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I took advantage of a sunny, breezy and day to dry out the Paxton Princess bridge after yesterday’s soaking and then we launched the inflatable to go ashore to the shop on South Walsham staithe for a morning paper, milk and bread. Then we cruised home to Heronshaw, finding Alf and Chris there with Freda away looking after Mum at Stanton. Some time this evening planning a navigation route from Norfolk to The Wash as our next challenge.
The sky had cleared and so the night was cold again, but it was sunny breezy and dry which at least gave us the chance to get the bridge dried out. My first task was to go out with the mop again and clear off the worst of the condensation. I then prepared the inflatable with the 2HP motor and let Debbie drive us ashore to the shop on the staithe for a morning paper, milk and bread. Debbie bought some more "friendship bands" of coloured fabric for her wrist and was pleased.
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Leaving Daniel ill on the boat, I took the family by taxi to the Pleasure Beach amusement park where the girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The heavens then opened and we had to beat a hasty retreat back to the boat by taxi and I cast off without assistance in a full spring ebb tide with the flow running at 4/5knots as we traversed the Haven and Bure Bridges with the mast and canopy down, getting soaking wet. We cruised on to South Walsham Broad and dropped the mud-weight on what by this time had become a calm evening.
This morning, Di went shopping again and I sat and finished updating my charts. We made a bed for Daniel in the girls' cabin so as not to affect the saloon. Then, once Diana returned, all of except Daniel went to the market centre for morning drinks and then by taxi to the Pleasure Beach amusement park where the girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The forecast was for rain and the heavens then opened and we had to beat a hasty retreat back to the boat by taxi. The river was by now in a full spring ebb tide and the flow must have been running at 4/5knots as we attempted to cast off. I tried to handle all of the activities myself to start with but then had to get Diana to come outside and help in the wet.
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From the centre of Norwich at the Yacht station to the centre of Great Yarmouth, at the Town Hall Quay bidding farewell to the friendly Norwich harbourmaster and stopping en route at the Brundall riverside store for fenders and supplies.
Poor Daniel was ill and in bed and so Di and I crewed the boat and moored up in Yarmouth and I took her to the cinema later. I got up several times in the night to check on the moorings as the tidal rise and fall was very large and the flows very fast, it being a Spring tide and so close to the sea
A reasonable night at Norwich and warmer than of late which then meant that the sleeping bag was too warm for once! Had to give Di a kick this morning but she then made the drinks and went through our routine. The family went shopping whilst I worked on the boat trying to suppress the electrical interference but to no avail. But then I started on the process of updating my charts and made good progress on that. This involves understanding them and being able to use navigational instruments and I was ready for this now that I had finished reading my books. We unmoored and set off at lunchtime, bidding farewell to the friendly harbourmaster as we stopped on the way to get water and give him a tip. He told me of an organisation that is based in Yarmouth and specialises in sending out divers to remove bags from propellers etc and I may yet try to get them to clear my log impeller if I can get round to it.
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A slow start to the day at Brundall on a milder and duller day where I talk to Norfolk Yacht Agency about my forthcoming sea trip and change of boat details for insurance purposes and use a call box to check my home telephone answering machine for messages. We then set off up the river Yare to Norwich with Diana at the helm as I worked aboard and arrive to a warm welcome from our old friend at the Yacht Station and then went into Norwich, with me giving Debbie a "piggy-back" as she was coughing uncontrollably which was an exhausting experience. As the girls shopped, I returned to Paxton Princess with Daniel to work on more faults to the point of exhaustion as he now has Debbie’s cold and was possibly allergic from drinking cow’s milk as Di spilt all of his goats milk!
News of Estonia setting itself on a collision course with Moscow, declaring independence, Customs at Teesport, Middlesbrough, impounded a consignment of parts that they believe are nuclear gun components for Iraq ad Mother Theresa has to resign from her charity because of failing health. The Strangeways Prison riot continues and Apricot Computers sells off its computer hardware company to Japan
A long night's sleep and lay in this morning for me after a late night staying up reading my navigation books. Diana eventually got up to make the drinks and, after breakfast, popped over to the riverside store whilst I walked over to the Brundall office of the Norfolk Yacht Agency to talk to them about my forthcoming sea trip. I informed them of the name change to the boat and also that I would be taking it to sea in May so that they could inform the insurance company. I also walked up to the call box to remotely scan my answering machine for messages.
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