Stories 1950s Dragons Logs Page 2

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1950 .... continued

5th June (Monday) AKH, AKMH, JLEH Left 9.00am by taxi. (driven and owned by Sonny Cox of Cox Bros. The car was yellow and black with leather upholstery, and the luggage was tied onto a collapsible rack on the back) Dragon was left moored at Barton Turf in the care of Cox Bros.

16th June (Friday) HEH, AKH with Ian and Tiny Aitkin arrived Barton by Road 9.15pm, some difficulty getting aboard as the Cox’s (with keys) could not be found!

17th June (Saturday) Left Barton Staithe about 10.30am, motored though Paddy’s Lane & hoisted sail in the Ant heading for Stalham. Ran into port bank at one of the sharp bends. Pulled off (astern) with engine & sailed down to Barton Broad as far as Pleasure Hill. Turned (with some difficulty), touched bottom, used engine to force way through the mud. Sailed up to Stalham arriving in time for lunch. Moored at “Limberlost’s” mooring. Spent the afternoon attending to Limberlost. After tea motored to Stalham Staithe took on water and petrol. Motored to Barton Staithe. Arrived 8.00pm collected Elnora from Cox’s yard.

18th June (Sunday) Sailing Elnora. John Proctor arrived am & helped pm with stowing. All left 5.00pm by road.

23rd June (Friday) AKH arrived Barton 3.30pm (rail to Wroxham, bus to Neatishead, Sonny Cox cab to Barton)

24th June (Saturday) Mrs and Miss Winifred Preston arrived am.

25th June (Sunday) Settling in.

6th June (Monday) AKH Left Barton am for Cheam. (at that time we lived at 66 Sandy Lane) The Preston’s spent a week onboard.

From this point were written some very rough notes kept by HEH.

28th July (Friday) HEH joined for annual 3 week holiday AKH, AKMH, JLEH aboard.

29th July Provisioning

30th July (Sunday) Left Barton 2.55pm with Elnora in tow, arrived Ludham Bridge 5.00pm, left 7.45pm, Ant Mouth 8.05pm, Ranworth Dyke 8.55pm

1st August (Monday) HEH Fell overboard 9.00am. (As he could not swim, and none of us wore lifejacket,s this was a mildly dramatic event in which he received a wonderful bruise on his leg while getting out of the water via the rudder) Left Ranworth Dyke 9.30am arrived Wroxham Broad 12.05pm. From Monday to Friday raced Elnora at various times in Wroxham week, Liam Hudson joined us for a while.(During the week a very well kept motor boat would come alongside and sell us vegetables and ice cream)

4th August (Friday) AKMH Birthday. Left Wroxham Broad 6.50pm. Sailed part of way, engine trouble. Arrived Horning 9.15pm

5th August (Saturday) Engine repairs am (chocked jets). Left horning 12.30pm, Ant Mouth 1.23pm, Ludham Bridge arr 1.50pm dept 2.15pm, sailed from Irstead to Barton Staithe arrived 4.00pm. Auntie Una joined us !

6th August (Sunday) Moved onto Barton Broad.

Last Wherry race on Barton Broad

7th August (Monday) HEH, AKH, AKMH sailed Freckles (20ft half-decker with centre board) in the Ant race, thereafter AKMH sailed Elnora in various races while the rest of us were busy with the wherry race.

Four Wherries came to the start line: Albion (trader) Norfolk Wherry Trust

Claudian (pleasure) Mr Hamilton

Ardea (pleasure) Flora Cunnliffe

Dragon (pleasure) HEH

All Wherries had professional skippers for the day. Dagon’s was Nat Bircham plus as crew HEH, AKH, AKMH, Liam Hudson, John Bircham. Also on board JLEH, Aunt Una and John Bircham’s girlfriend.

Started with mud weights down and gear on deck. Dragon first up with sail. Albion first away. Course Southwards – West gap – East gap (Deadmans hole) northwards, round north buoy. Twice round, Albion led by substantial margin all the way. Other three were repeatedly aground south of the Island (Pleasure Hill) Ardea finally unable to get off to complete.

Dragon and Claudian finished very close, Claudian 2nd Dragon 3rd (Claudian was the only wherry at that time that did not have a wind vane, only a large burgee, Ardea had side stays on her mast, the result of a near miss by a bomb during the war. We were disappointed that the other sailing Wherries did not show for the race, they were Bramble, Hathor and Solace.) Nat Bircham sailed Freckles in one of the later races. Returned to the Staithe in the evening.

8th August (Tuesday) HEH, AKH, AKMH, JLEH & Liam Hudson (Aunt Una left to go home) 4pm Dragon left Barton towing Elnora, Ludham 6.30pm, Potter Heigham 8.20pm

9th August (Wednesday) Moored Potter.

10th August (Thursday) AKM & Liam racing Elnora. AKM Badly damaged forearm needing Doctors attention due to being trapped between Xit and a motorboat. (She tried to fend off a reversing boat but used her arm as a fender!)

11th August (Friday) To Horsey Mere and returned. Sailed from Potter Heigham Bridge, Heigham Sound & also across Horsey Mere, slow progress on return (under power) through Meadow Dyke, took the ground often in Heigham Sound. Arrived Potter rail Bridge 11.00pm!!!

12th August (Saturday) Through Potter bridges 6.30am. Shortly afterwards while we were buying milk etc at the Bridge stores Fossey (the dog) boarded the Yarmouth bus on her own and was lost!

Looking for Fossey

13th August (Sunday) Fossey found, after much calling and cycling between Ormsby and Rollesby. (We had had to stay in our temporary mooring down river of the road bridge, no bypass in those days, in case Fossey found her own way back. Not only did we have the noise of the road but there was a steam driven cake-walk with only one tune, IVE GOT A LOVELY BUNCH OF COCONUTS, did we get fed up with that! The nickname of the showman owner painted on the side of this noisy machine was Rhubarb.

We also saw a great attraction in the pub garden (up river and on the Yarmouth side of the Bridge). In the garden by the river was a large sign which read DON’T DISTURB THE WATER OTTER! Attached to the post supporting the sign was a course, rusty chain which disappeared into the river and, when some well oiled customers had gathered, one of them was encouraged to pull the chain very slowly in, so as not to wake the Water Otter. Being a good Broadland river the chain was very muddy, and in those days when people went out for the day they dressed in their best clothes, so the puller of the chain got his/her clothes spattered in mud to add to his/her problems. Much advice was shouted from people on the Bridge who had a very good view. Eventually the end of the chain came in sight and there, tied to the chain, was a very dirty, very rusty KETTLE. Of course the puller threw it back into the river with considerable force and as the chain ran out it sprayed mud in all direction)

We left Potter at 12.45 for Great Yarmouth arriving 6.15pm (we left Elnora at Potter)

15August (Tuesday) After a quiet day in the Yacht station we left on the last of the ebb tide for Breydon 7.10am , Breydon 8.15am, Haddiscoe bridge 10.12am, 0ulton Broad 12.10pm.