Home Safe

We are now safely back on our home mooring another trip over and done with.

A Fitting End

Yesterday evening was a Fitting End to a truly fantastic holiday with a brilliant bbq evening at Torksey.

This morning we sent Nitty-gritty on her way home to Goole before we have come back to Lincoln to spend our last day on-board Naughty-Cal.

Back to Burton

We are currently sat on our home berth in Burton Waters taking on water and depositing rubbish. Next stop Saxilby to get some beer and then it is on to Torksey for the evening.

Not to Plan

So we couldn't get moored at Bardney village as the moorings were full so we continued further upstream to Washingborough and had a great meal in the Ferry Boat instead.

This has taken us one lock and a fair few miles closer to our destination of Torksey lock for tonight.

Moving On

We had a nice meal in Witham and Blues last night. We have now moved on and are having a short break at Woodhall Spa before moving on later to Bardney.

Up River

We had a cracking curry last night at Massama Zone in Boston. Today we are having a mooch around Boston before heading upstream to Langrick Bridge where we are booked in for a meal at the Witham and Blues steak house.

Back to Boston

We are now safely tucked up in Boston after a less than pleasant crossing from Wells.

It was very lumpy to begin with, both boats forced to keep speeds down to 4 knots for an hour or so.  But conditions improved and as we got towards Boston we were able to make up for lost time.

We easily made free-flow at Boston despite the hold ups.

We are all now looking forward to a curry tonight.

On the Move Again

We have had a nice couple of days in Wells next the Sea but today we are moving on again.

Today's destination Boston.

Unfortunately the weather has broken so we now have the canopies on for the first time since we left burton Waters a week and a half ago.

No problem though. We can't complain with the weather we have had.

A Day Off

We are having a day off travelling today and chilling out in beautiful Wells next the Sea.

We will get a bit of diesel at tide time. We used a bit more than expected yesterday as it was a tad lumpy. So we just need a bit of a top up to get us back to Boston safely tomorrow.

Wells next the Sea

Today we have travelled from Southwold to Wells next the Sea. It was a bit of a bumpy ride but we have made it safely to port.

Another Day in Southwold

We are having another lovely day in Southwold and will be sad to be leaving tomorrow morning.

In Southwold

We are now in Southwold harbour.

On The Move

We have travelled from Sutton Staithe to Stalham to Potter Heigham and now onto St Bennets Abbey for our final evening on the Broads.

Sutton Staithe

We are now sat in yet more sunshine at Sutton Staithe after heading under Wroxham Bridge this morning.

Through the Bridge

We have passed through Wroxham Bridge today and are now sat in Coltishall.

Another Day Another Pub

We have headed north today onto the Northern Broads. It is certainly much busier than the south.

Another Nice Day

We look set for another nice day. Today we are heading to the Northern Broads.

Loddon

We have just had a pit stop at the very pretty Loddon and are now on our way once more.

Another Day

It is the start of another beautiful day on the Broads.   Where will we  end up today?

Beyond All Odds

Well beyond all odds we made it  not  only onto the Broads but also you  through Beccles and onto Geldeston and the Locks And Inn.

On the Broads

We are now on the Broads.

Lowestoft

We are currently sat in the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk yacht club waiting for our bridge lift at 9.45am to let us through into the docks and onto Mutford Lock and the Broads.

Norfolk We Are Here

Naughty-Cal and Nitty Gritty are now safely tucked up in Royal Norfolk and Suffolk yacht club in Lowestoft.

Broads here we come.

Evening Jaunt

We had a lovely cruise down river last night eventually deciding to moor at Kirkstead Bridge at about 11pm.  We could have travelled further but there was space here so we took the opportunity and stopped for the evening.

Soon we will be back on our way as we head further downstream to meet  our 2pm appointment at Boston Grand Sluice.

Washing Up

Liam is now back at work leaving me at the marina to get Naughty-Cal ready to go this evening.

So far this morning I have scrubbed the outside of the boat and removed the canopies which have been scrubbed and are now drying ready to put away later.  Hopefully they can stay off for the next couple of weeks.

There is still a long list of jobs that need doing but  the main two are now done.

Do You Think We Should Tell Her?

Do you think we should tell Naughty-Cal what she has in store for next week?

Perhaps not!

Gathering Stuff

The new retainer clips arrived yesterday to fit to the now repaired cockpit table. Special thanks to Nick from Seabridge Marine for sorting them out for us and getting them too us in double quick time. We are heading across to the boat tomorrow evening so will fit them then in plenty of time before we set off to Norfolk.

We also have Liam's new tool bag to sort out. For years he has had a tool box sat next to the engine but it is a bit bulky and unwieldy and is starting to scuff the paint on the side of the engine. So he has bought a nice Mac Tools, tool bag which he plans to also sort out tomorrow evening and strap down behind the engine well out of the way of the belts. Then when we get back off holiday he will touch up the side of the engine where the box has rubbed.

Other then a quick shopping trip tomorrow to stock up on food, beer and whisky we are now pretty much ready to go.

Getting Organised

Yesterday it was time to start getting ourselves organised for the weekends trip down the Norfolk coast.

First up was a quick call to Boston's Grand Sluice to arrange our passage through the lock. Well it should have been a quick call but the lockie was worrying himself about our timings, he doesn't understand the ins and outs of planing boat passages and was busy trying to tell us we couldn't possibly make Lowestoft in the time window we have allowed before dark. Our locking is at 2.30pm and dark is at about 10.00pm and whole seven and a half hours of daylight to do a four to five hour trip. He still didn't believe me by the end of the phone call having told him we have done the trip from both Boston and Lowestoft both in under five hours previously!

With the lock booked it was time to then book Naughty-Cal and Nitty Gritty into the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club for an evening on Saturday evening. This is a nice spot to pull in and settle in for the evening in the yacht club bar after a fairly long stint at sea. The marina is located just inside the pier heads at Lowestoft so is an ideal location to break up our trip.

We have decided amongst ourselves that the 9.45am bridge lift will be the best for us to head through Lowestoft docks on Sunday so by 11.00am we should be through Mutford Lock and onto the Broads proper. 

A Few Minor Mishaps

It is safe to say that this weekend didn't exactly go to plan. We couldn't get Nitty Gritty's props off as someone has put the nut on far too tightly so it wouldn't come off with the prop removal tool. And then we managed to drop Naughty-Cal's teak cockpit table in the engine bay damaging the end and smashing the bilge pump cover in the process!

Liam has managed to repair the damage to the teak although it will need to be redone when we get back from the Broads as he isn't happy with the colour of the filler he has used, but it is fine for now and will do us whilst we are away on holiday. The bilge pump is still operative but again will need replacing when we get back to keep it water tight. 

Other then these small mishaps on Saturday morning we did have a fine weekend with a short run into Lincoln where we spent Saturday enjoying the bars in town. 

Now both boats are tucked up again in the marina ready for next weekends run down the coast. If all goes to plan this time next week we will be cruising the Norfolk Broads and dodging hire boats.

 

An Evening Out

We all enjoyed a great evening out in Lincoln last night finished off with a meal in Ribs and Bibs. 

Today will be a steady day getting a few bits sorted out for next weekends off.

Torrential

It has been a day of torrential rain today.   We are currently chilling in Lincoln,  having a few beers and planning next week's adventures

A Change of Plan

This weekend we were supposed to be heading to Dunham Bridge to meet up with friends Luke and Sammy onboard Total Angel. They have taken on a summer mooring at Newark but as yet we have not had the chance to meet up with them.

However looking at the weather forecast which is pretty much rain all day tomorrow, we have decided to call this off.

Instead we will spend Saturday pottering about and getting Naughty-Cal and Nitty Gritty ready for their trip to the Broads next weekend. We don't have loads to do but the time would be better spent sorting out the few odds and sods that do need doing rather then sat on a wet and blustery mooring on the Trent. The major job of the weekend will be changing Nitty Gritty's props which were unfortunately damaged on their way up the Trent. 

Full Up

After the big wedding of the year we had the task of getting both Nitty Gritty and Naughty-Cal back to the marina in time to fill them up with fuel before the marina office closed. Of course we both set off to the Norfolk Broads for our summer holiday next weekend so we needed to ensure that we both have enough fuel to make the trip. No point leaving it until the last minute and then finding out they don't have any fuel. 

We managed to squeeze 150 litres into Naughty-Cal not bad considering it is over six weeks since we last filled up and since then we have been out in the Wash, on the Trent to West Stockwith and Dunham and ploughing up and down the Witham using the boat every weekend.

So this coming weekend we only have a few bits and bobs to finish off. For Cal it is just a bit of a clean up and unloading any unnecessary clutter that we don't need to take with us and for Nitty Gritty it is a new set of props to be fitted on Saturday morning. Then we should both be ready for the off by Sunday afternoon.

The Big Day - Part 3

The final part of this series of photos are from the reception in the Riverside Inn and are all taken by Mandi Huntington who caught the evening so very well in camera.

The Big Day - Part 2

Another mixed selection of random photos from the big day for you today. Again in no particular order and by a mixture of people.