Oulton Broad’s Powerboating season is one of the highlights of the year, and with long range weather forecasts promising calm waters expectations are high that this year’s fixtures will be among the best ever.

With boats coming from all over the world to take advantage of Oulton Broad’s unique racing environment, the sport is growing in popularity, and a weekly Thursday night Powerboat class at Lowestoft and Oulton Broad Motorboat Club has begun, which lets enthusiasts get behind the wheel for themselves.

Powerboat fans will also want to take the opportunity to check out the legendary Rooster, which has been lovingly restored and is now on permanent display at Pleasurewood Hills. The unique boat was created by local businessman Toby Sutton, who combined a US made twin propeller and Wayne Chevrolet engine with a specially designed hull by Albatross Marine of St Olaves.

The Rooster was the fastest boat on the broads for decades until a fuel leak led to a fireball which damaged the boat but left Mr Sutton mercifully uninjured. The Rooster was restored in 1979 by Peter Rix, a local powerboat enthusiast and founder of the weekly class at the Motor Boat Club.

So if you’re looking forward to seeing some incredible racing action this year, why not have a go for yourself at the Thursday night club, or pay your respects to a local legend at Pleasurewood Hills.

After the success of the last Oulton Broad Squib Race, which saw the biggest fleet in a century assemble to battle it out in several race classes

This weekend saw a truly magnificent performance as local sailor Ben Falat won his Fast Handicap division race with a mammoth two and a half minute lead.

Regular favourite Richard Fryer took an early lead, but in a series of bold manoeuvres, Falat swept past, despite his Phantom squib being slower than the RS designs which usually dominate the leaderboards.

In the second Fast Handicap race, Falat once again demonstrated his superiority, taking the lead at the beginning and refusing to give it up, leaving him with an impressive double victory and making a great start to his racing year.

If you want to go along and watch members of the Waveney and Oulton Broad Yacht Club compete in this fast paced sailing race, why not head down to Oulton Broad Marina at 10am on any Sunday, where you’ll get to see some of the region’s best competitive sailing.

With his trademark red jumper and matching yellow-checked trousers and scarf, Rupert the bear has been delighting readers of all ages with his charming adventures for 90 years

And now a rare first edition of his debut appearance has been discovered in Oulton Broad.

Alan and Heather Shorten found the highly sought-after edition of The Adventures of Rupert the Little Lost Bear in the home of Alan’s cousin, Edna Balls, who sadly passed away last year. The book has been in the Shorten family for generations, and has been valued at between £800 and £1000.

Alan, an 80-year-old retired Council foreman, told the EDP: “I don’t think my cousin realised how valuable the book was. She kept it because it was given to her by her mum.

“My mum and dad brought me a Rupert annual every year, and if it wasn’t them, then an aunt of mine would get me one for Christmas. I think my age group like to have the Rupert annuals so we can pass them on to the next generation.”

The Adventures of Rupert the Little Lost Bear was published in 1921 and collects Rupert’s earliest appearances in comic strips published in the Daily Express. For collectors of Rupert memorabilia, it is a highly prized artifact, but it won’t be seen in an auction house any time soon, as Alan says: “We wouldn’t sell the book. We don’t want money at our age. The book has a sentimental value to us.”

Plans have been announced for a spectacular seven-mile long flotilla designed to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by celebrating Britain’s maritime heritage.

Among the vessels taking part will be Motor Torpedo Boat 102, which is currently moored at Oulton Broad. The boat was part of the Dunkirk evacuations during the Second World War, and has been lovingly restored to reflect its historical importance.

Marine Engineer Richard Bassey, who along with a group of fellow enthusiasts, has kept MTB 102 afloat for more than 15 years told the Easter Daily Press: “We’re absolutely delighted, we’re honoured to be chosen to take part in the pageant. We were involved with the MTB when she was just another old boat but over the past 15 years things have changed considerably and she’s quite a celebrity now.”

The torpedo boat has a notable history: Winston Churchill and American President Dwight D Eisenhower personally inspected the boat in 1944 as part of preparations for the D-Day landings.

Many other Oulton Broad and Lowestoft boats will join MTB 102 in the jubilee flotilla, with dragon boats, barges and leisure vessels set to show off Oulton Broad’s proud ocean-going history.

More and more people are deciding to move to the seaside and Oulton Broad and surrounding areas is their destination.

Estate Agents have seen a recent upsurge in the demand for homes on the Suffolk coast and have had to improve their service to cope with this. Estate Agency Software is a great help to estate agents in the local area. Oulton Broad is a brilliant village for people looking to move to the Suffolk area, and a helping hand when selling homes is always welcomed from estate agents.

The estate agent software helps agents automatically generate sales and marketing materials, portfolios as well as full communication integration to save potential buyers time and money.

Small companies all over Suffolk are looking at easier ways to run their business. Having a full software package is the perfect way to do this, as Estate Agents are already beginning to take advantage.

Oulton Broad and the surrounding areas in Suffolk are fantastic places to live, becoming more and more popular

The coming winter usually provides an influx of interest in properties whether it is rental or sales, wanting to be in a new home with everything sorted in time for Christmas. With this influx agents in the area are putting together all of these prospective properties in portfolios created with Property Management Software.

This innovation is really helping people wanting to move to Oulton Broad find and choose where they want to live a lot more easily. The whole process of renting or buying in Suffolk has been made easier with online interaction, as well as marketing tools on several platforms including social networking to find the property in the first place.

China Garden in Oulton Broad Lowestoft has Launched a new Online Ordering Service

Order Now – Click HERE to order your China Garden Takeaway Online

China Garden, the ever popular Chinese food establishment in Oulton Broad which offers a superb selection of both authentic Chinese & Cantonese cuisine delivered to your door, as well as some tasty English style dishes for people who like to buy food from Chinese restaurants, but not actually eat Chinese food and we know there are a few of them in town! The new system makes it very simple to order your Takeaway food from China Garden with their partners online ordering solution from Just Eat. Now that this Lowestoft Chinese has Launched its Online Ordering Service, it could be a new revolution in online food ordering in Lowestoft. It has never been simpler to order take away & home delivered food online! Just a few simple clicks and then a few minutes China Garden Takeaway food will be making its way to your door.
Click Here to order your China Garden Takeaway Online

A weekend of perfect sailing weather drew the largest fleet of Squib sailing boats to grace Oulton Broad for a hundred years last Sunday.

The small boats are popular with enthusiasts, while their colourful sails make them a hit with spectators, and thanks to the efforts of the organisers, a great day was had by all. Three Squib races led to exciting contests between experienced competitive sailors and the new generation eager to give them a run for their money.

The only moment of confusion came after stewards accidentally sounded the start of the second race a minute early, leading to a brief period of chaos as boats were recalled and the race was reset. Kerr Sinclair and Owen Delaney led the aborted race, and were thrilled to win the second, legitimate start too.

With so many boats on the water, residents of Oulton Broad came out in force to see the keen competitive sailors do battle, and if the event keeps growing, this is one event that’s sure to be at the centre of the Oulton Broad calendar.

With New Year’s hangovers receding, it’s time to start thinking about the year ahead, which is why we’re taking a look at what 2012 has in store for Oulton Broad.

If you’re looking for some family fun, why not drop in to Oulton Broad Library’s Weekly Kids Craft Session, which takes place every Sunday at 11:45? With free materials and kids from 3-12 catered for, this could be a real treat.

Oulton Broad’s annual Dragon Race has become a community favourite, with over 40 teams competing to raise money for St Elizabeth Hospice.

If you’re on a budget after an expensive Christmas, why not take advantage of Nicholas Everitt Park, which sees regular performances at its fully equipped bandstand as well as some great sports facilities, including tennis and bowls.

So make sure you take full advantage of all Outlon Broad has to offer in 2012. We’ll be reporting on upcoming events as they are announced, so watch this space!