The first cruise: Easter 1947

by D.R. Valentine

 

Dave Valentine was there at the beginning. The first constitution drawn up in 1947 shows that Dave was invited to join the Club as a First Mate. He has achieved every rank in the Club except Commodore and continues to cruise regularly. Dave's period as secretary followed some 'lean' years and he is remembered for his efforts to persuade members to spend a week on the river.

 

Can you remember what happened 50 years ago? Nor can I. Oh yes, I knew  the winter had been worse than '41 and as bad as '63. I knew that there was a sudden thaw in mid March causing widespread flooding. When I turned my thoughts to the cruise I needed more than that. As it turned out I remembered too many boats and too many crew. Perhaps this was because the composition of the fleet, both yachts and crew, seem to have changed with the tide I did know that we had been stormbound for three days in Ludham Dyke and that Ladybird's main had ripped on the first morning. It was the previous season's cotton sail of course. I knew we had moored to the leeward bank without awnings and even then had to put locker lids under one leg of the primus stoves in the cabin to level them up for cooking Cornbeef Hash, Irish Stew from tins and Steamed Puddings ditto. And there had to be a changeover in Norwich. There were no waterproofs: most boys had blue gabardine raincoats and a few overcoats were in evidence. Sleeping bags were non-existent: we had sheets and blankets that came with the boats. The pubs closed at 2 pm and 10 pm and most of the beer was execrable. I cannot confirm that as I was unable to buy any for another two years!
   

To pad it out I would either have to use my less than fertile imagination, plunder the events of the next fifty years from mast breaks to llamas, or do some research. I decided on research. I visited the EDP to build background. Apart from confirming the weather prior to the cruise and for each day of it, I learned that the meat ration had been reduced to 1/- (One shilling = 5p for the unknowing), but that the tinned meat ration  . . . cornbeef, spam and the like . . . had been increased to 4d (12d = 1/-). The photograph I was looking for was not there: it must have been taken in a different year. But of what happened on the club cruise, nothing. So I talked to people and came across the following account of the cruise written by Cecil in 1947.

Easter 1947. Broads Cruise (note that 'Val' refers to DRV)
April 3rd to 5th
Jack hired the Nyanza and he, Bert, Leslie, Jack Lander and myself lived on her until Saturday, while Hilda, Valerie, Mary and Gordon had the Golden Moon. We met at Potter before going aboard, and had lunch at Gerards. We met the Golden Moon near Ant Mouth on Friday and together ran, with a brisk stern wind into Ranworth. We drank at the Maltsters and had lunch there, but, finding the wind was blowing too hard for us to get off easily we decided to stay for an evening session as well. One attempt to warp the Nyanza off was made, in the course of which I lost her weight.
   

After several excellent pints in the Maltsters, someone entered with word that the wind had dropped, and we decided to leave, in case we should find a strong breeze pinning us to the quay on Saturday. We accordingly quanted gently out by moonlight and moored at the marshy mouth of Ranworth dyke. The floods were very much in evidence at this time: the Bure between Thurne Mouth and Horning providing several new Broads.

Saturday.
The Nyanza got off fairly early and reached Horning in time for Bert to catch a bus to Potter at about 11. The Amorita was ready and when Jack and Leslie had picked up Wallas Eaton, who suddenly appeared, the two yachts got under way in a stiff breeze for Potter. We reached there before our crews had arrived. Gordon and the Golden Moon were there already. The crews arrived:

April 5-12 1947
Amorita . . . Cecil, Brian Cloke, David Valentine, Peter Coles
Ladybird . . . Bert, Taffy Davies, Peter Atkinson, Dick Jarrett, Peter Carver
Smuggler . . . John Lawson, Eric Mackman, Tony Halliday, David Smalley.
Nyanza . . . Jack Plumb, Leslie Green, Jack Lander (until Wednesday 9th)
Golden Moon . . . Gordon, Valerie, Hilda, Mary.

5th
It was too windy for us to sail on Saturday and much to everyone's distress we had to lie at Potter.

6th
On Sunday, after watching several yachts tack, or attempt to tack out, with three reefs down, we reefed and got under way. Gordon went first, then Ladybird, Smuggler, Amorita, Nyanza . . . Jack doing the shepherding on this occasion. Ladybird got out with G. Gibbs on board for the first few beats, and the others followed. There were several incidents before all the yachts reached Ludham Dyke. Gordon went ashore, Wallas caught Smuggler's rudder hard on the bank and I had to row to him and stand his crew on the bows while he and I lifted her off, Bert's mainsail tore as we approached Womack dyke and I suggested that we should put in there. The wind was freshening and Amorita broke the kedge-line and blew onto the leeward bank, while Wallas sailed into the dyke at such speed that, when Jack told him to put in, he narrowly missed a moored yacht. Eventually we all pulled or quanted some distance up the dyke towards Ludham and there we lay for two whole days.

7th Monday and 8th Tuesday.
A 50 mile-an-hour gale raged for two days and we lay crushed against the leeward bank, with no awnings up. Heavy rain and snow deluged down from time to time. The crews remained reasonably cheerful;Taffy Davies entertaining us by setting up a record in falling in.
   

The wind eased for a while on Tuesday afternoon, and since Bert had had a new mainsail bent on, we decided to leave. Gordon, at the head of the line was to set out first. With great labour we got him away and he tore out of the dyke, but the two first waves on the Thurne dismayed him: particularly when he saw the keel of the Perfect Lady as she attempted to tack out. His mainsail now ripped and he put in at the mouth of the dyke.
   

During the morning the yacht had sailed in, keel in view, with a man on the foredeck hanging on to the mast with one hand and blowing a bugle held in the other
In spite of his remote position he had several visitors; Val and David Smalley making the wet journey through the waterlogged reed beds, and Smalley even returning in the evening complete with bedding - only to be turned away. The Smuggler had taken water through her fancy top and Halliday, who was recovering from tonsillitis, in addition to an icy plunge fully dressed, with overcoat and hat, into the dyke found a wet bed to sleep in. David generously gave up his comparatively dry bed and, having failed to establish himself on the Golden Moon, spent the night cosily on the floor of the Amorita, who had kept out every drop of water
   

Bert and Jack made a journey to Lowestoft to pick up Johnny Taylor, who had been entertained by the Oulton Broad Yacht Station Master

Wednesday 9th.
A fine day at last. We quickly got under way for Acle Bridge. All the staff is determined not to repeat the experience of September 1946, when we never got below Acle Bridge at all. There was a stiff breeze and we took reefs down. Leslie and Jack Lander went to join Taffy Williams at Potter Heigham (Peggy) and Jack picked the rest of his crew up at Acle Bridge (Charles Sherriff and Ron Perry). Amorita started last to find the other yachts moored to the left bank. Smuggler's halyards had got tangled and the mast had to come down.
   

There was not time for Lawson to take Smuggler through to Yarmouth and he decided to go up the Bure and look at Wroxham. He left after lunch , tacking out of sight.
   

Since there was a good wind, the other three boats left to run towards Thurne to meet Peggy. I thought that we were going to wait until the tide turned and then get perhaps as far as Stracey Arms for an early run into Yarmouth with the morning tide. When Amorita continued past Thurne mouth, however, Bert and Jack assumed I had abandoned this scheme. We caught up Smuggler, whose jib had blown out, and had a last word with her crew at Ant Mouth, where Ladybird and Amorita moored for tea.
   

We then returned to Acle Bridge - in the course of which run Amorita passed Ladybird and Sabrina,and Ladybird's crew found how pleasant it was to move forward with a reasonable wind. Peggy and Nyanza were moored at the Bridge and although Amorita and Ladybird shot the bridge to encourage them to use the wind and tide - Taffy remained adamant. Gordon in Golden Moon was also lying above the Bridge. We spent a very pleasant evening at the Bridge Hotel.

Thursday.
A very early start, 5am, was felt to be necessary to catch the tide in Yarmouth. We had a hurried breakfast and Nyanza appeared through the bridge at about 5.00am. Frost was on our decks and for the first hour there was barely a breath of wind. We drifted slowly downstream with the tide: feeling that our early start was useless as well as unpleasant. The Golden Moon had been left at Acle, Mary and Valerie joining the Amorita, Hilda the Nyanza and Gordon the Peggy.
   

The wind freshened and we actually reached Yarmouth a shade early: having half an hour to wait for slack water. Then we went through, and across Breydon and arrived in Reedham very comfortably in the afternoon (2 o'clock), very hungry and pleased with our first real day's sail. Mary found no lack of company, and everyone was very sorry when Hilda, Valerie and she caught the train back to Acle. A very good night was spent at Reedham - with Ladybird's stern almost under the bridge. Amorita's purser, who was running things superbly, went off shopping and then (on Friday) we proceeded up the Yare in a light stern wind to Norwich. Amorita ran very hard aground near Brundall but we managed to get off and keep ahead into Norwich where we found very comfortable moorings at the yacht station, although it was not yet open, and we had to climb in and out. In the evening I showed the senior members of the crew what Norwich beer was like, whilst the younger members had a look around the city.

Saturday
Bert's crew, Brian and Peter left in the morning and the new crew appeared from various directions and by various routes at about 2 pm. We were under way soon after lunch - glad to be heading out of the dirty Wensum again. Bert's mate Roy soon found his sea legs and started disentangling halyards and cleaning the ship. My crew, John Jewsbury and Geoff Bromley, soon showed themselves very handy with tow line and quant and we got well out of Norwich and spent the night at Surlingham Ferry,

Sunday
We started early and made Cantley by lunch time. I saw Barry Lincoln at Coldham Hall and later had a drink with him at Cantley Red House. This was after my disaster . . . in pushing Ladybird off, the quant slipped and I plunged, fully clothed, into twelve feet of very cold water. Geoff, to whom I clung in an effort to save myself, followed me. The double rum that Jack quickly procured from the pub made it almost worthwhile.
   

After lunch we left and passing through Reedham tacked through the New Cut and spent the night at St Olaves. John and Geoff got rapidly to work. Where is the purser? Here we met Hawkes again and had a very good evening in the Bell. We arranged to spend Tuesday night there after we had been up to Beccles.

Monday
To Oulton and then to Beccles. Today we changed boats. Jack took Amorita and was first into Oulton though we, on Ladybird, nearly picked him up on a tack before turning into the Broad. Gordon took Peggy and Taffy, Nyanza. We had a pleasant drink in the Lady of the Lake and decided to keep to the yachts for the rest of the day and race to Beccles. We started at ten minute intervals so that there would be no trouble at swing bridges etc.

    1. Amorita (Jack) won, by about 2-3 minutes, from
    2. Ladybird, who won from
    3. Peggy by about 6 minutes.
    4. Nyanza lost to Peggy by about 8 minutes. (times need checking)

   

It was good to see Beccles again and the skippers sent the crews off for the traditional fish and chip meal while we tried to find a hotel meal. We were only offered cornbeef salad although we had seen and smelt steak and onions being served in the dining room so we looked elsewhere. Eventually we found an eating house where we had an excellent meal for about 2/6.

Tuesday.
We had another excellent run from Beccles to Somerleyton where we had lunch. The skippers visited the Duke's Head while Geoff 'put the weight'. Then we left for St Olaves but, since we had plenty of time and there was a fine, fresh breeze, we moored at the Waveney end of the New Cut and handed over Amorita, Nyanza and Peggy to Val, Ron and 'Roy' with their crews. They sailed up to the swing bridge and back for an hour or so, each taking turns at handling the yachts, putting about and putting in to the bank. Apart from a tendency to 'bank-crawling' all the helms did very well.
   

Meanwhile, Gordon and Geoff had caught a train to Reedham to pick up Ladybird's dinghy which had been left at Sanderson's to have a rudder eye put on. They soon reappeared after a fine run before the wind right down the New Cut.
   

We spent a very pleasant evening at St Olaves where we heard the Baksi fight and Dalton told us of the new tobacco duties. Hawkes was there and plenty of beer went 'down the hatch'. Jack found Hawkes a sympathetic character and we made arrangements to meet at Whitsun if possible.

Wednesday 16th April.
This was a superb day. We caught the tide and, with scarcely a tack, got into Bure mouth after a fine crossing of Breydon. The wind then conveniently shifted a few points and we were able to sail most of the way up the Bure to Acle. We had a very comfortable run into the Bure with the wind nearly astern so that we could push gently in against the tide, lowering as we ran in.
   

The run up the Bure was uneventful. The crews did most of the sailing. We got into Potter and moored with plenty of time to have an evening meal and a drink at the Falgate.

 

17 April Thursday.
There was a light wind today and we only moved from Potter to Ranworth to Horning to spend the night. Gordon had joined us now and we paused at Thurne Mouth for him to visit his farm for eggs.

Friday.
The last full day's sail. Horning to Acle Bridge to St Benet's. Ladybird to Potter, Amorita to Horning. At Acle we moored and sailed Ladybird's dinghy: then we ran to St Benet's for tea. The crews rowed across to climb the arch of the doorway.

 

DRV

Gordon, Tony, Bert and Cecil with crews on Hornet, about 1955