To Harwich ( 51:57.5N, 001:17.0E)

Moondog
Brian Whitefoot
Mon 25 Jun 2012 09:39
I spent several days in Burnham on Crouch hiding from some wild weather ; it was rough enough on the marina pontoon and I certainly would not like to have been out at sea. Burnham turned out to be one of those places where you felt that if you stayed too long you would never leave. I can understand how sailors almost literally get stuck in the east coast mud ( there is an awful lot of mud....) and just stay here and slip into a gentle stupor. 
 
However, eventually the weather relented and I was joined by new crew David for a few days. It was a lazy Monday morning, in the sun for once, whilst we waited for the tide, and it was a gentle trip up to Harwich, motoring in very light airs....but no complaints...at last we had some sunshine. Taking advice from the locals we got the tides just right, leaving on the last of the flood into the river, exiting the river at slack and then having the ebb pushing us all the way to Harwich.
 
Our route took us close to the Gunfleet Sands windfarm, and we could see other windfarms in the distance ; there will not be much sea left for sailing in this part of the world soon. It was only about 30 m to Harwich and we were soon approaching the container port, and feeling very small against the huge Maersk container ships, one with five cranes working on it loading containers all through the night. We must still be making something in the UK to fill all these boxes ( unless of course they are just the empties going back to China....maybe we get 10p for each one we send back....).
 
We moored at Shotley Point Marina, after dodging a cross channel ferry racing to its berth a little further up river. which overlooked the container port. Not the prettiest location, but certainly interesting watching the continual activity loading and unloading. As you will see from the pics, we also found some swallows nesting in the shower block.
 


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Brian Whitefoot
 
Mob (44) 07721 849213

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