I had originally planned to journey by sea to last year's Walton Backwaters Rally (August 2008) but poor weather scuppered such plans. This year, the weather afforded little excuse, so I journeyed to the Walton Backwaters by sea, leaving my mooring on Friday 10th July at about 6.15pm, and arriving at Titchmarsh marina by 8.30pm. There was little wind in the Orwell estuary, but in Harwich harbour and Dovercourt Bay a pleasant F2 SW prevailed, so I motor-sailed for this part of the trip. In all, I covered a distance of 11.2 nm. The pictures on the above link show various views on this trip. Particularly memorable was the incredible welcome, as I entered Hamford Water (from Dovercourt Bay), of a seal on one of the sandbanks near Stone point. It was just as if the seal was standing guard at low water. The Backwaters provide an excellent place to sail with the seals... I also love the serenity of this picture looking south east down the Walton Channel.
In Titchmarsh marina, I arrived too late for the harbour master, so had to moor up for the night alongside a jetty, hoping that no-one would arrive during the night to claim the space as their own. A welcoming fish & chips supper in the restaurant, together with a few pints of Bombardier bitter set me up for a good night's kip.
Saturday morning enabled me to register my arrival officially with the harbour master, and motor round to my berth for the weekend. At around 10am, the rest of the fleet gathered, some of whom had yet to launch, so we eventually ventured out for a sail at around 11am. The fleet comprised 9 boats:
2 Coasters: my own Daisy II and Nonsuch
1 wooden longboat cruiser: Otter
3 luggers: name1, name2, Luwi
1 Driver: Mantra
1 longboat: Camilla Rose
1 Peterboat: Peterkin
We worked our way down the Walton Channel, and then out into Dovercourt Bay. Wind was minimal at first. At about 12pm, we turned back to tack into a slowly increasing F2 SW into Hamford Water, and up into Landermere Creek, eventually rafting up at anchor at the Western end of Landermere Creek at about 1.15pm. Three luggers ferried us up the Beaumont Cut to Beaumont Quay where our leader gave us a talk about the features of this historic site, and we settled down for lunch.
Returning to our boats, we worked our way back down Landermere Creek and turned South into Kirby Creek. By this time, the wind was pretty much Southerly and had increased to f4. Tacking against the ebb tide proved too much for all except the Driver Mantra, so most of us attempted to resort to outboard motors. That enabled Coaster Nonsuch, the wooden longboat cruiser Otter, and my boat Daisy II to negotiate our way across The Wade, which is shallow even at high tide. Later, we were told that two other boats' outboards packed up, and Jerry, our leader, in the lovely Peterboat Peterkin had to rescue them in turn as they abandoned Kirby Creek, sailed back round Horsey island, and ended up struggling their way into the Walton Channel. A fairly nail-biting experience for those involved! GPS tells me I covered 13.3 nm
Saturday evening provided a social opportunity during a Rally supper at Walton and Frinton Sailing Club.
Saturday night/Sunday morning heralded the forecast rain which we managed to see off by 10am. We set sail at around 11am. We had a fine reach down the Walton Channel, and out into Hamford Water - wind, South Westerly, f3 increasing to f4/5 in Hamford Water. I wish I had summoned up the courage to raised a reefed main sail, using, as I was, jib and mizzen, which provides for a safe single handed sail, if a little difficult to make headway when close-hauled. Finally, at about 12.30pm, most boats had worked their way back up the Walton Channel to haul out, so I put out to sea to work my way back to Pin Mill. I sailed out into Dovercourt Bay, on a wonderful run, working my way back through Harwich harbour, and into the Orwell. I took the sails down at Levington - too tired to bother to tack my way back up the final stretch - and motored for the final few nms up the Orwell to the mooring. Just before reaching the mooring, there was the slightly surreal sight of the mast of a local boat poking its way out from the surface. I haven't found out what caused this... Sunday sail amounted to 15.8nm.
So, the season's tachometer now reads: 125.3 nm
1 longboat: Camilla Rose
1 Peterboat: Peterkin
We worked our way down the Walton Channel, and then out into Dovercourt Bay. Wind was minimal at first. At about 12pm, we turned back to tack into a slowly increasing F2 SW into Hamford Water, and up into Landermere Creek, eventually rafting up at anchor at the Western end of Landermere Creek at about 1.15pm. Three luggers ferried us up the Beaumont Cut to Beaumont Quay where our leader gave us a talk about the features of this historic site, and we settled down for lunch.
Returning to our boats, we worked our way back down Landermere Creek and turned South into Kirby Creek. By this time, the wind was pretty much Southerly and had increased to f4. Tacking against the ebb tide proved too much for all except the Driver Mantra, so most of us attempted to resort to outboard motors. That enabled Coaster Nonsuch, the wooden longboat cruiser Otter, and my boat Daisy II to negotiate our way across The Wade, which is shallow even at high tide. Later, we were told that two other boats' outboards packed up, and Jerry, our leader, in the lovely Peterboat Peterkin had to rescue them in turn as they abandoned Kirby Creek, sailed back round Horsey island, and ended up struggling their way into the Walton Channel. A fairly nail-biting experience for those involved! GPS tells me I covered 13.3 nm
Saturday evening provided a social opportunity during a Rally supper at Walton and Frinton Sailing Club.
Saturday night/Sunday morning heralded the forecast rain which we managed to see off by 10am. We set sail at around 11am. We had a fine reach down the Walton Channel, and out into Hamford Water - wind, South Westerly, f3 increasing to f4/5 in Hamford Water. I wish I had summoned up the courage to raised a reefed main sail, using, as I was, jib and mizzen, which provides for a safe single handed sail, if a little difficult to make headway when close-hauled. Finally, at about 12.30pm, most boats had worked their way back up the Walton Channel to haul out, so I put out to sea to work my way back to Pin Mill. I sailed out into Dovercourt Bay, on a wonderful run, working my way back through Harwich harbour, and into the Orwell. I took the sails down at Levington - too tired to bother to tack my way back up the final stretch - and motored for the final few nms up the Orwell to the mooring. Just before reaching the mooring, there was the slightly surreal sight of the mast of a local boat poking its way out from the surface. I haven't found out what caused this... Sunday sail amounted to 15.8nm.
So, the season's tachometer now reads: 125.3 nm
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