2012 Summer Cruise - day 4/5

Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club

The passage plan for the next leg of the trip was quite simple really - depart Lowestoft by 14:30 BST heading North. Nominal destination Scarborough, ETA 20:00 BST Tuesday evening. Alternate ports planned for were Blakeney, the anchorage behind Spurn Head and Grimsby.

We spent the morning sorting out everything that needed sorting such as filling up the stove with meths, topping up the outboard fuel tank and walking up to Asda for more petrol and so on.

We got under way about quarter past two and by half past we were sailing with the engine off. Fourty minutes later the engine was on again due to a lack of wind then off again after another twenty minutes as the wind picked up again.

Half an hour after that we were reefing the Genoa as things started to get a bit too exciting only to roll it back out again after twenty minutes!

Dinner cooking whilst under way

Finally as we headed into evening things settled down and we able to establish some routine. I took a break off watch then prepared sweet and sour chicken with rice for dinner - the first time we've cooked a meal under way. That went down a treat.

Progress was slow past the Scroby Sands wind farm as we fought against the adverse tidal stream. With a good working breeze we were able to make a good 2kts over the ground though which was pretty satisfactory.

Once the tide turned and with a bit more sting in the breeze we really got the hammer down. We were logging between 6 and 6.5 knots with a VMG of around 8 to 9 knots! Astonishing in a small boat like Brigantia.

Sunset over Winterton Ness was a spectacular sight which for once photographed well ...

Winterton Ness

Of course, it was too good to last. By midnight the wind speed had increased and George was struggling to keep her on course. Before Rik went off watch, we reefed down both main and Genoa.
Standing the night watch on my own was fine in itself. There was a tremendous lot of shipping out there but they were well clear of us and I found it surprisingly easy to interpret the navigation lights.

The wind was veering further and further into the West though and we were close hauled on the port tack just able to hold the course to the waypoint I'd set five miles off Cromer. Clearly we would not be able to lay a course directly for Blakeney Fairway so I held on well past the waypoint towards the Sheringham Shoal wind farm. Eventually, I decided it was time to tack although I estimated I'd still be around 40 deg shy of the course on the other tack.

I warned Rik so he wouldn't fall out of his berth and tried to tack her with the autopilot but she got caught in stays needing a lot more helm than George can deliver. Second time of asking, steering by hand, she just made it around. My estimate was spot on, the best we could do was some 40 degrees West of the direct course. To make matters worse, our VMG (velocity made good) was nowhere near what it needed to be if we were to make the morning tide at Blakeney.

It was time for some sums. Even my limited mathematical ability was up to the job of working out that we probably couldn't even make the tide under motor. Furthermore, given the sea state, entry over the bar might be out of the question anyway. Blakeney was out, no doubt about that. The same concerns would apply to Wells also. With the forecast talking about winds of F6 later in the day, that ruled out pressing on to Grimsby or Scarborough.

Yet more to concern me was that the extended outlook wasn't great either. If we did manage to make it into Blakeney without coming a cropper, we could be stuck there for days at anchor with no facilities unless we went for a paddle in the canoe. There was only one viable option, turn back to Lowestoft. It wasn't a decision I was particularly happy about. I don't think Rik was terribly impressed either when he came back on deck to find the coast was on our right instead of our left.

I am convinced however that it was the right decision.

Heading back South, unbelievably the wind backed over the next hour or two until we could no longer lay a course down the inside of the Scroby Sands even close hauled as tight as she'd go. By now I was cold, wet and pretty feed up so it wad on with the noise machine and full speed ahead.

Working vessel off Gt. Yarmouth

Mind, even at full throttle the engine could only push us through the confused chop and into the wind at about 4 knots. Fortunately, we had the tide with us and made it into harbour at a quarter to eight.
A quick hot drink and tinned breakfast later, we hit the sack for some much needed shuteye. Four hours later we were woken up by workmen firing up a Stihl saw to cut away some steelwork on the harbour wall. Tea, coffee and soup for lunch in the club house followed by a serious sort out on board to get the cockpit tent up and the wet gear hanging to dry under it.

The rest of today will be sleep, eat, beer then sleep again. Plans for tomorrow are still very much up in the air. The forecast for the next few days is frankly pants but we can't stay here for a week!

The track log ...

As can be seen, we were a hell of a lot closer to Blakeney than to Lowestoft when I made the call to turn back. However, the wind was blowing due West and rising, the seas were getting up and our ETA at Blakeney Bar was going to be no earlier than 05:30, probably later.

That would have put us at the entrance to Blakeney on a falling tide in wind and sea conditions that could well have made entry over the bar impossible. If we couldn't get into Blakeney, Wells would be no better and with F6 forecast for later in the day pressing on Northwards towards the Humber was out of the question.

Galling though it was at the time, and later for that matter, it was a good call to turn back.