Haines 320

Another Motor Boats Monthly award winner to Survey today, this Haines 320 was built just 5 minutes from my home and offers accommodation for 6 in two private en-suite cabins and the saloon. Accommodation provided is unsurpassed in similar craft of this size. Great upper deck steering position with folding screen option also.

       

News from the Factory: Development work on the new 32 Sedan and the Haines Elegance is well under way, with both models already attracting high levels of interest from both the UK and overseas. Interest in the 32 Sedan has come from both the family starter boat market, and from those looking to down-size from a larger craft. The first 32 Sedan is already sold to a Norfolk Broads customer, and the second has been ordered by Haines UK agent Norfolk Yacht Agency, available for a late summer / early autumn delivery.

The Haines Elegance is seen as a river boat that ticks all the boxes, with generous accommodation and living space that is essential for those longer stays on board, and seen by many boat buyers as a genuine boat for all the family.

Both eagerly awaited models will make their official debut at the Haines boat launch event planned for Saturday 1^st September. Further details of this event will be announced shortly.

Amongst the other craft currently in production are 3 craft destined for German waterways, and a 12 berth 52 foot charter boat which is destined for the river Shannon in Ireland, and will soon be available for hire with Silverline Cruisers.

Thinking of Buying a Boat and Need Help? I specialise in Boats of all types, and I will assist you to make an informed decision. Contact me for a detailed and comprehensive report at: steventruss1@aol.com

European dredging partners learn from innovative work in the Broads

The Broads Authority’s partners from the Netherlands, Belgium and France visited the Broads this week to discuss further research into innovative solutions for dredging, treatment and reusing sediment.

The Authority hosted the bi-annual meeting for PRISMA (Promoting Integrated Sediment Management) which is bringing £800,000 of European money into the Broads to improve sustainable ways of dredging.

The project involves sharing expertise with partners in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. On Thursday 31st May the partners, their consultants, and Broads Authority Members viewed the innovative work to recreate a lost reed bed at Duck Broad by reusing dredged sediment from Heigham Sound.

They travelled aboard two cruisers from Herbert Woods of Potter Heigham with a Broads Authority launch to Duck Broad where experts described the project. They then inspected new flood defence works completed by Broadland Environmental Services Limited for the Environment Agency at Boundary Farm, Thurne.

William Coulet, PRISMA Project Manager with the Broads Authority, said : “The four partners have all embarked on similar dredging projects but in different environments, using different equipment and different skills. We have a lot to learn and share with each other.”

The PRISMA European partners are Waterways and Seacanal in Belgium, Waterboard of Schieland and Krimpenerwaard in the Netherlands and Ecole d’Armines acting through Centre de Douai, France.

Linssen 32 Motor Yacht

I skipped the Tuesday Bank Holiday today and went to work to Survey this Dutch Cruiser, a Linssen 32.

Linssen Yachts is one of the oldest yacht builders in the Netherlands, making it a company with a rich tradition. The business was established in 1949 by Jac. Linssen Sr. in Maasbracht, a small but dynamic harbour town on the River Meuse in Limburg, nestling in a valley between Belgium and Germany.

Surveyors comments: Their creation of the Classic, Dutch, and Grand Sturdy series lines have made them a famous company, known throughout all Europe. They have over sixty years and three generations of history backing them and their expert boat building procedures.  It is a company that has lasted and will continue to last because of its innovation, vision, strategy, and proven track record of success.

BACK IN THE DAY!

Thinking of Buying a Boat and Need Help? I specialise in Boats of all types, and I will assist you to make an informed decision. Contact me for a detailed and comprehensive report at: steventruss1@aol.com

　

Thurne Regatta 2012

Tribute to Broads legend Eric Edwards

Its very sad to report that Eric Edwards, the legendary marshman who cut the reed and sedge at How Hill National Nature Reserve for 45 years, has died after a short illness.

Eric, who would have been 72 next month, devoted his enthusiasm and skills to keeping Broads traditions alive and was one of only two reed cutters in the Broads to still use a scythe. Known for his trademark smock, hat and neckerchief, he was loved equally by the media and thousands of schoolchildren who heard his talks and demonstrations and were shown his personal collection of Victorian marsh tools and traps.

Two of his “students” included Margaret Thatcher and Prince Charles and he famously told the Iron Lady when she tried her hand at stacking reed that she was “doing it wrong.”

Eric, who was awarded an MBE in 2004 for services to the Broads, retired from the Broads Authority in 2007. Since then he has worked part-time for the How Hill Trust and was swinging his scythe only two weeks ago.

Although he was reportedly “very quiet” when he first came to work at How Hill, Eric, a former Norfolk County footballer, developed a talent for talking and became something of a media celebrity. He appeared in the Generation Game with Bruce Forsyth and Jim Davidson three times, was interviewed by Sir Harry Secombe on religious music show Highway, and appeared in The New Paul O’Grady Show, just a month before his retirement. Pictures of Eric can be found on cards, postcards and paintings depicting the Broads.

Dr Stephen Johnson, chairman of the Broads Authority, said: “Eric was an irreplaceable Broads character and an inspiration to thousands of children and visitors, always keen to impart his considerable knowledge of the area and the history of his trade. When he first joined the Authority as a marshman, Eric was reluctant when asked to give talks to visitors but everyone very quickly realized he had a real talent for it and he never looked back. He captivated people with his natural enthusiasm. He truly loved his job, the scenery and wildlife of the Broads and was never happier than when telling others about it. He was an ambassador for Norfolk reed, recommending the use of it and the sustainable management of the reedbeds whenever possible, even once persuading the BBC to change the storyline of the Archers in order to promote it. He was one of a kind.”