Given the needed to get the car windscreen repaired before we can get on with other plans, we really wanted to get back to Fambridge today
The forecast wasn't great - south or south westerly F4 gusting F5. Oh well, at least there wasn't a strong wind warning to go with it
Heading out from Fox's at 6 in the morning, there was no wind at all. A bit of breeze finally kicked in as we approached Felixstowe and I hosted the main with a reef in it as a precaution against the forecast
Good job too as by the time we cleared Harwich Shelf the forecast F4 was solidly in place. Reaching across towards the Gunfleet was fine but as we started to tack into the Wallet the breeze worked up to at least an F5 and the seas got up to match
It all started to get a bit too exciting plus progress was becoming very slow so there was nothing for it but to took away the genoa, start the engine and point the boat where we wanted to go
Whilst we were, I think, the first to bottle it, the other half dozen or so yachts heading the same way soon followed suit.
As I'd hoped though, our timing was spot on to simply hold the course out of the bottom end of the Wallet into the Ray Sand Channel. We slipped across the drying bank into the Crouch just after half tide on the flood with a good half a metre or so to spare
We'd had an easier ride for an hour or so between the shore and the sandbanks aided, had we but realised it, by the wind going round from the South West further into the West. Now, oh what a surprise, it was right on our nose again as we flogged our way into the river. It wasn't dangerous by any stretch of the imagination but it wasn't much fun either
Even upstream of Burnham the river remained lumpy and unfriendly and it was with considerable relief that we got alongside the pontoon and tucked ourselves up for the night. Of course, within the hour the weather was idyllic and the river a picture of serene calm. We had beer to make ourselves feel better! It worked :)
No comments:
Post a Comment