The English Raid

Norfolk Broads Raid,
Monday – Friday, 5th. – 9th. August 2013.

Monday 5th August 213 – arrangements

The Norfolk Punt Club has the use of the field at:
Barton Turf Activity Centre,
Staithe Road,
Barton Turf
Norfolk, NR12  8AZ.
This is where you need to come with your car and trailer to unload, launch and to moor for the night on Monday 5th. August.

We shall leave the fleet safely moored at Barton for the night and move ALL cars and trailers to the Norfolk Broads Yacht Club, Wroxham Broad at the end of the afternoon in time for supper that night.
There are no shops in Barton, nor is there a pub, The nearest pub and shop are five minutes down the road in our home village of Neatishead. (You will pass the pub as you drive to Barton Turf) so you may wish to make sure that you have your lunch with you if you are arriving in the morning.

Below are directions to get to Barton Turf with the benefit of  local knowledge.  They allow for easy driving with a trailer on the back.  These directions may well be differnt from any Sat-Nav that you may be using.

The  Norwich ring road has traffic lights and roundabouts, many of which are not modern and large multi-lane jobs,  but older and much smaller. Then you will have to negotiate Wroxham.  The directions given for coming from the North (A1) do take you this awkward way but you could always adapt them.

Directions from Harwich:

A120 to Colchester, then A12 to Ipswich where you turn left onto the A14
Follow the A14 until you reach the slip road for the A120 for Norwich.
As you approach Norwich you will come to a large roundabout complex where       you will join the Norwich Southern Bypass, the A47.
Take the A47 towards Great Yarmouth.
You will begin to see Brown signs for: The Broads,
Follow this road until the roundabout where the A1064 and the A47 divide (just by Acle).
Turn  onto the A1064 and follow this road over the river bridge and then       turn LEFT following the brown Broads signs onto the B1152.
This road takes you over a Norfolk “hill” and down onto the A149.
You are nearly there!
Follow the A149 over Potter Heigham bridge, on to pass Stalham and then on towards Wroxham.
You will pass a right hand turn where the A149 goes off to North Walsham.
Drive on down the road towards Wroxham, you are now on the A1151.
As you drive along the road you will see signs to Barton Turf.  IGNORE THEM, they will take you and your trailer down narrow lanes with inconvenient passing places.
Drive on down the road, you will pass four left hand turns.
Take the fifth turning on the left for Neatishead and Barton Turf.
Hopefully there will be a ‘Raid’ sign there.
Follow this road into Neatishead, through the double bend around the White Horse pub where you turn left.
Take this lane for two or three hundred yards (sorry folks, too old to do metres!) to the right hand turn for Barton Turf.
Drive along this road ( Hall Road) for a mile or so until you come Barton Village with its sign post where you turn right down towards The Staithe.
As you drive down this road it gets narrower and narrower. Trust us, you are nearly there. Just when it gets very narrow you will find the left turn to the Barton Turf Activity centre with a nice wide easy entrance.
Directions from London and the M25:

Take the M11/ A11 to Norwich.
At the A47 Southern Bypass follow the signs towards Great Yarmouth and the directions above.  It is possible to drive through Norwich to Wroxham and Barton but after a long drive I suggest the bypass route
Directions from the West using the A14 and A11:

As for London.

Directions from the North coming in down the A1:

Leave the A1 at Newark and follow the A17/A47 road to Kings Lynn and Norwich.
As you approach Norwich turn off the A47 onto the A1074.
Follow the A1074 to the Norwich ring road and turn left onto the ring road (A140 and A1042)
Follow the ring road and signs to Wroxham and the Broads until you get to the A1151 Wroxham road.
Drive through Wroxham, over the bridge, past Roys and on up the road out of Wroxham.
As you leave Wroxham  and the 40mph limit behind, the turning to Neatishead and Barton is about 1/2 a mile ahead.
Turn right and follow the directions above through Neatishead to Barton Turf.

Welcome to Barton, to The Punt Club and the Broads Raid!

Safety:

As with previous raids we should try to manage all our safety issues ourselves. Many rallies have no safety boats at all, relying entirely on the prudence and skill of the skippers and crews.  That will be the most important contributor to safety.

However there will be 1 or 2 support boats which will called on variously to be tugs, ferries, sheep dogs and (though I hope not often, if at all) safety boats.  But it is the skippers and crews of the boats themselves, who will take the moment-by-moment decisions which take them into danger, or away from it, and in most cases solve the problems which arise.

Equipment:

I’m sure your craft will be properly equipped for the Raid, but the following are essential;
• Lifejacket / Buoyancy aid for all crew members
• Suitable clothing
• Vessel — positive buoyancy
• Painter, spare line and bailer
• Anchor and ground tackle
• Fenders
• Secondary Propulsion
• a handheld VHF is not essential but would be helpful

Responsibility – the legal bit:

Raid England shall not be liable for any loss, damage, death or personal injury howsoever caused to the Owner/Skipper or crew, as a result of their taking part in the Event.  Moreover, every Owner/Skipper warrants the suitability of his boat for the Event.

The safety of a boat and her entire management including insurance shall be the sole responsibility of the Owner/ Skipper, who must ensure that the boat is fully found, thoroughly seaworthy, manned by a crew sufficient in number and experience who are physically fit to face bad weather.

The Owner/Skipper must be satisfied as to the soundness of the hull, spars, rigging and all gear.  He must ensure that all safety equipment is properly maintained, stowed and in date and that the crew know where it is kept and how it is to be used.

Neither the establishment of these conditions, nor their use by Raid England, in any way limits the absolute responsibility of the Owner/ Skipper.

Money – the nasty bit:

I have sent/am sending you all an invoice based on your last known position, which I’m sure you will correct if I have it wrong. Please could these be settled by 20th July?