Rest Day...of sorts

We enjoyed a productive day of rest and recuperation yesterday which involved a little retail therapy , breakfast in Wetherspoons but mainly a visit to Oulton Broad followed by some boat  pottering.

Following l this we decided that we would like to see Wells by the Sea so left Lowestoft at 20 o’clock last night in order to try and reach Wells by high tide at midday

After a rather bumpy start we caught up time and  when were within a gnats whisker of reaching Wells in time I phoned the harbour master and was told that the entrance is not deep enough to accommodate Calismarde with the current tide

Always be wary of the weather forecast

We had planned to leave Harwich very early this morning to get to Lowestoft in good time for afternoon tea.

At 4 am when I got up it was difficult to see the end of the pontoon

I made an executive decision to return to bed and awoke each hour until 7 when the realisation dawned that we were in the midst of thick fog.

Thankfully by 9.30 the fog had lifted and with the knowledge from the weather forecast that the wind would be relatively favourable we set off pleased with the plan that we would enjoy a late supper in Lowestoft

Sadly the wind was not as predicted and we spent the next 14 hours banging against the wind and waves. Thankfully my new best friend Tilly, came into her own and with her, and expert helming from my friend Steve we were pleased to arrive in Lowestoft just before closing time. It is amazing what a couple of pints and a tot of Knobs Creek does for one’s morale

Tomorrow will be a rest day in order to undertake some in house training  before our long anticipated trip to Wells Next the Sea

Away at Last

Today has been a day of two halves.

This morning before many people have gone to bed, my friend Steve and I left the Swale at the start of my trip to Aberystwyth via the Caledonian CanalThe early morning was fine and calm and we had a lovely motoring experience across old father Thames having seen a magical sunrise

There was little wind and we happily motored towards Harwich 

During the early afternoon the fog descended and we were slightly stressed by the sound of fog horns coming from massive container shops leaving....or possibly approachingFelixstowe...... we  weren’t sure which.Anyway we arrived safely in early afternoon and after a bit of tidy up and supper we once again retire early ready for another early start in order to facilitate a hopefully uneventful trip to Lowestoft tomorrow

Special thanks must be given to my new friend and crew mate....the tiller pilot who has revolutionised my personal sailing experience and is a most welcome companion on this jaunt

‘Let’s have a party to see you off on your journey’ She said....

....and  indeed the realisation matched the expectation last night when we were delighted to welcome friends neighbours crew mates and family to a Garden Party (in the garden!)The weather was kind despite a series  of thunderclaps and we all went to bed well oiled.

Many thanks to all those who came to ‘See Us Off’ and for all the generous gifts

Today my friend Jimmy from the Solomon Islands had a go in my dugout canoe on the local river and my other friend Steve tried out his coracle. It was great to see two primitive craft from opposite sides of the world  together in Southern England. Itis now a week before planned departure so let’s hope the forecast of strong North Easterlies next weekend is wrong.

Only time will tell!

Keep your fingers tightly crossed

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Down the creek with a mechanical paddle

After a certain amount of huffing and puffing and with an embarrassing level of public attention we managed to leave Iron Wharf in good time for the tide

After touching the mud a few times and as a consequence engaging in much revving of the engine we were pleased to see that the ‘blue smoke out of the exhaust’ problem resolved itself and we safely negotiated Faversham Creek and found ourself back in The Swale by high tide.

We are now securely attached to the mooring with minimal leakage.....the boat at least...and fully charged batteries.

Another proverbial step in the right direction towards our departure  Northwards in a fortnight

Here is a picture of negotiating Faversham Creek

The moment of truth

Well at long last the boat is probably ready for launch day.

There are several anxieties preying on my mind

Will she float?

How bad will she leak?

Will the engine work?

Will the depthsounder function? 

.....The list continues....

Anyway my friend Steve says that I worry too much and that everything will be fine. I hope his confidence is maintained after his 2 week stint with me up the East Coast!!

The first picture is of my friend Dave who came for a cup of tea. He hates boats and is pretending to relive a recurring nightmare of being run down at sea.

The second picture proves that Calismarde did in fact float ready for the always interesting trip down Faversham Creek back to the moorings