Deben to Brightlingsea...

[PetiteFleur]

Hi, just having brain fog - trip to Brightlingsea tomorrow 20th from R Deben. Planned to exit R Deben at 0900 arrive Harwich and wait at Halfpenny pier, leave at 1500, down Wallet and arrival at Brightlingsea at around 19.00/20.00 - does this sound ok? Windy tomorrow up to 30kn - or just potter around the Deben/Orwell or Stour...

 

[mrming]

Plenty of water at Brightlingsea at that time, and shelter once you get in close, but it does look windy on the way around. Depends on your comfort level really - looks like a dead run most of the way.

 

[shanemax]

I suggest do not come back wind over tide if it's blowing hard. Friday pm or Saturday the wind is a more favourable direction. Thursday a no go.

 

[PetiteFleur]

Update - we have decided to abandon the trip, two reasons, the toilet, a Lavac is not flushing properly (even though I serviced it 2 winters ago with reconditioned pump, new hoses & trudesign outlet seacock with rerouted outlet pipe to avoid a bend) and the weather.
We have a Porta Potti at home which we may use if we go out later.

 

[ex-Gladys]

Lavac joker valve calcifies pretty quickly, needs annual servicing

 

[Malish]

Update - we have decided to abandon the trip, two reasons, the toilet, a Lavac is not flushing properly (even though I serviced it 2 winters ago with reconditioned pump, new hoses & trudesign outlet seacock with rerouted outlet pipe to avoid a bend) and the weather.
We have a Porta Potti at home which we may use if we go out later.

you would likely need the vacuum just to keep seated in a 30knot wind over tide along the Wallet

 

[shanemax]

Update - we have decided to abandon the trip, two reasons, the toilet, a Lavac is not flushing properly (even though I serviced it 2 winters ago with reconditioned pump, new hoses & trudesign outlet seacock with rerouted outlet pipe to avoid a bend) and the weather.
We have a Porta Potti at home which we may use if we go out later.

Bucket and chuck ???

 

[johnalison]

F6 was about my limit for the Wallet in a 34-footer with the wind on the nose. This was enjoyable, at least for me at the helm. Anything more and you’d get there because of the tide but it would be just a slog.

 

[LittleSister]

Lavac joker valve calcifies pretty quickly, needs annual servicing

Really? I had one for years and never serviced it.

It was utterly reliable, except I think once the external rubber in the pump split, and I easily replaced that and the rest using a service kit. (Mine was an older model, I think that the original pump type (Henderson Mk. 5?) became unavailable and more recent Lavacs come with different (Whale?) pumps, which I vaguely recall someone claiming weren't as good.)

Perhaps you're not pumping it long enough to reliably get clean seawater through the pump?

Or maybe you're in a hard water area?

 

[PetiteFleur]

Update 2 - the Lavac I refurbished had been fine for 18 yrs after I fitted a new one and only started playing up a couple of years ago. The pump was quite clogged up inside and the outlet was almost totally clogged up with only a 10mm hole where there was a dip in the pipe and it had all calcified there. The pump I cleaned up and fitted new valves. I rerouted and shortened the pipe so no longer a dip. And doubled the pumping each use. We are in a hard water area.
I had a PortaPotti in the rear cabin so we used that, motored up river and to the Tide Mill marina in Woodbridge, the last time there was about 16 yrs ago with our first grandchildren aged 7 & 9(who managed to lose my favourite bucket overboard when crabbing!) Anyway, refurbishing the Lavac will wait until lift out. I suspect the inlet seacock is blocked, happened last year with the engine inlet seacock.