In the early summer of 1969, Brenda and Malcolm went with friends Dave and Flo' for a boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads. They drove to Norfolk where they collected the boat on Saturday afternoon then took it for a short journey to get the hang of it before mooring up for the night. The next morning the boat would not start as the battery was flat so the hire company had to be called out to repace it. That day they also passed the remains of a hire boat that had explaoded and caught fire due to a leaking gas cylinder being ignited. That had made the national news.

The Broads themselves were interesting but the rivers were generally flanked by high reeds thus obscuring the view to the countryside. The overnight stops were generally calculated to be close to a pub. They each took it in turns to drive the boat and their steering was generally satisfactory but they did get a bit erratic on occasions. Some of the bridges were notoriously difficult to navigate as they were very low.