What is your air draught? If not too high you can come in at Yarmouth and get up nearly to Norwich on the Yare as the bridge at the entrance to Breydon Water lifts (you'd have to check with the Broads Authority on how to arrange this) and the bridge at Reedham opens on request, though you might have to stem the tide if a train is imminent. There is a really pleasant little cut just at Thorpe St Andrew where you can moor for free and walk into the village. You can also catch bus from here into Norwich if Big City Fleshpots required.
Air draft about 14m. I'm just wondering if you can get a taste of the broads in a yacht with the mast up. Obviously cruising area would be limited. But interested to know if the accessible cruising is worth the effort of going in and if its deep enough/possible to moor.
The air draft at Thorpe St. Andrew at high water springs can be as low as 6ft at either end of the cut, max would be around 8ft, so I guess that would be out for him. It is a nice quiet spot to moor up though with a nice pub/restaurant. £1 into town on the bus and £5 back in a cab at the end of the evening. I frequently moor there and go into town and perhaps do some shopping with SWMBO, catch a movie, meal, or hit one of the riverside pubs. The yacht station in Norwich is currently closed as it is being rebuilt. Also Reedham is not a bad place to stop, especially if you want some entertainment, watching the holidaymakers trying to moor up in 7kts of outgoing tide.
That is not the cut I was talking about. That is Thorpe St Andrew Village Loop which enters and exits under the railway line. The cut I am talking about is just down stream from there called Commisioners Cut. It is a short dyke from which you can walk across the water meadows and over the railway footbridge into the village. It is a lovely peaceful spot whilst still in easy reach of the village. I believe the pub used to be called the Kings Head and had a very good dwile flonking team.
That stretch from Yarmouth up to Norwich is certainly deep enough as they used to have coasters going up there to unload in Norwich. Your draught shouldn't be a problem. The main potential problem will be getting under the Norwich Bypass road bridge. I would think with 14metres you would be on the limit. I have taken 47 feet under at low water without having to lean the boat. Actually once we were underneath it we had a lot more clearance than we thought we would. You can always tilt your boat a bit. The main thing is to pass under the highest point of the arch. There is a clearance gauge on the bank to check against which errs on the side of caution. Having said that, even if you can't get under that bridge there are still plenty of very pretty places and waterside pubs on that stretch to make it worth while, with a river wide enough to get some great sailing in. There is fuel, pump out, repair facilities (hopefully ypou won't need them) and chandlery in Brundall, and a really tranquil broad to anchor in just up river from there. The depth generally seems to be about six feet. The deepest water is on the outsides of river bends. Remember it's tidal all the way up to Norwich so it's ok to explore off the beaten track at low water as you'll float off if you nudge the putty! Most waterside pubs are either free moorings or charge about a fiver, . The ticket acts as a voucher which can be redeemed for food and drink in the pub, making it free! The Breydon Arms at the top end of Breydon Water is very good, espescially for deserts!!!!!!