Flood tide

Cruiser at Reedham Ferry, originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

Looking closely at this photo you can see that the cruiser in it is not, in fact, swinging at anchor, but is tied to a quay. The quay is underwater, as are the mooring posts it is tied to fore and aft, the wall behind the quay and the sign inviting moorers to sample the delights of the Ferry Boat Inn on the River Yare in Norfolk. The same 13 year record tide that caused this also flooded me out of my holiday bungalow in Brundall.
I spent today siting my new caravan at the marina, which is a bit like saying I have just moored my new narrowboat in a car park, except I haven't got a narrowboat.
(Glad I cleared that up).
While I was doing so, I was reminded of the fuss that some of the insurance companies I telephoned for a quote, made about the pitch I was going to site it on.
'How far is it above the river?'
'Is there a history of flooding in the area?'
'How close to the nearest tidal river is it?'
And who could blame them after last summer? The sight of floating caravans anchored by their awnings in the flood plain of the Severn must have given many brokers the jitters in a way that a spate of thefts from secure storage sites can only dream about.
Thankfully canals don't flood like rivers, but, in an attempt to ward off the onset of a ridiculous premium I have decided to look into the possibility of fitting my caravan with a self inflating lifebelt made from an old Avon dinghy left over from my East Coast sailing days.
It might not look pretty but I could save a fortune.
Quite apart from the insurance, I could do away with the Orkney and take the caravan for a ride down the canal.
I know this sounds like cobblers, but I seem to remember a boatyard (Topcraft on Oulton Broad?) on the Norfolk Broads took a cruser hull and adapted it to accomodate a caravan so hirers could enjoy the rivers from the comfort of their own Sprite Musketeer.
I don't know if it proved popular or not, but true to the optimism that only comes with old age, I am sure I could make a success of it.