A briliant weekend 22/07 - Were you out?

Captain Haddock

Captain Haddock

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This weekends weather has been brilliant.

Had a great sail from Mersea to Brightlingsea and had an even better return trip today.

Also got stuck in the putty at Brightlingsea as I was leaving... my first of the season :-D

It seemed as though everyone was out this weekend. When I was leaving Brightlingsea the horizon was chock full of sails of various boats, wonderful!

Were you out?
 
Captain Haddock said:
This weekends weather has been brilliant.

Had a great sail from Mersea to Brightlingsea and had an even better return trip today.

Also got stuck in the putty at Brightlingsea as I was leaving... my first of the season :-D

It seemed as though everyone was out this weekend. When I was leaving Brightlingsea the horizon was chock full of sails of various boats, wonderful!

Were you out?
Click to expand...

yes Facamp > Dieppe
 
We had a fantastic weekend, and it didn't even start for us until Saturday evening!

Got to the boat and changed the fuel filter as the first step in tracking down why we were having fuel starvation problems last weekend, and after a moment of panic when there seemed to be too few rubber seals to put it all back together, the problem was solved. I can't remember a job on a boat ever being simpler than I expected before! Meanwhile the First Mate stitched up a split batten pocket that's been bugging us for weeks.

Then we motored off into the fading light and anchored in Hamford Water, Walton Backwaters. I've never seen so many boats there before, but we quickly found a little gap to squeeze into, and blow me, the anchor set just right between the two adjacent boats. We had a lovely meal late night meal and turned in.

I got up at 2.30 am to make sure all was well as the tide turned, and found the wind had died and it was a magical still night. Spent half an hour in the cockpit listening to the birds, and watching the phosphorescence and the boats slowly turn.

Slept in late this morning, breakfasted in the sunshine, and then I dozed off for a few minutes in the saloon while the First Mate read, and woke up 3 hours later!

We set off to go round anti-clockwise over the Wade, but after running aground a few times we thought better of getting neaped and turned back. Had an absolutely cracking sail in the warmth and sunshine. I think we had forgotten how lovely sailing can be! Flying out of Walton Backwaters, bacon butties in hand, and surfing up to Harwich, where huge crowds had turned out to greet us. Oh no, sorry - it turns out they were there for a RNLI display!

Shot up the Stour on a cracking beam reach, and anchored again in the bay upstream of Parkeston Quay, where tea was served and yet another nap was enjoyed!

It was a shame to have to head back with the sun still shining, but a nice end to a perfect (half a) weekend!
 
Fantastic weekend. Anchored at Flint Island (Stone Point). Enjoyed a planned barbeque ashore with friends from three other boats. The anchorage was fairly quiet as the majority of visiting boats seemed to be in Hamford Water. (Probably to keep away from us and our dogs.)

The evening was only slightly spoilt by the boat (which shall remain nameless here) which anchored too close behind us. It was obviously too close, and made no allowance for differing depths anchored in and differing scopes. It's difficult to tell people they've got it wrong without causing offence and when there's no immediate problem, so I didn't. Sure enough, when the flood set in we had to move as matter of urgency to avoid hitting. They remained firmly below deck, but with the saloon lights on. I don't think they even knew they were the cause of us moving, as they gave us a friendly wave when they past us anchored on the other side of the channel in the morning.

Interesting to note how strong the eddy is on the other side near the channel entrance - we faced upstream during the flood.

Back to the pleasures of the weekend. We also met up with Sirenia of this parish (Clive & crew Paul). Clive had brought along his enormous and powerful weapon and was honing his skills with it in preparation for pirates weekend. The range was astonishing, and we all liked the way it lit up in the dark when fired. He even let us play with it.

Lovely to have the Drascombe Association East Coast Rally sail past in the sun on Sunday morning.

Then a really good broad reach back to the Deben with enough wind to shrug off the spring flood.

The first, but hopefully not the only, weekend of summer.
 
Yes...first sail of the season.

A brief, but very enjoyable, sail from Rice and Cole's to the Ferry Boat Inn, with eight of us (ages 27 to 83) onboard.

Engine refused to idle just as we approached the pontoon at North Fambridge, to add a bit of stress. I think we saw Chattin' Lil, but we scared her off (she left, just as we were coming in).

Hehehe....Jos and I aren't working this week!!
 
Probably the most enjoyable sail of the year (so far) yesterday - out of the Deben down to Landguard point and back up the Deben to Waldringfield - sunny, warm and enough wind to maintain 4-5 knts ..... it worked for us! (and many more - the most yachts I have ever seen at one time heading towards Felixstowe):) Really hope its lasts:D
 
Bramble Creek Freighters

Marmalade said:
Hamford Water on Saturday night
Click to expand...

I noticed that some boats were anchored in the main channel downstream of Bramble Creek when we arrived on Saturday night, and thought that was a bit iffy if freighters still go up the Creek to the explosives works, but perhaps those anchored knew better than me. Sunday afternoon a freighter did come in, and though most of those anchored had by this time left, the freighter passed very close - pointedly close, I thought - to one of the yachts still at anchor there.

Do the freighters only come and go in daylight, does anyone know? And is it only at springs?
 
Not the first of the season for me as I'm in all year, but the first sunny one in weeks - lovely. Me and Paul were aboard all weekend but didn't go anywhere as we were meeting Dave The Rigger and Mick from Wilkinsons on Saturday afternoon at Fambridge. Then top bezzie mate Paul decided to give Black Magic a good scrub down, so I left it to it and then we settled in for the evening. Wish we had made sailed to Yokesfleet to anchor as was the original intention, buy hey, sometimes just lazing in the sunshine is good enough too.

Lowlights:
  • Duvel the humungous dinghy still leaking :mad:

Highlights:
  • Comedy Patrick the ferryman at Fambridge.
  • Paul cleaning the boat.
  • Lovely Mick for waiting for me and giving me good advice.
  • Dave the reasonably priced Rigger (highly recommend Dave).
  • Dave's son Martin making his first trip up the mast and effecting a rather spectacular fail in the bosun's chair vs wedgie department - a rather plaintive cry from the spreaders - "Dad! me nuts are getting crushed!".:D
  • The comedy drunken chavs at The Anchor at Hullbridge who were skinny dipping in the river and getting told off by the lady Harbour Master. It was like a scene from Benny Hill.
 
LittleSister said:
I noticed that some boats were anchored in the main channel downstream of Bramble Creek when we arrived on Saturday night, and thought that was a bit iffy if freighters still go up the Creek to the explosives works, but perhaps those anchored knew better than me. Sunday afternoon a freighter did come in, and though most of those anchored had by this time left, the freighter passed very close - pointedly close, I thought - to one of the yachts still at anchor there.

Do the freighters only come and go in daylight, does anyone know? And is it only at springs?
Click to expand...

We were anchored before Bramble Creek - pretty much everything is in the channel though. I guess you mean - not tucked over by the south bank. We left about 1330 on Sunday.
 
Is anchoring in the Brambles Channel overnight safe?

LittleSister said:
By 'in the channel' I meant anchored in the deepest water, rather than to one side or other - north or south.
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Re Is anchoring overnight in the Brambles Channel safe. Don't know, but have asked local experts to comment & will get back.

Still very interested in all/any experiences anchoring or transiting Stone Point on that thread. Ta
 
Anchoring In The Bramble Channel

nortada said:
Re Is anchoring overnight in the Brambles Channel safe. Don't know, but have asked local experts to comment & will get back.

Still very interested in all/any experiences anchoring or transiting Stone Point on that thread. Ta
Click to expand...

Local advice is that, as the Brambles can be used by commercial vessels at all times of day or night, they would advise against anchoring in this area. Especially as there are plenty of other good anchorages in the Backwaters.
 
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The amazingly peaceful view from Pyefleet at 6am Sunday morning...just stunning.
 
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