Great Yarmouth – River Scent

We are on the approach to Great Yarmouth. We have been trying since passing Lowestoft to ring the Harbour master and inform him of our arrival. No answer, for the tenth time. The VHF radio is on but no sound is coming out of it. There could be big ships entering or leaving the harbour and there is Yarmouth Haven Bridge and Breydon Bridge to get under if the tide isn’t too high already. Skipper Johan isn’t at all disturbed, he’s just enjoying himself. Phil and I are just a little tense…

Suddenly as we sight the entrance and the port traffic lights, the radio comes to life. Our radio hasn’t seen real action since 8 years ago, we are all a bit doubtful as to whether it really is working alright. I try to call Yarmouth Radio, the reply with a Norfolk accent over VHF isn’t easy to decipher! Skipper see’s we have green for go, so in we go! There is some sharp turning into the harbour and the Harbour master is heard on the radio saying “There’s a little leisure boat poodleing through now…”. We wave at him and the other gongoozlers high up above us on the harbour wall.

We are passing some big ships now, thankfully all berthed and not on the move. Ahead we just have two bridges to pass and we are praying that our good speed up the coast has saved us from having to spend the night on the quay waiting for low tide to get under the first which is the lowest of the two.

As we get closer to it, we are all searching for a bridge gauge to tell us the height. It doesn’t show itself until we are quite close and it is covered in mud so you can’t read it! We have to estimate that it would have shown a little more than 3m so we should just make it having an air draft of 3m but Phil would have been more comfortable with a bit more height. We approach very slowly and Phil gets on top of the cabin to get a good eye level view.

‘Clang’ goes the aerial! Thankfully the only part to suffer as we pass under the bridge. Phew, the relief on Phil’s face as we pass through to the other side and under the next bridge onto Breydon Water!

A wide expanse of water is ahead with tall markers denoting the channel. A cruiser waves and toots at us in welcome, I hoot our loud horn in return. There are Egyptian geese on a sandbank to one side and cormorants waving their wings to dry. We’ve made it, we’re in Norfolk!

We are only 1 hour away from our destination! Cows on the bank and a growing background of reeds swishing in the breeze. We see old windmills and herons flying low. It feels like paradise.