By Norfolk Broads.Org

An excellent site that includes a tide table relevant to your holiday dates. Enter your holiday start date, and number of days then click on calculate.

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A minor collision and another of 2 boats going through Wroxham bridge. One gets it right but the other does not.

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“Norfolk Broads General Boating, Cruising and Mooring Tips”

Norfolk Broads Handbook

If you intend crossing Breydon Water or visiting Great Yarmouth you may wish to select the “Crossing Breydon Water” tab above. You can also print this information as a PDF.

Bow Thruster Choosing a Boat General Cruising Bridges Mooring Up Leave Moorings Onboard

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Relax and Explore the Villages & Riverside Inns

Boating On The Norfolk Broads

Home Boating Tips Bridge Gaps Distance Chart BA Moorings Facilities Map Pub Map

Crossing Breydon Water Photo Gallery What to Take With Who is on the river?

www.mynorfolkbroadsboating.co.uk

Bow Thruster

I have made reference many times throughout the cruising and mooring tips pages to Bow Thrusters and have put this information at the beginning so those who may not know will understand when mentioned what they actually do.
A Bow Thruster is an additional aid to manoeuvring a boat. It provides a boost to make the bow/front go port/left or starboard/right without even moving the steering wheel and without throttling backward or forward. Please note that wind and the river current may cause the boat to drift. In strong currents the boat may drift/move rapidly.
When turning a boat using engine power and normal steering the stern/back will swing. This is not the case with a Bow Thruster. This is very helpful for mooring and leaving moorings especially if it is just a couple hiring a boat. The Bow Thruster is also very helpful turning the boat around and when reversing as a boat is far less responsive to steering when going astern.
Some Bow Thrusters are on timers. The boatyard engineer should inform you. If this is the case just before approaching or as you are leaving moorings ensure it is turned on.
Some of the latest boats now have a bow/front and a stern/rear thruster which makes manoeuvring the boat even simpler.
Please note that the bow thruster is an aid and not a replacement of the steering wheel. It is not designed for prolonged continuous use. Using a few second bursts at a time is normally sufficient.

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