My other boat

It was a long long time ago, but I did own another boat, and to prove it, here I am in it.

Aah I remember those pink flares.  I found these pictures again today when browsing through my old stuff.  The dinghy I bought from Millets maybe.  It was quite a decent one, being made out of strong rubberised fabric and lasted many years. In fact it might still be at the back of the garage now..  Being a law abiding chap I bought a proper Thames licence for it, about £4 if memory serves me right. In the picture I am rowing in a backwater close to Sonning lock.  I guess it must be about 1973 so I would have been 26 and single at the time.

I was always drawn to water even as a kid, and the attraction has never left me.  A few years earlier some friends and I hired our first boat on the Norfolk broads, and nearly half a century later I am still going back.  In fact Pete (on the left below) is still coming with us.  In fact I’m glad to say that I am in contact with the others in the picture too. I suppose you can work out which is me. (?)

Here is the boat we hired.  I doubt she still exists, but you never know.  Some of these old Broads boats have been lovingly kept going.

A couple of years later (1974 I think) we had a week sailing Albion the famous Norfolk Wherry. 

She still had her proper black sails then and didn’t suffer the indignity of having an outboard motor strapped to her rudder as she does now.  That sail is so heavy. After two of us hoisted it we had to go and have a lie down.

I sat in the tender on tow to take this picture.  The handsome young chap holding the tow rope is Rick believe it or not.  When the wind didn’t blow we had to either push or pull the huge boat along.  Here’s Pete with his shoulder to the quant pole.

When it was to deep to quant, parties rowed ashore and pulled us along with a rope.  Those were the days..