Norfolk Broads 2011

I love spending time on our little narrow boat, Lily Ann. Pottering up the canal, passed open farmland or a wooded cutting, watching wildlife by the canal side or simply enjoying the slow rhythm of the waterway is a wonderful way to spend time.

But … it’s not sailing.

There is something quite special about being on a boat that moves smoothly through the water under the persuasion of a gentle breeze or thrusts forward with bows splitting the waves propelled by a strong headwind. It’s perhaps even best of all when the boat in question is made of wood so that everything about the boat and its movement speaks of man’s unity and connection with nature.

With such thoughts in my mind I hired a traditional 26ft traditional wooden gunter rigged sailing boat called ‘Twilight’ on the Norfolk Broads for the weekend of the 1st October and invited Mark to join me. Last year we had spent a magnificent day’s sailing on the Broads in an open boat and I was keen to build on that experience hiring a yacht with an engine and cabin this time in which we could sleep overnight.

I had decided that we needed a yacht with an engine so that we could motor her to a mooring in the case of bad weather. I need not have worried. We choose quite fortuitously the hottest October in decades and used the engine to escape becalming rather than run against poor weather. I had packed a selection of clothing for a typical October weekend including woolly hat, scarp and my thick yacht jacket. At the last minute I decided to pack a thin summer shirt and just as well I did for it was all I wore for the whole cruise (well, a pair of trousers as well!). Mark and I spend a good deal of our time slapping on sun cream and marvelled at the thought of getting sunburnt in October.

We drove up on Friday 30th September after work and arrived after a slow journey at the boatyard in Horning in the dark. I had made up a list of items to bring with me which for some reason didn’t include a torch! Luckily Mark had a torch in his car and with it we managed to locate Twilight and navigate our way on board, at least until we found the on-board lights to illuminate the cabin. And a cosy space she turned out to be, complete with two berths, a cooker and a sea toilet. The coach roof was raised to provide reasonable headroom at one end although this tapered quite dramatically towards the bow. The cockpit was large and covered with a large tarpaulin shelter. After a meal in the adjacent pub we settled down for the night in our berths.

We woke about eight just as the boatyard was waking up for the morning. It wasn’t long before we were shown the ropes by a member of the boatyard who also suggested a cruising plan avoiding bridges. By 9:30 we were motoring off the jetty and made our way a short distance up the River Bure to the Hoverton Little Broad. The idea was to raise the sail in the Broad but when we arrived the water was as smooth as a mirror, shining in the new morning light with a hint of mist still in the air. It may not have offered us the opportunity to try out Twilight’s sailing abilities but it was a beautiful spot none the less. Mark raised the main, quickly getting to grips with the idiosyncrasies of raising a gunter rig which involved raising the throat halyard and peak halyard in unison for a while before tightening the throat halyard and then fully raising the peak halyard. Within no time we had a mast full of sail but no wind. Well the only option was to motor sail so off we set back through the entrance to Hoveton Little Broad and turned east along the Bure with the little diesel engine chugging away.

So we spent the rest of the morning making our way down the Bure fishing for a breeze to fill Twilight’s sails. We unfurled the tiny jib and were able to turn the motor off occasionally but always having to resort to the ‘iron sail’ when the wind died. By the middle of the day we managed to gently sail into Ranworth Broad and then moor up stern-to to stop for a pub lunch. Suitably refreshed we set off again as the wind picked up in the afternoon and after passing the entrance to the River Ant we came to the junction with the River Thurne where we found ourselves in amongst a sailing race! Having extracted ourselves we turned north and headed on a run up the Thurne passed the turning to Ludham before shortly after turning round (not without some mishap when the sail lost all power in a wind shadow) and motor sailed head to wind south towards our final destination for the day, Acle, enjoying a cup of tea and afternoon snack on board. For some reason tea always tastes better on board a boat.

The weather which had started warm and bright became hotter and hotter and the broads swarmed with people out on boats enjoying the unusual but welcome Indian summer. By teatime we had moored up by Acle Bridge as the sun began to set and paint the clouds on the horizon a beautiful ruby red. We had our evening meal in the local pub (the Bridge Inn) and then retired to our bunks for the night.

The following morning we woke to yet another glorious sunny day with clear blue skies, the cockpit covered with heavy dew. By 9:30 we set off again on a run all the way up to Ludham where we planned to stop for yet another pub lunch and meet up with Mark’s daughter Helen who was planning to travel up from Ipswich.

So we set off with the sail full out catching the light morning breeze that moved Twilight gently but steadily through the water. With her sails up she seemed capable of taking the slightest breeze and making way. We sailed serenely over the water, passing the reeds that line the banks along that stretch of river on either side. When the motorboats with their noisy engines had passed by we were left to enjoy the silence and the pure pleasure of being at one with the water and the wind. It is difficult to imagine anything better. Wonderful.

Running with the wind behind us we made good way up the river and by 12:00 turned off along the Ludham dyke headed for Ludham village and the local pub. Twilight managed a reach along the dyke for quite a way before we were forced to use the iron sail yet again. The reeds banks that characterises the open

river scenery of the lower Bure gave way to hedges and trees that came down to the water’s edge and created a delightful green waterworld. Moored up at the end of the very pretty Womack Water we made our way into Ludham village and quickly found the Kings Arm where we were shortly joined by Helen. After a large roast Sunday lunch we set off once more on Twilight while Helen waved us goodbye from the quayside.

Now we began the journey back to the boatyard to return Twilight for the end of our cruise. The journey west back along the Bure took us head to wind for almost the whole length and so we were forced to rely on the engine yet again, frustrated that the wind had picked up but was in the wrong direction! However as we got closer to Horning we made a valiant effort at beating up the river until we were thwarted by the disappearing afternoon wind. Motoring on we passed the houses, many with their own jetties that line the river as it approaches Horning. I must admit to feeling a twinge of envy at the thought of owning a house by the river with its own mooring for a boat. It was with a certain sense of sadness that we tied Twilight back up at her boatyard mooring and reset the awning leaving her as we had found her.

We set off at about 6pm on the journey home having left Twilight behind but with many happy memories of a wonderful weekend of sailing.

~~~~~~~~

Passed the reeds that,
Nod in reverence to the wind,
We sailed, with cloth held wide,
And mainsheet slack upon the beam,
Over the smooth and languid water.

To Ludham we made our way,
Along the wide and open Bure,
With the sun’s warmth upon our backs,
The sky a cloudless blue,
And the day still young and fresh.

On the silky water,
Our cares and worries drifted away,
And all the heavy burden of life,
Seemed to belong to another world,
Far away, like some distant dream.

As the sun rose overhead,
We found ourselves in Womack Water,
Where green of bush and tree,
Touch the water and sent reflections,
Dancing on the ruffled surface.

We found a mooring,
Tucked in amongst a company of boats,
That lined the quayside by a grassy square,
And made our way to the village pub,
Carrying memories of water, wind and sail.

 

 

Passing reed beds on a run