Gentle Suffolk
PROGRESS
Andrew and Hilary Clark
Wed 3 Jun 2009 19:52
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51:59.8N 01:14.2E
   We plugged north through the Swin channel, around
Roughs and north of Cork Sand to Harwich, and then up the Orwell River to an
anchorage just below Pin Mill. I am slowly getting used again to only
having a few feet under the keel when several miles from land - it certainly
calls for more precise pilotage than passages in the West English Channel. The
area is littered with wrecks, most of which have been swept to a safe depth, but
best to make sure.
The river runs through gentle countryside, and
carries a surprising volume of shipping going to and from Ipswich. Pin Mill is a
real delight, and little changed since my last visit. It is very picturesque and
unspoilt, with a collection of sailing barges on the hard, and Harry King's
boatyard still busy on the foreshore. After lunch at the 'Butt and Oyster''
(Adnam's Ales and excellent food) we followed the path along the river as far as
Woolverstone whilst waiting for the new flood tide to edge back towards the
dinghy. This is Arthur Ransome territory, and I could not resist treating myself
to a new copy of 'We Didnt Mean to go to Sea', which is based at Pin Mill.
In the end, impatience got the better of us, and we got the dinghy and ourselves
caked in mud, dragging it back to the tide line.
We are both very taken by this area. Unless we
press on soon, I can see our circumnavigation being swept away by more Adnam's
ale. Off to sea tomorrow!
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