A fantastic sail beating up the Blackwater today

sailorman

sailorman

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1 reef in the main as i was s/h & that paid off handsomely.
A terwat in an Achilles motoring out of Mersea Quarters @ 1 knot with a flappy main who got an ear bending. Col Regs bed time reading req there.
Now anchored in Thirslet Ck
Pork chop,runner beans n spuds + the remains of last nights red, loverley
 
sailorman said:
A terwat in an Achilles motoring out of Mersea Quarters @ 1 knot with a flappy main who got an ear bending. Col Regs bed time reading req there.
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There seem to be a few Blackwater sailors who know nowt about Colregs. (Or choose to ignore them). I had to bend an ear yesterday.

Anyway, glad the 'hoof' up the river was an enjoyable one.
 
We were anchored next to you in Pyefleet last night.

We also had a lovely sail through the Spitway and home. The Burnham racers seemed to be having a rest day, thank goodness.
 
I had the dinghy out on the Blackwater on Thurs - up to Mersea and back to Marconi on the flood - fabulous sail and a reminder of what a good sailing river the Blackwater is
 
We have been using a battery powered LED lantern, but we've used it a lot recently and the batteries need changing! Not that it is too crucial in Pyefleet; about half the anchored boats don't bother with lights at all. Your anchor light was very bright - what is it?
The boat is a Sirius 310 - a German make from a small yard near Hamburg. There are only a few (6 or 7) in the UK, so I am not surprised you didn't recognise it.
 
AliM said:
We have been using a battery powered LED lantern, but we've used it a lot recently and the batteries need changing! Not that it is too crucial in Pyefleet; about half the anchored boats don't bother with lights at all. Your anchor light was very bright - what is it?
The boat is a Sirius 310 - a German make from a small yard near Hamburg. There are only a few (6 or 7) in the UK, so I am not surprised you didn't recognise it.
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10 watt Aqua Signal with a real bulb :)
 
On the subject of Pyefleet mud: We had a fab night on anchor just outside the entrance to the Pyefleet as it looked very busy, just down river from the red can at the entrance. We ended up lying near to a barge as there were a number already at anchor. Given the dragging experiences we had had earlier that day of Clacton during the airshow I was particularly twitchy. The ECP suggests the Pyefleet mud has a mind of its own and anchoring off Mersea Stone had good holding I began to relax with a glass of Ghost Ship. Just before dark a couple of Dutch yachts anchored closely behind us, they disappeared below without further glance at transits etc. I watched the situation closely with anchor drag alarm on and visual checking every hour up to HW. At 2.30am my visual check seemed all ok as I scanned the various expected points including the barge, shore etc until I got to look at the Dutch yachts one of which a Swan had either let out more scope or had dragged close to us. With further watching and within 10 minutes of HW she started to ghost past some 20 metres coming to rest just off the other Dutch yacht. No sign of lights or activity - I was tempted to shout a warning but couldn't think at the time of a suitable rousing at 2.30 in the morning. Eventually light came up, the tide dropped and breakfast was had. It has left me thinking I am too cautious when anchoring? Some boaters spend long periods at anchor and trust their holding, I am not sure I could be so relaxed! Interestingly the whole area outside the Pyefleet by the morning was very busy with boats at anchor making it an interesting navigation for the coaster that came through a couple of hours after HW. SOme boats not showing an anchor light!
 
Marmalade said:
That's about it - nowhere near as good as the Orwell to sail on... move along now, nothing to see here...
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WHAT! WHAT! I grant you that the banks of the Orwell are pretty but it's a dog of a river. I mean even it's shape copies a dog's back leg! Narrow, twisty, trees interrupting the wind flow, ships, a bridge. Mein Gott, Qui est vous dire? I fear you need medical assistance. Perhaps I could help? Oh, whoops I see what you are doing..... Yes, I agree move along now.
 
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Plenty of anchoring discussion on scuttlebutt. The modern anchors are a step on from CQRs Bruces and the like. I use a modern style, anchor carefully and sleep soundly; it is tempting fate but I have never dragged in east coast mud.
 
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