Not a big turnout this time, but a thoroughly enjoyable meeting all the same. 9 Boats turned up, and for once there was plenty of room on the moorings and all got onto the electric (even for the gazebo lighting and music !)

Only 14 members attended the evening’s entertainment presented by “Shipwreck” ( Bim & John on fantastic form again), and it allowed lots of space for our tables and chairs – and for the accompanying beer & wine of course. Very civilised! Unfortunately, a fairly cold Saturday due to the North wind again – even though the sun shone through a bit – especially at BBQ time. However, we soon sorted that wind out by erecting a big fence of windbreaks, behind the gazebo, making a perfect place to fire up the BBQ’s.

Some of the boats arrived on the Friday, others early on the Saturday morning, but Jen & I couldn’t make it before lunchtime, luckily with still plenty of available mooring space. We didn’t erect the gazebo until later in the afternoon, and quickly filled it with our tables and chairs so we could shelter from the wind in there. We played some quiet music on the club “boombox” ( PA / amplifier) for the rest of the afternoon, before having to brave the cold wind outside to start cooking. BBQ’s were fired up around 5pm and the windbreak shelter soon warmed up with the late sunshine and choking smoke – washed down with plenty of beer and wine. We all took shelter in the gazebo to eat, before clearing up ready for the start of the live music. Bim & John kicked off early at 7.15pm, their music being really good as usual, with a few new numbers to listen too. The gas heater worked a treat for most of the evening, keeping us all were warm & cosy in the marquee, before the unit cut out (with another thermocouple fault? ) just after 10pm – luckily about the same time as “Shipwreck” decided to finish their session. So that was that – all over just after 10pm, but most of us were pleased to get an early night (especially myself, Jen, John & Sandra who had planned to start a holiday up to the Northern Broads early on the Sunday morning – time and tide wait for no man?

Many thanks to all who attended and made it such a lovely weekend.

Also many thanks to Terry & Judy ( Mar-tel II ) who volunteered to take all the rubbish back to base at Brundall. (no thanks to the local council who had removed all the rubbish bins from the Common – a fast-becoming common trait on our beautiful Broads?)

See you all again at Berney Arms Mill on 11thJune?

Hopefully that will be a very hot summer’s evening and we won’t be needing that errant gas heater?

Ken  

May 2016

PS

I’ve added a few photos of the ‘Lady Grace’ and ‘Pizzazz’ cruise in company up the Northerns after the Brammerton meet. We had a lovely time, made all the better by some surprise visitors. Dave and Dawn found us at Ranworth and we all went for a walk round the boardwalk to the Wildlife Centre, well worth a visit. We then all enjoyed Sandras’ shepherds pie for a cosy dinner on board Lady Grace in the evening.

Robin and Jane joined us for afternoon drinks when we moored at Sutton Staithe and thanks to Jane we had mango chutney with the Indian meal Sandra prepared on Pizzazz. Bim and Jackie drove over and joined us in the evening for more drinks and banter.

It was quite busy on the northern rivers as always but we managed to get both boats moored at all our chosen locations.

It seems that it will be the last summer for Tony and Sue at The Stracey Mill as it seems they have managed to sell their house and business. We will certainly miss Sues ‘Full English’ on the way in and out of the Northerns but I’m sure we all wish them a long and happy retirement.

John