sweeping stat - a3 - broom owners · 10% discount on sailing and motor boat charters. skippered and...

The Magazine of the

www.broomowners.com

Sweeping Statements

Autumn 2012

THAM

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ROYAL

PAGEANT

EDITIO

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The BOC Committee

Chairman - Frank Hawkins - 01494 565050 - [email protected]

Vice Chairman - Jeff Gartshore - 01280 704292 - [email protected]

Secretary - John Oldham - 01489 564798 - [email protected]

Treasurer - Richard Clementson - 01843 843481 - [email protected]

Membership Secretary - Linda Varney - 020 8948 6251 - [email protected]

Webmaster & National events co-ordinator - Louise Busby - 07785 385817 - [email protected]

Magazine Editor - David Haugh - 01789 490994 - [email protected]

Technical Co-ordinator - David Harrison - 01189 472034 - [email protected]

Publicity Officer - John Oldham - 01489 564798 - [email protected]

Regional Co-ordinators:

Channel Islands - Peter Donne Davis - 01534 863765 - [email protected]

South East - Kelston Tobin - 07860 541953 - [email protected]

South West- Bevan Kendall - 01752 661261 - [email protected]

Eastern, including The Broads - Lee Jackson - 01502 539772 - [email protected]

Thames - Keith Robbins - 01277 350674 - [email protected]

Southern - Gill Oldham - 01489 564798 - [email protected]

Ireland - Peter Bentley - 07802 751160 - [email protected] (or +353 870 518235)

Scotland & Borders - Morrison Sutherland - 01475 687152 - [email protected]

The Owners Club

Aims and Objectives

To encourage ownership of boatsTo encourage owners of boats to use, maintainand enjoy their boatsTo provide a forum to give support and assistance forowners of boatsTo encourage members to help other members bymeans of information and/or practical help

Next IssuePlease send all your articles for the next issue [email protected] before the final cut-offdate of 31 March 2012.

Note - The views and comments expressed in articles

in this newsletter are those of the authors and are not

necessarily shared by the editor, committee members

or other club members.

Front Cover Photo:

Summer Events

312

Page

The Chairman writes 3From the Editor 3Welcome to New Members 4Membership Statistics 4National Events 5Tech Torque 6

Singing Propellers 6Propeller Care 6Split Ball Valve 7European sliding windows 7-9Expanding the Technical Library 9Galley and Navigation gear update 10

Cruising Thames Jubilee Pageant – setting the scene 10-11Suero VII Represents BOC at the Pageant 11Summer on a Finnish Archipelago 12-14A Different Summer Cruise 15Five Countries, Five Days – That’s just Tikitiboo 16-18Picture Postcards from the South of France 19-21Solent SOS 21-22Brushing Through Utrecht 22-25

News from the RegionsIreland 26-27Southern 27-28South east 28Thames 28

The Owners Club at Boat Shows 28-30A new Dealer in Ireland 30Broom Spotting 30Discounts and Offers 31

www.broomowners.comwww.broomowners.com

contents

DIScOuNTS and OffERS available to club members

Wilks offer 15% discount across their entire product range which includes PVC, aluminium and rubber fendering, plusinserts to fit existing aluminium fendering, and Dek-King, a U.V. stabilised range of PVC decking profiles, which is alow maintenance alternative to teak.For more information look at www.wilks.co.uk or www.dek-king.com or phone 01621 869 609

Discounts available on a wide range of chandlery, home improvement products and tools. For details of the club code contact Peter Bentley the club’s Irish Co-ordinator. Email [email protected] or call 07802 751 160 or ++353 870 518 235

Have increased offer to 10% on all Collinite marine wax polish and cleaning products and also to a comprehensiverange of anodes recently added to their product rangeFor more information look at www.shipshapenorfolkltd.co.uk or phone Carol Branson on 01353676007

10% discount on sailing and motor boat charters. Skippered and bareboat motor boats up to 53ft available in Croatiaand Greek Islands also flotilla sailing holidays and bareboat charter in a range of worldwide destinations. For more information look at www.seafarercruises.com or phone 0208 324 3117 quoting your BOC membershipnumber when ordering to secure your discount.

10% discount on products and servicing from leading supplier of 406MHz EPIRBs, PLBs and AIS technology (Est.1989). MCA approved service station for all makes of EPIRB. For more information see our website www.sartech.com or telephone +44 (0) 1737 372670.

Offers vary from season to season but for 2011 included a 10% discount on summer season (1st June to 30thSeptember) work and servicing; free mooring for visitors to Brundall for up to one month; reduced visitor Broadslicenses when purchased through Broom; free mooring in Lowestoft (subject to availability) and reduced brokeragefees. For further information contact Brooms either by email at [email protected] or phone 01603 712 334and mention the Club name.

10% Policy Discount. Free Legal Expenses Cover . Get you Home Cover Free Protected No Claims Bonus Riverand Canal Rescue Membership 30 days coastal use for Non-Tidal members Dedicated Account ManagementFor a no obligation quotation email details to [email protected] or call 01273 863 420

Between 10 and 25% discount depending on product from an extensive catalogue of engine components and ancillaryequipment plus a further 2.5% discount applied to all online orders. For more information look at www.asap-supplies.com or phone 0845 1300 870 quoting reference no.“106614”

Specialises in the repair and overhaul of the Perkins HT6.354 engines and offer BOC members a 10% discount onengine overhauls for this and other makes. For more information look at www.awdiesel.co.uk or phone Adam Willis on 01493 662 850

10% discount on batteries, chargers, inverters, solar panels and wind powered generatorsFor more information look at www.barden-uk.com or phone 01489 570 770

50% discount on first year's membership & joining fees Many cruising services including annual almanac and access to first class nautical library.For more information look at www.cruising.org.uk or phone 0207 573 2828

Clements Marine, who design and manufacture propellers, shafts, couplings, shaft support brackets, shaft seals andstern tube assemblies, rudders, rudder assemblies and ancillary equipment, are offering 20% discount on stern gearrepairs during the winter service period. For more information look at www.clementsmarine.co.uk or phone 01234 378 814

15% discount and free UK delivery on entire on-line range of products when ordered from our on-line shop. Simplyenter the code BROOM12 at the checkout stage for the discount. Product range includes generators, chargers,inverters, UPS, shore power, distribution panels and more. To order look at www.es-store-co-uk or for moreinformation look at www.energy-solutions.co.uk or phone 01634 290 772

Free 2nd night's mooring at Marina Cape Helius in Hellevoetsluis on the Haringvliet in Zeeland (Holland). A warm welcomeand two-nights-for-the-price-of-one is offered by harbour master and former Broom owner Kees BroereEmail [email protected] or call 06-13181974

20% off visitors rates at Port Chantereyne in CherbourgShow your BOC membership card to secure your discount

10% discount on the hire of life rafts and associated safety equipment. Life rafts can be hired for as short a period as 4days or as long as one year and up to 3 year deals are also available. The company has 24 depots covering the UK andthe Channel Islands.Email [email protected] or call 0800 243 673 or 01621 784858 and quote your BOC membership number to secure yourdiscount.

The Chairman Writes ... By Frank Hawkins

What a wet year. Even as I write this the rain is cascading down thewindows.

It was also a feature ofThe Diamond JubileePageant. What brightenedit up enormously was thestrong representation ofBroom Boats in the fleet.Diane and I were invitedon to Suero VII, Dom andViv Rouse’s Broom 50.They did a splendid job ofensuring that the NorfolkVIP’s were well lookedafter, as their article in thisedition relates. Inaddition, Linda Varneyhas written an articleabout the day, so I willkeep my comments brief.The pageant waswonderful, if poorlyrepresented by the BBC Television coverage, and the camaraderieand sense of purpose of all those involved was absolutely brilliant,and the wonderful spirit of the Waterside Heritage of the UnitedKingdom shone through the heavy rain storms of the afternoon.

The bad weather of the early summer seemed to have the initial effectof delaying people’s activities. We went out in April from Chichesterbound for Poole, but got as far as Island Harbour in Cowes, Isle ofWight before giving up to the gale force winds, and spent a week in acar exploring the Island. Osborne House and some of the other sightsof the IoW are fantastic, and it is really is an excellent place to bestorm bound! On a later visit in high summer on a Southern Regionrally we played cricket on a pitch where the grass was 18” tall. 6Broom handles were requisitioned that were 4ft Long, and they madeexcellent wickets. Broom Owners are inventive that’s for sure!

We had a great boat show in Southampton in September where theBOC shared the Broom Boats Ltd stand. We signed up 11 newmembers during the week. It looks as if Broom will not take a standat the London Boat Show in 2013, but we hope to have our own aspart of the Boat Owners Associations as we did last year. We will alsohave a BOC reception based on or near our stand on the Thursdayevening of the show.

Since our last edition Louise Busby has taken up a senior positionwith Broom Boats Ltd at Brundall and I know that everyone wishesher every success in this new role. With Louise now in situ, this shouldmake communication with Broom Boats even easier. We have hadseveral meetings with the MD, Mark Garner , and it is great to see thattheir business is now progressing very well.

I know that there are still many functions going on in regionsthroughout the winter months and I do encourage you all to regularlycheck the web site to keep up to date with the activities your regionalcoordinator is setting up and I wish you a peaceful and drier WinterSeason. The Conference and AGM at Oxford comes ever closer nowand I hope that as many of our members as possible will be there. Itpromises to be a really successful event, and if you haven’t alreadybooked then you should do so quickly as places are limited.

Looking forward to 2013, let’s hope we have some better weather. Itis great to see that Peter Bentley has organised an interesting eventin Ireland from the 4th – 6th May. I am sure Irish hospitality will beexcellent and I hope the rain stays away on that occasion.

From the Editor...

Welcome to the Autumn edition of Sweeping Statements, which Ihope will give you a good read during the winter and perhaps give youideas for next summer’s cruise, too.

It won’t be possible to repeat Dom and Viv Rouse’s big adventure ofthis year, but taking part in a Royal Pageant probably only comesaround once in a lifetime. Dom’s article gives us an insider’s view ofthe event, and Linda Varney provides some background to theamount of planning that went into it to ensure smooth running and,thankfully in the difficult and crowded conditions, no collisions either!There is something of a ‘propeller’ theme in ‘Technical Torque’ as ourtechnical guru David Harrison introduces us to ‘Singing Propellers’; anew supplier writes about how to look after them and Kelston Tobintells of his potentially disastrous cruise when things got wrappedaround them. When that happens it can be expensive, as happenedin the ‘Tikitiboo’ story in the Cruising Section. Amongst other tips youcan also read about replacing windows, find out about installing anew galley and discover who to ask for advice if you decide to ‘diy’ anew navigation station.

There’s an international flavour, and some fascinating stories in the‘Cruising Section’ too, with Heikki and Atty’s further adventures inFinland, Don Walker writing about a cruise to Utrecht and a welcomereturn as René and Elsbeth Gorter keep us in touch with their voyagethrough France. Closer to home Bevan Kendall writes about how heand Mary made the most of the English summer; how a cruise to theboat show needed the RNLI to assist, and how a hunt for a newBroom provided an adventure.

Along with regular features from the Regions, information about thelast and the next Boat Show, details on membership and how to makethe most of it, the magazine should have something for everyone. Atall order maybe, but the content is all provided by the membership,which includes you of course, so if you haven’t yet told us all aboutyour forthcoming cruise, your latest modification or your new boat,why not give it a try? The next edition could depend on it.

Enjoy the read, and before I close I’d just like to share one of the perksof editing, namely proof reading and such. Broom’s new Irish dealerwrites to tell us about their company, the discounts on offer tomembers and the wonderful cruising to be had in Ireland. Well,almost. I may not spot them all, but I did spot their deliberate typo asthey wrote about ‘Lough Erne, the Erne Shannon canal and the RiverShannon offering 250 miles of tide free cursing. ‘Why not cruise withthem next year at the Irish Region Cruise in Company? It sounds likefun and it may broaden your language!

330 www.broomowners.comwww.broomowners.com

owners. They also dealt with a number of approaches from equipment

suppliers and service agencies, keen to promote their products; Boat

Shows provide unsurpassed opportunities for such ‘networking’.

Meanwhile, each day, a member of the BOC team stood ready to

welcome members, direct them towards the member of the Broom

staff best able to answer their queries and (importantly) to offer a

welcome drink and some relaxation during a busy day.

In all, some 64 members visited our stand during the Show and 11

new members were recruited – a worthwhile outcome.Equally

valuable, those BOC members that served on the stand gained an

insight into the dynamics of the Company and the issues that it

currently faces.

The Club is very grateful to Mark and his team for making those

committee members that served on the BOC stand so welcome.

Exhibitions can be hard work, but the good-humoured atmosphere

around the Broom Boats marquee helped keep everyone’s spirits

high!

The 35 Coupe

The 370

A New Broom dealer in Ireland –Aghinver Boat CompanyAghinver Boat Company is a 3rd generation marine business basedon Lough Erne in north west Ireland. We have operated a charter fleetand marine services business since 1973. We have recently beenappointed as Broom agents in Ireland and are now able to offercustomers the full range of new Broom boats and associatedservices. We are introducing the Broom range into our charter fleet.For 2012 we have introduced the 39 and two 370’s will be in our fleetfor the 2013 season, we will also be introducing other models in therange over the next few years.

We would like to offer any Broom owners club members 10%discount on any charters with ourselves. Ireland’s inland waterwaysare ideally suited to Broom cruisers with Lough Erne, the ErneShannon canal and the River Shannon offering 250 miles of tide freecruising. We will also refund any charter fees if you purchase a newor used Broom from us within six months of your charter.

Mickey and JP look forward to meeting you in May next year at theIrish owners club meeting and hope to make the trip down Ireland inone of our 39’s or 370’s. If we can be of assistance to you in themeantime please do not hesitate to contact us. For more informationon Aghinver please visit our website www.abcboats.com.

BROOM SPOTTING

Ever been far from home and wondering what boating owning is like

in the area, and then spotted an unexpected Broom? Or, have you

spotted a Broom and wondered who owned it and why they aren’t a

member of the Club? Simon and Susan Atwell, owners of a 39kl Puffin

of Bembridge, were in Croatia on a charter boat when they spotted

these Brooms, one in Dubrovnik and one in Hvar. Anyone know

anything about them? If you’ve spotted a Broom and wondered who

owned it, then send a photo and location details and having it printed

here may get you some answers.

Irdi in Dubrovnik Sea Blaze in Hvar

PhOTO APPEAL - The LondonInternational Boat Show 2013By David Harrison

Photos mounted on the back board of our exhibition display have

been used several times and some are becoming a little tired, so

although the show is several months away I am making this

request now as there will not be an opportunity to reach everyone

between this issue of Sweeping Statements and LIBS 2013 in

January.

Topical photos illustrating Brooms in action and members doing

what comes naturally, i.e. enjoying themselves, regularly

becomes a talking point at the show and helps recruit new

members so please send any pictures you think would be of

interest to [email protected]. If post is preferred, my

address can be found in member details or alternatively I can be

contacted on 07860 208 0106.


New MembersIt’s good news to be able to report that the following new membershave joined the Club, and to extend to them a very warm welcomeand hope they are able to make full use of the benefits membershipprovides.

New Members Boat Name

ThamesJim Henley & Pauline Rawlins Isle of MaySusan & Peter Sangston NIN Bob & Evaline King MusettSandra & William Cook Mr CChristopher & Jenny Jenkins Aldena Graham & Kathleen Ennis Ennis

EasternSimon & Susan Collins White HeronMarilyn & Fred Norman TuskyBob & Alison Wells Distraction Jane & Richard Neale Isabella Peter Hughes & Sally Hilliard Done and Dusted David & Pauline Tann PennilessShaun & Liz Alexander Caramanda Roger & Bridget Chambers Bridget K Robin & David Barclay Liberty John & Carmen Waller Nena Chris & Tricia Collins Lioness Terence Chalu Frizzante IV

IrelandJames & Kay Coughlan Sonetsa John Patrick & Mickey McCaldin Inver Empress I

Central & NEGiles Ranyell Enchanteress

South CoastMichael & Lindi Chapman Ivory Crown Ken & Linda Keir Inchmurren

Rest of the WorldTerry & Jan Page Hunters Moon Gary & Hilary Ellis March Hare Philip & Kim Keeler Ragdoll Piet Steenkist & Anne-Marie Scheppers Ginestra

South EastPeter Woodgates & Janet Bowes High Point Alan Wadsworth Springvale Mick & Linda Hoople Kohaku

Scotland and the BordersRobert McGeorge Perseverence

Membership Statistics(Membership Database 10th October 2012)

Where Members Moor Their BoatsWe are each assigned to a Mooring Region based on where we moorour boats and the following chart illustrates where all our boats arekept.

Members by Mooring Region

Members’ Boats by AgeThe next chart shows the percentage of boats owned by Memberswhich were manufactured in each decade from 1960 onwards, plusthose made before 1960.

Members Boats by Decade

that this good relationship is not intended to affect the independence

and autonomy of the BOC.

The London and Southampton Boat Shows provide excellent

opportunities for developing informal contacts between the Owners

Club and Company. At these events, BOC members ‘meet and greet’

existing members and recruit new ones. Also, being satisfied

customers of Broom products, they are able to draw the attention of

potential purchasers to the virtues of the marque. To help promote the

Club image at the London Boat Show, David Harrison (Technical

Coordinator), ably assisted by Don Walker (former Press and Publicity

officer) have designed an ingenious transportable exhibition stand on

which Club photographs, publications, flags, burgees, badges and

clothing can be displayed to best advantage. This has been

constructed to a very high standard and, like a Broom boat, is built to

last. David and Don also play a key role in manning the stand at the

London Show.

At the London Show, Broom Boats and the BOC have separate

stands, although Club and Company co-operate to ensure that no

potential member or owner slips through the net! The Broom Boats

stand has also regularly provided the venue for a ‘Thursday night get-

together’ for members attending the Show. Although there are a

number of uncertainties about the 2013 London Show, it is still

intended to have a Thursday evening reception if all goes to plan.

At the Southampton Show, where no separate affordable stand is

available to the Club, Broom Boats kindly provides space for us within

its marquee. This arrangement works well, since the team of BOC

members (led by Gill Oldham) has ‘local knowledge’ of many South

Coast boat owners (of both Broom Boats and its competitors) that

approach the stand. They are then able to promote Broom boats as

well as the Club! This year, Louise Busby’s presence (in her dual roles

of Head of Marketing and Communications for Broom Boats, and web

master and national events co-ordinator for the BOC!), further

enhanced the smooth-running of the linked operations.

Owners and Builders at the Show. From l to r David Harrison, LouiseBusby, Gill Oldham and Tom Brissenden.

The new 30

So, how did the Company and the BOC fare at the Southampton

Show? This year, Broom Boats dealers exhibited three boats on the

water, while members of the Company’s senior management team

(together with the BOC) were based in a marquee at the entrance to

the pontoons – a pole position!

Press day provided the opportunity for Mark Garner to addressa group

of journalistsassembled on board the 35 Coupe. Here are some of the

points that he raised in his talk:

• ‘The Company has recently undertaken an extensive programme ofproduct development;

• The aft-cabin lay-out is a significant part of the Broom heritage, andwill not be ignored. As a result, last year saw the launch of the verysuccessful 370 and, very recently, the 395, a successor to the popular39. By 2013, a 430 (to replace the 425) and a 525 (following on fromthe 520) will become available to order.These designs will includesunbathing areas on the foredeck and within the cockpit, while theoutside spaces will include safe, yet practical, cooking areas. Therewill also be a choice of sunroof systems or a hydraulically poweredcanopy designed to allow full height reduction for passing underinland bridges etc;

• In addition, current market demands have led to the addition of Coupemodels to the range on offer. Broom has a long and successful historyof producing such boats, well-suited to use on inland waterways, bothin the UK and northern Europe;

• All new models include a number of modern features such as flushglazing, recessed deck hatches, and smooth and practical decks forsafe crewing. They also share panoramic windows and hatches tohelp make the interiors light and airy. New arrangements of furnitureand equipment, crafted from new trim materials but still employing thebest of British woodworking, give a fresh look below decks;

• The development of these new designs, with their wider marketappeal, together withthe geographical widening of the market, haveresulted in a need to extend the range of dealers - a requirement thatthe Company is currently addressing.

Show debuts

• We are showing the first of our 30 Coupe models. This is aimed at theriver and estuary user and features a collapsible radar arch andscreens to allow the navigation of inland waterways. A contemporaryinterior complements a spacious, practical cockpit and an easy-boarding platform;

• We also have the fourth hull of the new 35 Coupe on show, a designoffering a choice of 3 interior arrangements. The emphasis is onconvertibility, particularly seen in the patio door, cockpit seating,roof systems and furniture. There is a choice of single or twin engineconfigurations, plus a hybrid engine option. Three internal layouts areavailable, including a two cabin version, and an upper or lower galleyarrangement (the latter option being added after consultation with theBOC). Plane-ing hull and stern-drive versions are plannedalternatives to the current semi-displacement hull and shaftdrives.This boat is able to cater for rain or shine, hot or cold, sea orriver;

• All models also feature the `relax and view' foredeck seat, with all-weather upholstery and a forward-facing window to give a view, fromthe interior, of the waterway ahead;

• Our products remain a work of pride and experience. Broom boatsare designed to be practical and, as a result, we believe that they areactually used more often than most other brands. The relationshipwe enjoy with our vast customer base can only grow. With any Broompurchase, the customer is welcome, and encouraged, to visit the yardduring build and to be part of the creation of their pride and joy.’

This was a positive and hopeful message, delivered in a difficult

financial climate. Luckily, the weather (other than on the final day of

the Show) enhanced this buoyant feeling – bright, breezy and even

sunny at times. Just what the industry needs at this moment!

The three boats on the pontoons clearly attracted good levels of

interest throughout the Show - particularly the 35 Coupe model.

Indeed, I often found it difficult to find a quiet moment to sneak aboard

and carry out fuller evaluation of this model.

With the dealers fielding enquiries from visitors on board the boats,

members of BroomBoats senior management team, including Mark

Garner and Graham Warren, the Company’s Design and

Development Director, were on hand (often in the marquee) ready to

respond to the enquiries and concerns of potential and existing Broom


National EventsBy Louise Busby

As I write, the BOC are looking forward to what could be their mostsuccessful AGM weekend to date, with 80 members already bookedto attend the event, which this year is being held on the Thames nearOxford. The idea behind moving the event out of Norfolk was tomake it more accessible to a wider range of members, as well asintroducing people from around the country to a potential newcruising area. Over the years our Norfolk weekend has included boattrips on the rivers Yare, Bure and Waveney, all popular Broom boathaunts, and this year we will continue that mission by offering a rivertrip on the Thames from Iffley to Abingdon.

The BOC continues to enjoy a good relationship with Broom Boats,and also on the programme is a chance to try out Broom's innovativenew 35 coupe, a boat which would be ideal for Thames boating.Primarily though, the weekend is a chance for BOC members to gettogether and share their experiences of the season just gone, andmaybe make plans for next year. With over 400 members, the BOCis a real social network and for those who want to, offers numerousopportunities for cruising or mooring in company, or for sharingtechnical ideas and knowledge.

Our other regular annual national event is our London Boat Showparty. We fully expect to again be offered our space as part of theOwners Associations area, and this year we are planning to host ourown party to which all members are of course more than welcome.This will be on the Thursday evening of the show, 17th January 2013.

WebThe BOC website continues to provide a valuable forum for sharingtechnical ideas, and for members to ask questions about their boatand boating. If you haven't made use of the forum, it is worth havinga look.

In addition you can find owners manuals for many of thediscontinued Broom models, as well as all our past issues ofSweeping Statements, indexed to show where you can find any ofthe articles written during our 8 year history.

With increasing use of Internet and email becoming morewidespread, we are now managing to use electronic communicationto better effect within the BOC. This year I managed to send abouthalf of the AGM invitations by email, saving the club a considerableexpense in printing and postage. If you have access to email, domake sure we have your up to date address; you can find yourdetails on the members database. Whilst you're there, you mightwant to download the list of members by mooring region - it's greatto keep on board when you’re cruising - you never know when youmight bump into fellow members.

We are also looking at widening our website use to include aFacebook group. Although there has been a lot of negative pressabout Facebook, it could be an easy way for members to post upphotos or reports on their cruising adventures, allowing others toshare their experiences and maybe even rendezvous in differentplaces.

Members’ Boats by LengthThis next chart shows all Members’ boats grouped by length in feet.

Members Boats by Length (feet)

It is clear that the 35 to 37 foot range is a favourite with Members –being over 45% of the total of all boats owned – something thatBroom might like to keep in mind for the future!

Members’ Boats by Hull TypeAnother way of categorising our boats is by the type of hull they have– displacement, semi-displacement or planing.

For anyone who isn’t clear what these terms mean:• A Displacement hull is the ‘traditional’ form which is designed to

cut through the water, is very power-efficient e.g. needs onlysmall engines, BUT has a limited top speed – typically 8-10knots for 30-40 foot boats;

• A Planing hull is designed to rise-up out of the water – giving ahigh top speed, but needs substantial engines to achieve thisand is less ‘comfortable’ at lower speeds;

• A Semi-displacement hull is a compromise between the othertwo, combining good low speed handling with the ability toachieve relatively high speeds (providing the engines are largeenough).

Over the last 40 years Broom have produced boats with all threetypes of hull – often all at the same time.

Members Boats by Hull Type

If Broom are ever in any doubt about which type of hull attracts us,this chart should clarify their thinking!

A semi-displacement hull form is the overwhelming choice of BOCMembers.

The final event of the 2012 season was the annual dinner at the RoyalSouthampton Yacht Club on the last Friday of the Southampton BoatShow. We were joined by Mark Garner MD of Broom Boats and otherrepresentatives: Louise Busby and Greg Houlston. Broom Boatsprovided the wine for the meal – a gesture that was much appreciatedby everyone present. After the dinner, Mark gave a comprehensiveoverview of the developments within the company and the eveningfinished with a slide show by John Oldham illustrating some of the moreamusing moments of this year’s rallies. Much to the surprise of theaudience, John finished his presentation with a rendition of the“Region’s Club Song”

Finally, my thanks to all Southern Region members for their support,help and friendship during the 2012 season. I look forward to 2013.

South EastBy Kelston Tobin

Sun, Fun, Boats and Trains - SE Region BBQFor once the weather was kind with light winds and sunshine resultingin a total of six boats and 28 club members and guests attending thisyear's SE Region BBQ at Roy Newings 'Boat House' at Grove Ferryon the River Stour in Kent, at the end of July.

Broom boats moored for the weekend included a 42, the largest tovisit Roy Newing's empire, Louise (Admiral) Busby's 35 Sedan all theway from Rotterdam, a 10/70, a 345, a 37 and a 37 Crown. Anextended weekend was enjoyed by some making the most of thegood weather and enjoying the delights of the river Stour. Visits weremade to the 'Fordwich Arms' one and a half hours up river by dinghy,and Roy's picnic site an hour down river.

Events for 2013 will be detailed on the website in due course buthopefully will include a visit to the Thames Barrier and also a return toGreenwich Yacht Club for a Sunday lunch.

Thames Region By Keith Robbins

It’s been a memorable year on the Thames, the river has either beenin flood or flowing at the speed of an express train for much of theseason. We have had the Diamond Jubilee celebrations on thetideway and Olympic rowing at Dorney. The latter caused much pre-event concerns over whether the navigation would be difficultbecause of security issues, however all the problems melted awayinto insignificance as did the traffic in London.

The season really started for the BOC Thames members in June withthe successful Diamond Jubilee event, and I must thank JackieMorgan and David Nye for their help on the catering front and DavidHarrison for providing the splendid mini marquees, which againproved indispensable. The event ran for three days, with somestaying into a fourth, and on the whole the weather was not too bad.

In early July seven of the ten boats booked, travelled to Harleyford onamber stream warnings. For members who know nothing of theThames this means ‘navigate with caution’. Then the sun came outand the three day event was blessed with excellent hot weather. WeBBQ'd on the Friday evening and sat out to nearly midnight in one ofDavid Harrison’s tents. On Saturday morning a three hour breakfastat the Harleyford Golf Club was followed later by dinner for twenty ofus on the Showboat floating restaurant, again followed by anotherlate night bankside vigil. Sunday was a relaxing day with a greatcommunity spirit, and we departed on Monday morning. ThanksMark Pearce, Harleyford general manager, for accommodating us all,and we all look forward to a return visit in the future.

The October Laying Up Supper will be held on Saturday the 13thOctober at a new venue, The Walnut Tree at Bourne End on theHedsor Road. Those wishing to attend by boat should be able tomoor at Cookham and we may be able to arrange transport from thevillage to the pub, which is about three quarters of a mile away. Fulldetails will be posted on the web site and by email to many of theThames members.

I take this opportunity to thank all of you who have supported thevarious events, those of you who have aided us in running andorganizing them and hope you have all enjoyed then as much as Ihave. Thanks for your support.

The Owners Club at the Boat Shows(A team effort!)

by John Oldham

The Club has always enjoyed a good relationship with Broom Boats.

Not only have members been invited to visit the Company’s Brundall

works during the Club Annual General Meetings held in Norfolk, but

Mark Garner, MD, and members of his management team,support the

Club by attending a number of Regional events each year.This is a

clear indication of the value that the Company places on maintaining

good contacts with Club members. In addition, routine enquiries for

servicing and refurbishment help to keep the Company in touch with

owners of both new and more venerable examples of Broom

craftsmanship. Broom Boats’ management team is keen to point out

James Wilkinson, of Newark Marina, and the 3 new models

Semi-displacement

Displacement

Planing

276

Technical TorqueBy David Harrison

Singing Propellers

Have you experienced a “singing” propeller? probably not. Nor had Iuntil earlier this year, and as I don’t recall it ever having featured on theforum it appears club boats have been free of this problem. The boatin question was not a Broom but a 36 ft Linssen Grand Sturdy steeldisplacement cruiser, fitted with a Vetus 4 blade propeller. The ownerapproached me asking for my comments as he was getting conflictingadvice from various sources but having no prior experience a searchon the internet quickly revealed that this phenomenon is no respecterof make or model and can occur on any boat be it single or twinscrew, large or small, slow or fast, hence the relevance to our type ofboats. It can even occur on large commercial ships.

For the first 6 years the owner had no problems, but two years agoafter the boat had been lifted for its bi-annual antifouling, anodereplacement and prop servicing to remove any minor damage causedby frequent Thames bank side mooring, the problem started. Whenreturned from servicing the prop looked like new but after re-launching there was a distinct whining noise at exactly the revs usedfor comfortable cruising on the Upper Thames. Drop below 950rpmand it stopped, increase above 1250 rpm and it stopped but then boatspeed was well above the 8km speed limit and resulting wash wasunacceptable, however, the owner elected to live with the problemuntil the next lift out.

Move on two years. When the boat was lifted earlier this summer forantifouling and anode replacement the propeller was found to haveincurred a couple of minor “dings” on its leading edges, so rather thansend it away and incur additional hard standing costs due to delay,the edges were cleaned up and rounded off to what appeared to be agood standard. When re-launched however the noise increased to avery loud whine which was quite intolerable and gave the impressionthat the gearbox was in serious trouble.

Information obtained from the internet search varied considerably,some of which appeared sound and some questionable, but severalsources stated that even marine propulsion experts have notestablished precise reasons or conditions that induce “singing”. Onequoted example stated that on a twin screw vessel where thepropellers were singing, one of the propellers was replaced by anidentical unit but no other modifications were carried out and thesinging stopped, so the differences between having or not having aproblem appear to be quite minimal. It was also stated that singingcan result from particular combinations of boat speed, motor rpm,propeller diameter, thickness of the propeller blade’s trailing edge andits roundness, all of which under the right conditions will produceturbulence which if in tune with the critical resonance of the propeller,will produce noise. For good measure an article by Vetus also threw indisturbed water flow around the propeller, shaft vibration, wornflexible couplings and out of balance props, however of all theparameters quoted the propeller’s trailing edges appeared the mostcritical and most agreed in principle that modifying this edge to breakup turbulence as it rolled off the prop and change the criticalresonance frequency solves the problem.

The next issue was how to carry out the modification as some saidmodify the front face, others said modify the back face and for goodmeasure one said modify both faces but as a replacement propellerfrom Vetus currently retails at £1089 we needed to get it right. In theend we decided to modify the rear faces as this was Vetus’srecommendation but more importantly the blade edges could bereadily accessed without removing the propeller whilst the boat washeld in slings.

A scribed line was drawn 5mm in from the trailing edge on the backface around each blade to act as a sight line and a 4” angle grinderwith a rigid blade was used to carefully remove metal starting at thetip and working around the blade until approx 70% of the edge hadbeen cut. It was then cleaned up with files in line with the detailedsketch, each end of the cut was blended in and any sharp edgesremoved with emery cloth.

After dealing with thetrailing edges we decidedto “improve” the leadingedges so the angle grinderdisc was changed for aflexible one with rubberbacking and both sides ofthe leading the edges werecleaned up, reducedslightly in thicknessremoving all evidence ofprevious damage, andleading edge radii re-created so that as far aspossible it was asillustrated in the sketch.

Overall the process tookapprox 1 hour once we hadagreed what to do but didit work? The difference wasunbelievable. Much to the delight of the owner there is now absolutelyno noise from the prop or transmission throughout the engine speedrange.

www.broomowners.com www.broomowners.com

Keeping your propeller healthy cansave you money(This is an article from Clements Engineering, who have just enteredour list of providers offering discounts to members)

Propeller repairs can be a costly repair because by their very nature,access to them means that the vessel has to be lifted out of the water.For a commercial vessel this can be costly down time for the vesselsoperation schedule. For a leisure boat this can mean an expensiveand unscheduled lift out.

Clements Engineering, based in Bedfordshire have been designing,manufacturing and repairing propellers for just over 30 years and theyknow the pitfalls of poorly maintained propellers and what can causethem not to operation to their most efficient.

The best basic advice is to have a look at the props whenever theboat is lifted out for its annual check-up. Finding a problem with apropeller early can save a great deal of both time and money, as it canresult in a repair rather than a replacement part.

Salt water is one of the harshest environments for any type of metaleven for something such as strong as Nikle-Aluminium Bronze,Manganese Bronze (HTB1), High Tensile Brass Grade 1, which are allcommonly used to manufacture propellers throughout the world.

One of the key signs to look for is ‘pitting’ such as the propellershown here.

Air Flights:Ryan Air – www.ryanair.com. Ryan Air provide the greatest choicesbut with the usual caveats on flying with them.Aer Lingus – www.aerlingus.ie. Less options for flights but for thosewith blood pressure problems a preferable choice.

Ferries:Stena Line – www.stenaline.com.Irish Ferries – www.irishferries.com. Both of these operate ferries between Holyhead and Dublin Port/DunLaoghaire or Fishguard and Rosslare. Dublin is probably the easierdrive on the Republic side but it obviously depends on the origin inGreat Britain.

Hire BoatsShannon Castle Line – www.shannoncruisers.com. I understand thatthis family run company is proposing to operate a limited fleet of 31’Haines cruisers during 2013. They are ideally placed on Lough Dergfor the weekend, although slightly remote by road. Check with AngusLevie for availability and potential discounts for a group booking.

Silverline, Banagher – www.silverline.com. They operate anextensive fleet of modern boats, but they are all Haines and probablybetter not to mention the BOC, they are the Haines agents in Ireland!However Barbara Smyth is extremely helpful and they may beprepared to do a discount if there is a group booking.

Carrick Craft, Banagher – www.carrickcraft.com. These are aprivate company and operate from three bases on the Shannon-Erne.Their fleet is mainly Haines with some Bounty boats. Since theyoperate from several bases one way hires are possible but check onhow the starting base operates if doing this.

Emerald Star, Portumna – www.emeraldstar.ie. These are part ofLeboat and now operate a reduced fleet in Ireland. They are the onlyones who have some Brooms in their fleet and also operate fromthree bases in Ireland, so one way cruises are possible. Leboat arealso reducing their operations in Ireland and my impression is that thisis reflected in their fleet. There used to be a tie up between Broomsand Emerald Star back in the Guinness Leisure times hence thepresence of Brooms on their fleet.

All of these companies will give assistance and advice on travel totheir yards and know the best options if hiring a boat. Also BOCmembers should be on hand when you arrive to provide furtherassistance.

RailIrish Rail – www.irishrail.ie. Pre-booking is possible and discountsmay be available on line but equally tickets can be purchased atHeuston Station.

Tourist InformationFailte Ireland – www.discoverireland.ie. This is the overall IrishTourist Board site for all areas of Ireland.Killaloe – www.discoverkillaoe.com. As already mentioned this siteis specific to the Killaloe/Ballina area.

If arriving at Limerick station or Shannon airport then taxis areavailable or we can organise a local company to be there to bring youto Killaloe.

Please fill in the pro-forma that is available on the Irish Regional pageof the web site with the details of your arrangements to help usorganise sufficient boats and meals for everybody. Please contact mefor any further information or assistance you may require or if unableto download the booking form. Contact details are available insidefront cover.

We do hope you will come and take advantage of this opportunity andbe assured of a warm Irish welcome and some mighty craic. Thisbeing Ireland we cannot guarantee the weather but an opportunity tojoin in this varied programme, experience the country and meet themembers in Ireland should more than make up for it.

Southern RegionBy Gill Oldham

Despite the uncertainties of the 2012 summer weather, the SouthernRegion has continued to hold a good range of rallies which have beenwell attended by BOC members and their friends.

Following a very successful start-of-the-season rally at the RNLICollege, Poole, in March (details published in the April issue of SweepingStatements), the next event in May, saw 10 members join SwanwickMarina berth holders on a ditch crawl by dinghy up the River Hamble tothe Horse and Jockey Public House, Curdridge. This trip gave everyonea flavour of the tranquillity that exists once we had passed under theM27 motorway bridge. Although the weather was bracing for early May,the event was enjoyed by all and was rounded off with an excellentChinese meal at a local restaurant in the evening.

In July, the region held its annual “off-shore” rally at Island Harbour, Isleof Wight.Thirty two members and their friends came to this three-dayevent which coincided with the rally of Fairey Owners; and as in 2011,included a challenge cricket match. Throughout the time we were on theisland, the weather was kind - calm, sunny and warm and this meant wewere able to have an out-door drinks reception on the Friday evening, aBBQ on Saturday and the cricket match on Sunday morning. As always,we were looked after extremely well by the harbour master, FrankGelder, and his staff, who lent us a BBQ and ensured that the grass wassufficiently long to make it difficult for the cricket ball to bounce and themore athletic members of both teams to run at speed! The staff of theon-site restaurant Breeze, kindly let us borrow their marquee throughoutthe weekend.

In 2011, BOC lost the cricket match but this year the tables were turnedand we won with 101 runs to 91. One of our guests, John Hazelton, wasawarded the trophy for “man of the match” and BOC Chairman FrankHawkins was presented with a replica of the Ashes trophy by HughProthero of the Fairey Owners Club. Frank also helped to ensure thatBOC members were given a proper advantage by purchasing a set ofvery tall stumps ie. broom handles, that helped to counteract thechallenge of the long grass! The rally was rounded off on the Sundayevening with a meal at the famous Folly Inn on the Medina River.

In late August, we returned to the Isle of Wight for a rally at East CowesMarina organised by Southern Region members, Susan and SimonAtwell. Although travelling conditions on the Wednesday were far fromperfect, with gale force winds, nine boats with 21 members and friends,including Louise Busby from Broom Boats, braved the elements. Therally got off to a traditionally good start with a drinks reception on the firstevening. On Thursday, we were given a tour of the RNLI factory whereRIBs are built and refurbished. All of us were impressed by the efficiencyof the factory, with well-organised production lines that help to ensurebuild time-scales and costs are kept to a minimum. The rally ended withan excellent evening meal at the Island Sailing Club, West Cowes.


This is an indication of corrosion and if it is allowed to continue thenit will seriously damage the propeller, which in turn will affect theperformance of the vessel.

Caught early enough the problem can be resolved, but if the pitting ittoo deep or across a large area then it will need to be replaced.

Another issue that propellers can have is vibration and noise. Thishappens if the propeller is not quite suited to your particular hull shapeand size. Too much noise would also indicate that the propellers arenot working at their most efficient and a well-balanced set of propellerscan make a significant difference to fuel economy of the vessel as wellas to the enjoyment of those on board. This may mean that a new setof propellers is required which have taken into account the hull shape,size of boat and expected performance of the boat.

A final hazard for propellers is damage caused by hitting objectsunderwater or getting things such as fishing nets caught in thepropeller. This can bend and misplace the blades of the propeller.Depending on the amount of damage this can be repaired but if partsof the propeller are missing then it is advised to replace with a newpropeller.

A well designed and specified propeller can make a great deal ofdifference to your boating experience.

Split ball valve body caused by frostwhen laid up ashore.By David Harrison

A Club member recently experienced leaking from the body of one ofhis engine’s raw water inlet ball valves when it was being opened orclosed, but not whilst in the fully open or closed position.

Close examination revealed a crack down the length of the body butdue to the ball valve’s design the crack was only subject to waterpressure and hence a leak whilst the valve was being operated, andonly showed up because the bilges were dry and clean and theowner was observant.

The boat had been stored ashore during the previous winter butbefore lift out the ball valve had been closed and antifreeze flushedthrough the raw water system via the strainer in order to protect theengine’s raw water system. No further action was taken after lift outwhich meant that cavities within the ball valve remained full of freshwater. In most cases this would not be a problem if laid up afloat,as freezing when afloat is rarely experienced, but when laid upashore it is potentially quite a different matter.

Fresh water trapped within the valve froze during the cold snap lastwinter and the force generated by the ice was sufficient to split thevalve body. Luckily the split was only on one side so the body did notfail completely and no harm was done, but fitting a replacement entaileda lift out with attendant cost far in excess of the cost of the valve.

Sectioned view of a ball valve in the closed position where the cleararea in the centre of the valve would be full of fresh water.

The risk of frost damage can be greatly reduced by either operatingball valves a couple of times after lift out or leaving them in a partiallyopen position as illustrated below. In addition to the ball this will allowdrainage from the surrounding cavity within the body of the valve.

Ball valve at 45º allowing complete drainage from all cavities withinthe valve

For those who are not sure which type of valves they have installedas sea cocks, a ball valve usually has a lever which will turn through90º to open or close whilst a gate valve has a wheel shaped handlewhich is turned several times to open or close.

Typical lever operated ball valve Typical wheel operated gate valve

News from the RegionsIrelandBy Peter Bentley

Due to other commitments, mainly with work on Joint Venture takingup most of my time, this year has unfortunately been very quiet in theRegion. However, the following details of a weekend in May next yearwill hopefully make up for this.

Over the May Bank Holiday weekend in 2013 the BOC Irish Regionwill be holding a ‘moor in company’ based in Killaloe/Ballina, Ireland.This event will include representatives from Broom Boats and willprovide an opportunity for the Irish members to meet and providefeedback to the Broom staff.

Those of us lucky enough to be based on this section of the inlandwaterways within the Irish Republic would welcome members fromother regions who would like to experience this vast network of riversthat cover both the North and the South of the island.

Killaloe/Ballina is located at the southern end of Lough Derg and is thelast town before the drop down through the two locks at theArdnachrusha hydro-electric power station, on the way to Limerickand the estuary. Killaloe is in Co. Clare whilst Ballina i s on the Co.Tipperary side of the river.

The following programme of events is proposed:

Saturday 4th MayAssemble in Killaloe/Ballina during the day.For those who arrive early in the afternoon there will be the options ofa tour of St, Flannan’s Cathedral, Killaloe or a cruise up on to LoughDerg.Evening – Meal at the Lakeside Hotel, Ballina.

Sunday 5th MayThe main event will be a cruise down to Ardnachrusha with a tour ofthe power station and a passage down and back through the locks.There will be an alternative for those who would rather cruise up onto Lough Derg and visit the castle on the island at Castlebawn on theirown boats.

The trip to Ardnachrusha will be a full day event but for those whoneed to travel we should be back by about 16.00

Evening – Meal at the Lakeside Hotel, Ballina for those staying on untilMonday.

Although this is primarily a weekend for BOC members we will beinviting non members who own Broom boats on the Irish system tothe Saturday evening meal. This will give Broom’s an opportunity tomeet a wider range of owners whilst giving the members plenty ofadditional time for informal discussions during the trips. It will alsogive us an opportunity to promote the club.

Lough Derg is the largest lake on the Shannon-Erne system and canprovide an interesting boating experience. A Google search forCastlbawn will provide more details of this island.

Ardnachrusha is a 4 unit 86 MWatt hydro electric power station, with

a head of 100 feet, that was built in the 1920’s and the trip downthrough the locks is one of the wonders of the inland waterways ofthe British Isles. There are two locks of 70’ and 30’ and must be thedeepest that most us will experience. For further details seewww.esb.ie/main/about-esb/ardnacrusha.jsp or see Brian & WendyWillson’s video on the BOC forum. For those considering hiring a boatfor the weekend please note that hire craft are not allowed belowKillaloe Bridge, so this experience will have to be on members’ boats.

Details on St. Flannans Cathedral, along with further information onKillaloe/Ballina can be found at www.discoverkillaloe.com. This isalso a good source of information on accommodation, including theLakeside Hotel. For the hotel early booking is advisable since it is apopular venue for wedding receptions. Check the locations of othervenues, particularly B&B’s, since they may be some distance from thetowns.

Although advice will be freely available, in view of the variety ofpotential requirements for accommodation we would expectindividuals to make their own arrangements. This also avoids thecomplications of different currencies and exchange rates. Thereshould be very little costs associated with the trips and we will collectthe money for meals on the day, approximately €25/head/meal.

For those considering hiring a boat there are several possibilities,whether for the long weekend or longer if thinking about exploringfurther. Most of the hire companies are flexible in start dates anddurations and a pick up on Friday evening, travel to the southern endof Lough Derg on the Saturday and return on the Monday and beback by lunchtime is realistic. This timetable takes the limited openingtimes of Portumna Bridge into account for those based in Portumnaand Banagher.

There are various options for travel to the Republic, whether by airfrom most airports in the UK or for those wishing to drive and havethe option to extend their stay, a ferry is the alternative option. Thereare some flights into Shannon, which is more convenient, but themajority arrive in Dublin. Hire cars are available from Dublin airport, orIrish Rail operates a regular service to Limerick from Dublin. Busesoperate into Heuston Station in Dublin for the Limerick trains, or taxis.In addition to those quoted previously, the following are useful websites which cover the various options and full details are available onthese:

Broom 35 European aft slidingwindowsBy Ian Stuart

I recently asked the Technical Forum if it is a DIY job to tackle thesewindows myself, and after encouraging replies from David Harrisonand Peter Bentley this is what I did. In case it helps others I’veincluded comments on how to avoid where I went wrong.

The problem was a combination of small leaks into the aft cabin thatwere threatening to spoil the woodwork and unsightly old felt seals forthe sliding windows that were tatty and just seemed to invite mossgrowth.

Note that the sliding window glass cannot be removed withoutremoving the frame from the boat and partially dismantling it. Ithought the glass might waggle out if I removed the old sealing stripsfrom the window channels to create some space for verticalmovement, but I was wrong.

Removing the windowThe outside section of the frame attaches to an inner frame inside thecabin with 30 machine screws. These are called inter-screws andbasically the outer parts screw into a thread inside the other halveswhich are pushed through the inner frame from inside. The fittings donot fix into the GRP of the boat itself.

Take all of the outer screws out. If any won’t undo it’s because theinner part is also turning in the frame – they are only a push fit. Justget someone else to carefully apply a little pressure to the inside partwith a screwdriver blade or similar to stop it turning.

The inner frame is in 4 parts – top, bottom and two ends – and thesewill come off individually.

If necessary tap the inner parts of the inter-screws free gently with anarrow screwdriver or similar through the holes from outside.

The window is now held in place by nothing apart from the mass ofold sealant, putty etc that you will probably find between the outerframe and the boat. You can loosen the hold of this by gently runninga thin flat blade or knife round the edge of the outside frame. In mycase it helped a lot to have a friend push the window from the inside,starting at one end, while I tugged and slid a knife round the joint fromthe outside. Be careful not to bend the frame out of shape. Keep thesliding window closed to increase rigidity.

The sealant should gradually give way and you will have a loosewindow. It is not at all heavy but to avoid any danger of dropping itinto the water you could tie a cord through the end of the frame andto a guardrail.


Dismantling the frameThe frame is held together at each end by pairs of angle brackets thatjoin the sections together. In my case I removed the screws at theforward end to take out the sliding window. The screws are very short.If they are tight use a good quality screwdriver that fits the slot well,clean any old sealant or corrosion out of the way first and if necessarysoak that part of the frame in hot water for a few minutes.

I realised later that the angle brackets are not quite symmetrical. Soto make sure the frame fits together again neatly, I suggest you undothe bracket screws only from the top and bottom sections of theframe. You can then push or tap the end section of the frame loosewhile keeping the brackets in place on this part so that they go backwhere they should. (I didn’t do this and then spent ages trying to getthe loose brackets to match the screw holes etc). You can then slide the window out.

(It would have been better to remove the screws from the top andbottom sections to leave the brackets in place in the end section)

I did not dismantle the frame any further as you can renew most of themastic around the other, fixed window by scraping out enough of theold sealant with a small sharp screwdriver and replacing it carefully.

The old seals in the channel for the sliding window just pull out. Youcan clean up glue etc from the channel using one of the anglebrackets as a handy scraper that’s just the right width. In my case theglue etc softened up first with a short soak in hot water. Clean up thechannels etc as old glue on the visible parts of these spoils the lookwhen the new parts are installed.

I bought new flock/rubber for the sliding window channel from SealsPlus Direct for about £3.50 a metre plus VAT and P&P. You need tobuy three metres for each window.

There are also lengths of solid rubber filling in the end channels andparts of the top and bottom sections. This is a 9 or 10mm squaresection. I could have got away with retaining my original parts butthey were perished in places. Seals Plus Direct also do a 10mmsection that fits well and looks much better. This has a hollow coreand is softer but this makes it easier to fit. If you do change these,take a note of the location and length of the old pieces first, as inplaces they form stops for the sliding window. `

street level. It also shows one of the easier wide arched bridges butthrough it you may detect something a little more challenging - one ofthe curving tunnels!

And here is the tunnel. Taken at slow enough pace and with noproblems of wind or current to complicate matters, it was actually nottoo difficult to nudge the boat cleanly through, but meeting anothercraft and having to back up simply did not bear thinking about!

From my record, I see that the whole passage was just under a milebut took us 40 minutes from start to finish. On exit from the last tunnelit was turn right into Singlegracht where we found attractive bank sidemoorings as seen below. The charge was E10 per night regardless oflength, perhaps confirming my impression that they were notaccustomed to seeing many larger craft.

After all the effort of getting here, we were able to relax and spend thefollowing day exploring Utrecht, a city full of interest and well worth

the visit.. Inevitably one of my objectives was to go to the top of theDom Tower, 112m high and reputedly the tallest in Netherlands. Thispicture taken from that vantage point, gives another view of thecentral canal with its turns and tunnels.

From Utrecht we had allowed two days to get back to base and packup the boat before heading for our booked return ferry. There werefour bridges on the exit from the city before locking out into theAmsterdam Rhine canal. Three of them were lift bridges but the firstwas fixed and shown as 3.3m which, after recent experience, Ireckoned should be no problem screen up.

However the city had one last surprise. Either the water level washigher than usual, quite possible since there had been someovernight rain and remember we had locked down into the centre, orthere was an error in the recorded height, because I reckon that ratherthan four inches clearance we had around 4mm. It was a flat ratherthan arched bridge and we took some care not to rock the boat onthe way through as, anything other than dead level, we wouldcertainly have touched!

That excitement over it was only a matter of four miles along theAmsterdam Rhine canal to a large lock before crossing the Lek andentering the Merwede canal which we had passed along on day two ofour outward journey. The plan was to spend our last evening back atGorinchem but reaching the Voorhaven marina at 3.30pm and finding italready looking very crowded, we decided against checking the townharbour and instead headed straight for Strijensas where we tied up inour home berth at 6pm, a day early but happy to be home and secure.

So that was the end of a very successful and thoroughly enjoyableholiday. The weather was mixed with a few squalls and even thunderstorms but for most of the time we were able to wear shorts andsandals and on a few days it was hot enough that we just had to finda place where we could swim to cool off. With the benefit of localadvice we visited interesting places, most of them off the usual touristtrack. In fact it was remarkable how few UK based boats weencountered.

It was also a surprisingly economical holiday. I have alreadymentioned the unusually good fuel economy, calculated at 3.25mpg.This was partly down to the choice of route giving helpful currents butwas aided by the fact that we were normally cruising at 6 knots orless, no hardship when most days we were covering only 20 or somiles through interesting and varied countryside, say three hourscruising excluding any time spent waiting for bridges and locks.

Through choice we ate aboard most evenings, satisfying ourselveswith the afternoon coffee to get the feel of each place. Careful timingmeant that we always managed to find a good berth for the night andmarina charges were also very reasonable. With nowhere exceedingE15 per night including electricity, water and tourist tax and a coupleof nights on free moorings, I reckon the total for the holiday was E140,rather less than you might pay for three nights in St Kats or someSouth Coast marinas.

ReassemblyIt is obviously better to sand down and re-varnish any damagedinside woodwork before replacing the window.

If the window locking bracket is seized, now is the time to free it.Soak it in WD40 or if it’s really stuck try a little very gentle heat (a gascigarette lighter may well do) while waggling it very carefully withsome pliers. Then work some grease into the hinge.

I lightly glued the new seals into place, making sure that the drainholes on the outside edge of the lower channel were not blocked.The glue stops the sliding window from rucking up the new channelseal as it’s quite a tight fit.

I cleaned up corrosion etc (a soak in kitchen descaler for an hourbrought the little screws for the brackets up like new). I used somewaterproof grease to make them easy to remove in another 40 years (!),

polished and replaced the glass and screwed the frame back together.(New seals in place but still some more cleaning up to do on the newmastic).

Carefully scrape off the old sealant from the outside of the boat andrun a generous bead of sealant round the lip of the outside frameincluding close to the edge. Place the outer frame back in positionand secure it in place with a few of the screws through into the inter-screw parts in the inner frame sections. It is a lot easier if you can getsomeone to spend a few minutes on the inside to help do this.Tighten all the screws progressively in diagonal pairs and make surethat the sealant forms a good seal all the way round the outer frame.

All in all, a straightforward and inexpensive job that was satisfying DIYfor someone like me who works at a computer most of the time. Costwas about £25 per window for next day delivery including all seals,sealant and glue from Seals Plus Direct who sent everything.

I did this over a few days fiddling about, but if needs be it should beeasy to remove, service and replace a window in 4 – 5 hours as longas you have the new seals etc to hand, and if necessary you cantouch up any of the woodwork later.

What took me longest was replacing the black sealant around thefixed window but you could do this separately if leaving the windowframe out of the boat is a problem. I guess this is where a professionalwould do a neat job in a fraction of the time. Tell the cat to stay wellclear, use masking tape to minimise the mess and a craft knife to trimoff the excess to a straight finish once it’s cured.


He explained that we did not have to pass under the 2.65mMonicabrug. The limiting height through the centre was shown as3.2m but in fact the bridges were arched with 3.6m at the centre. Thelower 3.2m figure indicated clearance across the width of an averageboat. Looking at La Strega he suggested that we might wish to lowerthe screen to give ourselves a better margin for error, advice I happilytook. The following picture shows the boat with everything down. Atfirst sight it may appear reassuringly low – in fact 0.8m below archcentre - but if you look closely, the folded screens actually stick outover the side decks giving an effective beam width over 3m at thatlevel and becoming potentially the first point of contact in the eventof any error of judgement.

I should say at this point that Marjorie was not at all keen to proceed.In fact she had been rather against the Utrecht adventure since firstreading about it in Louise’s guide. However I had spoken to the lockkeeper who was not discouraging and I had looked over the lockgates at what I thought was the bridge we had to pass through. Sowith some difficulty I persuaded her that all would be well and that itwould help if she stood on the foredeck to give warning of any boatscoming towards us and to be ready to fend if I went “off centre” andit looked as if I might catch the folded windscreen on an arch.

The next photo shows not the bridge I had viewed from the lock, butthe next one after we had passed safely through what I foolishlythought was the bridge! You will note that there are two narrowarches, not the single wide one I had seen on the first bridge viewedfrom the lock. In addition, the arch I had to navigate through in thiscase, has overhanging trees on the approach just to make things alittle more interesting!

In fact, and nowhere in the literature does it tell you this, there are 14bridges and two tunnels which have to be negotiated, all with nominallythe same headroom but each with its own little features to add varietyand challenge. The two tunnels topped the list, being not merely longbut also curved in the middle so that you could not be sure on enteringthat you were not going to meet something coming towards you.

The next photograph gives some impression of the prettiness of thepassage, with old quays and canal side cafes 3m below normal;

Of the two we preferred Elburg which has the added attraction of 14thcentury fortifications and a number of museums. That said, at thispoint on our holiday the weather had become extremely warm – youmay recall it was not generally a great summer – so we chose to moorjust outside the town at a little yacht club on Drontenmeer. This gaveus the opportunity for a cooling swim in rather more appealing waterthan the town harbour would offer, before taking a short stroll intoElburg and enjoying the now habitual afternoon coffee in the marketplace.

On Saturday morning we set out to complete the last 15 miles ofRandmeren before turning into Muiden where we paid our first andonly toll, E4.50 to pass through the access lock into the Vecht.Pictured below, approaching and in the lock, Muiden is a place wewould have liked time to explore.

However we were keen to reach Utrecht by Sunday and rememberingthat we might well have to retrace our steps when we got there, wefelt it best to press on. Also with 16 opening bridges in just over 20miles to the city, we were unsure of rate of progress. There are nomarinas along the river but we were able to find bank side mooringsnear Nederhorst 7 miles above Muiden.

Sunday saw us making slow progress up the river through attractivecountryside and sleepy little towns. Each had one or two openingbridges and we had our first experience of the operator dangling aclog on the end of a stick asking for brug geld. Not sure of how muchto offer we tried a Euro coin which seemed to suffice. In fact watchingpeople on some local boats passing through with us, paymentseemed optional or perhaps only expected from foreigners!

Now we were approaching Utrecht and decision point. It is probablymore appropriate to call it “information point” because for theprevious few days I had been reading all the charts and referencebooks I could lay my hands on, also speaking to anyone I met who Ithought might be able to help. In the end we sailed up to theWeerdsluis (appropriately named because surprisingly, given that wewere going up river, it locked us down into the city centre canals) andasked the lock keeper.

Expanding the Technical LibraryBy David Harrison

One of the original objectives in the early days of the club was to collectas much documentation as possible relating to Broom boats and inparticular Operators manuals, Engine manuals and OEM manuals.There was considerable success, particularly OEM manuals, withmembers kindly loaning their documents to Andy Nurse who scannedthem for incorporation onto the web site where they are now available toall members. If you are not aware of the library, log on to the web site,click Technical, the 8th button across the top of the page, followed byLibrary. You then have a choice of Boat brochures, Owners manuals,OEM manuals, price lists and Sweeping Statements. Engine manualsare included in the OEM section. If the “Technical” button does notappear then you are not logged on correctly.

The library is however far from complete so a new initiative is underwayto locate missing documents, in particular Owners manuals and Andy,although no longer a member of the committee, has agreed to continuethe scanning service. A schedule of Broom models produced since the1950s / 60s based on the web site gallery and membership list is shownbelow, to which has been added documents currently held in the librarywhich are specific to each model. If there are errors or omissions in theschedule please advise (contact details on the inside front cover) so thatI can incorporate any corrections. You will note that there are far moregaps than entries so hopefully members who have copies of missingdocuments will be prepared to loan them for scanning. The scheduledoes not include specific OEM equipment due to variations withinmodels but any manuals not already in the library will always be welcome.

The schedule incorporates the latest additions to the Broom range andthe relevant documents are now being scanned, as in time these modelswill also become history. Broom Boats have agreed to assist in thisproject and recently provided a large number of mainly sales brochuresrelating to the days of timber boats and hire fleets. These are now beingscanned and in due course will appear on the web site. In the meantimeit is hoped that between us a very comprehensive library will be createdin due course for the benefit of future owners.

Broom Owners Club library Documents held in the

library Documents held in the

library

Sales brochures

Owners manuals

Sales

brochures Owners manuals

Current Broom models Previous Broom models

30 Coupe 36 Commander

35 Coupe 365

370 37 1990 1990

395 37 Continental Early 70s

430 37 Crown Mid 80s 1981

455 OS 39

525 39 KL

39 KL 2 + 2

Previous Broom models 12m Monarch

9/70 1986 Saxon 40

10/70 Late 80s 41

29 HT 41 OS 1998

29 ST Late 90s 42 CL

30 Mk II Early 70s 425

30 Mk III Mid 70s Mid 70s 44

30 Skipper Mid 70s 450

30 Bosun 50 OS

32 530 AC

33 Diamond

34 Commander Supreme

345 OS Ocean Models 35

Captain 31

35 European Early 70s Early 70s 34 Late 90s 1998

35 Sedan Late 70s 37 1974

35 Solent 1985 38 Late 90s

35 CL 38 CL Late 90s

36 Late 80s 40 Late 90s

42


point. We made this our second overnight stop, prior to lockingthrough to the Lek to travel up towards Arnhem, David’s destination.He planned to leave his boat there and return to UK to collect Allisonbefore continuing their summer cruise, but we were stopping atWageningen, a small town some 10 miles short of Arnhem.

Between here and Rhenen a few miles back down the river, isHolland’s highest hill, the place where, in May 1940, the fiercestfighting on Dutch territory took place. Waginingen is also the site ofthe German capitulation on 5th May 1945, and both events aresuitably commemorated. However the principal reason for our stopwas to visit the zoo at Rhenen. Reputed to be the second largest inthe Netherlands with over 1600 animals and birds, it did notdisappoint.

After a day spent cycling around, visiting the zoo and sightseeing, wewere off early on Sunday to complete the 13 miles and one large lock,through Arnhem to where we turned left into the Gelderse Ijssel. Ourfirst stop was Doesburg, just 10 miles downstream, a quaint butattractive town which set the pattern for our next three days. Themarina was in a small lake or gravel pit, off the main river and wearrived in time for a late lunch and a stroll into town for coffee in themain square.

Deventer was our next stop 22 miles further down river, and this tripgave us our first – but not our last – experience of a barge comingupstream hanging out a blue board signalling their intention to cut thecorner and escape the worst of the current.

Louise’s guide had warned of this and I was glad to have been alertedto the possibility as we were at the time being followed by a Policeboat which seemed to be taking more interest in us than we wouldhave wished. Our quick and correct reaction, turning sharply to passto starboard, appeared to satisfy them that we knew what we wereabout as they then turned away to worry someone else.

While in Deventer we climbed the 62m church tower from which Itook the photograph below. As well as giving a fair impression of thescenery along the length of the Gelderse Ijssel, it also shows one ofthe frequent bridges. Each town has at least one such crossing, allconsiderately allowing ample room for a Broom to pass under with noworries about radar arches or canopies.

This bridge is apparently notable for closely resembling the ArnhemBridge destroyed during Operation Market Garden in 1944. The

rebuilt Arnhem Bridge was too modern looking and so the moviemakers came to Deventer to use their structure for making the film “ABridge too Far”.

Kampen, most northerly of the former Hanseatic cities and once asignificant sea port at the river mouth, was our last stop beforeentering the Ijsselmeer. Of course the process of land reclamationmeans that now, you actually emerge into an estuary calledKetelmeer between Flevoland and Noordoostpolder with another 12miles to go before passing under the Ketelbrug to enter the Ijsselmeerproper.

From Ketelbrug we had to cross just 4 miles of open water beforereaching the former island of Urk, most northerly point of this trip.Originally 10 miles offshore, since 1942 it has been firmly attached tothe mainland. It is now a busy modern port but retains some of itsoriginal character and old world charm. La Strega found a berth in theold harbour amongst smaller boats, as seen in this view from the oldlighthouse.

Setting out on the return trip to Ketelbrug the next morning, we hada rare chance to open the throttles and clear the soot out of LaStrega’s turbo chargers. Much of the route was speed restricted to20kph, and even this speed of around 12 knots would have createdtoo much wash given the low banks or proximity of other boats.However there was a positive side to this. At the end of the trip Icalculated overall fuel consumption as 3.25mpg, the best we haveever recorded in La Strega with its thirsty pair of 200hp Volvos.

From the bridge to the entry to the Vecht at Muiden, we cruised some50 miles through Randmeren, the stretch of water separating theoriginal Ijsselmeer coastline from the recently created Flevoland. Thisincludes what appears to be fairly open water between a number oflocks and bridges. However for much of the route limited depthmeans you are required to follow a buoyed channel. We allowedourselves two overnight stops, at Elburg and Spakenburg, attractivetowns which both had a long history as fishing ports on the Zuiderzeeuntil building of the Afsluitdijk in 1932.

CruisingThames Diamond Jubilee Pageant:June 2012 – Setting the SceneBy Linda Varney

So “what’s it all about – this Diamond Jubilee Pageant - and why allthe fuss?” These were my first thoughts when I heard about it at anAssociation of Thames Yacht Clubs meeting in June 2011. Theorganisers were asking for volunteers for a practice cruise at the endof the month, and wanted 20 boats. My boat wasn’t really reliable forthe tideway at that time, and anyway the date clashed with our ClubRegatta, so I decided to give it a miss – bad move; we found out laterthat taking part in a rehearsal was one of the “criteria” for inclusion inthe fleet. 17 boats eventually went down, and tried cruising threeabreast. It was a bit tricky with normal river traffic in full flow, and theexperience was fed into the planning process.

By August 2011, registration to take part in the Pageant had startedand I knew a bit more about it. Another practice was planned, thistime as part of the Mayor of London’s Thames Day in September.Although 2 boats from my Club had registered, we were told therewere already enough boats for the practice. Hmmn! I found someoneelse who was going and managed to “blag” myself a place.

So we set off down river with the tide, stayed overnight at Dove Pierjust above Hammersmith Bridge, and joined the “fleet” of 27 boats(the so-called Tupperware Navy) for a briefing on Imperial Wharf (byChelsea Harbour). The plan was to cruise three abreast using amidline marker boat every second row to keep formation. Somehopes! But all the boats made it safely through central Londonwithout hitting strategically placed barges, trip boats pulling out, andan unannounced opening of Tower Bridge. It was far from perfect buthopefully all would learn from the experience!

As promised, everyone who had registered was informed whether theyhad been selected just before new year 2012 – a good new yearpresent for some; disappointment for others, including me. The motorcruisers were to form part of the recreational motor squadron, includingcruisers, narrow boats and Dutch barges. I had passed my Septemberpapers to Dom Rouse, whose Broom 50 had been selected as theBroom boat to carry the official Norfolk representatives. To my pleasureand surprise Dom told me he could take an extra crew member andwould I like to go? So I joined Dom and Viv, Frank and Diane Hawkins,Louise Busby and George Reynolds to make up the crew of Suero VII.The paperwork started – reams and reams of it coming through by

Recent improvements to our 1990Broom 37 Boisterous Mistress By Kelston and Jackie Tobin

New Staron worktops, new Smev hob and double oven

As we did not intend to spend August aboard this year Jackie and Idecided it was time to finally take the plunge and refit the galley. Thehob and oven were both looking very tired and the worktops dated.Jackie sourced a three burner Smev hob with spark ignition of similardimensions to the one originally fitted, together with a double oven,again with spark ignition and a light in the main oven. The new ovenwas slightly narrower and taller than the original so this required a lotof dismantling and cutting of the cabinetry before rebuilding it with theaperture the correct size.

6 mm Staron was used for the worktops and this was mounted on topof the original worktop. Holes were cut to take the original round sinkand draining board and the new hob. A flip top lid was made for thewaste bin which is inset in the worktop. New stainless splash backswere made to fit the hob and a 40 mm Staron up stand was added.

Redesigned helm to accommodate Raymarine C120 Classicchart plotter

Whilst undertaking the galley refit we decided we might as well lookinto updating our navigation equipment as well. We had beencontemplating fitting a Raymarine chart plotter for a number of yearsbut had not taken the plunge as we realized it was not going to be asimple task and would also mean replacing the Radar that still workedperfectly. By chance I came across a used C120 Classic chart plottercomplete with scanner and cable. I decided that with somemodifications to the helm it would fit, so we purchased it. Out camethe old Radar and chart plotter and various other parts of the helmtogether with part of the roof of the saloon. After much cutting,grinding and reshaping of the fibreglass moulding the new unit fitted.Our engine CCTV monitor was fitted above the engine instrumentswhere the original Simrad chart plotter used to be. An adapter platewas made to mount the new scanner to the radar arch, the scannerand GPS unit were then fitted and new cables pulled though in placeof the originals.

Having recently spent a week on board we are both in agreement thatthese improvements were well worth doing. The galley looks muchbetter and the replacement chart plotter is easy to use and muchmore accessible in its new location on the helm.


email. Some useful (the generic passage plan of the Thames route, forinstance); others, I am sure, necessary but much less interesting -instructions about rafting out in docks etc.

The final rehearsal was scheduled for mid April on a Sunday withsimilar tides to the “Big Day”, although later the decision was taken toclose the Thames Barrier for the actual day. I travelled down river withmembers of the Kingston Small Boat Club, whose Commodore hadbeen offered a late place, to Imperial Wharf where we made the motorcruisers’ group up to 60 boats. The briefing on Sunday morning was avery cold affair, but after three quarters of an hour we were allowed tograb a coffee and warm up. I transferred onto “Rosel “a Broom 35,with BOC and Richmond Yacht Club members Phillip and Pam Chart.As the only London-based Suero VII crew, I was deputed to watch andlearn, and we thought Rosel’s headroom might be similar to Suero’s.

We set off, four boats abreast for the first time, from just belowHammersmith Bridge to the Buddhist statue in Battersea Gardens,where we were to do a “starboard wheel” of the fleet – something wemight need to do in an emergency on the day and an idea laterdropped. All the boats came out of it unscathed, although somecame very close to being swept onto large mooring buoys. Some ofthe fleet continued down river to Tower Bridge to familiarisethemselves with the rest of the route; others returned to ImperialWharf and some headed up river.

Things moved on apace. Suero VII made her trip from Brundall, whereshe had arrived at Easter, to St Katherine’s Dock, via Ipswich. We hadimportant planning meetings – what food to provide for our Norfolkguests, dress code, arrival times, etc. And the rest, as they say, ishistory, and Dom and Viv Rouse continue the story in their article inthis issue. (See also MBM August 2012 and Louise Busby’s photos onthe BOC website).

Thanks especially to Dom and Viv Rouse for making the experiencepossible and giving me the opportunity to accompany Suero VII on hertrip south.

SUERO VII Represents BOC at theRoyal PageantBy Dom Rouse

SUERO VII PASSES THE ROYAL PARTY

From November, 2011 to March, 2012 Suero VII was wintered in HullMarina and plans were made for taking part in the Queen’s DiamondJubilee Pageant on June 3rd.

The first trip on March 17th along the Rivers Humber, Ouse and Trentwent well, and over Easter my wife Viv and I took the boat to GrimsbyMarina. Viv said she didn’t want to do the sea passage so shevolunteered for the “Thunderbird 2” role, waving me off and thendriving to the next port to transport me home again. My mate GeorgeReynolds and I (both very recent OAP’s) left Grimsby for Lowestoft onEaster Saturday, forecast N 4-5, about 110 miles. The trip was fine butthe Stugeron did make me “nod off” once off the Norfolk coast.

Next day we travelled to Brundall where some jobs were more or lesscompleted, and Suero VII had her dark blue covers changed for thewhite Mediterranean set (very smart for the Pageant).

Whilst in Brundall we met the dignitaries who would be on board for

On Thursday morning we left the Hamble en route to Hythe MarinaVillage where we had booked a berth for two nights. We took a detourto view the boat show from the water and then made our way acrossto Hythe. This is a very useful place from which to access the boatshow, as the Hythe Ferry runs regularly throughout the day. If you arevisiting by car there is good parking in the village.

On Friday we visited the boat show. We headed for the Broom onshore marquee first, and were warmly welcomed by Gill Oldham whowas manning the BOC stand, together with Louise Busby and herBroom colleagues. We were very impressed with the new Broom 30and 35 Coupe which were on the water. It was a bright sunny day,although still windy. We were already contemplating the trip home,thinking we would leave early on Saturday as it was forecast to becalm, but there was no sign of the wind abating yet. After a great dayat the show we made our way back to the ferry and spent a final nightaboard. We did a final check of the weather and decided to leave at7.00 am the next morning aiming to get back to Ramsgate in one leg.

We left Hythe at 7.00 am on one of those amazingly calm mornings.There was still some fog lingering but this soon burnt away and weenjoyed a calm trip with a favourable tide until we reachedDungeness. The sea conditions were a little uncomfortable until wepassed Dover but we were back in Ramsgate by 2.00 pm. The nextday we took the boat back up the River Stour to our mooring at GroveFerry. The end of another enjoyable trip but not without incident!

This was the first time we had needed to call for assistance in theseven years since we have owned Boisterous Mistress. It brought ithome to us how reassuring it is to know that the RNLI are there toassist when boats get into difficulty. We are regular collectors for thischarity in our local area and have been for many years, although wenever actually thought that we would need their services. When we doour next collection we will be able to tell of our own experience of thisamazing organisation.

Brushing Through Utrecht.The high point- or should it be low point? – of our summer cruise inHolland.

By Don Walker

Having relocated our Broom 33 to Strijensas near Dordrecht in 2010,the rest of that summer was spent exploring and getting to know thelocal area. So for 2011 we had ambitions to reach the Ijsselmeer,preferably avoiding busier commercial routes as far as possible.

How to get there? Well after spending some time browsing throughLouise Busby’s excellent guide, The Inland Waterways of theNetherlands, and speaking with the author herself, and some localadvice from friends we had met in the marina at Strijensas, we choseto head NE taking the Lek to Arnhem where we would pick up theGelderse Ijssel. This large river has the attraction of a 2-3 knot currentcarrying you 70 miles North to the Ijselmeer.

Of course this advantage on the North bound trip made it desirableto find an alternative route home, and for this we were recommendedto take the Vecht. This is a quiet flowing river with no commercialtraffic, leading from just east of Amsterdam up to Utrecht. But thereis a catch. To quote The Inland Waterways guide, “coming from thenorth, access south beyond Monica Bridge is restricted to 2.6m airdraft.”

With six years experience of navigating waterways like the upperThames, Norfolk Broads and Dutch canals, we have made a point ofknowing our air-draft limits. With everything up we can just clear4.5m. There are two intermediate stages, mast down, 3.7m and hooddown, 3.2m before reducing to an absolute minimum of 2.8m with thescreen folded flat.

So it looked as if Utrecht was going to be a problem. However, theinformation was sketchy and we definitely wanted to visit the place,even if we could not get through. After all, at worst we would simplyhave to retrace our steps for a few miles and pick up a link from theVecht to the Amsterdam- Rhine canal, bypassing the city. The journeywe took is shown on the map, with the route shown in red.

This interesting challenge was still two weeks away when we set off

from Strijensas on 26th July. Being high summer we intended to travelin the morning, reaching our destination each day around 2pm so thatwe would have a reasonable chance of finding a berth. However day1 was a little different. With much to sort out after travelling over fromEngland the previous day, lunch time departure was the best wecould achieve.

Gorinchem, our selected destination, is a popular harbour but we hada solution to the problem of finding space late afternoon. DavidHaugh, editor of this magazine, was already there and booked a berthfor us alongside the wall in the Lingehaven, the first harbour after thelock into the town, and the only mooring area which is not severelyheight restricted.

We had visited Gorinchem before but had opted for the yacht club inthe Voorhaven having been discouraged by the narrow (just over 4m)lock into the town moorings. Pictured below you can see La Strega inthe prime position David secured for us, with his boat Kohaku justvisible bottom left.

In this second photo Kohaku illustrates just how tight the lock is, aswe depart the following day.

For day two, we cruised in company with Kohaku along the quietMerwede canal which takes you 13 miles from Gorinchem to Viannen,just short of a junction with the Rhine or Lek as it is known at this

the Pageant. They were Viscount and Viscountess Knollys (Vice LordLieutenant of Norfolk), Henry Cator (High Sheriff of Norfolk) and hiswife Sarah and Ian Monson (Chairman of the County Council) andAnnie Roberts.

On Sunday 6th May Suero VII left Brundall at 0835 with Linda Varney,a friend of Linda’s, Sue Harmer and Henry Cator on board torendezvous with Thunderbird 2 in Ipswich Haven at 6.00pm at the startof our journey to the Pageant.

On Friday, 18th May, we popped down the River Orwell to Shotley forthe night. Over dinner in the marina restaurant we met another Broomowner who thought the Pageant would be a failure because TheQueen’s barge would capsize!

Next day with Linda, Sue and George as crew, we set off for StKatherine’s Dock. Getting a month’s mooring there was probably themost difficult part of the whole season). The trip was fine, but raining,and the journey through the middle of the windfarm off Gunfleet Sandswas very shallow, so we went very slowly.

The Pageant crew, Frank and Diane Hawkins, Louise Busby, Linda,George, Viv and I all assembled in Millwall Dock and slept on boardFriday evening, June 1st, together with our daughter Helen andgrandchildren Poppy and Maddy. Linda and I then went off to attendthe official briefing at a nearby hotel.

On saturday morning we formed a convoy with other participant boatsto sail up the Thames and pick up our designated moorings nearHammersmith Bridge. We then had a trip ashore to get the essentials,including champagne glasses to help with the celebration for Linda’sbig birthday. When we got back on the boat we couldn’t get thegenerator to start so we used Frank’s camping stove he hadthoughtfully brought along.

On Sunday morning I had planned for the official party to come aboardby water taxi at about 10.30am. After 3 nights without shore power Ineeded to start the generator for hot water for showers and cooking andthe fridges, so it was up with the saloon floor at about 8.00am, puttinga heavy screwdriver across the solenoid terminals and generating a lotof sparks and smoke and bits off the screwdriver in an attempt to startthe generator. Thankfully, it fired up and almost immediately we had atelephone call from Lady Knollys to say they had made good time ontheir journey from Norwich, and their water taxi would soon be with us!At 8.15am I welcomed the dignitaries aboard, unshaven, un-showeredand in a 3 day old workshirt, but the bacon sandwiches, ably cooked byFrank on his camping stove, went down a storm.

The rest of the day all worked perfectly, so I was able to relax and justsit and steer and enjoy my day, being directed by Linda.

Well, it was a fantastic day, and I will say a big thank you to a few people.

Firstly, to the BOC committee for picking Suero VII. Thank you also toMartin Broom and his team at Brooms for building Suero VII, abeautiful boat that took the journey in its stride, looked great on theday and provided memorable hospitality for 13 people in the mixedJubilee weather.

Thank you to the crew who did their job magnificently, and enabled meto actually enjoy the day. Thanks particularly to Linda for the advanceinformation and for preparing the detail, and to Frank for handling thepolice checks and everyone’s security. A big thanks also to them all forcontributing to the supermarket bills and bringing enough food andwine on board to nearly sink a ship. A day to remember for many yearsto come.

(If anyone wants to see all the photographs on Dropbox, please emailme at [email protected])

The forecast for Sunday was for good weather with light winds untillater in the afternoon. We left early and headed at eco speed (8 knots)towards the Solent. By 1.00 pm we were approaching Selsey Bill. Asforecast, the wind changed to the SW and increased in strength, andwe decided to increase to our usual cruising speed of 18 knots.Within a few minutes we ground to a sudden stop, indicating anobstruction around the props. Engaging either engine in gear resultedin them stalling. After repeated attempts it became obvious that wewould have to call for assistance. A call to Solent Coastguard foradvice resulted in the launch of Selsey Lifeboat to our rescue.

As luck would have it we were in direct line of sight of the Lifeboatstation and it wasn’t long before we could see the Lifeboatapproaching. Two crew members came on board and were able tosee a rope on the port side and suggested we try the starboardengine again. This resulted in some propulsion and after discussionwith the crew it was agreed that we would make way on one engineand the two crew members were recovered from Boisterous Mistress.This was with some difficulty as the wind had increased even furtherto a now uncomfortable F5. We were asked to radio SolentCoastguard with our position in an hour’s time and again when wereached our final destination of East Cowes.

There followed an unpleasant 3 hour trip at 8 knots before we were inthe lee of the Isle of Wight. By 6.00 pm we had thankfully moored ona hammerhead at East Cowes Marina. I then donned my handy wetsuit(everyone should have one!) and armed with our trusty rope knifedisappeared into the Medina. It took four dives to remove the offendingrope from the propeller and shaft and after a further inspection underwater; it appeared that the boat had suffered no damage.

We spent two windy nights in East Cowes and after refuelling wecrossed the Solent in blustery conditions. This gave us an opportunityto ensure that there wasn’t any damage caused by the rope. Luckilythere was no vibration or any strange noises. We headed up theHamble and moored in Port Hamble. We enjoyed a sunny afternoonsitting on deck and then took the dinghy up river to The Jolly Sailorfor a very welcome supper.

The following day we hada good walk aroundHamble Village and thesurrounding area. Thevillage was proudlydisplaying a gold postboxin recognition of Olympiccyclist Dani King. We werealso interested to speak toa crew member of theHamble Lifeboat, which isindependent from theRNLI. We were surprisedto learn that there areapproximately 70 of theseindependently run inshorelifeboats around the UK.The day was completedwith a lovely fish supper atYe Olde Whyte Harte,which we can thoroughlyrecommend.


Maurice, the son of friends of ours, phoned. He

was camping in the neighborhood and wanted to visit us with his

girlfriend, Renske. Then they appeared on the parking lot with a

Jaguar cabriolet and Maurice and Renske stepped out. Well, we

camped in former days in a grubby Citroën 2 CV full of camping gear,

and not in father’s Jaguar cabriolet. The world is flipped, because his

father is now driving in a 2 CV Citroën ! He even has a rental service

in France especially for the 2CV, see www.tourdecanard.com.

They had a lot of spectators watching as the set up their little tent on

the campsite, alongside their Jag. Maurice was curious about what

the other campers were thinking. We knew the answer - they thought

it was William and Kate incognito on holiday in France!

BOË

Boé is a little town near Agen with a halte nautique, managed by the

local tourist office, which has an Office there for the benefit of the

numerous cyclists along the canal. For 5.80 euro per night you may

moor there with electricity and water included, separated from the bike

path by a very green lawn, full of wonderful wild flowers. The first night,

at half past four, we could hear water on the canal, as if it was raining,

but the boat was not wet at all? Upon further inspection it seemed that

near the boat 5 nozzles from out of the blue, I mean the green grass

of course, were watering, for half an hour the grass and the flowers.

That was the secret of the beautiful green grass and fresh flowers.

The next night at the same time the same thing happened, we

thought... But it didn't stop and now it rained really hard and we had to

close the hatch above our bed in haste. A week later we were again in

Boé. It was 34 degrees and next to us was a hire boat with an English

couple and their cute little daughter. Our red washtub became her own

'mini private swimming pool' with her father’s big cap on her head the

whole afternoon.

Solent SOSBy Kelston Tobin

Having completed an update to our galley and helm during thesummer, we craved some time away on Boisterous Mistress. At thebeginning of September we started to monitor the weather to see ifwe could get to the Solent for a week to coincide with theSouthampton boat show. There was a problem exiting the river Stourwhen we wanted, as it coincided with a neap tide. We thereforemoved the boat to Ramsgate on the Friday before our intendeddeparture to the Solent. We had originally planned to leave Ramsgateearly on Sunday 9th September and go straight to East Cowes,however with fog forecast we decided to leave late on the Saturdayafternoon and head for Eastbourne. This proved to be a gooddecision with a calm trip, although Dungeness was shrouded in thickfog. We arrived in Eastbourne just as night fell.

Summer on a Finnish ArchipelagoBy Heikki Tukiainen and Atty Limnell

It seems that our summer voyages always start from Gunvor’s island.We set off late this year thanks to all kinds of duties at the beginningof summer. We decided to stay and celebrate Midsummer withGunvor and other friends. That is, poor Heikki and 5 elderly women!Tradition on the island demands that the Day starts with a trip to anearby port to have a glass of bubbly. There is someone playing theaccordion. The locals raise a flower decorated midsummer pole whilea lot of people from the surrounding islands drink, and buy home-made cakes and smoked fish for their dinner.

We too had an “oh sodelicious” late supper in thebright midsummer nightsitting on the porch. Theview, the light, the sea , thesinging friends together,eating.... Smoked salmonand other tasty fish wentdown our throats followedby schnaps and then, moresongs. Later at night themosquitos found us and wehad to flee inside the house.

We had two nice days. On the third day an unfortunate thinghappened. One of the ladies stepped on a slippery stone and had afall. She herself thought that after some rest she would be able towalk down to the house with somebody assisting a little. The problemwas that she did not want to see what we saw. Her ankle was in a badshape. The other problem was that she is a rather “massive” personand none of us was strong enough to carry her weight.

The Coast Guard was called and asked to send some strong men. Inless than one hour 4 men arrived, lifted her on a litter and, perspiringall over, carried her 150 metres along a narrow path, down to theirboat. The last thing we heard as they took off was “ I am going to diet”An ambulance took her to Helsinki. Both bones in her ankle werebroken and needed an operation. Happy end! Today she is walkingagain – AND has lost weight.

We said goodbye to Gunvor. It was time for us to start moving.

On Mergus around the Aland Island 2012A new year, the same island, Aland. We had reached the western portof Mariehamn, (the only city on the island). The port is in charge ofthe ASS sailing club and situated next to the Maritime museum andthe old sailing ship Pommern.

On our way to Mariehamn we had seen many of the fine places wemostly visit. A new experience was the wonderful 24 hours we spenton an island east of Aland. Atty’s friends, a couple, rented the placelong ago and started raising sheep. Later they had the opportunity tobuy the place. The old buildings, the idyllic surroundings, even an oldwindmill still stand unchanged after decades and so they will, as longas these 2 persons live there, the only inhabitants all year round.Theyhope that the area will be incorporated in the Natura Territory to make

Four strong young men. Enough reward for a broken ankle?

emerald with diamonds, which were lost! She always wore them when

they were on land, she said apologetically. The crew of all the boats

helped searching but the jewel was among all the bark off the trees and

was not found. The following day the Frenchman left and we moved

our boats back. I helped the Englishman and took care of the electricity

cable. I proposed to shorten their wire with a pair of scissors, as by now

it was much too long. The woman said hastily ‘Don’t! We’ve got a

shorter one on board!’ The Englishman murmured something about

Dutch humour to his wife and apologized later: Women and humour?

Often they don't go together ... A few hours later excited noises came

from their boat. The jewels were found! They were under the boards

of the saloon. Perhaps the best place to leave them, as a hiding place

for longer than 48 hours!

VALENCE D'AGEN part 2

With Tineke and Robbert on board, we returned from Agen back to

Valence d’Agen. We wanted to show them the Son et Lumière. We

could now moor closer to the scene, better than a few days before

when we were there. The spectacle began again at 10 pm to view. It

was a warm evening, the dress code was swimsuits and we could take

a shower on our bathing platform and also the Panama hat could

remain on the head, in the comfort of after-deck. And we sat there in

our private box, first class.

WILLIAM AND KATE


it possible for the coming generations to admire a piece of the oldculture and life in the archipelago.

In Mariehamn I had a bath in the morning sauna. I needed a bigcleanse after having opened a plug in the WC. First I detached thetube from the holding tank. Angrily pumping with as much force aspossible I got the plug flying out. The result was incredible..... but thetoilet was working!

In the sauna visiting sailors from Sweden told terrible stories abouthow busy the marinas and islands are around Stockholm, Sweden.Our original plan was to visit the lake of Malaren south of Stockholm.We decided to change the plan. At least our daughter Johanna, whowas traveling with us, was happy. It was easier for her to go back tothe Finnish mainland from some point in Aland. Together we made thedecision to go all the way around Aland. From an earlier tour we knewthat there is absolutely no traffic jam on the waters north of Aland.

Before we left Mariehamn I visited the Maritime museum and its newexhibition. I saw a marvelous old film about the Alandian shipownerErikson’s (1872-1947) sailing ships sailing from England to Australiaand another film about the sail ship Herzoqin Cecilie (1902Bremerhaven) after her shipwreck near the English coast. A visit onboard Pommern gave a good wiew of the rough and dangerouscircumstances sailors had to stand in the old days.

As a matter of fact the people from Aland still own the skill of runningaground. The traditional, newly built Albanus ran aground outside thecoast guard station whith several pilots and captains on board.Maybe it is better to forget about this event. The Alanders are after allreal seagoers. Leaving Mariehamn we had a nasty sidewind on our way to thenarrows of Marsund. Mergus was rolling badly. A 30 degree lurch sentbottles from the bar and CDs rolling around the floor. The going wouldhave been smoother if I had driven at 13 knots. The terribly high dieselprices though have strangely decreased the speed. Annoyinglyenough I noticed that the diesel at a service station in the Marsundnarrow was the cheapest during the whole of the trip but I hadrecently filled up.

From an earlier visit I remembered the beautiful island of Ersklobb ( allthe islands are beautiful) and wanted to go there. Sadly, the Broom wasmuch too big to wind its way through very reefy waters to the island. It

Pommern

Boating on the Canal lateral de Garonne we got a tip from other

Boaters to be Valence d’Argen in the first two weeks of August. A Son

et Lumière was to take place in the port. Next to the boats on the

waterfront a gallery was built and on the other side of the canal the

performance was to begin at 10 pm. A first class view should have

been available from all the moored boats. At least there would have

been if an Englishman with a 25 meters long, 4.50 meters wide

converted tjalk with wheelhouse and weighing over 60 tons had not

unscrupulously moored to a fragile 6 meter long finger pontoon,

across the width of the canal. A ' decent skipper ' does not do that, but

in France they won’t bother, so he thought. So he managed to mess

up not only the view from the stands but also that from the boats for

the whole port. The VNF controls the canals, not the municipality. The

captain did not want to relocate when requested by the Organization.

On the day of the premiere they succeeded in getting the boat to by

offering 15 free tickets for the show! He was only on board with his

wife so the cards were distributed among all the other Englishmen in

the port. And everybody could watch the magnificent show, played by

the 500 volunteers from the little town of Valence d’Agen.

Here is the beautiful poster of the ' Son et Lumière'in Valance-d'Agen

JEWELS ON BOARD

Do we need jewels on board? No! We were moored in Pommevic. Later an Englishman and his wife and

sister came along in their motor-sailor. There are free moorings for 48

hours with free electricity and water, in a village where all the shops are

closed permanently. The plane trees which gave us shade where

unfortunately shedding pieces of bark, which fell with much noise on

the ground or on the boat. In the late afternoon a Frenchman came and

moored between us and the motor-sailor, although we both had to shift

our boats to allow him in. Suddenly an enormous commotion was

heard from the English boat and cries of consternation. The ladies were

soon seen searching on the tow-path, diligently looking for a green

wasn’t long though before we found a marvellous inlet in Notviken bythe island of Loko. In a little while our barbecue grill was hot, our wineglasses filled and we could enjoy the sunset and birdsong.

Next day, after the morning swim, we climbed high to the top of thered rocks to admire white-tailed eagles gliding high above. We alsosaw a delicate deer on a path. What a Paradise on earth!

Mergus continued her way alongside Langskar - the western coast ofSandskar, and here we found several, for us, new and fine inlets,beautiful, sandy beaches and smooth rocks with small inserted pools.No other boats. Far out on the sea sailing boats were passing withoutseeing this fantastic landscape.

The Aland island is an autonomous, Swedish speaking part ofFinland. People from the mainland are not allowed to own summerhouses here. Very well! For us it means free, unoccupied shoreswaiting to be explored by us. The fishing is good too, but getting afishing licence is unnecessarily complicated.

Heavy rains and thunders alternated with sunny days on our way tothe red granite rocks of the Geta coast. There are not too manymarinas on the north side of Aland but there are many beautiful inletsfor anchoring. Some of these waters are unsounded so cruising thereone needs to be careful. We made a turn off to have a cup of coffeein the coffee shop at Hamnsundet. Our joy was great when they alsosold us some smoked perch to fill our falling stock of provisions.Between the stones in the harbour we saw the biggest grass snakeever. We were told that someone had seen seven of them. A harmlessand beautiful creature. There is also a more venomous snake whichusually avoids people.

The wind continued blowing hard and crossing the open sea at Teiliwas not a nice idea. We spent the night in the inlet of Ramso to havean early start next morning for the 40 miles to Lappo. It was raininghard again but fortunately the waves did not bother us. We passedthe Kumlinge island that gave its name to the, in Finland, well knowndisease a tic bite can give. A bite can result in a very dangerousdisease. Every night, before going to bed, you had better check thebody and not let them go deep in the skin.

The Lappo harbour was still busy after a gathering of old sailing

The granite rocks of Geta

Tranquility

Solitude


boats. The boats, the little maritime museum and other programmeshad drawn a lot of people. We were lucky to find a place at thesheltered side of the pontoon. The boats on the other side wererocking quite a lot.

On the shore was a funny looking moped carrying a fish smokery onits front. A long queue of buyers was already waiting. We got anevening meal and then we spent the rest of the evening on the localrestaurant’s “champagne porch”. Very exotic! We also used theservices of the sauna, the shop and the pumpout station for emptyingthe holding tank, before heading for the next island.

At Langskar we found a nice, sheltered inlet with a sandy bottom sadlyenough covered with a layer of seaweed. Pollution to be blamed!Ashore Johanna found summer’s first blueberries and Atty made adelicious pie. The following day Johanna jumped on board a bus inTorsholma to go back home to Helsinki. We visited the local shopwhich reminded us of a similar “where-you-can-find-everything” shopin Scotland. Except, no whisky here. Even more Scotch memoriesreached us while we were walking on the dirt road listening to thecreaking sound of several corn crakes. In Scotland we even saw one.

The next day we crossed Skiftet, the open sea dividing Aland from themainland. And we were back in the Sea of Archipelago. South ofNagu sailing friends were waiting for us. On our way we passed anisland I owned part of, many years ago. There was one new summerhouse, no human beings anywhere. The Finns really love theirsummer houses. Unfortunately most of the houses are empty exceptin July during the vacation and possibly inhabited on weekends in thesummer season. That evening we were once again heating the grilland had a festive barbecue with our friends eating pork and drinkingwine. Atty, the vegetarian, had grilled prawns.

Berghamn, where we went the following day, was windy and busy. It’sneighbour, Boskar, was the opposite, completely calm with its partlycollapsed jetty still strong enough to hold the Broom. The island ispart of the National Park and grazing ground for sheep and cowsduring summer. We were happy to have a walk all the way around theisland. The path ended high up on a rock from which we had atremendous view of the archipelago.

Atty picked 10 tics from her skin after that trip. We were told thatsomeone had caught 30 of the small devils. I wonder what is wrongwith my blood. I did not find a single one.

PICTURE POSTCARDS FROM ThESOUTh OF FRANCEBy Rene and Elsbeth Gorter

A BRIDGE IN MOISSACIt is a rarity on the canals in France, but there are swinging bridges. In

the town of Moissac is such a swing bridge, which opens at 9 am in the

morning. At 9.10 still nothing happens. An older Frenchman runs along

and says that the bridge keeper was certainly in the pub. 10 minutes

later he came back with a baguette and newspaper under his arm.

Indeed he said, she sits in the Café and I have told her that you are

waiting in front of the bridge. At 9.30 a charming female bridge keeper

opened the bridge with a cheerful and charming greeting to us and

wished us ‘a bon voyage’ !

CASTELSARRASINIt was restless for days in Castelsarrasin. Friday 20th July it would

happen. Leaflets scattered in the village announced that on that day

the village would be divided for several hours. The racing cyclists of

the Tour de France would pass through at 12.29 in the afternoon in one

of the last stages of Blagnac to Brives-la-Gaillarde, so it was strictly

forbidden to cross the street around that time!

Two hours before everyone was ready along the side of the parcours

and the gendarmes were posted by side streets to look out for

pedestrians and any who accidentally put a foot on the street were

given a good blast of the whistle.

First came the advertising caravan cars, and the Riding Bed of the Ibis

hotel was especially outstanding. Then of course came the cars at a

great speed, throwing out along the course all kind of things like caps,

coupons, bags, bags of candy. It was good thing I had my sunglasses

on, otherwise I would now have a blue Haribo eye! One minute later

than planned, at 12.30 p.m., came the colorful procession of cyclists.

They rode past at great speed. It lasted less than 20 seconds. After the

empty broom wagon passed, everyone was allowed to cross the

streets again by the gendarmes, and the fairground of the Tour de

France in Castelsarrasin was over.

MONTEChWe had diner on our ‘terrace’ overlooking the cemetery on the other

side of the canal. Around 10 o’clock hundreds of people walked on the

road, just in front of the cemetery. Behind it were a lake and a

campsite. The finale of the feast week meant Fireworks! and the

French do like that and had done their best for my 65th birthday on

July the 15th with fireworks on both the 14th and the 16th of July. This

time we sat on the fore deck - again in first class!

TOO MUCh GOOD WEAThERWe occasionally get complaints from the Netherlands about the very

bad summer. Well, we had no complaints at all! One day of 37

degrees is OK, but if the temperature stays a whole week between 32

and 37 degrees, then it's no longer possible to get it on board. It’s

tough going to sleep in our bedroom in 34 degrees and waking in the

morning to 28 degrees. We managed to buy the last two table fans in

our local supermarket. It’s better to acclimatize and sleep on board.

VALENCE D ' AGEN

On our way to Bjorko we took a deviation to the shop in Noto. In Notoeveryone we saw was dressed in black. The inhabitants and guestswere attending a funeral in the village and we only had a short time tosee the litle wooden church before the funeral procession came.

In Bjorko you find a beautiful deep inlet between high rocks. Theisland is a very popular place to visit and sometimes crowded. Thereis a fresh water lake where people like to swim and a very nice pathto walk along with information boards on the island’s history. We useda whole afternoon walking the path going up and down the rocks.

Afterwards it felt good to have a refreshing swim in the lake’s cleanwater. It is absolutely forbidden to use any kind of soap or shampoowhile swimming in the lake. The water changes very rarely. Themajority of boat owners buy and carry the “keep the archipelagoclean” sticker which gives them the right to use the litter containersand pumping-out stations taken care of by an association with thesame name. The association also owns a nice sauna and a summerhouse to rent on Trunso where we stayed to have a nice hot bath.There were only 2 other boats next to us on the pontoon.

We walked to a rock where an air raid defence battery stood duringWorld War II. Up there we met a man who told us that he was bornon the island and lived there as a child. His father was the local fishdealer selling fish as far as Helsinki 120 miles away.

Our summer tour was coming to its end. It was time to go backeastwards to Golisnas ( N 59, 57´02 E 23, 55´04 )in Ingo where weand Mergus will stay until the sea starts freezing. One of our sailingclubs is hosting the marina while the area belongs to the Associationof Recreation Areas.

Alltogether our trip was 550 nm. About 1,4 l fuel burned/nm ourspeed being aprox. 7,5 knots.

In Golisnas a wood- sawing bee was waiting and later in the autumnI was going to be the care- taker of the place.

Mobile fish smokery

After the sauna...

A sawing bee – Finnish style

The wooden church at Noto


Every morning there was a committee meeting on board Mayotte.Many cups of tea, coffee, hot chocolate and soup were made, and thenumber of committee members seemed to increase by the day. Weshared School Supper at the school site where most were camping -wet all day, soggy all night - but the youngsters were happy. Wehowever were very glad to be sleeping in our warm, cosy cabin. Theonly time there were any moans was when racing was abandonedbecause there were more boats the wrong way up than the right wayup! We saw the Olympic Torch again, this time in the pouring rain,when a dinghy sailed it 10m away from Mayotte, on its way fromPortland to Weymouth.

The prize-giving took place on Friday evening in the school sportshall. It was good to see some of the Olympic sailors who were trainingin Portland come along to talk to everyone and encourage the teamof tomorrow, and to present prizes.

To clear the PWNSA site by mid-day Saturday, before the Olympicsecurity shut down, seemed a mammoth task but it was completedsuccessfully. Mayotte moved over to the Town Quay in Weymouth forthe night. It was the usual price but if we wanted to stay longer theprice was going up to £18 pmpn. There was plenty of room, andsecurity could be rushed through for us! At £198 a night we declinedthe offer, even Poole Harbour didn't seem too expensive after that.

We spent time in Poole, catching our breath. We found a supermooring in the shelter of Brownsea Island that no-one asked anymoney for! The rest of the summer? Summer! We made our way east,as far as the River Orwell and now Mayotte is in Limehouse Basin tillnext April, our London Pad, how cool is that?

A different Summer CruiseBy Bevan Kendall

At the beginning of June, while acting as committee boat for theLARK sailing dinghy National Championships, my brothers asked ifMayotte could be one of the committee boats at the NSSA GoldenJubilee Regatta in July. We agreed, we encourage young folk to sailand enjoy being with them. Then we learned that the event was at thePWNSA, not in Plymouth Sound as we had assumed. We would becommittee boat/mother hen to a fleet of 148 Toppers, part of the totalfleet of 500 boats and 700 10 to 18 year olds.

Experienced boaters know not to promise to be anywhere on acertain date, so we gave ourselves time. We had strong SW winds sowe hid up our own River Tamar and Guy and Geraldine, from IndianSummer, came on board for a cuppa. Then a 2 or 3 day window oflight westerly breezes was forecast so off we set for Dartmouth.

From Plymouth to the Dart there was quite a swell running and StartPoint was lively (rough). Next morning we set off across Lyme Bay,which was uncomfortable, a 2m swell seeming to come from adifferent angle every 4th or 5th wave, not the 7th as we were taught.We crept around Portland Bill, having arrived at slack water asplanned, feeling smug that we had done the inside passage again,and watched a large yacht being thrown every which way in the Raceto the south of us. The smug feeling soon evaporated! We were offGrave Point, heading north to enter Portland Harbour by the SouthShip Channel, just 2 miles away, when 2 opposing tides appeared tomeet and cause 2m high standing waves This was the roughest partof the passage and only lasted about 10 minutes. Vows of "nevergoing to sea again" passed (again) when we were safely tied up onthe Events pontoon at the PWNSA in the inner harbor, behind 3breakwaters and having a cup of coffee.

The next 2 days were spent preparing Mayotte, flag halyards, courseboards, course laying anchors and buoys and safety RIBS. The taskof getting 500 dinghies from schools and clubs from all over thecountry onto site, rigged and ready to launch was completedefficiently on Saturday. Sunday morning came and- - - NO WIND. Thefirst race was delayed for an hour. Can you imagine keeping 700eager sailors and their supporters waiting any longer?

At last a breeze, which grew stronger and stronger every dayappeared. The enthusiasm, skill and expertise of the young sailorswas amazing. The commitment of the vast numbers of volunteer helpto make it all happen and it was impressive. On Monday we had 3races, went ashore for a superb picnic lunch, which was provided toall participants every day, and went back out again for more racingand looking forward to a royal visitor.

Princess Anne visited each committee boat and watched a race start.The sight of 148 Toppers crossing the start line is WOW! ThePrincess's motor launch came alongside Mayotte and shecomplimented us on the condition of our boat, looking like a "properboat". The Princess had obviously been told of the 10 Kendalls thatwere involved in the regatta, asking if we really had all "volunteered".Mary's offer of a cup of tea was refused.

recommended that we eat at the Ferry Inn but offered to drive usthere, as it was quite a distance to walk. We took up the offer andfinally settled in the Ferry Inn for another good meal, this time thelarge starter portion of smoked salmon with prawns and scallop wasfollowed by a tasty sea bass with hand cut chips and a pint of localbeer. Healthy living all round, and as we headed for our bunks wedetermined to make up for the lost day with an early morning start.

Day five dawned bright and clear and the wind had dropped almostto a zephyr. We left the mooring at 0440 and cleared the entrance toMilford Haven by 0515. The journey to the entrance was a magicalexperience as the port installations were lit up by a myriad of brightlights which gave the industrial complex an ethereal, almost beautifullook.

The sea outside the Haven was the calmest yet but visibility was poorand Joe switched on the open-array radar as a precaution. Theoverlay on the chart showed five ships to starboard, heading northand probably to Milford Haven, and far enough away not to cause usany concern. As usual the greatest danger came from lobster pots.We’d seen a variety of pots, but had probably not seen all of them,although we didn’t run any down. Some of the pots had day-glowfloats and some even had flags, but too many were very poorlymarked and their floats often only just broke the surface and weredifficult to spot. Visibility was probably a mile at first and we had tokeep a sharp and eye-straining look-out for pots which simply werenot intended to show where they were. Whether this is to guardagainst poachers or simply a disregard for the safety of others at seais a moot point. What is very apparent is that dark or black floats areof no help, nor are those weighted down by weed, floating just belowthe surface. A concerted campaign by Motor Boat Monthly has notyet achieved any break-through in enforcement of better visibilitypots, and with no authority either accepting or taking responsibilityfor control, the situation will not improve in the short term. Nightsailing would be potentially treacherous.

As the morning wore on the sun burnt off the fog and visibilityincreased to good. The flat surface of the sea was broken only by theleap of a pod of dolphins and by the broad straight wake of Tikitiboo.The perfect day had one small mar. There had been no electricityhook up available at the visitor pontoon, and we had used thegenerator to supply our power needs. Now, when we tried to start itto make our early morning tea it overheated. The cooling inlet hadbeen blocked, we found out later by kelp, and the impellor gave up inthe process. We didn’t have a spare on board.

Joe had the bright idea of using hot water from the immersion tankwhich at least gave us a hot drink to keep us going, and shortly after1300 we were at the fuel pontoon in Falmouth. We managed to get ahook-up for electricity, and whilst Joe oversaw the re-fuelling I madethe egg butties, grilled a large packet of sausages and boiled thekettle which we usedto have teaimmediately and alsofill up our vacuumcups. All was wellwith the world and by1415 we were on ourway to Torquay withfull stomachs andquenched thirsts.

Our trip aroundLands End earlierhad been very lumpyand Joe hadthrottled back toabout 15 knots, butTikitiboo had beenunconcerned andhad behavedimpeccably. Now aswe approachedEddystone Rock wemet more turbulentwaters. This time Iwas at the helm andwhilst I gave the rock

a wide berth, getting through the turbulence was exciting and gaveme a very good feeling about the boat.

We were off Start Point shortly before 1730 and by 1900 we had notonly re-fuelled but were snug on a very comfortable berth on theTown Moorings, with an electricity hook-up, and just a short reachfrom the entrance, ready for an early start in the morning. The Bistrowe had been recommended by the very friendly and helpful chap atthe re-fuelling pontoon was closed, which is about as much as isworth saying about the meal we had that night in a pub belonging toa well known chain. It had been a long day though, and soon I wastaking advantage of the cosy bunk waiting for me in Tikitiboo’s fore-cabin.

Day Six (Yes, I know, but we did do five countries in five days) and thewonderful weather continued. We motored straight off the mooringsand out of the Harbour and at 0700 set a course for our finaldestination, Hythe, just short of a hundred miles away. We madegood time without incident, with the shore gleaming in the morningsun and Joe pointing out the land marks as we passed them. Over toport lay Lulworth Cove which I remembered from my diving dayswhilst in the Army. I also remembered something else too. ‘This usedto be a firing range’ I said. ‘According to the chart it still is’ was Joe’sreply. On cue a voice came over the vhf ‘White motor cruiser, headingeast about 3 mile off, Ch 12 please’. We both looked at each other.There was only one other boat in sight, and unlike us, it wasn’t a whitemotor cruised heading east. Had we strayed into the middle of a livefiring range? Joe made contact on Ch 12 and the range wardenassured us that if we kept our present course and heading we wouldbe fine, and would clear the range before firing started. Just aprecautionary call to ensure we knew what was happening, that’s all.Of course we knew!

We kept our course and soon left Anvil Point to port and the Needleslight began to show on the far horizon.

We arrived at the clear water buoy on the nose, and too soon we werein the Solent with Hurst Point well behind us. With calm seas and theonly wind coming from the progress we made through the water whystop at Hythe we wondered? Why not just keep going? This cruisewas too good to stop, but stop we must, and by 1220, and after 623miles, we were through the lock, had been met by James Dickensand were waiting to be hauled on to the hardstanding at Hythemarina. The marvelous cruise had come to an end. For me I wastotally sold on the Broom 42cl. What a sea boat and what comfort onboard. Although Tikitiboo was not going to suit my purposes, as aneasily adjustable radar arch is imperative for inland cruising, theBroom 42cl was certainly going to give me everything I was lookingfor. When last I looked, this great boat was still for sale with JamesDickens, and must be worth a look by anyone seeking an excellent 42foot sea boat. Once seen you’ll want her, so beware.

Longships Light off Lands End

The Needles

Eddystone Rock Lighthouse

Princess Anne Alongside Mayotte.

HRH Leaving Mayotte.


FIVE COUNTRIES, FIVE DAYS -THAT’S JUST TIKITIBOOBy David Haugh

We are now the veryproud and happyowners of Sinemora, abeautiful Broom 42clpreviously owned bySam and Lillian Levy,and probably knownto quite a few. Beforewe found Sinemorathough, we hadlooked at a number of42s and had spotted alovely example withJames DickensMarine. I didn’t know at the time that Tikitiboo’s manual radar archwould prove too heavy for me to lower and particularly to raise backup again, and so would not meet our inland cruising needs, butbefore then I had been given a fantastic trial on the boat, visiting fivecountries in five days.

It all came about after I had rung James for more details of the boat;included in the details was the fact that it was moored in Largs,Scotland. This seemed a long way to go to view, but I found out thatthe owner was going to bring it down to Hythe by sea. He was justwaiting for a weather opportunity, and also a crew. A crew, I thought,perhaps I could do that. It wasn’t long before my phone rang; theowner had had the same idea and wanted to know if I would do it.Would I? I jumped at the chance and waited excitedly for a break inthe weather. This came on 21st May, and after completing a long-standing commitment to accompany Allison to the Chelsea flowershow on Member’s Day, I was on a flight for Glasgow and on my wayto a new adventure.

Joe, Leanne and Barney the dog, met me at the airport and weheaded for the Marina in Largs. I was pleased to learn that we wereto leave that evening for Bangor in Northern Ireland, our first port ofcall – and a first for me in lots of ways. This would be my first timecruising on a Broom 42; my first time sailing from Scotland and thefirst time I had been to either Northern Ireland or Ireland, our nextdestination. It was also the first time I would be sailing along the westcoast, into Wales at Milford Haven and then around Lands End andthe south coast of England. It had all the makings of a greatadventure, and so it proved.

Day 1 started after Leanne and Barney said good-bye, and we hadquickly loaded our gear on board. Joe had already fuelled Tikitibooand by 1700 we were able to slip the mooring and set a course whichwould take us out into the Irish Sea. We soon built up to an 18 knotcruising speed and, with Cumbrae on our starboard and Arranappearing ahead, we settled down for the cruise across to Bangorsome four hours away.

The early evening skywas clear, the seacalm and conditionsperfect as I sat backand, with a sense ofexcitement, admiredthe condition of theboat, which showedno signs of it’s 2002build year. The twin350 Yanmars purredsmoothly as weploughed on, and soonAilsa Craig could beseen in the distance.

By now, as we began to lose the protection of the headlands a chopbuilt up, but apart from an occasional drift of spray over thewindscreen, the warmth of the evening sun surrounded us and thehood remained firmly open. The sea air, the sun and the sparkling

glint of the short choppy sea reminded me what motor boat cruisingis all about and why I was about to sink a good proportion of my life’ssavings into a newer and larger boat than my then Broom 10/70,‘Kohaku’.

About an hour into thecruise the chop hadpicked up and the sprayincreasingly cooled ourfaces. Tikitiboo howevernever missed a beat, andher semi-displacementhull eased through thewaves with an efficiencythat, for all her coastalexperience, Kohaku hadnever mastered. Theexhilaration of cuttingthrough the waveseventually gave way to caution as we decided that too much spraywas now entering the helm area and we reluctantly, but with greatease, snapped the hood down into place on the windscreen. This wasa wise move, because as we left Ailsa Craig far behind and continuedour south-westerly course further into the Irish Sea the windscreenreceived frequent drenching as we made good progress through theshort, sharp chop. This was without alarm as far as Tikitiboo wasconcerned, who seemed to relish the lumpy seas. Personally, I wasdelighted that the boat handled the conditions with such ease whilstkeeping a steady course towards Bangor, home of the Royal UlsterYacht Club. For many years, having been blackballed from the RoyalYacht Squadron, it had also been the base for Sir Thomas Lipton’sAmericas Cup assaults

Three hours or so into the journey the coast of Northern Islandbecame more definite than a mere smudge on the horizon, and webegan to make out buildings and the masts of sailing boats mooredbehind the harbor wall. There is a double headland on the approachwe took, and as we neared we altered course more to starboard topick up the entrance we were looking for. A few minutes later wespotted the approach buoy and Joe throttled back as we slowed toenter the marina. The harbour master quickly allocated us a berth,and soon we were safely moored alongside. We sampled the facilitieson offer, but decided that at this time of night better choices wereavailable on board, and before long we had scoffed a quick meal,accompanied by a welcome cold beer, and thought about turning infor the night.

My forward cabin was verging on the luxurious. The maple woodlooked as new and the whole cabin lived up to the deserved Broomreputation for skilled and solid workmanship. I slept well that night.

Day 2 dawned with clear blue skies, and a hot sun. The facilities in themarina were spotless and the hot shower was a real day-starter. Wehad about 80 miles to cruise and a favorable tide meant a mid-morning departure with no rush and ample time to re-fuel the boat.The cooking facilities on the all electric boat were put to good use andbacon butties with beautifully fried sunny side up eggs, were soonavailable and I thought that, after all, I wasn’t that bad a cook! Joe atany rate was appreciative.

By now we were beginning to get to know each other and an easyatmosphere had developed which lasted for the whole of the voyageand which added to the pleasure of the cruise. The weather alsohelped, and as we cleared the marina shortly after 10, I felt the hotsun on my neck as I worked my way around the boat storing fendersand putting the mooring lines away. The sea was dead calm, with thesun reflecting brightly off the odd ripple. Neither of us couldremember having such perfect cruising conditions for a number ofyears. If only the weather could be like this all summer long it wouldbe much easier to put up with the harsh winters of recent experience.

Once we had passed between the mainland and Copeland Island,and with Lighthouse Island well astern I went below to make a brew.Before long we were sitting enjoying morning tea and, with the hoodunclipped and pushed back against the radar arch, the warmth of themorning sun too, as Tikitiboo cruised through the flat sea.

The miles slipped away beneath us and we rarely saw another vessel.We did keep a sharp lookout though, and this was often rewarded by

Tikitiboo at anchor off LargsBangor, Northern Island

Ailsa Craig

the site of dolphins smoothly breaking the surface. The southerly-most tip of the Isle of Man, clear on the far horizon, eventually slippedfrom view and so too did Lambay Island, left astern as we movedcloser to Dublin Bay. Not long afterwards we altered course southwesterly for Dun Laoghaire. We’d covered the 80 miles with ease, andby 1600 we were moored in the marina and ready for a trip ashore.

The marina was a hiveof activity when we leftto look for a restaurant.We later found out thatthis was the regularThursday night sailingregatta when, onaverage, 300 boatsturned out for thecompetition. Leannehad told us of arestaurant here, andthis turned out to bethe same restaurant,Hartley’s, that the staff in the Marina recommended. We managed toget a table and after an easy stroll we sat down to a wonderful meal.The menu was excellent and the grilled fish was accompanied with agreat cold, crisp Sauvignon Blanc under the high cool ceilings of theformer railway terminal building. Oh, the pleasures of good food,good wine, good company and a great boat!

Day three provided more warm and sunny weather. We’d re-fuelledthe night before so we had little to do that morning to prepare theboat for sea, and without any fuss we were soon under way for ournext port of call, Milford Haven, and our fourth country, Wales. Againwe made good progress across smooth calm waters. The previousday Joe had discovered a leak in the starboard dry seal. These sealsare lubricated by engine cooling water and are safer and moreefficient that the more traditional packed shaft seals which invariabledrip water into the bilges. He thought perhaps something had gotbetween the carbon face and the end of the shaft, preventing a tightseal, but flushing it through we now found, had not fixed the problemand we pumped the bilges every half-hour as a precaution.

Joe had been giving me some of the history of the boat, and a yearpreviously he had picked up a heavy length of rope round the portprop. The rope appeared anchored to the sea bed and did enoughdamage to cause him to call the coast guard who eventually calledthe RNLI to tow him back to harbour. It turned out that the rope wasnot from the dreaded lobster pots, but was a forgotten anchor, leftbehind when a fish farm had been towed to a new location. The resulthowever was that the port shaft had been pulled away and the engineand gearbox were damaged so badly that they both had to bereplaced. Haven Knox Johnston, the insurers, paid up without aproblem. We later found, on reading the handbook, that the sealsshould have been bled when the boat was re-launched after theengine change, and this had apparently not been done and was a

potential cause of the leak.

Keeping an eye on the sealand the bilges, wemaintained a steady coursetowards St Anne’s Headthrough St George’sChannel. The ecclesiasticalthread was maintained as wepassed the Clerks, close byBishops Rocks.

Despite the bright blue skies,the wind was picking up andonce again Tikitiboo showedher mettle as the seas turnedchoppy. We passed Skomer,for thousands of years until1950, inhabited by humans,but now a nature reserve andhome to puffins, razorbillsand almost half the world’spopulation of Manxshearwaters. Soon too, theSkokholm Islands, equally

important as nature reserves and with a similar long history, were toport, and the waves crashed against the stony beaches of St Anne’sHead as we made our approach through a bumpy sea into MilfordHaven.

We were aiming for Nayland Marina and the fuel bunker and made itwith 15 minutes to spare before they closed for the evening. Wefuelled up and secured alongside the visitor pontoon where the HMhad said we could spend the night. Having made ready for an earlier

start of 8am the followingmorning we headed for theMarina office to pay our duesand find out aboutrestaurants in the area. Wewere very pleasantlysurprised to discover thatabove the marina office was abusy bar and restaurant withan excellent menu especiallyfor sea food, and we finishedoff our bowl of musselsstarters with great localdressed crab. It was abeautiful, warm evening andwe were surrounded byhappy boaters enjoyingthemselves, but the long dayat sea in the hot sun and freshair made our bunks verytempting, and we eventuallymade our way back to

Tikitiboo with that good, tired feeling one gets after that kind of day.Not too tired though to feel the freshening wind which, even in ourwell protected harbour, was creating a short swell, moving the boatsaround on their moorings.

Day four arrived with a blast. The wind had continued to pick up inthe night, and short choppy seas were apparent even in the entranceto Nayland Marina. The trees on the surrounding hills were bendingwith the force of it and we estimated a F8 would be blowing. Theweather forecast confirmed that strong wind warnings were in placefor both the Milford Haven area and our destination, Falmouth. Thesky remained blue and clear, and the sun was already shining stronglybut we made the firm decision to delay our sailing until the followingday. It was just not feasible to venture out, and talking to local sailorslater confirmed this decision as some had even struggled within theconfines of Milford Haven itself. Even the survey vessel moored nextto us had only ventured to the mouth of the Haven and, havingsucceeded in its task there, returned to port without venturing furtherout.

We decided to spend the day exploring Nayland itself, but a visit tothe local Co-op to buy papers turned out to be the highlight, and awalk through the town and back to the marina at least stretched ourlegs. The boat was hosed down and Joe gave me a tour of the engineroom and a fuller explanation of the dry seal and how to flush it, andI gave that a try but, as we found out the following day, when underload the leak was still with us. That evening we found the marinarestaurant fully booked and they advised us to try the yacht club butwhen we got there we found it closed as they were holding a privateparty. The chef, who also has the franchise for the club, not only

Dun Laoghaire harbour approaches

Milford Haven

Nayland Marina

Bishops Rock Lighthouse– One of theiconic landmarks we passed on the way