident finished up. However the boat was not there at the end of the week so they must have got it back in.
The following set of holiday memories date from the 1970s and are illustrated using postcards from the era.