It was a morning of pottering around and not really doing a lot. The tide was on the ebb and whilst we can fight it there was no need
After a late breakfast and a wander up to the hardware store fur a small bucket and a look around the chandlery at some new foulies, it was time to get ready to go
Jane organised the cabin whilst I put away the cockpit tent and cushions. Conversation had been ongoing about the possibility of Sirenia and Alchemist coming up to Fambridge for the night but the weather wasn't very promising
It was blowing the wrong side of 30 knots from the west and in those conditions life aboard a boat on the outside of the yacht station pontoon can be miserable. With no certainty of an inside berth they elected to stay put
We, however, had no option and off we went. The river was as rough as we've ever seen it but the engine punched us through the chop nicely.
Although I'd made ready to set sail if necessary, the day was one for getting there as quickly as possible. Beating up river is very satisfying in good conditions, in a gale it would have been purgatory
We got rained on for good measure and it turned out that we left at almost exactly the wrong moment! I should have looked at the weather radar and delayed leaving until the front that was blowing through had passed over
Arriving at Fambridge, we found plenty of space on the inside. Between our sister ship Pelagos moored on the end of the pontoon and our friends Full Circle at the other end we could take our pick
The wind had by now dropped to 15 or 16 knots and the flood tide was running well so I should have turned and come alongside starboard side to. However, I wanted to be bows into wind so I elected for a fast and hairy port side to approach
Jim off Full Circle and Chris off Tomahawk were on hand to take our lines and it should have been tidier than it was but with a bump we landed and any arrival that doesn't involve injury or damage will do when you get right down to it!
Jim had a quick look around Erbas, this being the first chance he's had to see her, before they departed back to their home downriver at Bridgemarsh
We put Erbas to bed and I blagged a ride out to our mooring from Geoff on the trot boat to fetch our dinghy. I wanted to have it on hand in case the weather was bad in the morning and it was too rough to put Erbas back on her mooring (some forecasts were suggesting gusts of up to F9 whilst others were suggesting it would only be moderately breezy)
Jane had a nap, I had a shower and then it was off to the Ferry Boat with Chris and Roni for good food, good drinks and food conversation.
Replete and happy, we returned to Erbas for hot drinks, more conversation and a demonstration of my travel guitar before saying our goodbyes and waving our guests off to their boat (all of thirty feet away down the pontoon!)
Time for bed
After a late breakfast and a wander up to the hardware store fur a small bucket and a look around the chandlery at some new foulies, it was time to get ready to go
Jane organised the cabin whilst I put away the cockpit tent and cushions. Conversation had been ongoing about the possibility of Sirenia and Alchemist coming up to Fambridge for the night but the weather wasn't very promising
It was blowing the wrong side of 30 knots from the west and in those conditions life aboard a boat on the outside of the yacht station pontoon can be miserable. With no certainty of an inside berth they elected to stay put
We, however, had no option and off we went. The river was as rough as we've ever seen it but the engine punched us through the chop nicely.
Although I'd made ready to set sail if necessary, the day was one for getting there as quickly as possible. Beating up river is very satisfying in good conditions, in a gale it would have been purgatory
We got rained on for good measure and it turned out that we left at almost exactly the wrong moment! I should have looked at the weather radar and delayed leaving until the front that was blowing through had passed over
Arriving at Fambridge, we found plenty of space on the inside. Between our sister ship Pelagos moored on the end of the pontoon and our friends Full Circle at the other end we could take our pick
The wind had by now dropped to 15 or 16 knots and the flood tide was running well so I should have turned and come alongside starboard side to. However, I wanted to be bows into wind so I elected for a fast and hairy port side to approach
Jim off Full Circle and Chris off Tomahawk were on hand to take our lines and it should have been tidier than it was but with a bump we landed and any arrival that doesn't involve injury or damage will do when you get right down to it!
Jim had a quick look around Erbas, this being the first chance he's had to see her, before they departed back to their home downriver at Bridgemarsh
We put Erbas to bed and I blagged a ride out to our mooring from Geoff on the trot boat to fetch our dinghy. I wanted to have it on hand in case the weather was bad in the morning and it was too rough to put Erbas back on her mooring (some forecasts were suggesting gusts of up to F9 whilst others were suggesting it would only be moderately breezy)
Jane had a nap, I had a shower and then it was off to the Ferry Boat with Chris and Roni for good food, good drinks and food conversation.
Replete and happy, we returned to Erbas for hot drinks, more conversation and a demonstration of my travel guitar before saying our goodbyes and waving our guests off to their boat (all of thirty feet away down the pontoon!)
Time for bed
No comments:
Post a Comment