My daughter Ella asked to go again to the Norfolk Broads this summer, and I was delighted to be able take her there last week in a 1940s-built sailing cruiser named Twilight, hired from the Broads Yachting Company at Horning.
We had a great time. As local sailor Mark Harvey pointed out, we had some superb weather – at no point were we becalmed and didn’t suffer from too much wind either – and apart from the first night we plenty of sunshine and no rain.
With conditions like these, you won’t be surprised to know that we came back with two cameras full of snaps. This collection are from the first leg of our trip, as we sailed from the business of of Horning to the quaint remoteness of Horsey Mere.
This first first batch include some windmills – one complete with what looked to me like a large and interesting bird, though now I think it was a relatively commonplace cormorant – a brown-hulled Hunter’s Yard half-decker, a sister ship to Twilight (Twiglet, as one of the yard staff called her, was I’m sure the first of several of the Twilight class built to the same design), a strange house by the River Thurne, and the cut at Horsey.
Lucky Bugger!
I thought so – Ella wanted to holiday with me AND we had lovely weather. It doesn't always happen that way to dads, I know…
and then you ended up at the nether end of Fav Creek sitting on the mud…in the wind and the rain…
Were you camping on the half-decker or did you have a raising roof. It is one of the most relaxing ways to have a holiday – I might even persuade Judy to go, and there is no problem with the dogs – they can swim as much as they want, or run along the bank – yes, you have given me an idea…
My mother lived at West Somerton, and it is still one of my favourite areas.
Way cool (as someone from some younger generation might have put it)!
Hi Gavin – I'm not sure if Mark mentioned it but the rather odd house you photographed near to Potter H is known locally as the 'Helter skelter house'. It is said that originally it was a fairgound ride at Great Yarmouth and at the end of its career it was bought and transported to Potter where it was converted into a house. I can't see that happening now!
Ian R
Don't they tell a similar story about the one near Horning? They could both be from the top of a helter-skelter of course, but if so which was first?