Norfolk Broads - Bureside Holiday Park

 

Cruising up the Bure towards the entrance to Ranworth Broad

Another Broads rally.  This one, for the first time, was based at Bureside Holiday Park, which made for an excellent venue.  There's a decent slipway and acres of space for camping, with electric hook-up all round for those that need it.  It's a good venue and, I am sure, one to which we shall return.

Kizzy came along and enjoyed her walks.

Lugger 'Jimbo' in action

On day 2, we took a short trip up the River Thurne to Womack Water, where there are some handy moorings for a walk into Ludham

7 September, 11.8nm

8 September; outward bound yellow, 2.9nm; return red, 2.6nm

I was pleased with the return trip from Womack Water to Bureside Holiday Park.  Beating into the wind, this track shows over 90 tacks (red track) which, when put together with the outward (yellow) trip, means that we went about well over 100 times...  Once out in the river, I managed the entire return trip without engine

Oulton Broad and the River Waveney, 6-7 October 2023

 Such is the way of things, I decided it would be good to do a first 'overnighter' with my English Springer Spaniel, Kizzy aboard.

The weather being generally inclement and regular access ashore imperative, the Norfolk Broads was the only sensible option.  So, we headed over to Oulton Broad to use the public slipway at the Sports Centre.

Having rigged and launched, and it being fairly late in the afternoon, we motored along the River Waveney to some official moorings and set up the tent.  

Kizzy waiting for permission to eat her food!

The tent is a bespoke affair, created by the previous owner, and which extends the existing sprayhood, creating a sort of dome, which is just about big enough for two people to lie down.  The boat has cabin cushions aplenty, although it would be challenging to keep these dry if it were to rain!  And, I have created a platform which extends the deck for ease of sleeping aboard.  It is best described as 'functional', although I'll look to invest in the standard extended tent supplied by Anglia Yacht Brokerage if it looks like any more serious overnighting is in the offing, since it offers much more space and is a better all round design.

The next morning, we motored up to Beccles for elevenses.  Winds were quite gusty and from the SW but, as usual, the reeds and trees on the shoreline provided a substantial filter.  So, we set sail back to Oulton Broad and had no further use for the outboard.

I recorded some footage which is included in the following clip:

5.2nm, 6th October pm

3.2nm, 7th October am

8.3nm, 7th October later in the morning

Hickling Broad rally, 16-17 September

 

It was a great pleasure to return to this favourite corner of the Norfolk Broads and, once again, as a part of a Drascombe Rally.  Moreover, it presented a first opportunity to test out my theory that the Deben Lugger would go well on the Broads - and indeed, Daisy IV did…. The copious quantities of weed, by and large, slid under the hull/rudder as expected and the sail shape was sufficient to catch the wind over the reeds when navigating channels.  

This video captures a flavour of the spirit of the weekend:

On Saturday, I had company in the form of crew plus Kizzy, the Springer Spaniel.  On Sunday I was single handing with a single reefed main in a slightly stiffer breeze.

10.5nm

7.3nm

Finally, a fellow sailor put together this rather enjoyable summary of the weekend…!