Despite the Met forecast's increasingly gloomy predictions, the Norfolk Broads weekend at the end of September, organised by John Ferguson had plenty of dry spells, and even sunshine in addition to some dramatic thunder. and lightening. We were half expecting gale conditions, but surprisingly, the wind was sometimes insufficient to sail, and John's outboard reminders were justified.

By Saturday, 9 a.m. 14 boats were being rigged at Hickling Broad Sailing Club, and several helms and crew were fortifying themselves with a traditional fried breakfast , produced by the Sailing Club 'chef'.. All boats were launched by about an hour later, and we elegantly sailed on a broad reach until Eel Sett, the junction with the River Thurne , when the fun began. The wind disappeared , there was lots of tacking, and for quite some time we didn't appear to be progressing. Some of us resorting to engines, we headed for Potter Heigham bridge. With envious glances at those who had cross trees to rest the mast on, we motored under both bridges and up to the Lion hostelry at Thurne., without doubt carefully selected by John for it's gargantuan sandwiches and drink prices low enough make a student smile. The heavens opened and the skies crackled on our return , and we were granted an excellent opportunity to test the waterproofing qualities of our gear. Most of us needed to motor in order to reach Hickling Broad, which John estimated as being 16 miles for the return trip, in time for the prearranged Wanderer meal.

Thirty of us were seated for supper in the comfort of HBSC and a choice of menu with hungry sailor size portions was provided.  Everyone contributed towards a donation of £38 for the use of the club facilities., and the warm showers and comfortable club house were well used.. Two people slept in their boats, and several camped. that night. I gather no-one was rewarded with the booming of a bittern, but some mentioned being serenaded by the local owls. Those of us less well organised had found nearby bed and breakfast accommodation

Sunday started early to avoid the club racing, and the sailing was good. Apart from fishermen on some banks, few other sailors were out . We all left HBSC and sailed through Hickling Broad, and into Horsey mere. a pleasant area of water to explore. Leading out of Horsey is the new Waxham cutting, reed flanked all its length and exceedingly narrow. There was a derelict windmill along it's route, and almost perfect silence except for the church bells. Three or four boats chose this dyke and were able to sail all the way to the low bridge which prevented further navigation Turning around amongst the reeds and moored boats was just possible. Other wanderers found out about reed banks on their return from Horsey Mere when outboards misbehaved after the wind strength reduced. . The day's sail ended with a late lunch in the club house., and it remained fine for folding the sails, and packing up.

We were all grateful to John for his detailed planning and arrangements for this autumn Broads cruise. He had provided us with a foolproof written itinerary for guidance and a map of the broads. We had plenty of detour opportunities though, , and being September, relatively few other Broads users. The tall masts of the Wanderers not only allow maximum use of light wind conditions on the broads, but the Wanderer logo is perfect for spotting ,at distances, above the reeds. Useful if the map had become waterlogged and you have lost the fleet!

Perhaps one of the nicest aspects of Broads sailing is dry feet, due to always being able to come alongside landing stages. Being drenched from above doesn't seem to have the same impact when the extremities are warm. This particular weekend's vivid memories include the colourful and dramatic skies as the weather alternated between sunshine and storm; the skeins of geese frequently overhead, and the numerous other wildfowl on the water., the windmills, and moments of perfect peace..

The sailing was pretty good too, and I doubt we would have had a better time had we had perfect wind conditions and sunshine throughout.