We spent a very peaceful night at anchor in the Pyefleet and I awoke not long before the alarm I'd set would have gone off anyway. Glen had been awake a while apparently.
Whilst Glen got the breakfast on the go, sausage butties this morning, I rang the lockkeeper at Heybridge Basin to arrange a berth.
With the weather due to take a turn for the worse by this evening we really wanted to be holed up somewhere sheltered for a couple of days and Heybridge, which we'd originally planned to visit towards the end of the week, would suit perfectly
The only snag being that the evening high water on Tuesday would put us out on the river with barely an hour of daylight, Wednesday evening it would be dark and Wednesday morning high water, also in the dark, it's several hours earlier than the published 08:00 earliest locking time
However, a brief chat with Martin the lockkeeper resolved that problem as he's perfectly happy to be up and about and lock us out on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, Martin asked us to try and be off the approach to the lock at 14:45 as he'd then be able to run a single locking for the boats booked to enter and exit and get the tidal flood gates closed well before high water
It's about 17 miles from the Pyefleet to Heybridge and we'd got ample time so in due course we fired up the engine and weighed the very muddy anchor.
Of wind there was not a lot so we motored out into the Colne past the moored smacks and barges with Glen on the helm whilst I sluiced copious buckets of water down the decks to wash off all the mud
Leaving the Colne to head up the Blackwater at a good time to catch the flood upriver comes with a downside. It's a long haul out into the deep water channel down the edge of the extended spit of shoal ground called Bench Head
There's this tempting expanse of seemingly open water to starboard and yet you must hold a course that is 90 degrees away from where you want to go until you reach the green conical Bench Head buoy that marks the end of the spit
Then you can turn upriver at last!
A just about workable breeze had filled in now so we hoisted the sails and stopped the engine. The breeze promptly vanished and left us drifting on the tide with the sails hanging limp and nary a ripple to disturb the unusually placid waters off Start Point
Patience has never been one of my virtues so it wasn't long before I gave the command to furl away the genoa and start the engine. I had to do it myself of course but at least I obey my orders!
We pootled along at half throttle but even so we were now going too fast! With a fair tide and our speed through the water added together we were making getting on for 6 knots over the ground and we only needed to make around 4. Still, better early than late
With the still air and the sun shining it got quite hot and for a while it was t-shirt weather! It didn't last as the forecast cloud started to move in but it remained pleasant all day
Just upstream of Bradwell we encountered the moored Ross Revenge, the last of the three Radio Caroline ships
I then recalled that I'd omitted to check the diesel tank gauge before setting out and asked Glen, who'd gone below to make some lunch, to bend an eye to it.
Well down the red came back the report which was a worry - I knew we were low on fuel but that was lower than expected.
With time in hand I decided to anchor of Osea Island and top up the fuel from the reserve cans. Running out on the approach to the lock, potentially with a cross tide running and moored craft all about, was not to be contemplated.
The engine had other ideas though and coughed to a stop a mile short of the anchorage. Well at least we now know how low we can go!
There was just enough breeze from astern to give us steerage way so Glen dived back on deck while I dug the fuel and funnel out of the locker.
It was just a few minutes work to dump 15 litres of diesel into the tank which makes it all the more annoying that I hadn't done it before setting out
I like to think I wouldn't have been so cavalier in more challenging circumstances but it has to be said that I've put up a black mark several times this year.
It took some faffing about and a tickle of the fuel lift pump to get the engine running sweetly again by which time we didn't really need it for a while! So we turned it off again and ghosted upriver
Passing by Heybridge about an hour too early to lock in, we ghosted on up round the bends of the rapidly narrowing river until the Hythe at Maldon came into view
Having seen it, it was on with the engine, swing around and potter back downriver whilst putting away sails, putting out fenders and lines and avoiding other craft...
A Thames Barge under full sail, albeit with a scandalised mainsail, is a magnificent sight. Revolution is unusual in having a white hull too which makes her stand out.
Our timing was virtually perfect as, dodging the dinghies, trip boats and other river traffic we headed into the lock approach just as the single outbound boat left the lock and the green light went on
We locked up with a mirror dinghy and a motor boat and were directed to moor outside the first yacht past the barge on the left. With a lot of boats having already come into the basin for the winter there was no hope of an alongside mooring
That we did, grateful that the owner of Cadenza came on deck as we weren't sure where best to tie to them. In theory we should take lines ashore but it's not practical as we're much shorter and lower
A tidy up and then it was off to the pub for a pint or two. Glen, who knows Heybridge well as he's a regular on the canal working parties, reckons the Jolly Sailor is much the better of the two pubs so we went to the Old Ship!
My logic was that we'd go to the other pub later. Several pints of excellent Adnams Broadside went down nicely and then we repaired back on board for a read and a doze. It was getting decidedly chilly so the heater went on for a while
The rain had arrived by the time it was time to eat however the Catering Manager declared that he couldn't be bothered to cook so we donned raincoats and tried our luck at the Jolly Sailor.
A decent pint of Adnams Southwold was not unwelcome, the news that they don't do food on a Sunday evening was. We downed the pint and glanced through the door of the Old Ship but that didn't look encouraging either
So it was back on board and stick a couple of tins of beans and bits in the pan. With a slice or two of bread and Glen's home made cakes for pudding we were replete
More reading and dozing ensued until we hit the sack shortly after nine.
Whilst Glen got the breakfast on the go, sausage butties this morning, I rang the lockkeeper at Heybridge Basin to arrange a berth.
With the weather due to take a turn for the worse by this evening we really wanted to be holed up somewhere sheltered for a couple of days and Heybridge, which we'd originally planned to visit towards the end of the week, would suit perfectly
The only snag being that the evening high water on Tuesday would put us out on the river with barely an hour of daylight, Wednesday evening it would be dark and Wednesday morning high water, also in the dark, it's several hours earlier than the published 08:00 earliest locking time
However, a brief chat with Martin the lockkeeper resolved that problem as he's perfectly happy to be up and about and lock us out on Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, Martin asked us to try and be off the approach to the lock at 14:45 as he'd then be able to run a single locking for the boats booked to enter and exit and get the tidal flood gates closed well before high water
It's about 17 miles from the Pyefleet to Heybridge and we'd got ample time so in due course we fired up the engine and weighed the very muddy anchor.
Of wind there was not a lot so we motored out into the Colne past the moored smacks and barges with Glen on the helm whilst I sluiced copious buckets of water down the decks to wash off all the mud
Leaving the Colne to head up the Blackwater at a good time to catch the flood upriver comes with a downside. It's a long haul out into the deep water channel down the edge of the extended spit of shoal ground called Bench Head
There's this tempting expanse of seemingly open water to starboard and yet you must hold a course that is 90 degrees away from where you want to go until you reach the green conical Bench Head buoy that marks the end of the spit
Then you can turn upriver at last!
A just about workable breeze had filled in now so we hoisted the sails and stopped the engine. The breeze promptly vanished and left us drifting on the tide with the sails hanging limp and nary a ripple to disturb the unusually placid waters off Start Point
Patience has never been one of my virtues so it wasn't long before I gave the command to furl away the genoa and start the engine. I had to do it myself of course but at least I obey my orders!
We pootled along at half throttle but even so we were now going too fast! With a fair tide and our speed through the water added together we were making getting on for 6 knots over the ground and we only needed to make around 4. Still, better early than late
With the still air and the sun shining it got quite hot and for a while it was t-shirt weather! It didn't last as the forecast cloud started to move in but it remained pleasant all day
Just upstream of Bradwell we encountered the moored Ross Revenge, the last of the three Radio Caroline ships
I then recalled that I'd omitted to check the diesel tank gauge before setting out and asked Glen, who'd gone below to make some lunch, to bend an eye to it.
Well down the red came back the report which was a worry - I knew we were low on fuel but that was lower than expected.
With time in hand I decided to anchor of Osea Island and top up the fuel from the reserve cans. Running out on the approach to the lock, potentially with a cross tide running and moored craft all about, was not to be contemplated.
The engine had other ideas though and coughed to a stop a mile short of the anchorage. Well at least we now know how low we can go!
There was just enough breeze from astern to give us steerage way so Glen dived back on deck while I dug the fuel and funnel out of the locker.
It was just a few minutes work to dump 15 litres of diesel into the tank which makes it all the more annoying that I hadn't done it before setting out
I like to think I wouldn't have been so cavalier in more challenging circumstances but it has to be said that I've put up a black mark several times this year.
It took some faffing about and a tickle of the fuel lift pump to get the engine running sweetly again by which time we didn't really need it for a while! So we turned it off again and ghosted upriver
Passing by Heybridge about an hour too early to lock in, we ghosted on up round the bends of the rapidly narrowing river until the Hythe at Maldon came into view
Having seen it, it was on with the engine, swing around and potter back downriver whilst putting away sails, putting out fenders and lines and avoiding other craft...
A Thames Barge under full sail, albeit with a scandalised mainsail, is a magnificent sight. Revolution is unusual in having a white hull too which makes her stand out.
Our timing was virtually perfect as, dodging the dinghies, trip boats and other river traffic we headed into the lock approach just as the single outbound boat left the lock and the green light went on
We locked up with a mirror dinghy and a motor boat and were directed to moor outside the first yacht past the barge on the left. With a lot of boats having already come into the basin for the winter there was no hope of an alongside mooring
That we did, grateful that the owner of Cadenza came on deck as we weren't sure where best to tie to them. In theory we should take lines ashore but it's not practical as we're much shorter and lower
A tidy up and then it was off to the pub for a pint or two. Glen, who knows Heybridge well as he's a regular on the canal working parties, reckons the Jolly Sailor is much the better of the two pubs so we went to the Old Ship!
My logic was that we'd go to the other pub later. Several pints of excellent Adnams Broadside went down nicely and then we repaired back on board for a read and a doze. It was getting decidedly chilly so the heater went on for a while
The rain had arrived by the time it was time to eat however the Catering Manager declared that he couldn't be bothered to cook so we donned raincoats and tried our luck at the Jolly Sailor.
A decent pint of Adnams Southwold was not unwelcome, the news that they don't do food on a Sunday evening was. We downed the pint and glanced through the door of the Old Ship but that didn't look encouraging either
So it was back on board and stick a couple of tins of beans and bits in the pan. With a slice or two of bread and Glen's home made cakes for pudding we were replete
More reading and dozing ensued until we hit the sack shortly after nine.
No comments:
Post a Comment