2016 Norfolk Broads
September 6, 2016
Coot Club Revisited

6th – 9th September 2016
Sailing can give enjoyment in so many different ways. Some are called to challenge the oceans, others race against the clock, but for me the fun has always been just being on the water. The seeds of my love of messing about in boats were probably sown reading ‘Swallows and Amazons’ as a child. I recall enjoying the books of Arthur Ransome, many of which describe in some detail the fun children could have in boats in the English weather.
But getting wet and cold on the water didn’t appeal much to me. An interest in sailing didn’t germinate till much later in life in the warmer waters of Australia. My experiences sailing on Pittwater under blue skies couldn’t have been more different than those of the Swallows drifting out into the North Sea in thick fog. But deep down we both shared the same love of simple adventures with happy endings.
I formed a plan to go sailing in England and revisit the scene of those childhood adventures. But which location should I choose? The five Swallows and Amazons titles set in the Lake District would leave me exposed to the elements in a small dinghy. The tidal mud flats of Suffolk and Essex lacked immediate appeal, besides We didn’t mean to go to sea was not the sort of adventure I had in mind. In the end I settled on the Norfolk Broads, the setting for the books The Coot Club and The Big Six. I wasn’t sure I could recruit six adventurers and so my choice was narrowed down to one book.
In brief, the plot of The Coot Club involved:
• Children protecting the nest of a coot***
• People learning to sail
• ‘Hullabaloos’ behaving badly on a motor cruiser
• Everything ending happily
And so it was that we found a coot, taught my friend Dirk to sail, observed the antics of the motor cruisers, and most importantly, stayed dry and happy!
*** Coots are small water birds that are members of the Rallidae (rail) family. They have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usually easy to see, often swimming in open water. They are close relatives of the moorhen.
Day 1 – Upton to Ludham Bridge

The rain and grey skies that had characterised the weekend finally cleared as I drove from Leighton Buzzard to East Anglia. Then the sun came out and it became almost uncomfortably humid. At lunch time Dirk and I rendezvoused at the Eastwood Whelpton yard hidden away in the small Norfolk village of Upton. Actually I was somewhat late as I was held up waiting for an electricity pole to be removed just a few metres away from Upton Staithe. When I pulled in, Dirk had already unloaded his gear into our yacht, Fair Wind, including his sleep apnoea machine and a car battery to power it.
The owners and staff at Eastwood Whelpton were very welcoming – they even found an Australian flag for us to fly on the topping lift. We sat around chatting and drinking coffee in the office before heading to the boat for a very relaxed briefing. The Colvic Salty Dog 27 was a veritable old lady but in excellent condition, particularly considering it was the end of the season. Below decks she had every convenience, including a galley with grill and oven, a head with a hot shower, and most importantly comfortable berths. All she lacked down below was head room. The hot water heater was gas powered which meant we didn’t have to run the engine in the morning to get hot water – a nice idea! The only inclusion unfamiliar to a Sydney sailor was finding a gas fire on the bulkhead – but as the weather was mild we didn’t need to use it.
Above the deck
there were a few surprises, not least the ability to lower the mast (to
pass under bridges). This was a
novel concept so we carefully read about it in the boat’s instruction
folder. Unfortunately we didn’t get past step 2 which called for a crew
member to stand by the tabernacle. We were left with visions of a curtain
blowing in the breeze to reveal the holy book and wondering where to find
it on a 27’ yacht. When it was time for our briefing we made sure that we practiced dropping the mast and putting it back up again. Dirk worked the winch on the foredeck, whilst I stood by the mast (at the tabernacle) encouraging the shrouds and sheets to drop inside the boat and then lift without getting tangled. |
When we had asked all the questions we could think of about the boat and our
proposed route, we started the engine and slowly set off down the narrow Upton
Dyke to the River Bure. Turning up river we hoisted the sails, and with the
wind behind us made steady progress. The Bure winds through flat marshland with
only the wind pumps and church towers standing out as landmarks. The other instantly noticeable feature of the
wetlands was the number of water birds we saw.
Dykes, Broads and Staithes Unlike the rivers Bure, Ant and Thurne the dykes and broads are man-made. The enterprising residents of St Benet’s Abbey dug out peat during the Middle Ages to sell as fuel for cooking and heating. When the area flooded in the 14th century dykes were cut allowing boats to reach the villages from the river (for trade). Staithes (wharves) were provided along the dykes and rivers for barges to moor. Dykes are usually narrow, straight, and dredged, broads are wide, irregularly shaped and often shallow, and staithes are generally packed with motor cruisers. |
Going up the River Ant took us to Ludham Bridge. Well before the bridge we turned into the wind and tied off on the bank to lower the mast. The fully lowered mast rested on a crutch at the back of the cockpit and overhung the stern by about 5 metres. The pennant at the top of the mast then conveniently doubled up as an ‘overhanging load’ warning flag. As we cast-off and turned to pass under Ludham bridge the mast took a wide sweep over the top path (luckily no one was about) and took a side-swipe at several bushes. Alerted to the way the lowered mast amplified the action of the helm we lined up for the bridge well in advance and passed through easily with plenty of head room.
After re-masting in the reserved area upstream of the bridge we walked the yacht a bit upstream where we could moor for the night. There was a never a dull moment watching the boat traffic pass through the bridge.
Most of the holiday charter boats were 45ft motorised bathtubs with a helming position well forward and an inboard engine. The lack of skill of the skippers only amplified the difficulty of manoeuvring the boats in wind and tide. Sitting well forward with their car steering wheel most skippers seemed to be quite unaware of how the stern would swing. So when they failed to line up to pass under the bridge they would try and correct their course only to bash the stern alternately against one side and then the other. Another frequent source of amusement was watching the cruisers do a “U-turn” when they realised there were no moorings left near the bridge. Turning 90 degrees across the river they would block navigation and have little room to manoeuvre. Neither full-speed astern or full-speed ahead (the only throttle settings they seemed to know) produced much rotation – and so they would oscillate back and forth ramming the boats that were moored on each side. |
When the passing entertainment died down for the evening we walked a short distance up the road to The Dog Inn – home of the Dwile Flonking World Championships (don’t ask – just Google it!). After a traditional pub meal washed down by local beer we were both ready to test the sleeping arrangements on Fair Wind. I took the headroom challenged forward V-berth whilst Dirk took a saloon berth with his CPAP machine and battery in the galley.
Day 2 – Ludham Bridge to Neatishead

We both slept well and woke refreshed ready for the challenges of the day ahead. Dirk demonstrated great culinary dexterity by cooking an English breakfast in a galley where he couldn’t stand up straight! The morning was overcast and what little wind there was was from the South East. We pushed off and motored gently up the Ant with Dirk on the helm. There was plenty to look at as the river wound its way towards How Hill and we were in no hurry. With the engine turning over gently and the tide and wind behind us Fair Wind travelled somewhat under the Broads speed limit of 4 – 6 m.p.h. This was of course far too slow for the majority of motorised bath tubs so we soon had a queue behind us and a succession of boats trying to overtake us on the winding river.
There was plenty of space on How Hill Staithe so we tied up and went for a walk up the hill. The tea rooms had closed for the year, and the nature trail had a £3 entry charge, so we opted instead for a look round Toad Hole Cottage and ice creams on a seat in the sunshine.
Back on the Staithe it was good to see an officer from the Broads Authority with a speed gun flagging down speeding motor cruisers. Another yacht chartered from Eastwood Whelpton sailed slowly past, certainly not speeding, so we decided we had better join them and sail up to Barton Broad.
Helped by the tide we drifted slowly up the Ant. Of course going slowly meant that we saw a lot of detail that would have been lost to the impatient cruisers powering past. Dirk armed with binoculars and a telephoto lens added many new birds to his photographic record. At each bend we would have to set the sails for the changed wind, and look for patches of breeze on the water. The sailing was so unexciting we opted to have lunch on the move rather than dropping the sails and tying up to a staithe.
We were now travelling so slowly that everyone had to overtake us. To the motorised bath tubs we were essentially a stationary obstruction. At the start I kept as far as possible to the starboard side of the river, so was surprised when boats chose to squeeze through and overtake us on the right. Then I realised they were avoiding the boom which was hanging a long way out to port! The accepted convention on the Broads is that the master of a vessel under sail indicates to motor boats the side they should pass on. Although pointing can often be ambiguous and misinterpreted, on the Broads it is widely understood to mean “pass me on this side”. By managing the traffic in this way we were able to use more of river to take advantage of the wind or currents. |
After meandering through the picture postcard village of Irstead the narrow river opened out into the open water of Barton Broad. The wind freshened and we had our first opportunity to sail without the constraints of a narrow river. Dirk learned how to handle the jib sheets, and I discovered how differently a boat sails when it doesn’t have a keel. Tacking in particular required a lot of skill (that we didn’t have) to avoid overshooting and ending up heading downwind.
When the wind started to ease we dropped the sails and motored up Line Kiln Dyke towards Neatishead. At first the dyke was wide, but past the crowded Gay’s Staithe it became very narrow with overhanging trees. We pressed on in the hope that the restricted clearance would deter the larger cruisers and we would find somewhere to moor for the night. With no chance of turning round we were committed and it was a great relief when we passed the entrance to Neatishead Staithe and a friendly voice called out “There’s a spot for you”. And there was, the last space, a 30’ gap between two motor cruisers and a chance for me to show off our skills in handling a yacht with an audience watching! When we put the yacht astern one of the observers remarked “Oh you are going the old fashioned way”! Then with the stern nicely tucked in behind the bow of a cruiser Dirk calmly stepped off the boat and pulled us in alongside. An approach we both felt proud of!
Approaching Neatishead along the dyke we encountered a most unexpected problem. As the dyke narrowed it passed through heavily wooded wetland. Suddenly we slowed down in a shower of leaves to discover that the mast had collided with an overhanging branch! The boat was littered with debris – including a green caterpillar found in the galley. After that encounter we kept an eye on the top of the mast and avoided any other aerial obstructions. |
The boats on Neatishead Staithe were a friendly community and they made us most welcome. There was a rumour that the White Horse, a brew pub with a good reputation for food, was fully booked for dinner. Dirk went off into the village to investigate whilst I filled the water tank. On his return Dirk confirmed that we couldn’t have a pub meal, but he had visited the village shop to buy pies and potatoes as an alternative. We installed the table in the cockpit and had our meal. After it got dark we headed to the pub to sample their brews and avail ourselves of their Wi-Fi internet access.
Day 3 Neatishead to Horning

The next morning was bright, sunny, and much better for photography. Most of the other boats on the staithe made an early start (though I have no idea what the hurry could be) but we sat eating our breakfast in the sun. Our first task for the day was to ensure that a pub meal would be waiting for us that evening. Dirk phoned the New Inn in Horning and arranged a dinner reservation and a mooring spot on the pub’s private staithe. With a destination assured we could set off for the day (keeping a good eye out for overhanging trees of course).
There was little wind in these sheltered waters so we motored, retracing our route back across Barton Broad. As we approached Irstead we passed an old wooden cruiser, much like the one hired by the ‘Hullabaloos’ in the Coot Club followed by a traditional Broads design yacht being propelled by a quant pole in the dead calm.
At Ludham Bridge it was time once again to practice lowering the mast. Others looked on whilst we prepared to go under the bridge; luckily all went according to plan. There was a lot of motor cruiser traffic passing under the bridge so we had to wait and choose a suitable moment to cast off. It was some distance the other side of the bridge before we found a mooring space large enough for our ‘extended yacht’. There were no bollards on the bank to tie up to, so we dived into the locker and retrieved the two rond anchors.
Rond anchors are anchors with only a single fluke (and a single purpose). All boats on the Broads carry rond anchors so they can tie up against a riverbank or ‘rond’. After a dry summer it was difficult to set the anchor so some additional ‘encouragement’ was needed to fully bury the fluke in the grass. |
Downstream of the bridge there appeared to be a bit more wind and slack water so we hoisted the sails. A close reach took us down to the junction with the Bure where we turned to port. At the ruins of St Benet’s Abbey we left the river and followed the Fleet Dyke towards the South Walsham Broads. The start of the dyke is a cut-off river bend in the Bure and is not straight. Within a short distance we found ourselves heading directly into the wind. The dyke was very narrow, and our attempts to tack up wind were a dismal failure. After ending up jammed into the reed bank we dropped the sails (and our expectations) and resorted to the motor.
Boyed by our success sailing down wind we turned into Fleet Dyke quite unprepared for the challenge of beating upwind in a winding narrow channel. We started close hauled but that soon led us into the port bank so we tacked just as we had practiced the day before on Barton Broad. With only a fin keel we were blown sideways and before we could get enough speed to point up we reached the far bank. The dyke was just 3 boat lengths wide! On our first attempt we ended up sailing back towards the Bure. We tried again and this time ended up with the bow wedged into the reeds. This was not our greatest sailing moment in the holiday – but luckily there was no passing traffic to observe our folly! |
Fleet Dyke opened out into the outer South Walsham Broad where we planned to have lunch. There are no public moorings on this broad so we joined a few other boats and anchored in the middle using our mud brick. Unfortunately this gave us little or no protection from the wind and the engine was needed at times to stop the boat dragging.
The water in
the broads is shallow but the bottom is sticky mud, so boats carry an
anchor suited to the conditions. The mud brick is a heavy weight that when
dropped buries itself in the mud. The skill is in choosing how
energetically to drop it, because if it buries itself in too far it can be
difficult to retrieve. When set correctly, on a short rope, it provides
enough resistance to hold a boat. Dirk found out the hard way that when the
anchor is lifted the brick and rope are covered in mud. Luckily he had a
spare set of shorts and we had a shower! When we came to use the mud anchor
again at Ranworth Adrian was more cautious and rinsed the brick before
bringing it on board.
(left
centre) Dirk demonstrates how to bring mud on board! (right) Adrian learns from his misfortune and demonstrates how to clean the brick! |
Leaving the Broad the freshening wind was now behind us, so we unfurled the jib. It was relaxing, but our progress was so slow that we had to start the engine before we reached the Bure. We then motored upstream to Horning. Although we were helped by the flood tide it still took us over an hour with endless bends on a busy river. As we neared the New Inn we could see motor cruisers moored stern on to the staithe. A man standing on the first cruiser hailed us as we passed, and after ascertaining we were indeed Fair Wind, directed us to our reserved mooring in the pub’s dyke. We went a short distance upstream then turned into the tide and carefully pointed the yacht into the narrow dyke entrance. The publican was there to help us tie up and made some very complimentary remarks to Dirk about our approach. Since we found ourselves moored in the middle of a beer garden Dirk headed into the bar and brought out a couple of drinks!
After having showers (keeping the window curtains well closed!) we headed to the bar and enjoyed a well cooked meal washed down with local beers. Luckily the beer garden was empty after dark and so we weren’t troubled by the noise of drunken revelers when we eventually headed to bed.
Day 4 – Horning to Thurne

The next morning the sun was out and the wind was blowing strongly from the South East. But before we could go sailing Dirk wanted one last visit to the pub to sample their cooked breakfast. It was actually a very nice start to the day sitting inside out of the wind discussing our sailing plans. Wanting one more opportunity to sail on a broad we headed up the Bure a short distance to Hoveton Little Broad. This expense of open water has no public wharves and no road access so it was quite quiet and a great place to practice. With the jib finally correctly trimmed it was easier to keep the boat under control. Dirk graduated first to trimming the main sail, and then to helming on broad reaches across the water. After an hour or so we both felt a sense of achievement that had been most lacking the previous day on Fleet Dyke.
With the wind blowing up the Bure we had no option but to motor for an hour and a half downstream. Our plan was to have a good pub lunch in Ranworth to give us more flexibility in choosing a spot to moor overnight. Ranworth Staithe on Malthouse Broad is very popular and all the boats have to tie up stern to the bank. As we motored across the broad towards the pub (and lunch) it was clear that moorings were very much at a premium; there was a queue of motor cruisers waiting for someone to leave.
We had the advantage of having a lot smaller (and more manoeuvrable) boat, and there was one small space by the dinghy dyke where we could squeeze in. A first attempt to line up and reverse into the staithe was interrupted by bird spotting. Our second approach was good, and with the mud brick deployed to stop the bow swinging out into the dyke we set off for lunch in the sunny beer garden of the Maltsters Inn.
Our primary objective of spotting a Coot turned out to be harder than first thought. Maybe it was the time of year, or where we were looking; we spotted lots of birds, but none of them were coots. Then one sprung up in the most unlikely place, not in a nature reserve but moseying around the boats moored on Ranworth Staithe. Reverse parking a boat is a tricky manoeuvre and just as we were set up to enter the staithe, Dirk cried out “Look over there”. We stopped and drifted whilst our coot swam towards us. Objective achieved!! |
After lunch we strolled up the country lane to Ranworth Church. For a small donation you can climb up the church tower and enjoy a panoramic view over the flat marshes for miles around.
The ascent of Ranworth church tower started with a stone spiral staircase. This in turn led to the belfry and a metal platform above the bells. I waited on a ladder whilst Dirk went ahead to check out the tower roof as I’m not very comfortable with heights. Just at that point the church clock chimed two o’clock. I rushed to try and get my fingers in my ears as the sound in the belfry was deafening. It transpired that there was a safety fence on the roof preventing visitors from getting too close to the parapet so I was able to enjoy the district views. |
Back at the boat there was now some spaces near the water hose. It was a chance to move round and fill up our tank for the last time. We pulled in next to a smart motor cruiser (not chartered) and whilst the tank filled, I got talking to the owner about the antics of the charter bath tubs.
Randworth Staithe was a perfect place to observe the competence (or otherwise) of the charter skippers. Whilst we were filling our water tank the bath tub on the other side of the smart motor cruiser decided to leave. Knowing only how to go full-speed ahead he powered his boat away from the jetty – to shouts from the anxious owner next door of “Fend off please” followed by “Do you know how to fend off?”. The bathtub caught the wind and started to head over towards the cruiser so the skipper steered away blissfully unaware that this caused his stern to swing over and hit the cruiser hard. After venting about the carelessness of charters the cruiser loosened his lines and moved away from us to be next to his friends. This left a gap between us and the cruiser. It wasn’t long before another power boat tried to move in, demonstrating in the process superlative reversing skills. First he reversed back and at some speed hit the cruiser. Then he had a second attempt, this time walloping us amid ships sending us spinning away. There was a glamourous lady decorating the power boat sipping something alcoholic – so I shouted out “That was great! Do you have any more clever tricks”? I’m pleased to say she looked suitably embarrassed. On their third attempt (with some land based assistance) they succeeded in reaching the shore. I’d had enough of watching these aquatic dodgems. We slipped our lines and let the wind blow us quietly away from all the commotion. |
We left Ranworth and crossed the broad with the head sail up enjoying the quiet. But as we entered the dyke the wind was shielded by the trees and we had to switch back to using the noisy engine. It was a long hard passage from the junction with the River Ant to Thurn Mouth; it had been so much easier going in the reverse direction under sail on our first day. But then we had had the wind and tide behind us, now we had them both slowing us down. Passing through marshes there was also much less too see – just following the winding river ahead and looking for potential places to moor against the bank. As the wind was whistling across the marshes we pressed on in the hope of finding somewhere with more shelter to spend the night.
There was some ambiguity about the provision of public moorings at Thurne so we turned up the River Thurne for a short distance and investigated. It turned out that there was plenty of space to tie up on Thurne Dyke with a nominal fee now collected by the pub. The impressive Thurne Mill drainage pump on the banks of the river at the end of the dyke is one of the few remaining mills in full operating order – part of the Wind Energy Museum which we unfortunately did not have time to visit.
For dinner we finished up some of the remaining food on the boat, then we walked to the Lion Pub at the head of the dyke. This was quite a rough pub (Dirk’s beer was off) so we were glad we hadn’t chosen to eat there.
Day 5 – Thurne to Upton
On our final day we only had a short distance to motor to reach Upton Dyke. As the room to turn at the head of the dyke is limited we motored astern all the way from the river and so were able to tie up in the yard without any great fuss. So little fuss in fact that we managed to get most of our gear unloaded before anyone from the yard came to talk to us. We said our farewells and then headed our separate ways. Within an hour it was pouring with rain just to emphasise how lucky we had been with the weather!