A funny year

It has been a strange year, his lordship has had work in dribs and drabs so hasn't paid me enough attention. To pay him back something broke each time he did make time to come out. We still managed to get to some new places; River Ore / Ald almost as far as Snape and The Swale and Medway to Hoo. A couple of short trips, mainly to Yorksfleet Creek or Colne Entrance, but overall a quiet year. Anyway, next year is already being planned. El Capitano has signed us up for the Jester Challenge. He has three pages of jobs to do before he thinks we are ready. We will see what happens but I will be amazed if he makes that start line. He needs to get the new self steering working and make a sea anchor. Hopefully he will take some before and after photos and post them here so everyone can see what a mess he has made of me!

Orford and back

Last week I had a few days free so went out on the boat with the intention of heading north on the tide. After a night at anchor in the Roach entrance I set off on the ebb early on Thursday morning. I made it all the way to Harwich on the tide and while I had some 3G I downloaded the chartlets for Deben and Ore entrances. The Deben entrance looked too tricky with a SW F5 wind and so I continued to the Ore. This is the first time I have entered the Ore and it was with some trepidation that I approached the Orford Haven buoy. It all went well but the effect of sailing against the tide crabbing towards the shingle bank then suddenly being with the flood up the river and between shingle banks was dramatic. I motored up the river with the engine idling and doing 6 knots. There were quite a few boats at anchor and they were from all over the world; USA, Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium. I made it to a mooring buoy in Quay Reach before the end of the flood.

 


I used to work on Orfordness when I was a transmitter engineer for the BBC and we had an evening meal out on the Lady Florence, nice to see it was still is service even if it did come a bit close! 


The next morning I set off to head up river on the flood. It really is a beautiful area, spoilt by the transmitting station that was the Project Cobra Mist building. I think Babcock are due to dismantle the station and antennae but not sure when.


At Aldeburgh there are some beautiful boats. I think that this one is a local class, Loch Long One Design. 


Further up river past Aldeburgh there are some traditional motor boats that caught my eye. 

One sailing boat caught my attention, I wonder what she is like to sail?


I made it as far as Iken Mill before the tide turned and so did I. It was a lovely gentle sail / motor back down through Aldeburgh and Orford to the entrance. I only just made it with around 0.6m clearance as I was ejected out into the North Sea at 7 knots. 

Just behind me a Westerly ran aground and I heard the call to Humber Coast Guards but couldn't do anything as there was no way I was going back in even if I had the power to stem the tide. I waited around and a couple of other boats were in attendance on the river side but like me couldn't get close. It left a bad feeling to see it and not be able to help. 

I had a good run south but tide and wind pushed me out towards the Eastern limit of the Harwich deep water channel. While I was out there I took the opportunity to take a closer look at Sealand.



I didn't make such good progress heading South and so ducked into the Colne for a few hours sleep. The coast guard and RNLI had a busy day. Someone was air lifted from a racing yacht in the Kings Channel and there was another boat aground on the Maplin sands.

I had a great sail back on Saturday morning through the Raysand Channel and up the Crouch.