Our quiet mooring at Ant Mouth was spoiled by early-mooring hire cruisers speeding to get back to their bases. We set off on a day which was a bit breezier but still warm and humid, then moored at Acle Bridge, looking at suitable boats for the Broads. Then on Daniel’s boat along Acle Dyke to the village and back to take advantage of ebbing tide to Yarmouth Marina, where we moored and took a bus to Great Yarmouth. Some time on our boat this evening doing chores as we hear news of the Dock Strike crumbling at Liverpool
I had trouble getting to sleep last night and then Diana woke me up early! It was a great spot at Ant Mouth, but then the early morning hire cruisers started roaring along, trying to get back to their bases by the due time. It was a bit breezier today but still warm and humid, which made us uncomfortably hot again. We did not stay moored up that long. I kept Daniel’s boat alongside and cast off for the journey downstream on the Bure.
We set off about 9am and approached Acle Bridge before 10am, by which time we had coffee and were quite refreshed. We moored up at a pub downstream of Acle Bridge and walked over to see the boats moored up at the boatyards and being turned round for hirers. We were most impressed with the Norfolk Countess boats, 44 foot long, 12 ½ foot wide and with terrific headroom and furnishings. These go anywhere on the Broads and extra comfort and seem also to be fitted out by other hire companies as well. If we could get a good second hand one of these are a special one made for us, we would be pleased.
We then took the girls to look as well and went together on Daniel’s boat, down Acle Dyke, to do some shopping in Acle. We were moaned at a bit for mooring our day boat at the end of the village Dyke, but took little heed as it is silly for a village to be cut off from visitors in that way. The walk to and from Acle village itself was very warm and Diana became rather overheated until we were both back on The Lady and underway again.
We cruised on with a fastly-ebbing tide to Yarmouth Marina and were irritated by the attendant’s reluctance to unlock the water hose when we needed it. Yarmouth Marina moorings are very quiet on Saturday nights as all of the hire boats are being turned round with their new helmsman un-willing to chance this place on the first night.
We took off by bus for Great Yarmouth shopping centre directly and managed to swap out my keyboard for a new one and do some other chores before settling down for a lazy evening. I sealed all of the cracks I could find in The Lady as rain is now forecast. Daniel did some work on his boat and then watched TV. Debbie hunted round for seashells thrown up by some dredging and then formed the legend ‘Never Trust a Stranger’ on the quay with them. To bed, the earliest for a while, hoping that I might be able to sleep better for once.
The news is of the Dock Strike crumbling, as Liverpool votes to return and of England’s disgrace continuing in the fourth Test Match.