Kioni afloat and prowling the East Coast

Saguday

Saguday

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Hi East Coasties

After 6 years laid up Kioni finally went back into the water last Friday.

We were in West Mersea on a mooring up the Strood over the weekend trying to figure out how the damn boat works again. We made it over to Bradwell Marina last night (Monday) for big boat clean today and will stay tonight Tuesday night. We're on E9 right opposite Saraband. Saw Guapa on the hard at Fox's on Sunday and jolly big she looked too.

If anyone wants to meet up and say hello we're planning to eat in the Green Man tonight and pootle down to Osea tomorrow for lunch the probably Tollesbury tomorrow night ready for the threatened thunderstorms.

If no-one replies that's ok I won't be offended (sniffsighicon)

cheers

Neil (and Molly and Kieran and Luc)
 
It's not Saraband of this parish. CPD (Mr Tinkles) is on E pontoon shore end t'other side to you.

We are going the W Mersea for lunch tomorrow with friends so will jump on board and cast off pdq and I will lose brownie points (overdrawn already!) for chatting and delaying but if you see anyone on Sabre berth A33 come and say hi.

Hope you are enjoying been afloat again.
 
Roger

Round the Island Race tomorrow so there should be loads of activity in front of the Causeway. Not that that will affect you coming in but there should be some fun about.
 
Hi MS thanks I had a feeling it was not the Saraband I thought it was. Saw Mr Tinkles kids highly amused. Just been wandering around the pontoons being nosy so was v. close to Sabre will check again. What time will you be leaving? Have to fuel up then Osea for lunch but we're not fast moving in the AM.

PS bleedin' hot here like being in the Med don't tell the south coasties they'll all be here

sent from my iBoat
 
tillergirl said:
Roger

Round the Island Race tomorrow so there should be loads of activity in front of the Causeway. Not that that will affect you coming in but there should be some fun about.
Click to expand...

Hi TG mersea has been like caseys court launch so busy getting the racers out I had to finally go and by an inflatable and o/b but got a deal so I'm happy

Great to be afloat again and I do love the east coast pity we live in Somerset!
 
143 entries for tomorrow. First start 0835, last 1205. Should be fun (apart from the early start - I'm right round the back of Pyfleet as a radio boat)
 
In Green Man as I type - menu looks great can't believe we never actually made it here before. Super evening too pity we are consigned to the family room on our own but it's not a bad one as these things go. Found Sabre on reconnoiter in new dink with offspring so will pop over and annoy tomorrow AM. Thought about anchoring in Pyefleet to watch the race but kids probably happier on Tollesbury for a day or so.

Cheers

Neil
 
No the launch will be or should be fine. They are all dinghy competitors and so most will self launch. The old fashioned dinghies which are kept on mooring and therefore will need the launch will generally start early and the fas birds, the 29ers and 49ers who start later around 11 and 12 will self launch from the hard. So the launch should be fine. I would think we are probably runing both anyway tomorrow. The radio boats such as me will be getter under way about 7am, 7.30am and not returning until 3pm I would guess. Again, that surge of trafic should be clear of you. But there should be a nice buzz about. In Mersea week the Yacht Club tends to be a bit 'as it comes', but it will probably be a nice day to sit on the lawn with a pint to watch the start line which is directly opposite.

Ah the Green Man. Something about that place. Enjoy
 
Well, missed Roger (just - saw him leaving just as we were heading to the fuel dock at Bradwell) but had a completely fabulous 15 days aboard cruising around the muddy stuff. Weather glorious, ate like kings in all sorts of places, natives generally friendly and no particular mishaps except a slightly overheating engine and the post hoc realisation that I'd partially strayed into the prohibited area off Harwich where the dredging is going on - although I was well away from any dredgers. I offer my humble apologies to the port authorities.

Wifey and I are agreed we love sailing around the East Coast. The kids had a great time too and are all fired up and want to go liveaboard again!... We messed around in the Blackwater for the first 5 or 6 days (Mersea, Bradwell, Tollesbury - for the swimming pool to cool off, love it there) and then had a great reach up the Wallet to Levington for a night (and had a great time in the Lightship, our first time in there as well) then a lazy genoa run up the Orwell to Ipswich Haven the next day. The Old gaffers were in and it made a spectacular and very colourful place to be, lots of water fights etc going on in the heat for the kids to participate in. Incidentally, if you are in Ipswich we can highly recommend Kwans Thai restaurant on St Nicholas street a few minutes walk towards town, not cheap but the best meal out of our trip by far - the crispy fish in chilli sauce was out of this world.

We lazed back down the Orwell last Tuesday with a brief stop rafted up at Royal Harwich to pick up a spiffy new cockpit tent which Sail & Cover made for us (in less than a day! measured up in Ipswich at 9AM Tuesday morning, picked it up at RHYC 3PM same day) as we were being fried in the heat. Had a bit of a bash from Harwich to Titchmarsh though with tide and wind on the nose and a slightly poorly engine so it took 2 1/2 hours, which was a bit tedious. Got stuck there for the next 4 days while the F7-9's blew all day and night but did some local exploring. Never been to the Backwaters before and it looked lovely but have to admit we didn't get to see it all as we'd planned - more to look forward to next time.

Thought we'd head back south last Saturday as the forecast was good and sunny with W F4-5 but as soon as we rounded Walton pier we had a F5-6+ beat all the way back, even into the Blackwater so that was 7-8 hours of wind over tide slog but hey at least it was sunny. Started off surrounded by yachts in all directions but by 7PM we were about the last ones out on the water - all the 30+ footers had made good use of their waterline length, we just got stopped by the chop it seemed. Just wish I had me tillerpilot, hand steering was a bit tiring but the proper way to do it I suppose.

Two more nights in Tollesbury enjoying their food and company and letting the boys practice their pool playing and then a hop back round to Mersea on Bank holiday Monday to pop Kioni back on her mooring up the Strood.

Can't believe we had two weeks of clear skies and sunshine with only a couple of thunderstorms at Titchmarsh to liven things up but it was like being in the Med most of the time. Got the boat back together and most of it is now working and I've just about remembered all the little things I was working on before we were interrupted by the stint in the US. Spent a fortune in chandlers and eateries but that's all part of the risk.

If anyone's interested I'll post some pics when I've sorted them all out. Anyway, hope to get out there again soon.

Cheers

Neil
 
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