S.O.I.A. Anglia Group newsletter - May 2004

Croomates

We didn't pick the best of weekends for our Orwell meet, but we had some cracking good sailing, and on Sunday managed to spend eight hours on the water, easily outstripping hours spent in the pub/sailing club bar! Friday evening and night were very wet, and while both sailors and non-sailors were enjoying the comforts of the Levington Lightship, Sula, being very dry, let in a considerable amount of water through her topsides, mostly onto my bunk! Having spent the night lurking under a bin-liner, I spent Saturday drying out my sleeping bag, and it rained no more after that... Glad to report that Brian has now rectified the problem and we believe Sula to be a dry ship, in the purest sense of the word.

More important than soggy bedding was our Saturday cruise from the Orwell to the Deben.

Five bold Silhouettes braved the Harwich shipping lanes and a lazy swell on the open sea, and successfully navigated the five miles up to and across the Deben Bar.

The forecast of Northerly force 4 was pretty accurate so we couldn't quite lay the Deben entrance without a couple of tacks inshore, and once in the river continued to tack upstream until the tide turned against us.

The plan was to anchor at The Rocks, rubber dinghy ashore and stroll back to the Ramsholt Arms for a meal. However, those East Midland boats were quite unable to pass the Ramsholt Arms after years of being trained to smell beer over many nautical miles of sea, and Sula found herself in splendid isolation at The Rocks!

We once again found ourselves alone the next morning when we rendezvoused at Ramsholt with some empty moorings. The fleet had flown, anxious to get out of the river before the flood started. Once at sea ourselves we found them - four little white sails dotted about the fair-weather briny!

We had such an enjoyable reach with the flood down to Harwich that we carried on to the Walton Backwaters, carrying the tide right up to the Walton Yacht Club - I think the East Midland boats had caught another whiff... We were made quite a fuss of there, and the fleet was photographed by club members.

Sailing back to Harwich was a little trickier as the breeze had freshened and was again slightly on the nose, causing us to tack inshore a couple of times to lay Harwich. Of course the tide was belting out by this time, although we managed to sneak up the west side of the harbour to Shotley. After that we were going nowhere fast, and motored the rest of the way back to Levington. Mike Atkins found his course impeded by a departing ferry, but the rest of us got off lightly.

It was around 20.00 by the time we were all 'in', and as The Orroms had to get away that evening their boat was swiftly retrieved. (Unfortunately Hilary had bravely got wet before all the wader-wearing men materialised, but a hot shower revived her.)

After all that sailing even the lure of the Lightship couldn't compete with the East Midland bunks, and the Anglians found themselves drinking, modestly of course, alone.

For anyone following the saga of Levington Lil, there was sadly no sign of her. Some consolation was derived from her successor, Levington Marina.

The Silhouettes present were SII Polly, with Dave Milner, SIII Blessim with Tony Eden, SIII Golden Moon with Mike Atkins, SIV Fiesta making her maiden voyage with Howard and Hilary Orrom, and SII Sula with yours truly and the indispensible Brian.

Missing and sorely missed was Alf Baldwin, who is having a bad run of luck healthwise. We do hope he'll soon be back with us because it's not the same without him, and we send him ALL OUR BEST WISHES.

The other missing 'regular' was Colin Robinson, who is recovering from a heart attack, poor lad. He is hoping to be back at the helm for the Rutland Water weekend, and we hope so too.

Incidently, the Orwell cruise wasn't our first sail of the season - the weekend before we visited the Shetland Islands for a wedding, and the weather was so good we were able to have a sail in my brother's Shetland - style double-ended lugger, in view of, but sheltered from, the Atlantic Ocean. Lovely!

e-MAIL-box:

Just bought a Silhouette MkIV - from a chap who needed the money to complete his Eventide! It's about as different from ISIS as it's possible to get and still be a Silhouette, To start with, it's cutter-rigged - with bowsprit and staysail. Inside, it's got quarter berths and berths in the forepeak - divided by a 'galley' area, slide-out cooker to port and wash-up bowl with pumped water to starboard. Probably the same as Colin Robinson's - but I've not seen inside his. It's all set up for single-handed sailing with (almost) everything led back to the cockpit. I expect to be bringing up it to Levington for its maiden voyage - should be interesting. [He did and it was - Ed]

Howard & Hilary.

Sailing Dates

Rutland Water International Paints Trophy meeting: 12 - 13th June

Brightlingsea Rally: 10 - 11th July (Anglia Group)

Holland Cruise – 13th - 22nd July – Contact Tony Eden 01159 892199

Plymouth National Rally: 14th - 20th August

Broads Rally: Probably 11 - 12th September. (Anglia Group)