Sealine 310 Ambassador

I had a trip to Fambridge in Essex yesterday to Survey this Sealine Sports Crusier. Fambridge Yacht Haven is in a charming location on the River Crouch, set within the beautiful Essex countryside and surrounded by natural saltings and farmland. Spread across two sites, the marina provides excellent fully serviced pontoon berths and undercover boat storage.

Fambridge boasts a comprehensive range of boatyard services on-site, including a 25 ton slipway hoist and 30 ton mobile crane; an undercover and fully enclosed storage facility for boats up to 19m LOA; extensive storage outside; 2 wide, concrete slipways; secure lockers for hire; and mast and trailer storage.

My kind of boat!

Fambridge Yacht Haven

Todays Survey.... the Sealine 310 Ambassador has the perfect combination of a roomy cockpit, to seat friends and family, as well as room inside to sleep four.

Fairline Carrera 24

Today I was at Barnes of Brinkcraft in Wroxham Surveying this Sports Cruiser. Barnes have been in business on the Broads for over 45 years. They have a superb range of 35 different types of hire cruisers along with three very different types of shore-based holiday lodges and cottages. Wroxham, which has always been classed as the the heart of the Norfolk Broads, its is a great starting point, for any Broadland adventure. Both the village of Horning and Colitishall, with their beautiful thatched riverside cottages, are just a short journey away.

Barnes of Brinkcraft Hire Boats

Mathew Thwaites the Yard owner pulling the boat out for Survey (handy that fork lift!)

Todays boat for Survey being collected by the Yacht Broker Matt... the batteries were flat!!

In the shed at Barnes of Brinkcraft... No recession in the leisure industry here on the Broads...another yard busy building new boats to hire

waxwing revealed.mp4

Former BBC presenter to help students make films about the Broads

Students from the Great Yarmouth area are being given an opportunity to work alongside a former BBC presenter to produce films centred on the Broads. Fifteen young people aged between 15 and 20 will produce five documentary programmes which will be screened at a mini film festival during 2012.The concept, which has attracted joint funding from the Broads Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund and the Broads Society, was devised by a Norfolk school’s media department head and former BBC broadcaster Ian Masters. Ashir Abbas of  Lynn Grove High school, Gorleston, had been working with Ian Masters on a schools video diploma project when they came up with the idea of teaching a group of students documentary filming making skills to produce a series of picturesque features about the Broads. Ian, who used to present BBC Look East, said “This will be a wonderful opportunity for these young people to become involved with both the skills of film making and the beauty of our treasured wetlands that we call the Broads. Young people are a delight to work with – their ideas are often innovative and unique. The programmes will come from their ideas, their research and their hands-on production skills”. The Broad’s Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund has given a grant of £7,400 while the Broads Society will donate £4,800 to get the £12,200 project under way. The students will be chosen during the summer and training will start at Lynn Grove High School in September. Ashir Abbas will lead the selection process for suitable candidates. Ashir Abbas said: ”The work will be hard, demanding and will be done out of school hours. But the experience will be something the young producers will remember for the rest of their lives. And, who knows, it might even provide a gateway into the professional world of film making.” Former BBC East journalist Mark Wells will join Ian Masters and Ashir Abbas to train the students. Both Ian and Mark are trustees of the Broads Society.

Hardy Seawings 277

I was back in Brundall today Surveying this Hardy Motor Cruiser for Pre-purchase. These boats are built locally about 3 miles from my home.

Hardy Marine has now delivered well over 4,000 boats worldwide and the build quality and owner support shows in the resale values when owners decide to change.

It all started in 1976 with John Hardy building small motor sailers designed by Colin Mudie in North Walsham. In 1977 a new site, also in North Walsham, was purchased and a purpose-built factory was constructed and in 1982 extended to its current size and layout.

The early and mid 1980’s was a particularly busy time for the company and in the late 1980’s Andrew Wolstenholme designed the Seawings range of sports cruisers to augment the smaller cruiser and fishing boat designs.

The guys at Broadland Boat Centre lifting her out for Survey

All the recent Hardy boats have been designed by Andrew Wolstenholme who is arguably
one of the best in the business in the UK and involved with many boat designs built here on the Norfolk Broads.