Traditional Norfolk Broads yacht cruise - but will we bring Tarka here?

[@jeremywood2584]

At boarding school in the 70,s aged 18 just, one of the masters a Mr. Beale asked if I would supervise 4 younger pupils for a week on a sailing boat that had been offered by a local college, as they could not find more of their students to crew the boat. ( they already had most of the fleet ). Best thing I ever did, I knew the boys and they knew me, one week aboard LUNA from what is again Hunters Yard, but was Norfolk county sailing base. we had a skipper for first 2 days, then we were let go. After leaving school, went sailing with my girlfriend to teach her to sail, many happy times with our children as well. we are members of the friends of Hunters Fleet.

[@joelwalker81]

Thanks for sharing! We’re just back from another Broads trip, with Tarka this time. Even if you don’t hire from Hunters Yard, you still benefit from their populating the rivers with beautiful old yachts! So was that trip as an 18 year old your first sailing experience?

[@hedleyjackson5131]

Having just bought a mark 1 wayfarer to get me back into sailing and give my young children some of the experience of sailing I had as a child, I am watching with great interest.

[@joelwalker81]

Excellent, keep me updated please! Is that a wooden one?

[@robertseaman2254]

I know all the sentences you describe so well its worth just having a dinghy for that.takes me back to when i was 16 buying my first dinghy.

[@joelwalker81]

Thanks, glad you can relate to it. I can remember a lot of details about buying that Mirror, my first boat - it was so exciting!

[@TravelSignal]

I live locally and have a share in a half decker.. it would be tricky taking a small boat through Yarmouth, mainly because of the very strong tides. Multiple trips, to the northern and southern rivers separately, would probably be the way to go. (And definitely read Coot Club!) There's a campsite at Reedham Ferry, by the pub, and moorings there too.

[@joelwalker81]

Thanks very much for the suggestions! I think you're right about multiple short trips. We have one planned for Hickling area later this summer. Great to have a campsite recommendation for the River Yare, maybe we'll do that next year. And read Coot Club to the kids over the winter perhaps!

[@allanrobins1564]

As a strategy to interest your kids in sailing on the Broads, I would suggest reading to them Coot Club and The Big Six. I've already seen your video on Wildcat (Peel) Island, in which they participated, so getting their imaginations further fired by the aforementioned books may well work wonders.

[@joelwalker81]

Thank you, I expect you’re right! Keira is loving the Ransome books so far, we’re just starting Winter Holiday, hopefully Coot Club after that to be finished in time for next spring!

[@michaelpearl-r8w]

I sail on the broads all the time, to avoid the plastic tea tray motorboats go above Potter Heigham bridge ,its much quieter. There is a summer only campsite at the end of Martham staithe and you would be able to launch tarka from Martham developments boatyard.

[@joelwalker81]

Thanks very much Michael, that sounds ideal. I've just looked it up - is this the place? www.ferrygatecamping.co.uk

[@robertseaman2254]

Yes my brother and i sailed in our first dinghy national 12 from overy staithe north norfolk sailed many dinghy’s then children came along and then sailed a 12 ft tideway.with the children ,but as they got older they had other interests,over the years i moved to motor cruisers on the broads ,which i still own one and a twinkle 10 at overy staithe.i was thinking about your questions about the norfolk broad sailing.its much less busy on the southern broad and rivers,you could possibly launch from brundall bay marine,enquire at the tingdene office for advice .kind regards robert.

[@joelwalker81]

Thanks very much for the suggestion Robert. I’ll look up Brundall Bay. I know Overy Staithe a bit - we are regularly up that way to visit family. Sea Bear, my father-in-law’s Cornish Coble which gets a mention in the first video, lives at Brancaster Staithe.

[@philj3727]

Hi Joel, very enjoyable video again. Near the end of the video you mention a fitting on the gaff/yard possibly to keep it snug to the mast. As i understand it , if you are reefing your main with a gunter rig you should be lowering it completely and reattaching your main halyard to a slightly higher position on the yard, so it is not hoisted so high. This will have the effect of keeping it snug to the mast. On my boat i have 2 other attachement points, on the yard, to correspond to the 2 reefs i have in my main. Hope this is of some use and I'm not just teaching my granny how to suck eggs😊

[@joelwalker81]

Thanks Phil, and no you’re not at all! I have reefed Tarka a couple of times, hove to on both occasions, but never thought to lower the main completely and reattach the halyard to the higher fitting. The boom is always roughly the same height, so when I’ve reefed, the gaff has hung out from the mast by about 5-10 degrees due to the vertical distance between the main halyard sheave and the fitting on the gaff. From memory, I think the higher fitting looks less strong than the lower one, which might be partly why I didn’t think to attach the halyard there, but I suppose with it being so much closer to the peak, there would be a lot less leverage so less load on it. It is a mystery fitting no more! I’m a bit tempted to try rigging two halyards to the two fittings permanently though - would make reefing easier… 🤔

[@philj3727]

Interesting thought to have 2 halyards for the main. I have allen gaff bail brackets on the yard and have a stainless spring hook shackle tied on to the halyard so it is very quick to unhook and re hook to the new position. It reduces some of the hassle if you have to reef while out sailing. Regards Phil

[@joelwalker81]

@@philj3727 That’s probably a much better idea than two halyards, especially as I want to keep the boat as simple as possible! I guess it just goes against my RYA training to lower the mainsail completely while reefing afloat, but that’s targeted at Bermudan rigs of course. Will experiment in the spring 🙂

[@sailingona]

Great video 😊

[@joelwalker81]

Thank you 😊

[@michaelpearl-r8w]

ferrygate camping is the place

[@joelwalker81]

Thank you! 🙂

[@christophe6065]

Thank you for this video. Two questions : are all the "rivers" at the same level ? No locks ? Looking at the map you showed, there is no way to get lost with all those steams, little lake, etc ?

[@joelwalker81]

Well I’m no expert on the Broads - I’m sure there are ways to get lost! But even if you don’t have a GPS there are lots of signposts on the riverbanks. I don’t know of any locks, probably none because the land around there is mostly very flat. The rivers are tidal though, so your clearance under a bridge will change from hour to hour. It’s mostly a very safe place to sail - the trickier bits I believe are near Yarmouth - stronger tides and more bridges - but I haven’t yet been there myself.

[@TravelSignal]

There is only one lock, and it is closed to hire craft. There are two exits to the sea, at Yarmouth and Lowestoft. There's a lock between Lowestoft inner harbour and Oulton Broad, as the tide moves at a different rate in the Broads and the sea.

[@PeaceProfit]

HARD ROCK & ICE ( Climbing*Why risk the Adventure ) Twilight dawns upon your face, internal reaction draws deep amid the human race, Every line and crack perhaps a welcome hold, every step and move perhaps the one to bold, Mind and body absorbed unto you, spirits ascend, as fibers woven through, The independence we seek, brings us, cheek to cheek, Knowing the summit can never be won, merely gained, thence never undone..... 👣🕊👽

[@joelwalker81]

Beautiful and inspirational

[@brunorosa2227]

Your kids will be only too happy to be involved with every single thing you involve them with, until the reach 14, when, they will retell and relive their childhoods into a marathon of torture and generational misunderstanding. As they age they will forgive you and eventually they will take their children out on the Broads only for them (your grandchildren) to deride and belittle (your) children's attempts at child development (as they did yours) the merry go round of life. Camp your children on the boat whilst you and your good lady sleep in a nice canvas Vango force ten Mk3 (weights not an issue) We took our 8 year old son on two week long self sufficient hikes across incredibly barren parts of the UK, we did that for years and years, he now is nostalgic of those times even though the Army forced that and more onto him as part of his service. TLDR be the parent you want to be, not the parent you think you aught to be according to some self manual or an internet influencer says you should try.

[@joelwalker81]

They sound like very wise words, thank you

[@philj3727]

The sentence 'until they reach 14' ... so correct😂