Fantastic summer

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Denek

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Hi I don't know about the rest of you but we have had a fantastic summer of sailing. Our first for nearly 30 years and can't understand why I have left it so long to get back to sea.
We have a Pegasus 800 berthed at shotley and have been made most welcome by staff and fellow sailors.
This year we have only day sailed in the rivers and out towards Walton but next year we plan to make a few weekend stopovers and we were wondering where to go.
If anyone has any suggestions as to nice places to visit I would be grateful.
We are thinking of the likes of brightliingsea and west mersea and to the north possibly lowestoft and south wold.
Would also like to know the procedure I.e. Do you book a berth for the night or can you just turn up.
Any advice would be useful

Ta.
 
Hi Denek welcome to the ECF. we are Fox`s based & fitted out Pegasus 800/13 & owned her for 11 yrs. there are many local places we normally phone when on the way. Southwold is not for the feint hearted due to the speed of the stream, a booking would be advisable but not for most other places
 
Thanks sailorman I think we give southwold a miss for the moment as I understand it's tricky. Nice place though
We have not made it up as far as fox's yet but we do tend to stop off at the chandlery to look on the way through to shotley.
We also had Sunday roast in the oysters reach last weekend and the beef was fantastic.
Can you find any place to an anchor overnight that is safe for a get away from it all weekend?
 
Denek said:
Thanks sailorman I think we give southwold a miss for the moment as I understand it's tricky. Nice place though
We have not made it up as far as fox's yet but we do tend to stop off at the chandlery to look on the way through to shotley.
We also had Sunday roast in the oysters reach last weekend and the beef was fantastic.
Can you find any place to an anchor overnight that is safe for a get away from it all weekend?
Click to expand...

FMYC offer a very good Sunday lunch http://www.fmyc.org.uk/menus#Mains . anchorages, Ewerton ness, Stutton ness both on the Stour. The Pyefleet on the Colne. The Rocks on the Deben will give you a start
 
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Have you been into Walton Backwaters? Anchor in Hamford Water, or if there is any NE in the wind, try Stone Point, but follow the chicane of buoys carefully.

Get the chartlets for the Ore and Deben entrances and try those rivers. The Deben is lovely, and you can anchor, as Sailorman says, at the Rocks or just beyond the moorings at Felixstowe Ferry, or pick up a mooring at Ramsholt or Waldringfield, or go into the Tidemill at Woodbridge - all lovely. The Ore has plenty of anchorages - Off Havergate island, in the Butley river, off Aldeburgh, and various places upstream, and moorings which you may be able to borrow. Southwold entrance is easier than those two, but certainly radio or phone the harbourmaster, who will be very helpful and will find you a berth.

We tend to radio or phone for a berth in a marina (in this country, though it never seems necessary in Netherlands, Germany etc), but only do so as we approach. I don't know what we'd do if they said they couldn't give us one!
 
We tend to phone the Tidemill before going there, but mainly for our peace of mind. The only other place we might phone would be Brightlingsea on a Bank Holiday. Almost all the anchorages mentioned are highly desirable but have at least one exposed quarter and it is often a good idea to have an alternative in mind. When we had a boat in the Blackwater, Osea Island was our usual anchorage but occasionally we had to decamp to near Northey Island for a quiet night.
 
Like others we always call ahead to marinas, although usually not until we are in the vicinity. Exceptions are when we know we will arrive after the office has closed and then we will phone in advance. Bradwell and Titchmarsh are examples. For Southwold I would definitely recommend booking as they sometimes get pretty full, and the HM will give priority to a booked vessel rather than that just turns up. I have never been turned away by Brightlingsea, but would not choose to go there at a Bank Holiday. Another spot where you should book in advance is Heybridge Basin.
 
Thanks very much guys lots of ideas there and now we just have to wait for next summer.
The last time I sailed was as I say nearly 30 years ago and I had a little Lysander moored at west mearsea. Things were very different then and I had no electronic gadgets not even a radio.
We do hope to get out again this season but I don't suppose we will venture far. We have spent the summer re- learning the ropes as they say and next season I am intending to do my day skipper course. I did the theory back in the 70 s but I think a little refresher is in order.
Thanks for all the suggested anchorages and hope to see you all on the water soon.
Would like to visit Walton backwaters but I am a little worried about stone points reputation for being shallow.
 
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As you're in Shotley, you can visit Burnham Yacht Harbour free for up to 30 nights a year (a significant saving). It's easy to get to, easy to enter, they're very helpful, and Burnham has some good places to eat and drink in (not to mention a great walk along the riverside path). Just phone ahead before you leave Shotley and they'll allocate you a berth so you can simply motor in and tie up.
 
Also, consider picking up a mooring buoy at Wrabness on the Stour. Much easier than anchoring, and a pleasant place to spend an evening. My current avatar is a sunset at Wrabness.
 
Thanks Pvb we sailed up past wrabness several times this summer and it does look nice.
How does this work? Do you need to get permission from someone to hook up to a bouy?

Your boat looks fab by the way if we were a couple of years further on we would have been interested they are a lovely boat so well finished we went aboard one at the boat show and liked it very much.
 
Denek said:
Thanks Pvb we sailed up past wrabness several times this summer and it does look nice.
How does this work? Do you need to get permission from someone to hook up to a bouy?
Click to expand...

It's strangely uncomplicated, just pick up a vacant buoy. Occasionally, very occasionally, a boat will return and claim the buoy, in which case just move to the next nearest. Nobody comes to collect mooring fees.
 
Denek said:
We have spent the summer re- learning the ropes as they say and next season I am intending to do my day skipper course. I did the theory back in the 70 s but I think a little refresher is in order.
.
Click to expand...

What about redoing the theory winter evenings? At West Mersea YC we're just kicking off... Monday nights 1930...
 
I have completed the rya essential navigation course as a bit of a refresher did that last winter. Weat mearsea would be a bit of a trek during the winter months as we live in Bedfordshire.
Thank you though.
Sounds simple enough picking up the bouy and your photo does look nice.
We did an anchor for lunch opposite side of the river a few weekends ago which was pleasant.
 
Denek said:
I have completed the rya essential navigation course as a bit of a refresher did that last winter. Weat mearsea would be a bit of a trek during the winter months as we live in Bedfordshire.
Thank you though.
Sounds simple enough picking up the bouy and your photo does look nice.
We did an anchor for lunch opposite side of the river a few weekends ago which was pleasant.
Click to expand...

East Coast Offshore Yachting do evening classes at Grafham Water during the winter. Recommended.

http://www.eastcoastoffshoreyachting.co.uk/page/evening_classes
 
Denek said:
Thanks sailorman I think we give southwold a miss for the moment as I understand it's tricky. Nice place though
We have not made it up as far as fox's yet but we do tend to stop off at the chandlery to look on the way through to shotley.
We also had Sunday roast in the oysters reach last weekend and the beef was fantastic.
Can you find any place to an anchor overnight that is safe for a get away from it all weekend?
Click to expand...

You will be missing out if you dont visit Southwold. We made our first visit there this summer (we are based in Lincoln so it is a bit of a trek for us to get there) and we were simply amazed by the place and it isnt that tricky to get in and out of really.
 
sailorman said:
Rafting is the issue, in a strong tide
Click to expand...

During this year's Augst bank holiday we had a demonstration of why shore lines are essential not only to stop the outer boats hitting the downstream raft but also to avoid damaging the boats on the inside of the raft when it starts to rotate.

Fortunately the offending owners were located before any real damage was done.
 
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