52:8.30N 001:35.12E

Whisper
Noel Dilly
Fri 23 Jun 2017 19:35



Friday 23rd June


A 6am start was needed to catch the rising tide to take us out of Harwich harbour and up the coast to the river Alde.  Local yachtsmen will know that this is a tricky entrance as the winter storms rearrange the sand banks each year, so any official published charts are inevitably incorrect. The buoyage is maintained each year and a locally published chart advises on approaches.  One thing is for sure - it is always exciting whether entering or leaving.  


It was a glorious day and as the tide was against us with gentle varying winds, we motor sailed up the coast avoiding the numerous lobster pots laid in these shallow waters.  We arrived at the Orford Haven buoy in good time, the tide was still making and a south westerly wind had picked up.  We approached as gently as we could with the main up and the engine ticking over. As we turned at the last starboard bouy the waves were breaking on the shoal and appeared to be stretching across the full width of the channel.  The depth gage which had even showing 1.5m in places as we travelled along the approaching buoyed channel was now showing 5m but the eddies looked intimidating.  Soon we were picked up by the currents in the narrow entrance and watched with amazement as our SOG crept up from 4 kts to 9.3 kts. Whisper has rarely travelled at this speed unless racing down off the top of an Atlantic crest!  Eventually the waters calmed down and we had the most beautiful gentle passage along the narrow river passing through country fields and a Bird Reserve with many new born chicks to be seen along the bank.  We passed the small castle keep town of Orford along to the upper navigable part of the river Ore.  It was indeed an ideal beautifully warm summers day, blue skies and bright sunshine.  As we approached the moorings a squall appeared from nowhere, we lowered the main sail and picked up the first vacant buoy.  Luck was with us, all went well and as the lightening flashed and the thunder roared above our heads we made it below, just as the first heavy raindrops rattled down on the coach roof.  


Saturday 24th June


Today's plan was to take the dinghy up the river as it meanders further inland to the Snape maltings.  This is a fun trip, full of excitement and mud with the reward of a pint of beer and a pub lunch at Snape, before drifting back down the river on the falling tide. There is no buoyage, so navigation is by withies planted in the mud by local fishermen and surprisingly difficult to follow without knowledge of the rivers twists and turns.  To distinguish the closeness of the withy in front, to the one to port is not easy.  If you get it wrong, then you must get off the mud to which you have become firmly stuck.  Here speaks the voice of experience!! 


We launched the dinghy, set up the recently professionally serviced outboard, collected our belongings and even donned our life jackets! A little over the top but the tide does rip out of here at a pace. Noel went aboard, whilst I held the dinghy and started the engine or rather attempted to start the engine. Nothing happened, not even the smallest of splutters.   Needless to say the excursion was cancelled and Whisper once again took on the role of a floating workshop!  Spark plugs changed, carburettor cleaned, fuel filter checked all to no avail.  The infuriation is that when the engine was taken to the shop initially, it was running but it would not tick over.  Now it is not running at all.  So it is back to Brightlingsea to hand a rather costly, supposedly fixed and running outboard back to the shop for the engineer to start!


So sailing is fun!  Perhaps it was in the days before engines were seen to be a good means of propulsion!  This crew member needs convincing, but it did occupy the day!



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