Here we go again!
Bliss
Wed 2 May 2018 12:51
The trouble with planning a sailing trip is that you can't really plan.
Our plan, was to leave the Deben on Saturday 28th April heading north to the Orkneys, stopping on route at, amongst other places, Kingston upon Hull, Chris's birthplace, but the forecast was not good, with only a short window of decent conditions before some seriously windy weather arrived. So, we changed the plan, stayed warm and dry at home, caught up with friends and family, kept checking the forecast and rescheduled our departure for Tuesday 1st May.
Tuesday arrived, blue sky and a force 5-6 southerly breeze, we had just enough time to get to Lowestoft before the next band of gales and rain arrived, which might mean a day or so in Lowestoft, before more settled weather for our 30 hour passage up to Whitby. (Hull no longer on the agenda).
We had a cracking sail, 6 hours from slipping the mooring in Waldringfield to tying up in The Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club Marina. We were a little nervous going over the Deben Bar for the first time this season, but with an off-shore breeze and only an hour before high tide there was never less than 1.7 metres of water under our keel, and relatively 'slight' sea. Sails up and engine off, broad reach/run with the tide, averaging between 8 and 9 knots, lovely.
The RNSYC is a lovely place. Yesterday evening we had a drink in the bar and met a couple (Pam and Mark, but NOT Stone), who left Woolverstone Marina on Saturday to begin a 6 month round -Britain trip! They've now spent 4 nights in Lowestoft and Pam hasn't actually left the marina! I can't believe that this far flung corner of Suffolk has nothing to offer, so we shall don our waterproofs and get out there.
The River Deben looked at it's sparkly best as we made, what we plan to be, our first and only trip over the Bar and out to sea this year.