Sunday 24th July Ref: 2016/35
Cruising from Beccles to Brundall via Somerleyton on another fine and sunny day but arriving late at Brooms in Brundall after delays at Reedham and stopping off for a very welcome meal at the Beauchamp Arms
I was woken up by the traffic at around 7am Norfolk time, which would have been 8am in The Netherlands to find the domestic batteries quite depleted and so I dressed and used the gas to boil a kettle and then wrote up yesterday’s journal on my battery-driven laptop. I had completed this by about 8.30am and toyed with the idea of starting the generator but deferred this and carried on working on my ship’s logs for a while longer until I heard from my lady guests. By 8.45am, I was really needing some power and so I started the generator and kept it on about an hour or so and this was sufficient to charge the batteries and secure the boat facilities until we wanted to leave. I had also been running the immersion heater during this time and generated sufficient for us to have our showers.
We then got a Channel 14 VHF radio message from the Broads Authority 'Spirit of Breydon' patrol vessel to say that Reedham Swing Bridge was closed again because of the heat. I inquired further and established that it would be open again later, after the day cooled off, and so we stopped off at Somerleyton moorings and walked around the village as an enjoyable way of using the time.
Later, when returning, we enjoyed drinks at the local pub whilst listening to live music and Kathleen and I danced together on the grass. We set off once back and, as we had no food on board, it was suggested that we stop on the way and I eventually pulled in to The Beauchamp Arms around 8pm and we found it to be still open and serving food. It was a strange place, full of anglers and others with just a couple of tables of boating families, but the food was good and cheap and we enjoyed it. The anglers, from the North of England, stay annually there and enjoy the fishing which has been very good lately.
We did not stay long as the daylight was fading as we set off and, it now being well into July, darkness falls all too early. I just about managed to get us to Brooms at Brundall and safely moored up
25-30 degC, 60-48%RH, 1017-1014mb falling, good viz, sunny and hot with a F2 6-9kn variable SEly going SWly slight breeze
