Liberty's trip to the Broads meet.

I was worried that he might give me his wife. What would the current one say???

Well, after the heroics I finished my pint and retired to bed.  The wind started to pick up as the tide come in.... this caused very uncomfortable swell.  It was becoming difficult to move about without holding on. Either that or it was the beer!!

I spent a restless night as the creaking of the mooring lines and the rocking of the boat and the slapping of the waves were not helping.  I woke at 4:00am and it was just starting to get light. There was no discernible difference to the boats in the harbour, nothing had broken free or sunk so I went back to sleep.

Most of the fishing fleet are staying put today, so I am like wise!!!

The embryonic plan is to set of on Sunday morning.  The last tidal window to leave Wells is 4:30am so it will be just light enough.  That gives me a straight run round to Gt Yarmouth of 5 hours.  This wind should drop overnight and there is a calm period up to about 3pm. By which time I should be approaching Acle ....... any good pubs with moorings and WiFi????

A girl in every port

LOL!!  I've enough with one in one port.

I checked my mooring lines this morning..... Iv'e never seen braided rope stretch like that..... it was like I was moored up on bungy elastics.  I added another set of springs and doubled up an the fore and aft lines.  
It feels unsafe to walk on the pontoons and there are white horses with spray in the harbour.
The sun is creeping out so I'm going shopping!!!

Running out of food, or running out of beer 

Deano,  I was quite envious, but I'm not sure now !   

Moorings/pubs on Bure are Ferry Inn at Stokesby, next Bridge Inn at Acle, no personal experience, just extracted from

http://www.mynorfolkbroadsboating.co.uk/norfolk%20broads%20pubs%20map.html

Good luck with the weather envelope, hope we see you safe and sound next Saturday.
Derek

I was running out of food, there's plenty of beer left!!!!   That's carefully managed!!  I also had to get of the boat for a while.  All the creaking and bobbing up and down can get to you after a while.

Thanks for the heads up on the pubs.... I'll let you know.

Being a solo boater has its ups and downs.....

You get to choose your own music.... all the time and the volume too.
You get to choose what to eat and when.
There's no one to tell you you have done it wrong.

BUT...

You have to tell an adult where you are going and when you are going to be there.
When you fall asleep at the wheel, there's no one to take over.
When you need a pee...... ditto.

but worst of all, it's ALWAYS your turn to do the washing up!!!!

Iirc the bridge charge for overnight mooring, but refund if you eat in the pub. We had a great meal there last time we visited, but that was a while back now.

The New Inn at Horning is worth a look if you can get that far. Stern on mooring, but they used to have a guy there to assist...and it's free for patrons


Whichever pub you choose, don't leave too late in the day to arrive, you probably won't get in.

Blimey guys, if boatlogger is correct, he's only gone and done it, shows liberty just off Yarmouth 

steering went again though, yet another 360 

In GY port now. Not long to the bure!

Blimey, 04:58 start [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Should have been earlier but slept in!! Left Wells at the very last minute!!

I wouldn't have slept at all if I knew I had to be up that early. Making good progress I see, where are you heading for?

Liberty wrote:Should have been earlier but slept in!!  Left Wells at the very last minute!!  

Still asleep at the Bure mouth ? 

Well done, fascinating to follow you, hope you felt the 'watchers' presence !

Wow, that's what you call a days boating, well done Deano. As you say Derek fascinating following him on the logger and Marine Traffic.
Looks like he will be there with plenty of days spare to get the barby going. Top man

Makes my excuse of a coil problem a bit lame !
Will be onto trying to fix tomorrow evening. I am away for 2 days this week so little time to fix.
Feel i have to get there to meet the big adventurer

Steve
Chickadee

JOLLY WELL DONE DEANO.... Look forward to meeting you on 1st Aug.  Single handed all my boating life - but alas now too unsteady to try. With my wife Catherine we will accompany Derek and his good lady.

Jim

I bet he's going for Wroxham and the heady atmosphere of Roy's in summer (what summer ? )
...........and a well earned beer/sleep

He seems to be going the other way now...overshoot Deano, or is it busy up there?

Wroxham was mental. But just wanted to use up the afternoon. Now moored in Horning. Time for a beer then early to bed. Full update in the Am!!!
Thanks for he support. It felt at times you were here with me. Night!

We all were  enjoy the well earned beer, a few more next week

Wells - Saturday night.
All that could be done in readiness for going to sea was done. Everything stowed away, life jacket at the ready.
Alarm clock set for 3:10AM!!

Wells Sunday Morning - 4:35AM
$h1t... missed the alarm clock.... it's already daylight.... I should have been out of here about 45 minutes ago....  Is there enough tide????
Dressed, engines started and cast off in about 2 minutes.....  There looked to be just enough water.... but was there????
I know there was a shallow stretch on the first bend in the harbour channel..... the depth sounder was showing a meter..... so far so good... as the shallows aproached it drpooed to 0.7M.  That's OK, but you don't know that I go aground when it shows below 0.6M!!!   Once through the shallow it dropped again to 1.?M.....  All good.  Once past the life boat house all should be good.... but NO....  What's that?  BREAKERS every where!!!  Poo!  I thought to my self
Wells has a infamous bar running across the harbour mouth.  There is a marked channel through, but this looked confused and bumpy.  As the swell goes up and down it can drop you on the bar with some force.....  is there enough water?????  Who knows.... anyway, there is no turning back now..... I won't be able to get back into the harbour.  The lowest I saw on the depth sounder was 1.2M. But occasionally it showed ??.?  Which is no reading.... too much stired up sand??  Or the bottom???
After a nervous few minutes the breakers were behind me and the sea levelled off.  That was the worst over.  Now follow the channel out to the Wells cardinal buoy and set course for Gt Yarmouth.
All was going well until I drew level with Sherringham.  I had heard bad stories about crab pot markers and them getting caught in props.  I thought my course would be far enough out to miss the worst, but still there were any number of buoys with flags on, plain buoys and crappy 5 litre cans marking the crab pots.  Some were virtually invisible until I was right on them.  Luckily I didn't have one of those 'steering failure' moments and was able to dodge through them.

The trip round the coast was generally uneventful (thank heavens) A bit of spray being thrown up from the bow but nothing too exciting and after a few hours at 12 knots (ish) I was running down the side of Scroby wind farm.  I think it was the effect of the turbine towers, but the sea was now running from behind and the boat was surfing down the front of the gentle swell.  Not enough to cause the boat to broach sideways, but quite a challenge on the wheel to keep her on course.  A number of boats were running around, fishing and fast RIBs out playing but all over a mile away.
As I made the final approach to the pier heads at GY there was a LARGE rig support vessel entering in front of me.  A quick chat on the radio to GY port to get clearance and Liberty followed the HUGE ship in.  Hence the squiggles outside the harbour mouth, killing time.

The rest was plain sailing.... under the bridge in town, up and through both arches of Breydon Bridge.... just 'cause I can and the mouth of the Bure was busy with hire boats sliding sideways on the outgoing tide.

A gap was spotted and GY yacht station took the lines.  What a relief to be on solid ground again. A river licence was purchased  (HOW MUCH!!!!  AND we only take cash on a Sunday....  only in Norfolk!!)

The trundle up the Bure was uneventful if a little tedious at times. On one engine from Horning onwards in an attempt to get close to the speed limit.

The worst part of the entire trip was the hire craft....  they are crazy!!!!!

I think I'm going to go to ground for a few lazy days........  See you at the meet..... if not before.... I've already had one visitor!!!

Thanks for the support on here and Facebook.....  I couldn't have done it without you..... now get off the computer and get on with some work......!!!

Sounds exciting, I do enjoy surfing a cruiser
Have a pleasant and relaxing few days

Do you have crew coming up for the weekend or will you remain solo?

Don't drop your guard DEANO those hire boats can spring a few surprises....! 
Looking forward to meeting you Saturday.


Jim