A Sinking Feeling in the Norfolk Broods

Eight of us, a group of friends, decided to spend a long weekend in a rented cottage on the Norfolk Broads. “You -will, I hope, be making a film and bringing a still camera, record player and tape recorder?”, one asked. “Yes, of course”, I replied, “It will be a pleasure!”. This was said almost without thinking, but somehow all my equipment got. loaded into one of the other cars, as mine was fully loaded with people.

Off we went, without a care in the world. However, the car with my equipment got lost. There was no sign of them when we parked at Thurne, so we collected the dinghy we’d hired and, making two journeys, ferried our baggage up the creek and across the wide river to the isolated cottage.

Two of the group went back to meet the others, but I became increasingly worried as time went by. There was no sign of them after an hour had passed. Then it began to get dark.

As night fell we could hear the sound of voices across the river, together with the faint glimmer of light from a torch and the splashing of oars. Then, as they came into sight out of a slight mist, I saw that they were loaded to the “Gunwales.” Someone had decided to bring everyone in one trip!

How they didn’t sink, I’ll never know. There was only about an inch of freeboard and my precious equipment was piled up precariously between the rowers. In an instant, I pictured the fate of my l6mm Bolex etc on the river bed. I wasn’t worried about the people.

WELL, AFTER ALL, THEY COULD SWIM! P.S. They (and my equipment) made it!