S.O.I.A. Anglia Group newsletter – July 2006
Hope you didn’t melt. The heatwave had started that Brightlingsea weekend but we got pretty well kept cool by breezy easterlies – too breezy at times! It was a strange weekend for us, and our experience was different from the rest of the fleet, and no doubt the Other Version will drip from someone else’s pen! (Graham?)
Brian launched Sula on Thursday at Tollesbury with the five other boats – I wasn’t free till
Friday – and they sailed round to Pyefleet for the
night (creek behind
After rendezvou(s)ing with the rest of the fleet, he decided to park the boat in Brightlingsea and return home for another mast – and me, as it turned out. He hiked, hitched and bribed his way back to the van at Tollesbury, returning home in the early hours somewhat wiped out. (He was in any case recovering from a vicious cold virus)
The next morning we set off together plus new mast and sails, arriving at Brightlingsea around 11.30. Much phone-messaging with the fleet established that they were in the pub at Rowhedge (surely not??).
Once rigged we sailed up the Colne to meet them, in breezy and sunny conditions. They were bound for Brightlingsea, so we had a bit more sailing ourselves before joining them on the pontoon. Because of windy onshore conditions, there wasn’t much space, and because of spring tides the water taxi was unable to run at low water. This had the effect of extending the evening’s drinking time…
The next day, Saturday, the forecast caused some concern, mentioning fives and sixes, north-east (not so bad) or east (bad). The rest of the fleet, not wishing to go up the Blackwater and be caught in a strong-wind-over-spring-ebb situation, decided to sail round to Tollesbury and chill out on the sands at the top end of The Roads.
We, feeling sailing-deprived, decided to
risk the Blackwater, and whizzed our way goose-winged
up to peaceful Goldhanger Creek, which we had never
explored. After giving that a good mosey, and having a lunch-break, we
continued round the north of
The tide now started to ebb, and the marathon commenced! We were soon in full oilies, with lots of green water coming aboard. As we got further downstream, beyond the Thurslet Spit, we were able to get a little respite from the waves by tacking down the southern side of the river, keeping a close eye on the echo-sounder.
There wasn’t much point in trying to make Tollesbury as the other boats would probably already be aground and out of our reach, and in any case we had had enough ‘fun’ by the time we got to Bradwell, so we picked up a buoy in the entrance channel and retired to nurse our bruised and aching limbs and remove our sodden, salt-caked clothing!
Similar conditions were forecast for the next day so we made an early start (six) to carry the last of the ebb to the Colne before the wind got up too much. We had a glorious, sunny sail, tacking well out to sea and back in, before anchoring in the Colne to await half-tide in Brightlingsea, when retrieval would be easier.
The wind remained below force four, and it was hot!
After lots of relaxing, we headed in to Brightlingsea Hard to retrieve. There was nearly a nasty moment when the trailer became bogged down in some soft mud as Sula was coming out of the water. A kind person with a Range Rover quickly sorted that one for us!
Meanwhile the rest of the fleet was hauling out at Tollesbury, and no doubt have their own stories to tell. So the weekend ended with the right feeling of being wind, sun and salt blasted, even if it did start with a broken mast!
Other boats present: SII Polly, with Dave Milner, SII Joanna
with Dave Kuschel,
Brian is
loading his van with tools and paintbrushes ready to travel north to Avocet,
where he will beaver away until she is ready to go. He has redecked her, and will now be fitting a new mast support,
and replacing the pulpit, bowsprit, toe-rails etc. I have a week’s work to do
before I can join the ship. Hopefully we will then sail out into the
THE BROADS meeting has been shifting around a bit because of two important birthday parties and one important singing occasion and one holiday. We now need to know whether the weekend of Sept 29th – Oct 1st would suit everyone?
THE NEXT MEETING carries a question mark as there is now a barrier at the Orwell Yacht Club that only members can penetrate, as described by Bob Legg:
‘The barrier at OYC is now fully operational which is going to be a real problem if anyone turns up for our meetings. We are quite happy to have them here if we are not away on holiday or I would suggest that in future we try to arrange "events" to replace some meetings. eg: boat shows, boat jumbles, etc. any ideas?’
I suggest we have the next meeting on 9th September as people are well dispersed in August, and we will just have to decide where and let everyone know. Simple, isn’t it?
CRISTEEL: Ian Arnold’s steel Silhouette is now on the water and has made her first tentative voyage up and down Barton Broad. Ian reports that when hit by the wake of a passing motor-boat she went through it and not up and down it!
Email from Eden (tony): ‘Dave Milner and myself are going down to the Medway Sun 13 Aug, launching at Hoo Ness yacht club, we plan to arrive about 12.00, high tide is 16.30. If the weather is OK we may go to Whitstable, and pull out the following weekend, if any one wants to join us there is plenty of space for parking.’
BRIAN’S BIT – In the yard at Skipool, Lancs, where he is am working on our Eventide, Brian has been following and encouraging the progress of Bill Wright (84) and the SIII that he bought on e-bay for not-a-lot a couple of years ago. Bill has finished renovating her and has launched her on the River Wyre, not having sailed for 25 years. (Previous sailing done on Ghanaian lakes). He has had a few sails and finds her a fine little boat.
INCLUDED with this newsletter the next instalment of last year’s log of Avocet’s Amblings. I’d better hurry up and finish it because this year’s will be starting soon!
Best
Breezes,
Elizabeth Letzer, July/August 2006