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My Working Holiday on the Norfolk Broads: A Journey to Discovering Boating Adventures

Vlog series on Youtube
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Miles
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My Working Holiday on the Norfolk Broads: A Journey to Discovering Boating Adventures

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In this video, I will be sharing my personal experience of my journey through the Norfolk Broads, what was meant to be a leisurely coastal drive with my father ended up with me buying a sailboat. My initial intention was to restore the boat and sell it but ended up getting bitten by the boating bug again. I will take you through my journey of restoring the boat and eventually going on boating adventures on the Norfolk Broads.
Discovering the Norfolk Broads:
Leaving Sussex with my father, we took a slow drive up to Norfolk, trying to explore more of the coastal route. Our purpose was to see a sailboat my father liked that was up for sale on the Norfolk Broads. I had been to Norfolk before but had never seen the Norfolk Broads, and I always thought they were canals. Trying to follow and explore the Norfolk Broads by road is almost impossible, and it was amazing to see the boat sails going across the fields, which was the most unusual site. Occasionally, we found boatyards and started looking at boat projects on these yards. It was always interesting and amazing how much time you could spend in a boatyard, walking around, looking at all these boats, which were once people's dreams.
Discovering The Sailboat:
I stumbled across a sailboat for sale called High Seas at a commercial boatyard. There was something about this boat that caught my attention. It spoke to me because when I looked at it, it looked like it could go somewhere; it looked fit for an adventure. It was the beginning of April, and the weather was still very cold, but the summer was on the horizon. It seemed like a good idea to me to get a boat project for the summer, so I decided to make a cheeky bid on the boat, and it got accepted.
Restoring the sailboat:
My initial thought was to get the boat out of the water and give the hull paint. I sailed about 30 minutes up the river Ant in the direction of a village called Dilham. A DIY Boatyard called Wayford Bridge was situated near the now derelict North Walsham and Delham Canal. My intentions were to spend the next couple of months restoring at least the hull of this boat. I was not even considering going liveaboard at this stage as I planned on making some money selling the boat.
The Joy of Boat Restoration:
After about two months of hard work, loads of beers, and countless barbecues, the boat was nearing completion. I had an amazing time and got to meet some truly colourful characters. The weather had been great, and I got to spend a lot of time with my father. It had also been dry enough to work on the boat most of the time. Two months had passed since buying the boat and then lifting it out of the water. I had achieved a lot, and my own skills had now been augmented. Life was good, and the excitement of getting back in the North Broads was very real. A new adventure was coming.
Boating Adventures on the Norfolk Broads:
Finally, after what I can only describe as one of the greatest working summer holidays ever, it was time to start my boating adventures on the Norfolk Broads. The time had come to put High Seas back in the rivers of the Norfolk Broads.
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