Summer cruise, 17-22 July, Harwich

At anchor, opposite Cob Island, Aldeburgh

Saturday 17th July

The school term ended pleasingly early on 16th July.  The next day, with the intention of using the late afternoon tide, I set off for the coast.  Initially intending to launch at Bradwell, long delays by road forced a last minute change to Woolverstone Marina.  This is more expensive, but closer.

Initial manœuvres below the Orwell Bridge

Evening victuals at anchor off 'The Cliff', near Pin Mill

The wildlife impressed!

Sunsets always a special treat!

Day 1: 6.0nm

Sunday 18th July

Winds for the week were disappointingly easterly, although the promise was for a steady, gentle breeze.  Easterlies cause loppy seas so discourage long coastal hops.  Whereas I'd like to have ventured further afield, on this cruise I decided to say within the Harwich area.  Today, it made sense to use the morning ebb to sail up the coast.  Motor sailing helped negotiate the tricky entrance at Orford Haven.  Then, the flood tide provided a welcome beat up the River Ore into the River Alde at Aldeburgh.

I've used the anchorage opposite Cob Island before but found the walk into Aldeburgh tricky to find.  Recent housing developments have now made this landing point (the Old Brick Dock Jetty - the jetty for which is now a load of rotting wooden stumps) much easier to use, with a couple of clear options for walking into town.  (photo at the top of this blog post)

Day 2: 27.4nm

Monday 19th July

Having successfully accessed a supermarket in the morning, the tide was now ebbing, so I reached down the Ore, back along the coast and decided to make passage up the River Stour to a favourite anchorage between Harkstead Point and the village of Harkstead.

View from the hatch.

Day 3: 25.7nm

Tuesday 20th July

The remaining flood tide of the morning, along with very gentle easterly winds made for a very pleasant run up the Stour.  Opposite Mistley, the tide had turned and, with the easterly now moving through the gears, I had a pleasant beat back down towards Harwich Harbour, and then across Dovercourt Bay into the Walton Backwaters.  

The forecast gave warnings of thunderstorms, and I needed to restock with fresh food, so I booked a berth in Titchmarsh Marina - it seemed a sensible option, and the calm and security of the marina was more than welcoming.  

I'm sure I've been in this berth before...

More victuals.  There is a new Aldi supermarket about 1.5 miles walk from the marina.

Day 4: 20.4nm

Wednesday 21st July

Thunderstorms didn't really get going, although there was some rain.  I wasn't ready to end the cruise, but had an option of a second night at Titchmarsh, so enjoyed a day sail from this location, initially with the remaining flood up Landemere Creek, and then out into Dovercourt Bay.

Day 5: 24.1nm

Thursday 22nd July

It was time to end the cruise so, departing the marina at 0530, I motored against the flood out of the Backwaters.  I had a go at sailing, but the wind was not really strong enough, so I opted to motor all the way back to Woolverstone.  The engine behaved well - just as well, for the money it cost...

Day 6: 12.3nm

Overall trip: 115.9nm

End of term cruise, 20-24 July

At anchor, 'The Rocks', River Deben.  Note the homemade anchor ball.

The end of school term led to the usual urge to be out on the water, and a weather window opened up this week - although the forecast deteriorated as the week went on.

Preliminaries
The latest repair to the boat has been a tiller extension.  Not being an expert in bending wood, I whittled this out of a couple of sheets of marine ply glued together, and attached this to a new hinge.  The extension resulted in a much more relaxed cruise, allowing me to lean back, and sit closer to the cabin.

Tiller extension photographed prior to departure.

 Monday 20th July
Launched at around noon, Wolverstone Marina.  Winds were light and westerly.  After a bit of fiddling around, I turned east and headed out of the Orwell.

Launched, water ballast tanks filling.

Passing Pin Mill, my old stamping ground.

Passing Suffolk Yacht Harbour, happened upon another Drascomber, turned BayCruiser owner.  He was just returning early from a cruise in his BC23, due to having not shut off the water ballast valve, and flooding his bedding via the forward inspection hatch.

 I sailed round to the Deben, motored in through the entrance against the mid ebb, but was able to set sail again once past Felixstowe Ferry.  This evening's anchorage was at 'The Rocks', as per the photograph beginning this post.

The windows on Daisy III are tinted, which makes for interesting views outwards - nearly everything looks like a sunset and, when the sun truly sets, causes lovely colouring.

Sunset at 'The Rocks'.

18.7nm

Tuesday 21st July

Daisy III has an opening roof light - a novelty for me, and something to play with.

This morning, winds were light and variable, and the plan was to be out at sea, and then work the tides as much as possible.  Having motored against the ebb out of the Deben, full sail was set and, in varying winds, I worked my way out towards Walton on the Naze, and then turned round with the tide and ended up at the mouth of the Ore.
The Ore was still on the ebb, but I was ready to set anchor, so I motored in against the ebb, and worked a passage slowly up to 'Abraham's Bosom', an anchorage nestled in the back of Havergate Island.  By this time, winds had turned NE, so this provided a calm and safe place for the night.

29.4nm

Wednesday 22nd July
Winds were mostly southerly for the first part of the day.  I sailed up the Ore, into the Alde, past Aldeburgh and on to Snape.

At the upper end of the Alde, navigation is via withies which are not always easy to read.  I've worked out that, for the most part where the withies do not have red/green markers, that the starboard (green) withies are usually forked, and the port (red) ones are usually just single poles.  This was pertinent today as I led two other boats up past Iken Church; I went aground first, the next boat passed me and went aground at the following bend, and the third passed us both and went aground at the next bend!  We all eventually freed ourselves but I was the only one to push on to Snape.

Approaching Snape Maltings

Little and barge...?!

 Departing Snape, winds were now freshening F5 and gusty.  I tried sailing for a while, but even with jib and mizzen set, things were too gusty, so I ended up motoring back to the previous evening's anchorage.

Barge on the River Alde

26.7nm

Thursday 23rd July
Rose early, motored out of the Ore, using the early morning ebb, and then sailed round to the Deben, eventually anchoring for a rest, mid morning, off 'The Rocks'.
Winds were beginning to freshen up once again and I watched the boat below heeling as it spent a good hour beating against the ebb downstream, past this location.

After an early morning lunch, I sailed up to Woodbridge, noting this BC20 anchored along the way.

 The eponymous Peter Duck of Ransome fame, moored at Woodbridge.

On the return trip from Woodbridge, winds were gusting F6 (at least - later I noted the Windfinder report showing F9 gusts at Harwich).  This was too hot to handle, so I spent an uncomfortable later afternoon in 'The Rocks' area, before drying out for the early part of the night.

The river bed was a little risky to dry out on, due to the presence of some larger bolders, but I managed to land safely.

27.0nm

Friday 25th
Today, I motored in still winds, back to Harwich and anchored off the container ship terminals

Pictures of the departure from the Deben

16.8nm

Overall trip...

So, further bonding between skipper and ship.  Still getting used to aspects of raising and furling sails.  I tried various sail combinations, including full sail, single reefed main with jib without mizzen, jib and mizzen alone.  She sails beautifully with these combinations but becomes a real handful in upper F5 conditions - it would be good to learn how to handle the sailing in the stronger gusts.  But, overall, a really pleasing trip.

118.6nm