sweepingstatements - broom owners

The Magazine of the Broom Owners Club

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StatementsWinter 2015

Getting There!

it’s not all plain sailing!

October Cruising

Does it get any better?Don Walker tells all

inside!Dunkirk75th

AnniversaryReportsinside!

TrunnionBearings!

you read about them here first!

Contents

NEXT ISSUE . . .Please send all your articles for the next issue [email protected] to reach me by31st March 2016 at the latest.

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.

Editorial | by David Haugh

It’s been a busy year, and family commitments, especially the birth of my granddaughter, have kept us so busy that by the time October arrived our

boat was still a long way from its winter moorings. To the rescue came Don Walker, who volunteered to help me get Sinemora back to Bruges when most have given up cruising for the winter. You can read what happened next in Don’s article about our journey through Northern France.

We normally go cruising in more welcoming weather, and if the winter is a time when you start to plan for next season’s cruising, then Gill and Peter Pitcher’s article on cruising through the Ijselmeer could whet your appetite and the section on Dunkirk Remembered will remind many, not only of the valiant rescue of the BEF, but also of our own summer season when, in 2015, the Dunkirk Weekend started a good deal of us on our cruising journeys.

A much older battle was remembered by Gill and John Oldham when they took their Broom 425, Quantum Leap, to Brixham, prompting Gill to write about their brief encounter with another famous battle. Sam the talking dog, if he survives his trip to Mars, would probably have something to say about this too, and you can read about his latest exploits in the magazine.

I don’t think I knew I had a trunnion bearing on the boat, but in fact we all have, and as Nick Worsley explains in Tech Torque, it’s an often forgotten, but vital, piece of the boat. This and other technical articles, including an interesting experiment with a life raft by our ever inquisitive David Harrison, will help to keep us all on our toes and suitably busy during the closed season. In fact, together with membership statistics, and a warm welcome to new members, this edition should provide something of interest for all members, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the read.

Keep the articles coming, and I hope to give you another full magazine in the next issue, including more cruising tips and ideas, technical advice and aspects of boating that could make your boating experiences more fun, and adventurous too. Something Broom Boats were built for - and deliver.

Editorial by David Haugh . . . . . . . . . . 3

Chairman’s Report by Gill Oldham . . . . . . . 4

Regional Reports

Eastern by Andrew Holmes . . . . . . . . . 7

South Coast by Gill Oldham. . . . . . . . . 6

Events Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Membership

Statistics by Andy Nurse . . . . . . . . . . 9

New Members by Linda Varney . . . . . . . 8

Subs are Due by Stuart Crowther . . . . . . 13

The 2015 AGM by Linda Varney . . . . . . . 10

The River Thames Boat Project . . . . . . . 11

Notes to the Constitution by John Oldham . . . 12

Tech Torque

A Water Pump Problem by Nick Worsley . . . 14

Lonely and Forgotten by Nick Worsley . . . . 15

Life Rafts by David Harrison . . . . . . . 16

It’s ‘curtains’ for Blinds by Don Walker . . . . 18

A Broom Boat, Waterloo and Brixham by Gill Oldham 20

Stan the Dog goes to Mars by Peter Willett . . . 22

The Ijselmeer by Gill and Peter Pitcher . . . . 24

OctoberFest by Don Walker . . . . . . . . 26

Dunkirk Remembered

Dunkirk Weekend by David Harrison . . . . 34

We Remenbered Dunkirk by Christopher Cole . 37

They Returned by Mike Cunningham . . . . 38

Flying Visit by Linda Varney. . . . . . . . 39

The BOC CommitteeChairman Gill Oldham 01489 564798 [email protected]”Vice Chairman Frank Hawkins 01494 565050 [email protected] John Oldham 01489 564798 [email protected]”Treasurer Stuart Crowther 01953 607423 [email protected]”Membership Secretary Linda Varney 020 8948 6251 [email protected]”Webmaster Carole Harvey 07713623514 [email protected] Editor David Haugh 01789 490994 [email protected]”Technical Co-ordinator David Harrison 07860 208 106 [email protected] Events Co-ordinator VacantPublicity Officer John OldhamRegional Development Officer Frank HawkinsIndependent Accounts Examiner Jacqueline MorganRegional Co-ordinatorsCentral & North East Peter Bentley 0113 286 3692 [email protected], including The Broads Andrew Holmes 01405 831942 [email protected] Maurice Kerr +353 862547947 [email protected] of the World David HaughSouth Coast Gill OldhamSouth East VacantThames Andrew Cotter 07715 308041 [email protected] RepresentativesChannel Islands Peter Donne Davis 01534 863765 [email protected] & Borders Morrison Sutherland 01475 687152 [email protected]”South West Bevan Kendall 01752 661261 bevanmayotte@Points of ContactSouth East Richard Clementson 01843 843481 [email protected] Area Ron Careless 01142 875129Wooden and Classic Boats Lee Jackson 01502 539772 [email protected]”

2 www.broomowners.com www.broomowners.com 3

mailto:[email protected]

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I look forward to the next twelve months and working with the committee to serve the interests of the members. Throughout the 2015 boating season, Broom

Boats Ltd and several of their agents have supported the club by generously sponsoring a range of social functions. I am very grateful for this continuing interest and help and look forward to working with the company during 2016.

The 2015 AGM held at Bisham Abbey over the weekend 16th-18th October, was a great success and reports on the event will appear elsewhere in this magazine. My thanks to all those involved with the organisation and to the members who attended and entered into all the various activities so enthusiastically.

The raffle that took place at the Saturday evening Gala Dinner, was expertly organised by David Harrison and generously supported with donations from companies and members alike.

The final sum raised was £1,0000 and I had the privilege of presenting the cheque for that amount to Louise Sibley, (above) the Chair of this year’s chosen charity, the River Thames Boat Project. In response, Louise gave a brief description of the Charity and its work. The text of her talk is printed on subsequent pages.

An important element of the Sunday morning AGM, was the election of the committee for 2015/16. This year, two of the club’s longest serving members stood down from office. Louise Busby was a founder member and for the past 11 years, has been the Web Master and National Events Co-ordinator. The club owes her a huge debt of gratitude for all her work over this time. Kelston Tobin was the South East Region Co-ordinator and for several years his wife Jackie was General Secretary. Together, they have done sterling work to promote the club in region and nationally.

Chairman’s ReportIt is a great honour to have been re-elected as Chairman of the Broom Owners Club for the third year

| by Gill Oldham

My thanks to them, to all who served on last year’s committee and those who worked behind the scenes. All have given and continue to give so much of their own time in the interests of the club.

While many of the members of the 2015/16 committee are already familiar names having served in previous years, there are also some new faces. We are very pleased to welcome onto the committee Peter Bentley as Central and NE Region Co-ordinator and Andrew Cotter as Thames Region Co-ordinator. Our thanks to them for offering to take on these roles.

At the time of the 2015 AGM, no members had volunteered to stand for election to the posts of Web Master, National Events Co-ordinator or South East Region Co-ordinator.

The good news is that over the course of the weekend, Carole Harvey very kindly offered to take on the role of Web Master and was co-opted onto the committee, pending her election at next year’s AGM. Sincere thanks to her for taking on this very important work. Also, Richard Clementson kindly volunteered to be the Point of Contact for the South East Region.

In this role, Richard will not be attending committee meetings or organising events. He will however, be very willing to give help and advice about boating activities in the region to other members. The club is extremely grateful to him for offering to assist in this way.

And the final piece of good news –

In the absence of an elected National Events Co-ordinator, South Coast Region member John Adcock, has kindly offered to organise the 2016 AGM weekend. Very many thanks to him. As a result, some of the planning is already in place.

The details are:

Dates: 14th -16th October 2016Venue: Royal Beach Hotel, Portsmouth, PO4 0RN

You can look up more information about the hotel on its website: www.royalbeachhotel.co.uk

There are many places of interest within a short distance of the hotel.

These include:

the Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth,(including the Mary Rose exhibition);

the Submarine Museum, Gosport;

Southsea Castle;

Portsmouth City Museum;

the Hover Craft to and from Ryde, Isle of Wight;

the Spinnaker Tower and Gun Wharf Quay shopping centre; and a short journey east along the A27, Tangmere Military Aviation Museum.

So, please put the dates of the 2016 AGM in your diary. I look forward to seeing you there!

In the meantime, my very best wishes for a successful boating

season!


This has been a busy year with a wide variety of events taking place and I am very grateful for those who have organised them. As I keep on saying the role of a coordinator is to coordinate and it

would not have been possible to hold so many events without the efforts of a loyal band of helpers.

18th April Broom Boat Show followed by a Fitting Out Supper at Coldham Hall attended by 40 people including a contingent from Brooms and other BOC Committee members. 12 boats moored outside and a ferry service was provided by Brooms from their yard.

24th April 6 boats cruised in company to the Orwell, visiting Shotley and Ipswich. This was organised by Ken and Jane Foster.

26th May Andy Beale organised a tour of the Oyster Yachts factory in Hoveton. 12 people attended and some had dinner in Hotel Wroxham afterwards. 2 boats moored at the hotel.

5th June 6 boats travelled together to Southwold. John Ogden was the organiser.

4th July Broom BBQ. 58 people there, mostly BOC members.

8th August 3 boats cruised to Wells.

16th August 3 boats cruised to Woodbridge.

29th-30th August 20 boats came to the Beccles weekend. A BBQ took place Saturday evening and on Sunday we travelled in small boats up river under the old road bridge to Gelderston for lunch. In the evening 41 people sat down to dinner at the Waveney Hotel followed by a talk from the Operations Manager of the Lowestoft lifeboat. An enormous thank you to Jane Neale for organising this event.

14th November A Laying Up Supper will be held at the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club. Our guest speaker will be a Commander from Border Force. Geoff Eason is the organiser.

Following the successful “Start of the Season Supper” that was reported in the Spring edition of the magazine, the Summer’s main rally took place over the long-weekend of

17th-19th July at Island Harbour, Isle of Wight. Over the years, this event has become a firm fixture in the South Coast’s diary and has always been a popular rally. This year was no exception and despite the forecast of very changeable weather, 10 boats and 26 members and friends (some coming by ferry and car), enjoyed a weekend that included: a drinks reception on Friday evening; a “bring your own food and drink” BBQ on Saturday lunchtime and an excellent meal at the on-site restaurant Breeze on Sunday evening. One of the highlights of the weekend was the “fun sports” challenge against members from the Island Harbour Yacht Club (IHYC). In the past, this event has taken the form of a cricket match but this year, with a smaller grassed area due to building works at the marina, the sports activities were Boules, Throwing the Wellie and Hurling the Horseshoe. BOC members excelled in all the activities and won each event! To celebrate, prizes were awarded to the winners and challenge cups were exchanged between the two captains, Heather Bowley (IHYC) and Gill Oldham (BOC). During the Summer, we received news from Broom Boats Ltd that the company had appointed James Dickens of Hythe Marina as the South Coast Agent. James is already well known to many BOC members and we had hoped to organise an event with him during August. However, for a number of reasons, this did not prove possible and the event has been postponed until next season. Over the weekend of 4th- 6th September, members Donna and Chris Dawson organised a meet at Haslar Marina, Gosport.

Several members came by boat while others, who could only come for part of the rally, arrived in their cars. All enjoyed a Friday evening meal at a local Chinese restaurant and for those staying on for the entire weekend, there was a chance to visit local places of maritime interest and to enjoy a Saturday evening meal at the marina’s Greenlight Ship. A special ”thank you” to Chris and Donna for leading this rally. The final event in the South Coast’s 2015 calendar was the BOC and Broom Boats Ltd Buffet Supper held at the Royal Southampton Yacht Club on Friday, 18th September, the last Friday of the Southampton Boat Show. 35 members and their friends were joined by Mark Garner, Managing Director of Broom Boats, senior staff and some of the Agents. During the evening, Mark shared with us news about the development of the company and there was plenty of time for informal discussion about BOC’s future activities. My thanks to Mark Garner and the Company for generously sponsoring this event. Finally, a special thank you to all the South Coast members who have supported me during this season, particularly those who have organised events. If I am re-elected as South Coast Co-ordinator at the this year’s AGM, I would welcome suggestions for activities and offers to lead rallies during 2016.

Around the Regions

Eastern Region

| by Gill OldhamSouth Coast

| by Andrew Holmes

Around the Regions

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Dates Organised by Event, Venue/time Contact

NOVEMBER 2015

14 Eastern Laying Up Supper Geoff Eason

JANUARY 2016

14 BOC BOC Reception at the London Boat Show Gill Oldham or Linda Varney

APRIL 2016

9 South CoastStart of the Season Dinner Royal Lymington Yacht Club, 7.00pm

Gill Oldham

SEPTEMBER 2016

23 South CoastSouthampton Boat Show Reception and Buffet, Royal Southampton Yacht Club, 7.00pm

Gill Oldham

OCTOBER 2016

14, 15, 16 BOCAnnual General Meeting Weekend, Royal Beach Hotel, Portsmouth PO4 ORN

Gill Oldham & John Adcock

B.O.C LOCAL & NATIONAL EVENTS 2015-16

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Central and North EastMartin and Deborah Wright . . . . Denada EasternMartin and Lindsey Stone . . . . . Easy Going Don Taylor and Allyson Ingamells. . . Lady A Kenneth and Veronica Bircher . . . . Shellseeker John Waller . . . . . . . . . Wave Dancer Iain and Allana McDonald . . . . . Oscar Peter and Julie Merricks . . . . . Miss Martinique Loreto and Sarah Tamburrini . . . . Aleena South CoastDavid and Rosemary Lyth . . . . . Balayette David Rose . . . . . . . . . Sea Mist ThamesRichard and Julia Hand . . . . . . Bequia Vanessa Shenton. . . . . . . . Bonnie Blue Alan and Linda Thomson . . . . . Desert Star of Wargrave Roger and Jenni Haile . . . . . . Ragamuffin II Tony Riley and Margaret Snook . . . Legacy Trevor and Angela Norwood . . . . Pelican Buoy David and Sandra Glass . . . . . Lady Penelope

Welcome to NEW members

The Club continues to grow, and whilst we do lose a few members, mainly through boat changes or giving up boating, it

seems we attract more new members than we lose, and it is with great pleasure that a warm welcome is extended to the following.


Another BOC residential weekend – where has the season gone? This year we were visiting a beautiful stretch of the River Thames near Marlow. Bisham Abbey comprises the

old building, a sailing club and the national sports training centre. So we, more sedate (at times anyway) boaters, found ourselves surrounded by tracksuited young sportsmen and women looking fit and energetic – except for a few who seemed to be suffering injuries as a result of their exertions! The café had reassuringly healthy options but the vending machine near the accommodation had good supplies of crisps and chocolate bars.

A group of participants found their way to Bisham on Friday afternoon, some by a scenic route thanks to their satnavs. Great to see familiar faces and meet new friends. Dinner was in the smaller Warwick Room where half the tables opted to eat by candle light, hoping for friendly ghouls to appear from the gloom? Well it was almost Hallowe’en. Navigators and General generously provided the drinks to set the evening going.

Saturday – a slightly blustery day – two groups headed for the sailing school. Some opted to find out more about how to get the best from the available electronics, both navigational and safety aids. The other explored what to do if you were ‘suddenly alone’ (rather than single handed but equally relevant) and covered a wide range of topics. People found this ‘thought provoking’ and came away with ‘to do’ lists for themselves on their own boat.

The tutors were very knowledgeable, not phased by the ‘not always straightforward’ questions and I think we all learned something. The rest of the group headed for Windsor and in the afternoon 26 went on a Dukw (or Duck as they are popularly called) trip which was well enjoyed. It ‘provided a good vantage point’ and ‘was very informative’.

We all came together in the evening with new arrivals, all dressed to impress. Guests from Broom Boats and Tingdene joined us. The Great Hall provided a stunning setting for the meal after we had enjoyed a drink, courtesy of Broom Boats. The Hall has a high beamed ceiling and yet more family portraits but still felt welcoming. David Harrison had working his usual magic (and his socks off!) cajoling many of our regular contacts to provide prizes for the raffle. Some were of considerable value. Everyone was very generous, buying tickets and the ‘three top prizes’ were drawn in full audience with the others having a ticket added for collection later. A late arrival (Dragonfly) was offered for sealed bids.

A total of £1,000 was raised for the River Thames Boat Project (details elsewhere) and presented to Louise Sibley, Chair, of the Project’s Trustees, after the AGM on Sunday. Feedback on the weekend was positive overall and those at the AGM overwhelmingly voted for another residential weekend in 2016. So hope to see you all in Portsmouth on 14-16 October 2016.

Photo by Ian Reynolds of amoRe of Poole

2015 AGM | by Linda Varney

Another BOC residential weekend – where has the season gone?

The charity runs a community barge, ‘Thames Venturer’, that offers day and residential cruises for frail older people, for those living with physical or mental disability and for the socially disadvantaged. We also

run education activities on board and on shore mainly to teach younger people the importance of looking after our environment and, using the boat as a model for the planet, of living sustainably. We were formed in 1988, by 1990 had acquired a hull to start fitting out and by 1995 had a working vessel making regular trips with a home base at Kingston upon Thames. We have 70+ volunteers, including a trustee Board of 12, and a staff of 4, including a full-time professional skipper. Our operational turnover is c £160,000 per annum. Last year we were out on the river with our charitable work for over 160 days and deployed around 5,000 hours of volunteer time.

But the most important things is what that means for our clients.Here are just two comments:

From a primary school teacher:

“It would take a month of learning in the classroom to achieve what the children have learnt in one day on School on the River”

and from a member of a dementia support group after their first cruise with us:

“What I noticed….was our ‘other halves’ started to more actively engage with the other members. It was pleasing to see people talking to each other. There was one person who looked as happy as I had ever seen her.”

Thank you again to the BOC for such support. It means a great deal to us.

The River

Thames Boat

Project| by Louise Sibley

The AGM raffle proceeds were donated to The River Thames Boat Project. This is what the Charity does


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The Constitution was drawn up at the time the Club was founded in 2004. It was based, (with permission) on that of the Seamaster Club and, with minor adjustments, has

served us well ever since. However, it is simply a framework that sets out, in broad brush strokes, how things happen and ‘who does what’. Subsequently, most decisions have been made by the committee, which meets four times each year. The results of its activities affect what happens in the Club at national and regional level. Although Its deliberations are always reported in the committee minutes, they are not recorded elsewhere. As a result, not only do members have to search through past minutes to see what decisions have been taken, but committee members may find themselves discussing questions that have already been considered in earlier meetings! With this in mind, I have produced a document that draws together information about the functioning of the Club.

It summarises current practice, while accepting that things may change and issues be re-visited. Not a hard and fast set of ‘rules’, then, but a record of what happens now. The result is not light reading –it is something to dip in to when necessary rather than to study from end to end. However, if you are an insomniac, doing so may provide a handy cure! Copies of the document were circulated at the 2015 AGM and were well-received. An updated version will be put on the Club web site and copies (in A5 format) made available to members on request. It will also form part of the publicity used by the Club at Boat Shows and other events. Of course, to be of any value, it must be regularly updated. So, if you have any queries or wish to suggest matters for inclusion, please send them to me, as the General Secretary.

I will then pass them on for consideration by the committee.

Remember!Remember!The first of November, when annual subscriptions fall due

If you pay by standing order there is nothing more to do. Otherwise please write a cheque for £25/€35 payable to:

Broom Owners Club

and send to:

Stuart Crowther9 Fritillary DriveWymondham, Norfolk England NR18 0XA

You can also make a direct transfer in £Sterling to: Account No: 66507251 Sort Code: 60-02-32

Or from overseas:

IBAN: GB77 NWBK 6002 3266 5072 51IBAN BIC: NWBK GB 2L In Euros to:IBAN: GB52 NWBK 6072 0469 6444 89IBAN BIC: NWBK GB 2L

IN ALL CASES PLEASE QUOTE YOUR LAST NAME & INITIALS IN THE REFERENCE FIELD

An appeal from the Treasurer

‘Notes to theConstitution’

A BOC service for insomniacs | by John Oldham

The 2015/2016 Broom Owners Club Committee

left to RIght: David Haugh, Andrew Holmes, Linda Varney, Frank Hawkins, David Harrison, Gill Oldham (Chairman),Stuart Crowther, Carole Harvey and John Oldham

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LonelyTORQUETECHNICAL

TORQUETECHNICAL

When I observed the switch in action it had notable sparking when the pump turned off. This brought to mind a similar problem we have in the aircraft

world with switches that control large contacts. To prevent the switch contacts burning out we fit a diode across the contacts. I set our electrical designers a task to solve the arcing problem with switching an electric motor, and they came up with the solution of fitting a diode with a resister in series across the contacts.

First I need to define the problem. When the pump is running it creates a strong magnetic field around the motor. When the pressure switch disconnects the voltage from the motor, this magnetic field collapses. As the magnetic field collapses it generates a reverse voltage for a few milliseconds in the field coil. This reverse voltage, up to 50 volts, is applied across the pressure switch contacts and adds to the normal 12v supply on the other side of the contacts to create an arc across the contacts as they separate. Thus the contacts are burned and have a short life.

By connecting a diode across the contacts on the pump side in a reverse polarity direction it can carry a current flow created by the collapsing field and greatly reduce the reverse voltage generated. The diode does not carry current when the pump is running normally.

Because we are correcting the reverse EMF of a motor, which acts as a generator as the field collapses and can create a large current, we need to fit a 100ohm resistor in line with the diode to limit the current generated. The resister and diode need to be able to carry up to two amps for a short time.

I fitted new contacts to the pressure switch, which I acquired from the USA. I then fitted a diode and resister across the contacts going to the motor. Time to switch on the pump, open a tap slightly and observe the pressure switch contacts closely.

Success, not a hint of sparks and arcs. The pump has now run successfully for this season.

A Water Pump Problem | by Nick Wolsey

I have had repeated problems with the contacts on my water pump pressure switch burning out Between the gearbox and the gland bearing

at the back, where the shaft exits the hull. I was vaguely aware of its existence , I

had looked at it briefly under its little hatch on the galley floor. I had looked into its inspection cover and seen that it had oil, when we first got the boat 3 years ago.

I was reminded of its presence this season halfway across the lower Lough Erne with a strong headwind and big waves, on my own,

when a loud squealing started up in the galley area. I lifted the floor covering and the hatch to be

met by a cloud of smoke, the bearing was seriously overheating. In stages between dashing back to the

helm to maintain direction into wind, I did not want to go broadside in those waves, I first used WD40 to cool the

housing down, then spray on grease in the filler, then engine oil, eventually the squealing stopped.

Later when I had time to service the unit properly I worked out how it functioned and how badly it had been maintained.

The unit is a simple split cast iron housing containing a triple oil bath with a filler, drain plug and level hole. The shaft runs in a split bronze bushing. The unusual feature is the oiling ring. The upper bush has a window exposing the rotating shaft.

Resting on the shaft is a steel ring which hangs down into the oil bath. As the shaft rotates it acts on the ring with a small amount of friction causing the ring to rotate, drawing oil up from the bath to be rubbed off onto the shaft and work down into the bush.A very simple concept.

On the occasion of my squealing bearing this oiling ring had been displaced onto the shoulder of the bush and was not being rotated by the shaft, it was also not visible through the filler window. As I did not know the ring existed I did note that it was not visible on previous inspections.

I gave the unit a good cleanup, service and paint. I was amazed how much gunge was in the bottom of the oil sump, it had obviously never been serviced in 40 years. Thankfully the bushing survived the overheating and there is no scoring on the bearing face. The unit is now ready for its next 40 years of service.

The prop shaft trunnion bearing is a lonely sole who lives somewhere in the bilges of your boat

& Forgotten

| by Nick Wolsey


TORQUETECHNICAL

TORQUETECHNICAL

A company whose advert appears regularly in Sweeping Statements, offers members discounts and supports the BOC raffle each year is Premium Liferaft Services

(PLS) so when my life raft service became due I approached PLS at the London Boat Show to see if they could service a Viking life raft.

Premium do not manufacture life rafts, their primary business being life raft hire and are the largest dedicated hirer of life rafts in Europe. Being independent they are not tied to any particular make but are licensed to service most makes of life raft including Viking, however, they are based in Burnham on Crouch, Essex, I live in Reading and the boat is moored in Southampton so how was this going to work?

I need not have been concerned. PLS currently has 25 depots around the UK and in addition, distribution facilities in the Isle of Man, Northern Ireland and Sweden all serviced by a well established routine for collection and delivery.

The nearest depot for me was at Mercury Marine on the river Hamble so having accepted a quotation it was a case of dropping the raft off at the marina where it was logged in and placed in a secure lockup store. There was no more involvement on my part until I received a phone call to advise that the raft was ready for delivery. The outstanding invoice was cleared by card and a delivery date for return to Mercury Marine agreed where it was duly collected.

Whilst direct involvement on my part was not necessary, a subsequent opportunity arose to visit PLS to see their operation.

Servicing

The central office in Burnham on Crouch handles all enquires and will advise the nearest collection point and time scale or agree to make a collection or delivery from a specific address. Collection and delivery from a depot is part of the standard service but collection / delivery to a specific address would be extra.. One plea I did receive was not to leave servicing to the last minute particularly in the Spring as it’s a very busy time.

After arrival in Burnham all details are checked before the raft is inflated and allowed to stand for a sufficient period to check for leaks. If a leak is found and the raft made of suitable material, repairs will be undertaken if at all possible.. All stores such as lights, flares and first aid kits are inspected and any found out of date or if not in good order replaced. Gas canisters are refilled with CO2 to capacity to ensure complete inflation.

The raft is then deflated and packed together with its stores in a polythene bag under vacuum and sealed thus helping to ensure damp does not reaches the raft whilst in service. It is then finally packed in its valise or GRP container ready for despatch.

Hire

As for servicing, all enquiries are channelled through the office at Burnham but efforts are made to maintain a number of rafts at each depot to provide a quick response, however the number and type held will vary depending on demand. Return does not have to be to the same depot as collection. The minimum hire period is 4 days with payment for short term periods in advance but hire periods can be extended up to 3 years with appropriate payment plans providing considerable flexibility to suit individual needs.

Rafts for hire are made for PLS to their specification from a nylon butyl material which is light but extremely strong and conforms to all relevant standards. Size of raft starts at 4 man and can be packed in either a valise or GRP canister. As location and fitting varies on such a wide range of customer’s boats it’s not practical to provide fixing frames for the canister versions so secure storage is the responsibility of the boat owner.

ReliabilityA question which can cross ones mind is “my life raft is regularly serviced but how reliable will it be in the event of an emergency” so the following is a good illustration of the degree of safety built into life rafts

When purchasing Bony Rose in 1996 our boat came with a 6 man Beaufort Dolphin life raft which had been laying around in the yard for an indeterminate time where the boat was located. Labelling on the GRP canister indicated that it was manufactured in 1972 (as was BR) and last serviced in 1984. The canister was heavy, had no stainless frame to hold it to the boat, had no hand hold features and consequently was difficult for 2 people to manhandle, so, with only 2 usually on board when on the coast and at the most 4, the raft was somewhat oversized for our needs. We therefore decided it was not practical to carry, so stored it in the open at the bottom of the garden where it stayed for another 10 years.

In 2006 I decided to dispose of the raft to the local tip after disarming it, as I could not believe it would be of any use. My son arrived to give a hand but before opening it up we decided to attempt to disarm it by pulling the lanyard and see what happened, not expecting it to work.

Surprise surprise !! Gas could be heard escaping, the box separated and out came what appeared to be a perfect life raft which became fully inflated, after which surplus gas could be heard escaping through pressure relief valves. All safety equipment with the exception of the batteries (flat but not corroded) for the torch and internal light was in perfect order including 6 x 1 lt. tins of water. All this 22 years after its last service.

The raft was left on the lawn for several days with no sign of leaks so the problem was what to do with it. By undoing a fitting, pressure was released and the raft completely deflated using a vacuum cleaner, however it proved impossible to fold into a sufficiently small bundle and return it to the canister.

The problem was what to do with it so it was passed to a service company in Southampton. After inflation and inspection they advised that there were small signs of material deterioration on the floor but the tubes were perfectly satisfactory, however, as both the floor and tubes were made of the same material they could not service it so it was stripped of all useful equipment for the “grab bag”, and what remained was scrapped.

This story in no way condones not having a life raft regularly serviced but does illustrate the high level of reliability designed into them. Here was a life raft, manufactured in 1972, serviced every 3 years until 1984, then left out in the open with no further attention for 22 years after which,m in 2006 it worked perfectly and was quite capable of doing what it was designed to do.

Life Rafts | by David Harrison

Many who cruise offshore will carry a life raft and accept that every 3 years or so it will require servicing but has one ever questioned what a service entails and will it always inflate when needed.

• Opposite: A BOC member’s 4 man life raft being serviced by PLS in 2014.• Left: Raft returned from hire on test.• Below-left: Part of the PLS hire stock ready for distribution.


TORQUETECHNICAL

Our Broom 33 has steeply raked front screens to the main cabin and although they provide a great view and let in lots of light, they are virtually

impossible to curtain in the conventional way. This means either being on display when sitting in the main cabin after dark, or popping out on the deck to fix the external canvas screen cover. Many of the more modern Brooms have fitted venetian style folding blinds running on wire track. They’re attractive and a number of our friends have had them retro-fitted, but this is not an inexpensive option! Frankly during our ownership of La Strega, the absence of blinds has not worried us much. We don’t use the main saloon as a sleeping cabin and we remove all the screen covers as soon as we get to the boat. If people want to look in on us eating or watching a DVD later in the evening, that is fine with us.

However this summer we came up with a new problem. Where we currently moor in Central France, the daytime temperature was hitting 40 degrees during most of July and August. La Strega was pointing due South and while this gave us some shade on the aft deck, the main cabin was uninhabitable. We had to close the side curtains and re-fix the external front screen in an attempt to reduce the greenhouse effect. After three days including a night in an air conditioned hotel, we got in the car and headed North, deciding to delay our planned summer cruise until September, when we hoped the heat wave would have passed. During August we had a short trip on the Solent in a friend’s yacht, a Nauticat 42, which has a layout with central saloon and aft cabin very similar to the Broom standard design. Their front screen was fitted with internal covers matching the curtains, attached with press studs – just the job I thought!

The only problem was, with our boat 500 miles away, how to get the measurements and make similar screens for La Strega before our next visit? The solution lay at UTMYC, our Thames Club where a couple of members have identical 33’s.

I headed there armed with rolls of brown paper and masking tape, having discussed the problem with Marjorie, who would be doing the cutting and sewing. She advised that it would be much easier to work from patterns or templates than if we only had dimensions.

As I had hoped, one of the “33” owners was at the Club and happy to allow me to clamber over her boat with my tape, paper and scissors. A very useful tip was to do the measurements and make up the templates on the outside, much easier than fighting gravity and standing on a stool to reach the inside of the windows.

Back home, we studied the measurements and worked out the amount of extra material we needed to order, taking account of the pattern. Marjorie had recently made new curtains for the saloon side windows but there was no chance of making the additional screens out of the surplus material.

Because they are so large, to give them a bit of “body” as well as screening out the light, a heavy weight white lining material was used. This has the extra benefit of reflecting sunlight during the day so much better than the dark navy canvas cover.

It was all a bit of a rush ordering the material, cutting and sewing and collecting the other bits of kit needed for fitting, before heading back to France at the end of August. In the end we just managed it. Now the moment of truth – would I be able to fit them? How would they look?

I armed myself with a big supply of press studs. With five separate screens, all quite large, they were going to need quite a few studs to hold them in place. Fitting the studs to the aluminium frames was simple – just a matter of starting with four holes in the corners (three in the triangular side windows) and screwing them in. One problem was the port front window above the forward toilet compartment. It is not possible to get access to drill closer than 200 mm from the bottom of the frame so I placed the studs as low as I could, adding Velcro to hold the bottom in place.

Fixing the press stud caps to the curtains proved a bit trickier. First Marjorie helped me by holding them in place while I marked the top corners where the first two fixings should go. Then I punched holes and assembled the two components of the cap before riveting them together. This part was harder than I expected. Maybe the professionals have a special press to do the riveting but for me it was a case of hammering on a neat little tool which, if used correctly and hit hard enough, did the job. Problem was, where on the boat do you find a place to hammer on? Decks feel firm enough to walk on but I assure you they have a lot of elasticity when hammering. In the end, I found that the cill at the top of the steps down from the aft deck, protected by a metal edging trim, was rigid enough, and the job was done.

The photo shows the finished curtains – well almost! I still need to add a few bits of Velcro to take out the creases, get them draping perfectly. Most important is that they do the job, acting as an effective sun screen on summer days and making the whole place more cosy in the autumn evenings, which were getting quite chilly by the time we headed for home in late September.

And the cost? I reckon we bought the tools and materials for less than ten percent of what I understand the folding venetian style blinds would have cost us. But this is something of an academic point as, moored in the middle of rural France, we were unlikely to find a company able to do the job!

It’s ‘Curtains’ for Blinds | by Don Walker

TORQUETECHNICAL

“Most important is that they do the job, acting as an effective sun screen on summer days and making the whole place more cosy in the autumn evenings”


You’re quite right of course. So what is the connection between our Broom boat, Quantum Leap, the bi-centenary of the battle of Waterloo and Brixham? Well.

This year John and I started our Summer cruise by travelling from the Bealueu River on the Solent where we moor our boat, to Dartmouth in Devon. Here we spent nine days avoiding the gales and exploring the beautiful River Dart and nearby countryside. There is always so much to see and do at Dartmouth: a trip up to Totnes; a visit to Greenway House, the holiday home of Agatha Christie; a trip on the Dartmouth Steam Railway, to name but a few. We often find it difficult to drag ourselves away but eventually we moved round the corner of Berry Head to Brixham. Historically, this has always been a fishing town and still has a very active fishing fleet and fish market. But the interest for me lies in a fascinating story that links Brixham with Napoleon.

Following his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, Napoleon arrived at Rochefort and had hoped to be allowed to sail to the United States. He was being pressurised by the French Government to leave French soil: any delay might have meant that he risked becoming a prisoner of the Bourbons, Prussians or Austrians.An alternative was for him to surrender to the British and request political asylum. Discussion took place about allowing Napoleon to travel to the United States but Frederick Lewis Maitland, Captain of HMS Bellerophon, was under orders to prevent this. Instead he offered to take Napoleon and his retinue on board his ship and transport them to Britain. Eventually, Napoleon agreed to surrender to the British. This act took place on the Bellerophon and with the former Emperor in custody on board a British warship, the Napoleonic wars were finally over.

A Broom Boat, Waterloo and Brixham! | by Gill Oldham

“I know the Broom Company was founded in the late eighteen hundreds but I didn’t know it was that old and I thought the factory was in Norfolk!” I hear you say.

Historic documents report that Napoleon and his retinue were well looked after, allowed to move freely about the ship and enjoyed a formal dinner each evening.

And this is where the association with Brixham occurs . . .

On 24th July 1815, HMS Bellerophon was anchored in the bay off the town when Captain Maitland received orders not

to let anyone near the ship or to reveal details of who was on board. However, there was a great deal of interest among the locals who were keen to know why the ship was there. As was the custom, fishermen set sail from the town in small boats to sell fresh bread and fruit to the crew of the visiting vessel. It is reported that, as one of these boats neared the Bellerophone, the sailors saw one of the warship’s crew lowering a bottle over the side. In it was a message which read “We have Boney on board”. This news created a sensation back on shore and soon large numbers of craft filled with sightseers, surrounded the ship. Captain Maitland refused to allow any contact with the gathering throng and two days later it was decided that the Bellerophon would move to the quieter waters of Plymouth Sound. Unfortunately, news of the ship’s famous passenger had already spread westward, so when the ship arrived at its next destination, there were more sightseers than there had been at Brixham! The Bellerophon spent two weeks in Plymouth Sound with guard-ships keeping it isolated from the increasing numbers of sightseers. Finally, at the end of July, the former emperor was told that he was to be sent, with a small retinue of staff, to the remote island of St Helena. At the beginning of August 1815, Napoleon was transferred to HMS Northumberland and started his long South Atlantic voyage into exile. So ended his association with the south coast of Britain where he had spent over three weeks without ever landing ashore!

“All this was something to muse on as John and I cruised out of Brixham on our way back home . . .”

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The summer had past smoothly for the three of us, the Boss; Stan (our talking dog) and me. We had now bonded fully with the new member of

the family, our Broom 9/70 Dizzy - real name Aquadisiac, although we didn’t name her. Hanging branches swayed and kissed the cool water, theirs leaves turning a vivid red to orange as a carpet of fallen foliage slowly swirled in the light current. The occasional silver flash from the underside of small fish fighting for the crumbs fallen from the empty plate of my now eaten buttered scone, added to the peace. The final sign of insect life danced in the fading warm sunlight.

Stan and I were sat on the command bridge.

I sipped the last drops of luke warm tea from a large Bone-china mug that had come from the Pound Shop. Well, they said it was Bone-china when we bought it. Stan’s opinion on the subject was a little different and our subsequent expulsion from the said establishment oozed their displeasure, but that’s another story. I was tinkering meaninglessly with a brass thing that had dropped off the upper steering station and Stan was reading the Sunday paper, sat legs crossed in a light blue collapsible directors chair. Yes, all was well with world.

“Do you have to play with that”?, said Stan in a rather robust manner. “I’m not really even sure what it is, but I guess it must do something. Shouldn’t you be taking a look at Penelope and Stella”? “Ah! good point”. Penelope and Stella are Dizzies two trusty diesel engines.

I don’t have that much to do with the girls apart from sticking in a bit of green liquid stuff from time to time and the odd wipe with an oily rag. Stan knows more of these things than I, and he does get some sense out of them after learning to speak their language, when he did the RYA diesel course. I only get the occasional hiss of displeasure when I open up the throttles a little further than I should, know what I mean fellas? The Boss was down in the galley mastering the stoves gimbals whilst producing a rather interesting smell, not the boss the stove!!

“I’ve decided to put my name down for the Mars trip”, announced Stan whilst flicking his way through the last part of the paper. “Wow that really is a big deal, you never come back”. “Well it can’t be that bad, everything provided, sleep for months with nothing to do but eat” said Stan. ““Do you realise their are no lamp posts, and I’m not aware of any other dogs going, so you will be the only one Stan, but if that’s what you really want. Oh! And what about the confinement, that’s going to be hard to get used to? Yes, the universe is a harsh environment for a dog like you, being off world in a space ship for months. I’m really surprised at you Stan, and think of the danger”.

“I don’t know what you are banging on about Pete” replied Stan “ The way I understand it is, I’m going to visit a chocolate factory!”

Dogs who’d have ‘em?

Stan Goes to MARS?

| by Peter Willett

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If your time is limited you could spend a fortnight in the Ijsselmeer alone visiting some of the most interesting harbours, many of them from the old Dutch East India

Company with your berth right in the middle of town at reasonable prices and access to all facilities. The ideal base is Enkhuizen. It is an old town right in the middle of the Ijsselmeer with superb boating facilities, and a big marina, the “Compagnies haven”, which has all facilities, a superb restaurant at the marina and some of the most competitively priced diesel in the region, a very suitable place to leave your boat if you want to travel back to the UK. Enkhuizen also has two other harbours, the Buys haven and the one we like best, the Buiten Haven which also connects into the Oude haven. The advantage of the Buiten haven and the Oude haven is that they are right in the middle of town and very near the railway station, and access to Amsterdam Schipol airport from here is easy and cheap. Enkhuizen also has several other great attractions apart from good shopping, a supermarket in the middle of town, it has the museum of the Zuiderzee, which is a great place to spend the day, very interesting and lots for youngsters. Also a pleasant walk from town an indoor swimming pool complex with slides etc for the youngsters and opposite a “Disney type” attraction.

From Enkhuizen you can travel many ways but I will circle the Ijsselmeer leaving Enkhuizen, travel southeast and you come to Lelystad. If you are adventurous before arriving at Lelystad, you can pull into the Trintel haven which is in the middle of the damn called the Houtribdijk, there is not much there but a café, but if you are exploring, a nice place perhaps to have lunch. In Lelystad itself you have a choice of several marinas. North of the lock you have the Hourtrib haven and the Deco marina both of which have good visiting facilities and reasonable access. In our opinion the best place for a visit is the Batavia haven, which is a new complex, very good facilities, right next door to the Batavia complex which again is well worth a visit, it is how they made the boats in the old days and lots of activities that youngsters can participate in, it is also right next door to the huge “Batavia Stad fashion outlet” ie a huge shopping complex at so called factory prices.Two other points to be made in Lelystads favour:- The most comprehensive swimming pool complex with everything for the youngsters that I have ever seen.Again easy access to Schipol airport, the train goes straight from Lelystadt to Schipol with no changes. As a point of note you also have a big marina complex, the Lelystad haven south of the dam but here you are a good walk away from the town.

THE IJSSELMEER| by Peter and Gill Pitcher

Top-left: Entrance to the Oudehaven, Enkhuizens, Above: The Buitenhaven, Enkhuizens,

Opposite: The Lock at Stavoren. It can get busy!

A holiday destination in itself, this area of Holland is perfect for power boats or as the Dutch call them, sports boats.

Moving north east you come to the entrance to the Ketelmeer. We have used the firm of Gicom at Ketelhaven to winter our boat and found them very competitive price wise and very conscientious in looking after Seawolf. If you are interested in fine dining at Ketelhaven you have the superb restaurant called “Lands End”. Again moving around the Isselmeer the next port of call is Urk, this again is one of our favourites, it was an island before they started reclaiming land, and it maintains a lovely atmosphere, good shopping, superb boat facilities and our favourite restaurant in the whole region called the “Achterhuis” right on the entrance to the pier next to the harbour masters office and as Urk was the biggest fishing port in Holland in time past and still is important, they have the best fish that we have found, the menu of “Three Fishes” is good value and excellent. Moving northwards you come to Lemmer it is probably the best entry to the Friesland canals, again a full facility town with several marinas and habours both inside the lock system and outside. Moving westwards the next stopping town is Stavoren again here you have facilities inside and outside the lock system and another entry port to the canals of Freisland. The two main areas are the marina Stavoren which has facilities inside and outside the lock and also a swimming pool in the marina or you can go a little bit further north to the Buitenhaven or the Oude Haven and be in the middle of the old town. Next going north comes Hindeloopen, a real quaint small harbour with a huge marina along side. The harbour master here is most helpful and you have a small town with lots of curiosity/ antique shops. If you are interested in old type articles have a good walk around Hindeloopen. Just north of Hindeloopen you have Workum, this is where they make the Atlantic boats and again you have a choice, at the entrance a huge marina with full facilities including diesel or you can move further up the canal and either go to Workum itself through the lock gates or as we decided, to stop in the moorings just prior to the lock gates and walk into town. I think this is probably the most sensible thing to do unless you are going on through into the canal system.

Moving north you come to Makkum. Here again you have a choice of marinas/harbours with access into the Vanpanhuys canal. At Makkum you have also the northern exit through the Afsluitdijk at Kornwerder Zand, this is the main exit to Vlieland and Terschelling. Follow the dyke south and you have the southern exit which is the main one to Texel or if you are going out to the north sea at Den Oever. At Den Oever you have a choice of a yacht haven or you can go in to the Vissershaven or Noorderhaven which are more near the centre of town. Moving south you have the small town of Zug, I am afraid I have not visited so I will not comment. Further south again you have the big town of Medemblik another instance of a huge marina on the outside but again for visiting, I recommend moving into one of the three inside harbours where you are right in the middle of town. A pleasant stopping place with all facilities. The big advantage of an Isselmeer holiday is that you can, in most weather conditions, move around at your leisure as it is all sheltered water, finding different places with lots of interest to old and young, good restaurants and a welcome to all visiting boats with, I think, everybody I met, speaking English. Easy access to Schipol is another advantage, and safe places to leave your boat if you want to do a two stop holiday. All in all, this part of Holland makes for an excellent cruising holiday.


When David Haugh asked me if I would help him get his Broom 42cl back from Rouen to his winter base in Bruges, we agreed that in mid October, the shortest

route, down the Seine then north up the coast via Fecamp, Boulogne, Ostend and inland along the Ostend-Gent canal, was very weather dependent. The alternative, inland through Northern France, sounded exciting and was a route I hadn’t done before. According to PC-Navigo this would take nine days cruising with a leisurely daily start at 10am but with a full days cruising until 5pm, covering a distance of 485km (302nm), with 42 locks and two tunnels. Adding travel time to Rouen, collecting the car after arrival at Bruges and back to the UK gave a total of 12 days. I was tempted, and for purely philanthropic reasons. I couldn’t after all leave David to do the trip single handed! If it also had to be done using the comforts of a Broom 42cl then so much the better. I also thought of a way to save a day. I arranged a one way hire car from Calais. I would follow David to Bruges, drop his car off and then drive us to Rouen. A tip here is to avoid a pick-up and drop-off in different countries.

In this case we were fortunate because Calais was en-route – when I tried initially to hire from Bruges the price quoted was treble what I actually paid. Day one started for David at 7am and ended for us both, via his favourite Rouen curry house, on board and investigating his whisky stash, safe from the heavy rain outside. It was still raining when we awoke next morning. There was a lot to do before setting out, so on came the waterproofs and we got stuck in. The water tank and then the fuel tanks were filled. St Gervais marina has self service pumps which deliver a maximum of €200 at a time and at €1.43 (about £1.08) a litre for white diesel, David put €200-worth in each tank without too much teeth gritting. The promised fuel barge at Conflans, allegedly the cheapest on the Seine, would be available to fill the tanks at a better price. He settled the very reasonable mooring charges and we were almost ready to go. Although short on time, we used the car to stock up at the local supermarket. This later turned out to be a very good decision. Then, car returned, we headed back to the marina. The rain had turned to intermittent showers and we were feeling pretty optimistic by 12.30 when we finally cast off.

OctoberFest

We should have left before 8am to catch the tide, so we would be punching the the ebb all the way to the first lock at Poses-Amfreville, 45 kilometres up stream. However, with a 20kph speed limit and two good 350hp Yanmars, we made good time, arriving at 3.45. We had the vast lock to ourselves and stayed near the back, avoiding excessive turbulence which, 16 months before, had caused Marjorie and myself stress. Using a line from mid-ships and either a bow or a stern line depending on whether we were going up- or down-stream worked well in all the locks we used, and soon we emerged into the late afternoon sunlight – and with a rise of almost eight metres from low water it does feel like escaping from a huge dark cavern and we now found ourselves in more peaceful waters and beautiful surroundings. On both sides there were attractive and expensive looking houses, with gardens coming down to the waters’ edge; steep tree lined banks and, occasionally, dramatic rocky outcrops in the background and soon we passed Les Andelys, with dramatic views of Castle Gaillard high on the cliffs above. Our aim was to get through the next Lock, Garenne, before it closed at 7pm and make Vernon our overnight stop. Moorings are few and far between, and some of the older ones have not been maintained, so are risky to enter. As it turned out, we got to the lock before 7pm to discover that locks below Paris operate 24/7. With darkness approaching and the possibility that there might not be a space at Vernon, David decided to investigate a fully serviced mooring, shown on his aged Fluviacarte as being behind one of the islands just above the lock. This one had seen better days and was a sad scene of dereliction, so we carried on for the last 7k to Vernon as night closed in. There are two moorings at Vernon. For longer stays the Yacht Club just below the bridge on the right bank has two visitor spaces. David had stayed there a few months ago and was concerned about the shallow water so opted against this, and we could see that the moorings were in any case full of club day boats. The quay above the bridge on the town side, although without services, is fine for an overnight stop, but as we passed under the bridge we saw two cruise ships, one rafted outside the other, already there. We slowly crept along the riverside looking for a suitable spot but found none. I’d seen a small boat space just ahead of the cruise ships, and David turned around to try it and was able to slip Sinemora in under their bows. He was concerned about being so close to two such large craft – at least 300 ft long we estimated – but eventually he was satisfied that we were securely tied up and nothing was going to move in the night. Having stocked up that morning we ate on board, pleased that we had achieved our first day’s objective, covering 95 kilometres and two locks, then off to bed, but not before a well earned glass of Lagavulin. There was some disturbance during the night and in the morning we were surprised to find two completely different, much larger cruise ships moored up. At least 400ft long, their bows were now overlapping our stern and it was a little disconcerting to think of them manoeuvring so close alongside, while we slept.

Vernon is the jumping off point for visiting Monet’s home with its famous water lilies, just 3 kilometres up river. Clearly this is such a popular feature of the Seine cruises that, even in October, they have to “double shift” and double moor to get all the visitors in! Day two’s plan was to get to Conflan, 78 kilometres and two locks away, turn into the Oise, refuel and overnight in Cergy just 9 kms further. The marina was given good reports by Vic Hodgson when he stayed there, (Ed: As told in SS. Winter 2014 p22), and we were keen to visit. We had a leisurely start at 9.45, after a walk around Vernon and two hours later we arrived at Mericourt where we were told there would be a half hour wait for the lock. The only mooring was on some steel piles designed for 600 ton barges so David decided not to risk damage to the gel coat and hovered near the lock for what in the end turned out to be 50 minutes. The wait was for two large barges which we followed into the lock which had sheet piled walls making fendering difficult, and a five metre lift. Additionally, lines could only be attached to one small recessed hook at a time, having to shift the moorings with every 6 feet or so of lift. We started, as before, working with mid- and fore-lines., but the turbulence created by both barges keeping their props turning to stay alongside proved too strong and David returned to the helm and used his engines to keep the boat in position. We were glad to get back on the river, now about an hour behind schedule. We enjoyed 48 kilometres of easy cruising with an interesting mixture of attractive towns, like Mantes la Jolie, interspersed with holiday homes, sailing clubs, water ski areas and large industrial sites. While moorings are not obvious from the main river, there are a decent number of opportunities behind the many islands, or in lakes formed from old gravel workings. The last Seine lock at Andressy was passed without problem and we turned into the Oise at Conflans shortly after 4pm, looking eagerly for the promised fuel barge. We eventually spotted a fuel barge just securing alongside a large commercial barge to fill it up. When David heard the price, €1.55 a litre, 12 cents more than he had paid at Rouen, he decided we could last another day or two. Cergy and the marina, an attractive harbour off the river, surrounded by apartments, shops and bar/restaurants, was everything we had hoped for but it was chock full! We moored at one of the two visitor berths on the riverside which at just €20 per night including water and electricity, and only a short train journey from Paris, is a lovely alternative to Paris Arsenal, and well worth a visit.

Cergy - the outer moorings It was too early for dinner so we decided to explore an impressive looking monument on a hill a couple of kilometres back. It’s a lovely walk on a beautiful evening but when we got there, the monument itself was something of an anti climax. Organised by President Mitterand to mark the Millennium, at the top of a steep flight of steps there were a few concrete columns and some fine words saying nothing very profound!

David Haugh asked me if I would help him get his Broom 42cl back from Rouen to his winter base in Bruges . . .

| by Don Walker (with David Haugh)

The cruise ships were a little too close for comfort


The view from the top had better be worth it!

The walk gave us a good thirst, and after a beer in a waterfront bar we went back to the boat for dinner, as there would be plenty of opportunity to eat out when we had used the fresh food on board. After a healthy pasta with salad on the side and cheese to follow, we relaxed over what was now becoming our customary night cap of a warming glass of Lagavulin. Friday, day three, started bright and sunny and, feeling in no great rush, David decided to wash off the grime accumulated on Sinemora during its two months lying in Rouen, and I explored more of Cergy. Whilst out I met a group of cyclists from a hotel barge which was stuck below Pontoise by a lock keepers’ strike. Concerned about how this would affect our plans, I nipped back to talk with David. He spoke to the Capitainerie who confirmed that there was indeed a lock-keepers strike but was unsure of the duration or extent, so we decided that the best plan was to get to Pontoise without further delay. It was only 5km upstream and as we approached the double lock, the evidence of the stoppage was unmistakeable. More barges than we had seen in two days were tied to every available mooring, some rafted out two or three deep. We spotted a large Dutch barge moored by the lock entrance at the front of the queue and we went alongside to ask what was happening. Explaining the situation, the skipper invited us to tie alongside his well maintained barge, with a car on the aft cabin roof and two young children playing in a play-pen on deck overseen by their mother. The friendly young couple operated the boat as a family business and home combined, and they told us that they hoped the strike would be lifted at 1pm, just under an hour from our arrival. In the meantime the skipper told us about life and business as a privateer barge master. He was the third generation of watermen in his family and his wife had a similar background. They had a regular contract for transporting rolled steel – 750 tons at a time – from near Amsterdam to somewhere South of Paris. Without a return load they had to pump 400 tons of water into the hold to ballast the craft and clear the bridges. Their present cargo, for which they seemed to have a regular contract, was a hold full of barley destined for the brewing industry in Belgium. They made a very comfortable living on 12 return trips a year. When on the move they worked long hours – as many as 16 per day, but they were working from home with no commuting and with their family around them. The children would go to school on land when six years old, being picked up and brought back to the boat for weekends and school holidays. For their summer holidays they would borrow a boat and go cruising in Friesland. It sounded an idyllic life and their cheerful story kept us entertained until 1pm, when everything started working again.

Despite being the last to arrive we were allowed to squeeze into the smaller lock with two Freycinet sized craft. On our way by 1.30pm we followed the one unladen barge, moving faster than the rest, and were entering our second lock of the day, 15 kms upstream, just one hour later. Having been on strike for half a day, it seemed as if the lock keepers were now trying to make up for it by working with great enthusiasm and efficiency. It did not seem to make sense and no one had any idea what the strike had been about, but with a clear river ahead, it seemed possible that we might still make Compiegne that day. Everything was looking good until, just as we were about to exit our fourth lock of the day, Ecluse Criel, we were told that the strike was back on. The next lock 20km ahead, at a place called Pont Ste Maxence, would be closed until 6am tomorrow so we would have to find a place to moor up for the night. The Oise is an attractive river but it’s not possible to just tie up anywhere. Failing to find any mooring places in the Fluviacarte, I turned to Hugh McKnight’s guide and found one on the bank side in Pont Ste Maxence which he described as “possible but difficult”! When we got there at 6.15, we saw what he meant. There were bollards set in a concrete ledge just 6 inches above water level at the foot of a 45 degree slope leading to the road 5 metres above. It was a difficult and not very attractive mooring and at one stage David had to jump on to the ledge to fend the boat off as the fenders were not low enough to do their job. Finally, with bow, stern and springs in place, and with the fenders as low as they could go, we were able to set off to explore the bright lights of Pont Ste Maxence. We had covered 62 kms, just 30 kms short of our target for the day, so provided the strike was not continued we should be able to recover the lost time. The town had little to offer other than burger bars and kebab shops, so after the obligatory beer, we climbed back down the precipitous bank to eat on board yet again. This decision was influenced by my feeling that, whilst David had demonstrated it held no fear for him, I preferred to tackle the 45 degree slope whilst sober!

The slippery slope

A large number of barges had arrived in the meantime, basically all the traffic which had been waiting for the lock to open at Pontoise, so we decided have an early start in the morning in the hope of avoiding big lock queues, and after the obligatory but soothing Lagavulin, which had an added hint of justification to its character, we hit the sack.

Looking out at 6.45 am, we found not just the expected darkness but a heavy mist, dense enough so that we could not see the far river bank. Hoping it might clear with sunrise, we put the kettle on and waited anxiously as a few of the barges passed us on their way into the lock ahead. An hour later the mist was still there, but with daylight creeping in, and giving in to my continued encouragement to go, David decided, if somewhat reluctantly, to give it a try. The visibility had by now seemingly improved, but we were mis-led by the light given off by the street lamps and from the lock flood lights. As we left the lock and lost the visibility provided by these sources we entered a world of total gloom and zero visibility.

It was cold and wet, and worse was to come

Waiting until the barges ahead had left, and the turbulence their props caused had subsided, they had disappeared into the mist as we exited the lock. Whilst David could see the barges on his chart-plotter through AIS (an absolute boon to navigation even in normal situations) so he knew we weren’t going to run into them, he couldn’t judge where we where in relation to either bank. Rather than be stranded in mid-river with the possibility of not being able to get out of the way of barges coming from either direction, David made the decision to get into the side and moor until visibility returned. I was positioned on the fore deck, boat hook in hand, peering into the murk, but all I was able to do was confirm what we had learned yesterday – that there were no suitable mooring places between locks. It was perishingly cold, but to be able to see anything, we had to stay in the open with the hood down. Condensation was forming inside and out, faster than it could be wiped clear. We kept near to the river edge maintaining our position for fully 30 minutes whilst downstream barges transited the lock and until upstream barges could take their turn, David watching keenly on his chart-plotter in the meantime. At last two barges, going our way, showed up on the plotter and David swung out to follow the second, full to the gunwales and creeping along at just 5 kph. By staying closer than was comfortable, it was possible to keep the barge in sight and at such a slow speed could react to his movements quickly enough to avoid collision.

Visibility was awful

After an hour visibility improved a little, but it was another 30 minutes before we could see well enough to pass the barge and press on. With great relief we eventually saw the sun break through and burn off the mist, providing us with a beautiful, sunny autumn day. We reached Compiegne just before noon and pulled in to the well-signed fuel barge on our port side. Not knowing where we might end up that night, I went shopping whilst David refuelled with white diesel costing Just €1.23 per litre, or about 94p . My expedition was longer than anticipated. With no bakers nearby I walked a mile to a supermarket. Arriving back at the fuel barge, I found an unfamiliar boat alongside. David had moved to allow a barge in for fuelling and was now cruising up and down mid-stream. Jumping around, waving my arms and shouting till he spotted me over the tops of all the moored boats took a little time, but David managed to find a place to tie on, then I hauled the shopping across a few decks, clambered on board and we were off again on our journey to the Canal du Nord. Ecluse Janville came just after 1pm, and before leaving the lock we put the arch down for the first time since our zero-visibility experience earlier that day. This time it was due to air-draft as we were entering 3.5m low bridge territory and a 10kph speed limit canal, so progress was going to be a lot slower. By now the sun was shining, and the water was calm, only broken by our bow wave which, amazingly, seemed to attract a kingfisher which hovered and flew ahead of us for a couple of hundred meters before finally darting away in a flash of colour. After 20 kilometres and two more locks we arrived at Pont l’Eveque and the junction with the Canal du Nord. This modern canal, completed in 1965 as an alternative to the St Quentin canal, is capable of taking 650 ton barges, and the most common rig we saw was two standard peniches tied together and worked as a single unit. The locks are well spaced and to a standard design, 92 meters long, 6 meters wide and with a 7 meter rise and fall with guillotine bottom gates. The canal crosses two watersheds with summit tunnels, and our original plan was to reach Peronne at the end of the first section by Friday evening. It was now 3pm and we clearly had no chance of achieving this before nightfall, but we decided to press on and hope that we could find a reasonable stopping place. One thing we were warned about was not to expect any facilities for leisure craft, and indeed they were few and far between, and often very make-shift affairs.


A standard Canal du Nord Lock, with guillotine gates

Reaching the first lock we had another stroke of luck. There were two barges waiting but the first in the queue was a single peniche and as the double length barge in second place could not share the lock, we were called forward. Inside was the familiar arrangement of recessed hooks necessitating switching lines every 6ft, but the smooth concrete walls and sophisticated water saving mechanisms – half of each locking flows into side ponds - made for fast, turbulence free filling.

This meant that even if you missed a line switch-over – and it happened a couple of times because hooks were missing – there was no crisis. The boat moved gently and could be simply fended off. There were four locks to the first summit and we were through them and approaching the 1.1 kilometre Panneterie tunnel by 6.15pm.

David wisely chose to let the barge we were following get a little ahead, as he did not want its prop wash pushing Sinemora into the sides of the tunnel. Headroom was good with lighting in the roof which would have been fine except for several sections where bulbs were broken. The sudden plunge into darkness made it difficult to follow the line but we took it slowly emerging at the other end 17 minutes later, having touched the side a couple of times with the fenders on the way through.

There is a long summit pound at the North end of the tunnel and at 7.15 pm, as we approached the first lock of the descent, we pulled in for the night. David had spotted a mooring marked on the Fluviacarte, and although there were no facilities, it looked as if there was a village called Breuil nearby. We tied up a short distance from a long line of moored barges which stretched up to the entrance to the lock, with the though of a welcoming beer in a bar full of bargees being our first priority. However, a longish walk round in the gathering dusk failed to find any habitation, far less a convenient bar, so we retired to the boat for our beer and another dinner on board, glad that we had taken the chance to do some shopping that morning, however stressful it had felt at the time, whilst the strikes, fog, slow barges and locks allowed us a well earned glass of Lagavulin to end the day.

Next morning, Saturday, we were about by 7.30, with barges already passing, shrouded in mist and David decided to wait to let conditions improve. An hour later things were no better so we tagged on behind a barge laden with scrap metal, called Yo-Fred. David was happy that, in the well defined channel of the canal, we could easily follow it.

As we approached the lock, the barge skipper waved us to go ahead, so with little alternative, Sinemora took the lead. Visibility was just good enough for David to be pleased he was not following Yo-Fred but progress was slow because traffic was heavy in both directions. We later found that the skipper was in fact well intentioned, letting us go first and giving us the opportunity to get into the next lock with an earlier barge before Yo-Fred arrived.

After 5k we passed the point where the new canal uses the same line as the Canal de la Somme. At once we noticed a difference – signs of human habitation emerging from the mist. There was another difference, less welcome. The next two locks taking us down to Peronne, had sheet piled sides, the result I guess of their being modified and extended Somme locks rather than built from scratch in 1965.

Yo-Fred waved us through

It was just 12 noon and the mist was finally clearing as we passed Peronne . David was disinclined to stop, fearing we would suffer a long delay if we lost our place in the queue of barges. We had enough water on board to see us through another day or two, so we pressed on to the next lock, the first of five taking us to the second summit.

Ironically, we found ourselves facing a long delay anyway because we caught up with other traffic at the next lock. Warned that it would take up to an hour, I set out to walk back to the town for some supplies but fairly quickly decided it would take too long, and turned back. I did not want to repeat my Compiegne experience of missing the boat! David did though practise his French on a passing dog walker who very kindly promised to take his mail - two birthday cards - and post them in her local post box.

When we did finally get through, with clear skies and nothing in front of us, we made good progress, covering 16 kms and reaching the summit lock at 3.45pm. Here, a village called Moislains has free public mooring and shops. With a decent distance under our belt and the following day being Sunday, David granted me “shore leave” to search for bread, milk and whatever I could find for dinner.

With injunctions to “be quick” ringing in my ears, I set off at a pace, only to find the bakers closed until 4pm. Not wishing to waste time, I asked a local where to find the grocers. This was closed too, but as it was now past 4pm I hammered on the door.

That worked, but once inside I was disappointed by what was available. There was little fresh food but the shopkeeper was able to find me frozen meat and vegetables which I supplemented with a couple of packs of cheese, cold meat and even two bottles of red wine.

Picking up two baguettes and a rustic loaf from the bakers I was back at the boat by 4.25, finding David trying to look relaxed, but clearly fretting about being overtaken by Yo-Fred, the barge we had left behind in the mist, early that morning.

Quickly setting off, we reached the entrance to the 4.4k Ruyaulcourt tunnel just 35 minutes later. Here we found Yo-Fred, waiting at a red light. Traffic through the tunnel is single track but with a two way passing section in the middle and traffic lights controlling access. We had only 10 minutes to wait for the green light and once again the obliging skipper of Yo-Fred waved us on ahead.

The passing point in the Ruyaulcourt tunnel. Don is standing on the footpath which extends along the length of the tunnel - for maintenance, not Ramblers!

This tunnel is wider, better lit and a more pleasant experience than our first. We made good progress but had to tie up in the centre to allow boats coming the other way to pass. Despite this slight delay we were out of the tunnel and into a deep cutting within 40 minutes, an average speed of 7kph.

The series of seven descent locks were open until 8.30, giving us a glimmer of hope that we might reach Arleux, it’s marina and the junction with the Grand Gabarit that evening. That wasn’t to be, so a search of the Pilot showed a small mooring at Lock 3.

The next Lock was straightforward, but then we caught up with traffic which had held us up as we left Peronne. Lock 6 took us almost an hour so, now in total darkness we started to look for a place to tie up.

The situation was not good. The moorings at the locks were very much in use, and the banks between were sloping concrete or rough stone. Finally we found a steel decked platform at a canal side factory and some places to attach ropes. Our main concern was that the edge of the decking was only about six inches deep, very difficult to protect adequately with fenders against passing barge wash.

We were tired, having been on the go for more than 12 hours once again, and it was getting very cold, but all boat movements would stop in 15 minutes so we headed below decks to warm up. The next day, Sunday, the locks would not open until 9am so we had reasonable prospects of a quiet night and a lie in.

We had covered 65 kilometres and 10 locks, so we settled down to our supper, content that we had completed the most difficult part of the trip. We were well past half way and had worked through the majority of the locks in just five days, so were on course to reach Bruges by Wednesday, as originally planned. That night’s glass of Lagavulin, with its hints of caramel and success, tasted particularly good.

Sunday dawned cold and misty, but, used to it by now, we slipped our lines and followed the first barge appearing out of the murk into Lock Five. With so many vessels caught out by the strike we endured delays all the way down to Lock One and Arleux, and although it was only 15 kms away it took us over three hours. Here several things happened. The sun came out to give us another beautiful, warm autumn day; most of the barges we had been jostling with for the past three days moored up for their Sunday break, and we turned to port and entered the Grand Gabarit.

Originally I’d thought that this was the name of a specific waterway but I have since learned that the words mean ”Large Gauge” . In this case it is the River Deule section of a water route from Dunkirk to Montagne. The locks are 145m long by 11m beam and are fitted with floating bollards. These marvellous devices allow you to tie up and relax, while the water does its work. With no traffic and good visibility we flew along, three of the huge locks empty but for us, and reached Douai before 2pm.

We passed Courcelles and its attractive marina with all facilities, but now David was “on a roll”. He calculated that we might get past Lille today, and be within reach of two other marinas. So we carried on, passing through a landscape of complete industrial desolation, scrap yards, slag heaps, deserted coal mines and abandoned factories. Never mind – we were making such good time that they were gone before they could spoil our mood of optimism.

At 4pm we turned right off the Grand Gabarit, still on the Deule heading for Lille, with 22 kms and two locks to transit before reaching our overnight destination. With locks closing at 6pm on Sunday’s it was going to be tight.

Having had the waterway to ourselves we had to share the first lock, amusingly called Ecluse Don with another boat – and it was very large!


This made the locking process slower, and after leaving the lock it took a good while before we could safely overtake the heavily laden and slow moving barge.

It was going to be touch and go to make it, being further slowed by Lille docks with its much lower speed limit, but it was just 5.45 as we came in sight of Lille lock. Imagine our disappointment when the lock keeper responded to David’s VHF request to say we were too late! I was inclined to argue but David took a more mature view and, as a barge was also asking to come through from the downstream side, we realised that the double locking time would take the lock keeper well past his 6pm curfew.

Another night in the middle of nowhere, with no facilities! But as I calmed down I realised it was a rather nice mooring on an island dominated by Vauban’s 17th century Citadel, surrounded by wooded parkland. It clearly was not “the middle of nowhere” as there were a lot of people about, some jogging others just strolling gently in the evening sun. So we joined them and set off to find Lille town centre.

We did not get quite that far but soon came across a bar. There we were able to watch France lose to Ireland in the Rugby World Cup, while we enjoyed a beer and snack before heading back to the boat.

Despite our disappointment with the lock, David was confident that, barring accidents or strikes, we could reach Bruges by Tuesday night, a full day ahead of schedule.

Looking forward to a relaxed start the next day, we enjoyed our customary Lagavulin night cap which now had the added flavour of anticipation.

It was a sunny morning, the first since Cergy. Spared several hours of bone chilling mist we were in good spirits as we passed our planned Sunday night mooring just half an hour on from Lille so we would have got there easily. It seemed to be full of boats, all closed up for the winter and we decided that in any event, it was not as attractive as where we had been forced to spend the night!

After four days on the crowded waterways of the fast route to Dunkirk, we now enjoyed a peaceful cruise. There was one more Deule lock at Quesnoy, then we turned into the Lys with 30 minutes run to reach Comines lock marking the Belgian border, just on 1pm.

We were slightly disconcerted at the lock to see two armed Belgian police making their way towards us. I’ve had the experience of being stopped, boarded, questioned, and boat searched, by Dutch and Belgian police and Customs Officials several times, but it was new to David.

I could tell he thought it must be something to do with me being on board. They asked to examine the ships papers and check David had the appropriate licences. Strangely, they did not seem to know what they were looking for, allowing David to show what he had to hand, including the warrant for his blue ensign which bemused them somewhat. They didn’t want to see our passports or check for any contraband stowed below, and they were not at all concerned about whether we were using red diesel, so it was hard to see the point of the exercise. They noted everything assiduously, were very polite and assured us that now we had been checked it wouldn’t happen again. Wishing us a pleasant stay in Belgium they were soon on their way and we exited the lock without further ado.

A courtesy documents check!

Just 8 kms after the border we pulled in for diesel at the Neptunia Barge, permanently moored near kp18 on the River Leie (Lys in French) about 6 km from the lock at Commines. There is also a very well stocked chandlery which is worth a visit in itself. As David had expected, the price was better than anywhere in France at €1.13 per litre, (about 86p) for white diesel, so he took the opportunity to fill the tanks for the winter. We did consider filling up with water too, but the hose connections are designed for barges and at best it would have been a fiddly job. Although we had not been able to get water since Cergy, with only men on board consumption had been modest, and David was confident that we could fill up that evening.

We had three more locks to pass before reaching our overnight stop at Deinze Yacht Club and our progress was slightly delayed by a one way system due to major construction work through Kortrijk with a 5 kph speed limit.

We also ran into some traffic as we neared our destination, so that despite it feeling like a relaxed easy day, it was 7.15pm and getting dark as we approached the mooring. Before that though we were treated to an amazing sunset, beautifully reflected on the calm waters in front of us, and to the site of flocks of migratory birds looking for over-night resting places on the flat fields on either side. Soon enough though we arrived at the yacht club and were relieved to find, and reverse into, the one empty space available.

(Left-below) The River Leie approaching Deinze. It wasn’t all fog and strikes

On shore a prominent notice board advised us to ring the harbour master, who appeared within 10 minutes to help us fill with water, connect to shore power, show us round the shower block and provide the gate codes. It was a very nice reception after so many nights in the wilderness, and great value for only €15. The friendly Harbourmaster is the owner of a Broom 35 European, one of two moored at the Club and his is called Blue Moon. David quickly dug out a copy of Sweeping Statements and a couple of membership applications for him, then we were off into town, and a fine selection of restaurants for a relaxed meal, our first since leaving Rouen. On return, feeling pleased to be on the final leg, we had a night-cap, Lagavulin of course, and this time the complex flavours seemed to contain a hint of finality, and maybe a note of conclusion.

It rained overnight but we were comfortable in the knowledge that we were less than a day’s cruising from Bruges with just a few swing bridges to negotiate, and we could do it all with the arch and hood up if necessary.

We had a slow start in the morning and we both enjoyed a shower in the Club facilities, not my first since Cergy, but still welcome after our days of dawn to dusk motoring and water conservation.

We left at 10.45 under a clear blue sky, pausing mid-stream to photograph the storks parading through the long grass of a field opposite. From the Leie we joined the connecting canal which would take us, after just 14 kms, onto the Ghent - Ostend Canal which we entered just before noon, and we had worked our way through the Bruges bridges and moored in Sinemora’s winter berth in the Coupure by 3pm. After the continuous pressure of the previous eight days, the last day almost felt like an anti-climax, but it was a happy one, completed in bright sunshine.

The trip was great fun and if we had known just how fast and problem free it was going to be after we reached Arleux we could have had a more relaxed time. However, stopping for a few nights in remote places on such a well equipped boat as the Broom 42cl was not a hardship, and it suited us both to be getting home a day early.

All that remained was a few hours tidying up – David will be back to do the really hard stuff – and then a celebratory meal at another of his favourite restaurants. I will spare you the details but will say that the hangover next morning did slightly delay our departure for the Tunnel crossing home. But we had made it and could look back on the trip with a great deal of satisfaction, having covered over 300 nautical miles in some pretty tough conditions without any mishap - and we enjoyed it too.

(Above) Journey’s end, The Coupure in Bruges

www.broomowners.com 3332 www.broomowners.com

When Kelston announced he was organising a BOC cruise to attend the 75th anniversary commemorative return to Dunkirk, and that it

could possibly be the last one, as surviving veterans would now be in their 90’s, we felt that this could be our only chance to participate due to it only happening every 5 years and we being in our mid 70s. Having booked up, we realised Bonny Rose was hardly in a condition to participate. The aft loo was not finished (see Spring addition of SS ); the starboard aft stanchions and hand rail were missing as Wilks Dek-king was being fitted to the aft cabin side decks, and to facilitate access approx 1/3rd of the head lining in the aft cabin was hanging down. However by staying on board for several days, installation was completed in time (just) but left no time for a shakedown cruise. As departure date approached forecasts were not looking too promising, but we loaded up on the Friday and departed Itchen Marine on Saturday 16th as planned, well aware that F7 winds were predicted for Sunday evening and into Monday. In order to keep ahead of this deteriorating situation the first leg of the trip was 78 miles to Eastbourne and the second on Sunday 42 miles to Dover, quite long legs at 10 knots but a good test that all systems were OK. The only blip was failure of the autopilot to hold a set course necessitating manual steering from off Portsmouth for the remainder of our time away. Approaching Dover the wind picked up to F4/5 from the southwest giving the usual wild ride into the western entrance, aggravated by having to slow down for a couple of yachts which were making an entrance ahead of us, but the marina responded immediately when called, and allocated a berth in Granville dock which has half tide gates and is completely sheltered. True to forecast it blew on Sunday night and into Monday but conditions were expected to improve during the week with the best day forecast for Thursday 21st, the official crossing day. However whilst Wednesday’s Met Office forecast was W or SW F4 or F5, Windfinder and XC Weather were forecasting F3 all day from the NW (and so it turned out) so we decided

to cross a day early thus avoiding any conflict with the ADLS fleet as, being in Dover, we were on the “wrong side” of their intended course. Harbour control handled our departure through the Eastern entrance (the busy one used by the ferries) with their usual efficiency, initially with instructions to proceed around the harbour and call when off the Knuckle Light. After reporting in that we were holding off the light, they asked for our maximum speed (I gave a conservative reply) and then gave permission to proceed through the entrance against the red lights which were set for an approaching cross channel ferry, but they also called the ferry to ensure it had heard the conversation and was aware of our departure. The crossing was uneventful with perfect timing (luck) for access into Trystram Lock, the lights changing to green as we arrived. Subsequent passage through the inner docks was as described in Reeds, and on arrival in the Bassin du Commerce we found the marina visitor’s berth vacant, so no mooring against the harbour wall for the first night.

Arrival in Trystram Lock.A little larger than those on the Thames

| by David and Pamela Harrison

Anniversary Weekend

The following day, Thursday, although fully booked, the marina staff managed to find a berth for Bonny Rose for the remainder of our stay. I’m not sure how it happened but I suspect David, our editor who had relocated Sinemora to the marina a couple of weeks earlier, had a hand in it, so with power, water and a stable pontoon to ease Pamela’s problems getting on and off the boat we were well set up. Later in the day we could hear the BOC fleet on VHF making progress and subsequently were able to assist with their mooring against the harbour wall which, in the event,turned out not to be the problem anticipated several weeks earlier.

(Above:) Some of the ADLS fleet

Unfortunately due to Pamela’s limited mobility we were unable to attend the commemorative functions. We did however manage to see the ADLS fleet rafted up alongside the town quay and later I spent some time on the Massey Shaw, the fire float which, in addition to 3 return trips to Dunkirk bringing home over 500 troops, saw action on the Thames throughout the blitz. This 80 year old vessel is now fully restored and immaculate with all systems in full working order and can still deliver more water at higher pressures than anything available on the Thames today (progress?).

Thanks to David and Alison who had their car available we were able to attend the BOC dinner, arranged by David, on the Saturday evening where 24 were in attendance.

(Below-left:) The Massy Shaw’s immaculate twin Gleniffer 8 cylinder engines

Sunday 24th dawned bright and sunny with Windfinder forecasting F2 increasing to F3 and veering from S to SW in the afternoon so we decided to leave a day early, catching the second lock of the day as did 4 others. We soon lost the sunshine but the crossing was uneventful except that the SW wind became wind against tide creating a short choppy sea on the beam whilst crossing the shipping lanes which was uncomfortable and a bit tedious.

Monday 25th saw us having a lazy day in Dover where in the afternoon we were entertained with a spectacular aerobatic display by a lone Spitfire for probably 10 to 15 minutes.

On Tuesday we departed Dover heading for Shoreham, but 3 miles off Beachy Head the port engine stopped abruptly with absolutely no signs of life when attempting to restart, so we diverted into Eastbourne.

Due to the abrupt nature of the failure, and no signs of life using the starter, it was thought unlikely to be filter blockage but for good measure both the primary and secondary filters were changed to no avail. The next logical failure could be the lift pump so the injector pressure pump bleed screws were slackened and the lift pump operated both manually and by using the starter resulting in a good visual flow of fuel. Could it be the injector pressure pump, unlikely, but by slackening off a feed pipe to one of the injectors and operating the starter, fuel should squirt out. We did and it didn’t, we had a fuel pump failure!!


This should not have been a problem as we carry a fully serviced and sealed spare pump, or so I thought, but when fitted, the engine would run up to 900rpm OK but above that speed the revs would violently hunt up and down. Running in gear made no difference and to run in this condition was to risk damaging the engine. Contact with the company who supplied the pump, albeit 4 years ago, was not helpful and there was no response from service organisations located in Eastbourne Marina.

Contact with the diesel pump service company in Reading resulted in a couple of suggestions to try but as there was no improvement the only option was to remove the pump, pack bags, catch the train to Southampton and then drive back to Reading

Both pumps plus a third I had in the garage were delivered to the service company, Thames Valley Electro Diesel, next morning (Friday). The original failed pump was beyond repair having seized internally and broken its drive shaft, but after explaining the situation regarding the boat stuck in Eastbourne, I have to record that TVED pulled out all the stops, obtained the necessary components and had the two remaining pumps fully serviced and available by Monday pm.

Tuesday saw us back in Southampton and then on the train to Eastbourne. A pump was fitted on Wednesday and we were up and running. Just as well as Thursday was the only decent day for motor boating with a F2 wind off the land, whilst on days either side it was SW F4, wind against tide.

We therefore had a comfortable run from Eastbourne to Cowes and returned to Itchen Marine on the Friday.

Looking back on events, all went to plan until the pump failure but we were lucky that if it had to fail it happened when and where it did. The workshop manager at TVED said that in 35 years of servicing diesel equipment he had never seen a DPA pump fail in a similar manner, so we were just unlucky.

The annoying issue was that having acquired a fully serviced pump as a spare (at least that is what I paid for) it failed to operate correctly when needed, due to incorrect components being fitted. Perhaps the moral of this story is that if one carries spares, they should be fitted when purchased to ensure they work satisfactorily and keep the removed item as the spare as it’s known to work OK.

In spite of the engine failure we thoroughly enjoyed the trip and will certainly go again if circumstances allow.

during our recent cruise to celebrate the 75th anniversary of operation Dynamo, when no less than 334,266 men were rescued by a fleet of little ships

requisitioned by the government, to bring back the British Expeditionary Task Force from the beaches of Dunkirk. I had a lump in my throat more than once that day. Once when I awoke to see the crowds of well-wishers lining the walls and every other viewing position in and around Ramsgate Harbour, which was the original port of departure all those years ago, and again when they proudly set off in bright sunshine accompanied by a Spitfire and Hurricane zooming above at fairly low level. What a spectacle! The welcome the Little ships received on entering the Marina after cruising gently across 43 nautical miles of the English Channel accompanied by, not one, but two British Naval war ships, was amazing, with cheering and clapping from the crowds lining the marina for every single vessel, and to see them all tied up together as if hugging each other after all those years was a wonderful sight.

The whole weekend was brilliantly organised and hats off to all those concerned especially Kelston Tobin, Andrew Bernstein, David Haugh and David Broad who took over the cruise management from Ramsgate because Kelston was unfortunately absent looking after his father. It was a once in a lifetime experience made all the more moving by attending the various ceremonies in Ramsgate, and on the actual beaches of Dunkirk, and then meeting some of the survivors who typically stood proudly before us in memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The front of the Church in Dunkirk is still scarred with the remnants of that terrible time in history, and serves as a constant reminder of the sacrifice so many made to give us the freedom we all enjoy to this day.

Well done Broom owners and all those who attended.

We Remembered| by Christopher Cole

What a fabulous time we had with the other members of the Broom Owners Club

(photo by Tony Lord)

(Below) The offending fuel pump


There were three veterans at the Dunkirk Anniversary Weekend, all of them over 95 and I saw them at the Service. Sad to think that this was probably the last

time they could attend.

We were out at the memorial the day before the service. All three of them were helped to walk down onto the beach and back, which was obviously a very emotional experience for them, and then they had various press interviews at the memorial.

We overheard one interview where one of them was asked what he remembered about his days at Dunkirk. It seems that he met up with a French officer on the beach and somehow they managed to find a very decrepit rowing boat. They decided that this would be their mode of departure and so they set out for one of the destroyers parked offshore. He could remember that the French officer did the rowing and he found a useful new purpose for his tin helmet as a baler. Luckily they were picked up by a boat en-route as the baling was getting frantic - so at least one Dunkirk story had a happy ending.

We had two guests with us on board Erika, Tony and Eileen Lord. Tony took the pictures.

The arrival at Dunkirk, and the moorings along the wall worked well, and it was good the see the two David’s (Harrison and Haugh) waiting on the wall to help with ropes and moorings. The dinner in the evening, organised by David Haugh, was well attended with a good atmosphere and good French food and wine which seemed to be enjoyed by all.

They Returned| by Mike Cunningham

At the end of the interview a young French jogger came along and stopped to talk to our veteran. He produced a brass button, obviously from a military uniform, and said that he had found it a few years ago buried in the sand on the beach.

He just said to him “I would like you to have it”, and jogged off without any further word.

Somehow, it’s the small, real, things that make the most poignant memories of a trip . . .

Sue Harmer and I weren’t able to go with them as the boat was still being worked on and the crew members weren’t available until after the weekend.

Monday: the engineers finally signed off ‘Flying Visit’ after lunch, when ‘Billie’ and ‘Spike’ were already in Ramsgate. A quick river test and all seemed okay so we fuelled up and set off for Teddington. En route we confirmed that Don Walker was okay to join us on Tuesday afternoon for a planned departure on the high tide. Blustery winds should have abated by then. We reached Teddington about 19.45 after operating two of the locks ourselves.

Tuesday: We set off a bit after 17.00 with the intention of reaching Greenwich Yacht Club that evening , just above the Thames Barrier. What a rush around to get everything done – sure I had forgotten something, but hopefully not crucial. The trip was reasonably ‘smooth sailing’. No issues at Richmond Barrier or Hammersmith Bridge (restricted headroom). There were still some pleasure craft operating, especially the clippers, as we motored toward central London.

We had the joy of a heavy hail storm which impeded visibility and caused a drop in the temperature. We reached Greenwich about 20.30. The Harbourmaster seemed to have missed both my call and my email but all was well. We battened down the hatches, tucked into a hot meal and prepared for an early start in the morning to catch the tide.

Wednesday: the sun was just rising as we went through the Thames Barrier around 05.15. We headed down toward Essex, the QEll Bridge and the Medway. ‘Flying Visit’ seemed to be behaving well – that is until we decided to try and speed up. A few minutes at 3500 revs and the temperature rose on the port engine rather worryingly. So we continued to chug along; then tried a second ‘blast’. Again overheating on port side; the red warning light was on. Reduced revs. Then a mechanical banging/grating/? noise from port side – Don advised that we should use the engine sparingly in case there was a real problem. So we ran on starboard with port on tick over. Slow progress but luckily no conditions that caused any real problems. At last we reached the buoyed channel into Ramsgate. Don manoevered her using both engines and we were told to raft out where we could. Probably easier in the circumstances. John Croom, Ray and Dom came to find us and a major consultation ensued about the cause and resolution of the port engine problem, ably assisted by Mick from Kohaku who had come alongside. The conclusion was to try and get her lifted to see if there was any problem with the shaft and prop.and worry about another problem if that didn’t work.

| by Linda Varney

Saturday: I waved ‘Billie’ and ‘Spike’ off from Teddington on a bright Saturday morning as they passed the gathered ‘Little Ships’ moored in the lock cut.

Flying Visit to Dunkirk


Dom and I set off to find the Harbourmaster and several helpful people later we had a lift booked and paid for at 17.00. Out of the water a loose rope cutter was revealed – the spacing washers had disappeared allowing the metal cutters to ‘bang’ together. ‘Take them off’ was the general conclusion and with allen keys and John Croom’s old Ramsgate contacts she was back in the water within an hour. Back on the mooring, Don went off to ‘Lady Martina’ for briefing and to collect the ‘Dunkirk 2015’ burgee. He later rang to say he was going to eat with friends; Sue and I opted for fish and chips.

Thursday: We set off at 07.30 in hot pursuit of ‘Spike’ and ‘Billie’ having narrowly avoided a sandbank in the harbour. Unsure of their route the VHF and mobiles buzzed until we agreed Mid Falls and Sandette West as the key waypoints. There was a bit of a swell as we moved from the shelter of the land, exacerbated by changing depths. Sue magnanimously offered to make bacon and egg sandwiches and lived to rue the offer, as the resulting bruises took several days to emerge. But we were making good time to reach the lock into Dunkirk by the designated hour (15.30 Eurotime). The final stretch by the French coast was probably as choppy as any so we were glad to get into the shelter of the harbour wall. We finally caught up with ‘Spike’ and ‘Billie’ who had been to refuel and had a breather to hoist the correct pennants – the French courtesy one and the Dunkirk 2015 – before I really upset someone. Locking in was a challenge as we needed to pick up heavy vertical steel cables to steady the boat whilst the water level rose. But we were finally out into the channel, through the open bridge and to the welcome sight of David Harrison and David Haugh waiting to help us moor up against the Quai de Hull. We’d made it! The Little Ships followed us in an hour or so later. Don discovered that the flush for the stern loo wasn’t shutting off so we had a minor flood. Today’s problem! Switch off the power to reduce the pressure and it would be tomorrow’s task. We spent the evening renewing old acquaintances and Don and I had a quick meal while Sue ‘crashed out’.

Friday: At rest in Dunkirk. We could relax a bit. Time started to disappear rapidly – lunch was 3.00pm. A bit of shopping, a bit of exploring, drinks on ‘Sinemora and dinner – really arduous. David Harrison and Don resolved the flooding problem – a piece of ‘stuff’ had lodged in the value stopping it closing.

Saturday: The main formal commemoration event on the beach by the memorial. The moving contemporary account of what it was like in Dunkirk in June 1940, for the local people as well as the troops waiting to leave. One of the surviving veterans laid a wreath – possibly the last time this will happen? No sea event this year – the tides were wrong and the cool stiff breeze would have made it unpleasant. Prince Michael of Kent attended as President of the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships. The Mayor of Dunkirk stood head and shoulder taller than anyone else. We visited the museum on the way back to town – interesting and moving. The whole war thing was horrendous, only mitigated by the number saved (British, French and Belgians). People being totally immoral and inhumane in their treatment of others.

We needed to do a quick shop for gifts in the afternoon as the shops weren’t open on Sunday. We moved over to the marina proper as the flooding had depleted our water supply. Then off for a meal with the ‘Broom Owners’, 24 of us in all. During the evening we met John and crew on ‘Lady Maurette’ who agreed to accompany us back to Ramsgate on Monday.

Sunday: A much more pleasant day. We set off for the harbour area after Don had left us to join Marjorie for a visit to ‘La Strega’. Another interesting museum showing the development of Dunkirk as a trading port and various fortifications and economic diversifications. We had intended to visit the three masted schooner but missed out due to ‘passage planning’. Loads more people about. We visited the ‘Massey Shaw’, a fire boat built at the end of the 19th century. Sue inspected the engines while I took photos on deck. Back on board we were treated to a ring side view of the veteran vehicles that lined up on the Quai. We finally caught up with John and found out his planned route. A few more bleeps to get the waypoints into the plotter and hopefully we were set up. A quick cup of tea on ‘Sinemora’ – they were off to Dieppe in the morning. We decided to go to the local restaurant that appeared to brew its own beer.

Monday: the Little Ships and others took the 08.30 bridge opening so we had a good view as they all streamed out of the inner harbour, heading to the sea lock. Knot Arf and Aspasia followed, the latter planning to head toward Holland. Time to think about getting ourselves organised for the next bridge lift. A quick visit to the marina office to pay our bill – the woman in the office was really kind and even made a point of coming and waving us off. The hooter went and we cast off to join the others heading for the sea lock. It was quite a drop in level. While we waited we heard a message on the VHF – some of the Little Ships were turning back because of the sea conditions. What were we letting ourselves in for ? We soon found out. A bit of rocking and rolling, banging and crashing and an assortment of things we thought were safely placed rolling around the floor. It took us the rest of the trip to find all the conkers and tomatoes! A ferry came out of Dunkirk West, nothing to worry them and soon disappeared into the distance. Eventually we turned north and the sea movement became more of a swell. Across the shipping lane – some of the boats looked huge when they came close – and into calmer waters up the English Coast. We reached Ramsgate about 15.30 and this time we had a proper berth alongside ‘Silver Sceptre’. Just in time to see the Little Ships that had crossed come into harbour cheered on by the waiting crowd. Gosh we were tired.

Tuesday: we decided to spend an extra day in Ramsgate while most of the boats headed off. We had hoped to see Sue’s friend but she wasn’t around so we enjoyed coffee overlooking the harbour and bought our first English paper for a week. The remainder of the Little Ships that had turned back yesterday came into harbour. All back safely although they were still pumping water out of ‘Lady Gay’. Knot Arf needed to be lifted to solve a ‘vibration problem’ – luckily just rope round the prop. We needed to sort our course for home for the next day, although we did have the track from the outward trip on the plotter. Still better to know where we wanted to go and the course to steer sorted.

During the afternoon ‘Medway Queen’ left the harbour, towed back to the Medway by a tug. Let’s hope she will soon be under her own steam. As we were in Ramsgate we needed to visit the Royal Temple Yacht Club and sign the book! It’s a lovely view from their terrace over the harbour although the Club was very quiet that evening. We gathered it had been very busy in Ramsgate over the weekend. We enjoyed a drink and chatted to two guys delivering a yacht from the South Coast to Ipswich for brokerage (then returning to the Hamble to take another boat over to the Channel Isles). Then round to Ossie’s for Turkish fish and chips.

Wednesday: the day for the home run. The weather forecast looked good so here’s hoping. We readied for the trip, stowing everything just in case! Several of the Little Ships left harbour around 10.00 while we planned to fuel up and leave around noon. Successfully fuelled but not showing on the gauges, we radioed for permission to leave the harbour and, after a short wait received the clearance. We were on our way. The track proved useful, heading out along the buoyed channel, turning north-east for NE Goodwin and then more northerly for Margate East to take us up to the Princes Channel. The stretch along the Kent Coast was great, hardly any movement off the North Foreland and round into the Thames Estuary. We were pushing the last of the tide and passed a couple of ships anchored waiting for the change of tide.

As we motored toward the Medway we began to meet a little choppy water as we encountered wind over tide (westerly wind over an incoming tide). But the sun was really warm. Our progress was steady but not as speedy as we might have wished varying between 8 and 10 knots. We ticked off the buoys as we worked our way up stream. We finally reached the QEll bridge. At least it felt we were getting somewhere nearer home. We decided to try pushing the speed up to knock off some of the miles through the rather boring Essex stretch. Upto 3000revs okay (about 11+ kn) but again the push to 3500 revs resulted in the overheating warning on the port engine after a few minutes. Rather frustrating. So we continued at a steady pace, at last passing the barrier and heading for central London. The rate of progress meant we were fine for high water Richmond but too late to avoid having to lower the radar arch for Hammersmith Bridge. Darkness had fallen by the time we motored through Richmond and came up to the lock at Teddington. Luckily the lockkeeper saw our navigation lights and helped us through the lock. We finally moored up around 22.30. A quick hot drink and we were ready for our bunks. Clearing up would have to wait for the mooring.

Postscript: Flying Visit returned to her mooring at Penton Hook marina on Saturday 30 May. She had completed 303 nautical miles since her chart plotter was switched on for the river test prior to departure.


2014 offers include 10% discount on summer season (1st July to 30th September) work and servicing conducted by Broom Marine Services but not the supply of parts only. Free visitor moorings for up to one month and reduced visitor Broads licenses when purchased through Broom continue. New is a 10% discount on any off peak booking of a Broom Boating Holiday direct from Broom between 1st Oct and 31st Mar 2015. When taking advantage of either offer please quote BOC 10For further information email to [email protected] or phone 01603 712 334

10% Policy Discount Free Legal Expenses Cover . Get you Home Cover Free Protected No Claims Bonus River and Canal Rescue Membership 30 days coastal use for Non-Tidal members Dedicated Account Management. For 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 ancillary equipment 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 on engine 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

25% 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 and stern tube assemblies, rudders, rudder assemblies and ancillary equipment are offering 20% discount on stern gear repairs during the winter service period. For more information look at www.clementsmarine.co.uk or phone 01234 378 814

10% discount for all members of BOC on Webasto heating systems, Sidepower bow and stern thruster systems and Isotherm fridges. For further information e mail Tom Gardiner on [email protected] or call 01603 784 884

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

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

GR Pro-clean offer a full and complete range of boat valeting services all year round including Superstructure, Hull, Cockpit (inc. vinyl seating, Teak Refurbishment etc. A winter offer of 15% discount is available for a Full Clean, Machine Polish & Wax of hull sides (if out of water) Removal of Scumline and Limescale, Internal Valet, Canopy Clean and Reproof, and Bilge Clean if booked by 15th Dec 2014. For more information e-mail [email protected] or call 07736 434234 or 01733 572496

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

10% discount on sailing and motor boat charters. Skippered and bareboat motor boats up to 53ft available in Croatia and 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 membership number when ordering to secure your discount.

Have increased offer to 10% on all Collinite marine wax polish and cleaning products and also to a comprehensive range of anodes recently added to their product range. For more information look at www.shipshapenorfolkltd.co.uk or phone Carol Branson on 01353 676007

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

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

As a Volvo Penta Centre, R K Marine hold extensive stock at their Swanwick yard, can offer an ‘off the shelf’ service to most customers and will dispatch parts to anywhere in the world. Shop online at: www.shop.rkmarine.co.uk and use the promotion code ‘yassdeal’ for a 10% discount. A 10% discount is also available on lifting, launching and hard-standing. For more information look at www.rkmarine.co.uk or phone 01489 583572

15% discount and free UK delivery on entire on-line range of products when ordered from our on-line shop. Simply enter 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 more information look at www.energy-solutions.co.uk or phone 01634 290 772


Blue Flag since 2002

Port Chantereyne50 100 Cherbourg-OctevilleTél : +33 (0)2 33 87 65 70Email : [email protected] channel 9www.portchantereyne.fr

20% disCount on your visitor berthing fees at Port Chantereyne in Cherbourg

sail to Port Chantereyne to experience the french way of life and benefit from a 20% discount on your visitor mooring fees*

in 2014, Port Chantereyne welcomes you to a totally renovated marina reception which includes brand new, convenient and high quality washrooms and showers, as well as a newly remodelled reception area.

Port Chantereyne also boasts the following fantastic features that are truly unique along this stretch of french coastline, helping to make Port Chantereyne one of the most useful and enticing stopovers: a well protected marina, accessible 24h/24 the closest marina to the solent specifically designed and equipped to accommodate all the needs of boaters Located in a typical french city-centre with its large selection of boutiques, bars, restaurants, gardens, parks and museums

* The 20% discount will apply on presentation of a personal valid 2013 club/association membership card at the marina reception*. The discount does not apply to annual berths or seasonal contracts and cannot be combined with any other offers.

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