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The cruise from Potter Heigham to Horning after diverting along Ludham Dyke and mooring by mud weight in Womack Water, going ashore in The Little Lady for lunch in Ludham and then arriving for a swim and some overdue clothes washing at Horning Ferry Marina where we could swim and settled after I tried some fishing on a very wet night but we remained dry in our bunks aboard The Lady. The London Stock Exchange Bear Market develops and the government faces criticism from within its own ranks about deserting inner cities and the North of England and from the Opposition about not allowing an investigation into the Spy-catcher revelations. The US-led Gulf tanker convoys will soon try moving and the Geneva arms talks attempt to overcome the German Pershing missile obstacle to a settlement
Woken by early boats passing upstream to catch the remainder of this morning’s low water period. A bright, sunny morning, with not a cloud in the sky, but chilly with our cockpit temperature at 48degF before I got up to boil a kettle and put the warm air heating on. It was only 6.00am, but Di did get up and make the drinks, to follow my lead, after a bit of persuasion.
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After some time in Lathams, Di took the girls to the playing field and I tackled the empty gas cylinders of the Lady, improving the sealing of the gas locker and spent an abortive attempt to contact my stock brokers as the stock exchange recorded a record daily fall. A combination of three bridge pilots cooperated to try and get The Lady through Potter Heigham Bridge but had to admit defeat, though the height registered 6ft 9ins as her sliding roof was not curved enough. The BA/BCal airline merger has been referred to the Monopolies Commission and the US are still seeking help from allies to undertake a joint mine-sweeping operation for the Gulf
A pleasant night, but chilly, and so Di put on the boat heating first thing to bring the temperature up to 60degF from 50degF. After lasting nearly two weeks, the gas gave out at breakfast, but I still had some toast to go with my wheat flakes. After a difficult breakfast (the children misbehaving as usual) we all went shopping to the Potter Heigham stores. I took a close interest in the fishing tackle that was claimed to be the most extensive display in England. The others found plenty to buy for their part. After this we had a coffee at the cafeteria opposite and then Di took the girls to retrace our footsteps of last night to the playing field, whilst I tackled the changing of the Calor Gas cylinders.
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A Taxi to The Marina Centre after a quieter night and an hour’s swim after a wait for the next session. Back by taxi again and we then set off on a warm but windy day trying to avoid the antics of hire boats up the Bure and the Thurne to arrive at Potter Heigham Bridge where three bridge pilots will try to get The Lady under tomorrow. The news is of 50 British companies selling arms to Iran, despite balancing rules, and now they are strengthening their patrols in response to the US. Mecca is alive with unrest, Rover have increased production by 30% and Tamils are in the 4th day of a hunger strike aboard the prison ship Earl William
A better and quieter night’s sleep at the more remote end of Yarmouth Marina’s moorings, then was the first to awake at 6.00am on a chilly morning. Put the boat heating on, as the temperature was below 50degF and I wrote up yesterday’s journal as the cabins soon warmed up. Di was given her coffee in bed and was soon up and washed before the children emerged from the for’d cabin. Breakfast of toast and fruit juice and then the struggle to get the children dressed and ashore ready for our trip to the Marina Centre for a swim. Eventually away by taxi and arrived at 10.20am, but could not swim until 11.45am due to a ‘sessions’ programme.
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Problematic day moored at the very-poorly run Great Yarmouth Marina but we managed to get to Pleasurewood Hills and then returned to see much carnage amongst the hire boats crashing into the moorings before taking Di by taxi to dinner. Great Yarmouth seems to be in decline with polluted beaches amd run-down facilities. News and much appreciation from my parents concerning their new roof but concerned to here about my Dad’s kidney stones.
Slept well enough, after the disturbances from other boating revellers had died down and we managed to get back to sleep. A chilly night, but the sun was peeping through as we got up. A normal morning routine at these Great Yarmouth moorings, preparing today for our trip to Pleasurewood Hills. I checked with the riverside shop and ascertained that the courtesy bus actually stopped outside on the Caister Road and so our journey was to be easy enough. At this point we started to have trouble at the moorings. It seems that we were unwittingly moored up by the water point and soon craft were jostling for position, barging into us and making us fear for the safety of our boats. Gt Yarmouth Marina is owned by a private company called Duvet Ltd, who run it in a most poor way.