My wife two kids our Golden Retriever dog and I were on a boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads in the UK on midsummer’s day in the 1983. An immense storm in the evening looked likely to scupper a planned late evening fishing session. On water storms seem ten times louder so I spent the duration calming and distracting the kids. Fortunately the thunder and lightening started to abate about 10pm so I decided I’d get a couple of hours angling in under torchlight. The wife decided to have an early night along with the kids so it left me in the waning light alone with my dog for company taking in the misty beautiful river and surrounding countryside. By about 11.30 all the other boats were in darkness and I had just a torch and a small navigation light on the front of the boat to unhook the now hungrily feeding fish by.
Suddenly a bright beam of fluorescent luminous green light started working its way down the river behind the trees. My first thought was that it was a group of inconsiderate fellow anglers approaching when suddenly a ball about the size of a kiddie’s football appeared to bounce over the trees and when it came to our boat it stopped. The hound and I dived inside the boat with a clatter whilst the “ball” which had a bright beam of light shining out of one side silently moved back and forth in a bobbing motion. The wife shouted “is everything alright” from the cabin and not wanting to alarm her or the kids I answered“yes”. The funny thing is that my initial fright was rapidly replaced with a calm curiosity and both the dog and I ventured back outside. The object continued moving around the boat over the tow-path and over the water but always came to a bobbing standstill about six feet way from me and my by now equally transfixed pooch. Occasionally its beam shone directly at us and was bright enough to dazzle. Growing in confidence I started shining my torch back at it and the most remarkable thing happened the bobbing stopped it seemed to freeze in mid-air resuming its bobbing movement when I turned the light off. No doubt about it whatever it was reacted to light and was attached to us. Eventually I stored the fishing gear locked the boat and went to bed. Even after retiring I could still see it moving around the boat through the cabin window. The thing that bugs me to this day is HOW I could be so laid back with the unknown hovering outside.
When we got back my Dad said that he’d read about sighting of ”Willow the Wisp” and “Jack O’ Lantern whilst we’d been away and he “experts” had put it down to marsh gas. All I can say is that the object was controlled in its movements and reacted and interacted with its surroundings so that gives it some form of conscious intelligence but it was too big and bright to be any living creature (as we know it).
The thing that I cannot understand all these years later is how I became so calm and accepting of the unknown object so quickly. Even if I did not want to spook the family I cannot believe that
I simply locked up went to bed and fell soundly asleep with whatever it was outside the craft. At the very least I would have imagined making myself a tea or coffee and observing it for the duration just in case there was something more mysterious afoot. I didn’t conscientiously hear anything but wonder if the “calming” effect was some sort of subliminal suggestion. The only l record of the event was a black Polaroid picture (unfortunately taken with a flash) which I still have today but all it shows is an indistinct blob of light in the gloom which I suppose proves nothing.
I’ve been back to the same spot on the same date but have not been fortunate enough to see it again. I would dearly love to do so.