I awoke before dawn, well I say I awoke when in fact I'd been awake on and off all night due to heavy rain on the cabin top.
Popped the kettle on and had a coffee and a look outside. It didn't look inviting so I dozed back of again.
Eventually we both surfaced and the conditions having improved we set off about ten-o-clock downriver under sail. Two hours later as we approached Burnham the wind had dropped and become fitful so out was on with the engine to motor out of the river in the hope of picking up a better breeze once clear if the land.
No such luck! We sat off Holliwell Point drifting gently round in a flat calm on a glassy sea listening to the MSI met forecast telling we could expect F5/F6 occasionally F7 at first! Honestly, the inshore waters forecast is almost invariably wrong but this was exceptional even by the dubious standards if the Met Office!
It must make the coastguards cringe having to read out that twaddle knowing full well that outside the window the weather is doing something totally different!
Anyway, back to the plot...
By now, given that we'd been flogging the flood tide all the way down as result of the lie in, there's just about be enough water to sneak over the Ray Sand but we couldn't see a lot of point in motoring all the way to Bradwell or Brightlingsea just to motor ask the way back tomorrow.
So it was on with the engine and head of back up river. There was a brief hiatus whilst we motored gently round in circles for ten minutes to allow the tiller pilot to auto-calibrate it's fluxgate compass and then off we went.
Apart from the lack of wind, it was a must pleasant autumn day and we duly strived back at Fambridge having weaved our way through the fleets of yachts and dingys attempting to race on the occasional breathe of movement that once in a while rippled the water.
It being just five of the clock, we pottered around on board for an hour or so before repairing once more unto the pub.
Popped the kettle on and had a coffee and a look outside. It didn't look inviting so I dozed back of again.
Eventually we both surfaced and the conditions having improved we set off about ten-o-clock downriver under sail. Two hours later as we approached Burnham the wind had dropped and become fitful so out was on with the engine to motor out of the river in the hope of picking up a better breeze once clear if the land.
No such luck! We sat off Holliwell Point drifting gently round in a flat calm on a glassy sea listening to the MSI met forecast telling we could expect F5/F6 occasionally F7 at first! Honestly, the inshore waters forecast is almost invariably wrong but this was exceptional even by the dubious standards if the Met Office!
It must make the coastguards cringe having to read out that twaddle knowing full well that outside the window the weather is doing something totally different!
Anyway, back to the plot...
By now, given that we'd been flogging the flood tide all the way down as result of the lie in, there's just about be enough water to sneak over the Ray Sand but we couldn't see a lot of point in motoring all the way to Bradwell or Brightlingsea just to motor ask the way back tomorrow.
So it was on with the engine and head of back up river. There was a brief hiatus whilst we motored gently round in circles for ten minutes to allow the tiller pilot to auto-calibrate it's fluxgate compass and then off we went.
Apart from the lack of wind, it was a must pleasant autumn day and we duly strived back at Fambridge having weaved our way through the fleets of yachts and dingys attempting to race on the occasional breathe of movement that once in a while rippled the water.
It being just five of the clock, we pottered around on board for an hour or so before repairing once more unto the pub.
Hey - it was my first single-handed experience this weekend as well - not much practice though in such a calm weather...
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