(Friday)
It was a murky start to the day and it didn't really improve much. Still, on the "bright" side, as it were, it wasn't raining and there was a half decent breeze albeit with only just enough North in it to make a trip up the Wallet a half way attractive proposition
We had fairly hammered the domestic batteries last night and with overnight device charging plus the anchor light by this morning they were making like a pancake. Flatter than a very flat thing they were!
So given that I'd have to beat up the Yokesfleet and the Brankfleet against the last of the flood tide, I decided to motor as far as the Inner Crouch buoy at least to give the batteries some much needed amps.
I got under way just before eight leaving Jane asleep as is often our way. An hour or so later just shy of the Inner Crouch buoy I hoisted the main and then set the genoa. However, the wind angle was not giving me a lot of help and I decided to keep the engine running albeit throttled down from 2100 revs to 1800 revs. This would give me more boat speed, an attractive proposition on a day like today, and keep pumping the amps into the battery.
Visibility wasn't great either, barely a mile a times, and there wasn't a lot to be seen out there. One of the Wallasea Island ships passed me by heading into the Crouch and a fishing boat went past some way off heading out to sea and that was the lot.
Not far beyond the buoys mentioned above was the unusual sight of a ship at anchor in the Wallet. Even more odd that it's cargo hatches are open.
Over by the Clacton shore a large barge of some description was at work on improving the sea defences and I wonder if the ship and containers are all connected with that ongoing project.
As if that wasn't enough excitement for one day, a fishing boat was coming down the Wallet towards me on a steady bearing (which means if neither of us did anything we'd collide). I couldn't see any day marks to indicate he was fishing (one cone inverted above another hoisted aloft) which is frankly unusual because most fishing boats leave the signal up permanently.
Never the less, his slow speed and apparent determination to maintain his course was suggestive of trawling so I altered to starboard to clear his track and sure enough he was indeed fishing. I got a wave anyway!
I was bang on track to run us up onto the Cork Sand which runs North to South off Harwich. Two choices, tack inshore or go round the outside. As the tide was now on the turn, I reckoned the outside route would suffer from a stronger foul tide so tacked across towards The Naze before tacking back towards the Harwich channel
By now we were surrounded by yachts of all shapes and sizes going in, it seemed, every conceivable direction. As I was hoping to pick up a berth at Halfpenny Pier in Harwich and therefore wanted to beat the rush it was back on with the engine and full speed ahead.
The tactic sort of worked as there was indeed a free space which the yacht behind us occupied after we'd declined it because it was on the outside. We decided a more comfortable night was to be had across the river in Shotley Marina and to hell with the extra expense!
Once in, we tidied up and put a harbour stow on the sails before heading to the showers. Having eaten on board it was off to the pub for a couple of beers. There was a classic car meet at the Shipwreck which made I chuckle as most of the "classic" cars in question were being thrashed and trashed by me and my mates back in the early 80s!
I was also struck, not for the first time, by the spectacle that is Felixstowe Docks at night. The photo doesn't do it justice including, as it does, perhaps a third of the entire scene.
All those containers travelling around the world full of stuff. I can't complain 'cos I'm a sucker for buying stuff!
I remembered to fire up the tracking bug today too so we've got a track. 36.8 miles in 8:15 at an average speed of 4.45 knots. OK, so slightly over half of the time was motoring or motor sailing but hey ho. Not a bad day. Not a brilliant day but not bad!
Tomorrow we're thinking of a short hop upriver to pick up a mooring at Pin Mill. Failing that we'll probably dive into Wolverstone Marina and walk back down the river bank
It was a murky start to the day and it didn't really improve much. Still, on the "bright" side, as it were, it wasn't raining and there was a half decent breeze albeit with only just enough North in it to make a trip up the Wallet a half way attractive proposition
We had fairly hammered the domestic batteries last night and with overnight device charging plus the anchor light by this morning they were making like a pancake. Flatter than a very flat thing they were!
So given that I'd have to beat up the Yokesfleet and the Brankfleet against the last of the flood tide, I decided to motor as far as the Inner Crouch buoy at least to give the batteries some much needed amps.
I got under way just before eight leaving Jane asleep as is often our way. An hour or so later just shy of the Inner Crouch buoy I hoisted the main and then set the genoa. However, the wind angle was not giving me a lot of help and I decided to keep the engine running albeit throttled down from 2100 revs to 1800 revs. This would give me more boat speed, an attractive proposition on a day like today, and keep pumping the amps into the battery.
Visibility wasn't great either, barely a mile a times, and there wasn't a lot to be seen out there. One of the Wallasea Island ships passed me by heading into the Crouch and a fishing boat went past some way off heading out to sea and that was the lot.
The Coastguard MSI (Maritime Safety Information) broadcast contained mention of two large unlit metal canisters moored off Clacton. I wasn't quick enough to copy down the position so I called them up and asked for a repeat. Plotting the position confirmed my suspicion that they were bang on my track!
Believe it or not, they are in the photo above marked by two red and yellow buoys. They are only a couple of cables (0.2 miles) away and barely visible and they are slap bang in the middle of the Wallet. I have no idea what their purpose is but they present a hazard to navigation, especially at night, even worse than the usual menance of badly marked pot buoys.
However, before getting that far, I'd crossed the Spitway and killed the engine. I couldn't quite lay the course I wanted towards the Medusa buoy but it wasn't too far off and we were making over 4 knots through the water with a fair tide helping us nicely along too.
Jane had briefly emerged, take one look at the day and rather wisely (having supplied me with a coffee) disappeared back into her berth for the duration.
Over by the Clacton shore a large barge of some description was at work on improving the sea defences and I wonder if the ship and containers are all connected with that ongoing project.
As if that wasn't enough excitement for one day, a fishing boat was coming down the Wallet towards me on a steady bearing (which means if neither of us did anything we'd collide). I couldn't see any day marks to indicate he was fishing (one cone inverted above another hoisted aloft) which is frankly unusual because most fishing boats leave the signal up permanently.
Never the less, his slow speed and apparent determination to maintain his course was suggestive of trawling so I altered to starboard to clear his track and sure enough he was indeed fishing. I got a wave anyway!
I was bang on track to run us up onto the Cork Sand which runs North to South off Harwich. Two choices, tack inshore or go round the outside. As the tide was now on the turn, I reckoned the outside route would suffer from a stronger foul tide so tacked across towards The Naze before tacking back towards the Harwich channel
By now we were surrounded by yachts of all shapes and sizes going in, it seemed, every conceivable direction. As I was hoping to pick up a berth at Halfpenny Pier in Harwich and therefore wanted to beat the rush it was back on with the engine and full speed ahead.
The tactic sort of worked as there was indeed a free space which the yacht behind us occupied after we'd declined it because it was on the outside. We decided a more comfortable night was to be had across the river in Shotley Marina and to hell with the extra expense!
Once in, we tidied up and put a harbour stow on the sails before heading to the showers. Having eaten on board it was off to the pub for a couple of beers. There was a classic car meet at the Shipwreck which made I chuckle as most of the "classic" cars in question were being thrashed and trashed by me and my mates back in the early 80s!
I was also struck, not for the first time, by the spectacle that is Felixstowe Docks at night. The photo doesn't do it justice including, as it does, perhaps a third of the entire scene.
All those containers travelling around the world full of stuff. I can't complain 'cos I'm a sucker for buying stuff!
I remembered to fire up the tracking bug today too so we've got a track. 36.8 miles in 8:15 at an average speed of 4.45 knots. OK, so slightly over half of the time was motoring or motor sailing but hey ho. Not a bad day. Not a brilliant day but not bad!
Tomorrow we're thinking of a short hop upriver to pick up a mooring at Pin Mill. Failing that we'll probably dive into Wolverstone Marina and walk back down the river bank
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