Rivers Crouch and Roach

Approaching Paglesham, River Roach

An Easter cruise is not always convincingly achieved although highly prized.  This week, certain spheres fell into alignment - high pressure (relatively calm conditions), the end of the school term, a clear diary together with a boat ready and waiting - allowing Daisy II's most extensive April cruise yet.  The aim was a 'scouting' trip to the Rivers Crouch and Roach - new locations to me but representing the next logical step in east coast cruising.  The purpose of this particular mission was to prepare the way for a more serious cruise planned for the beginning of August.

Wednesday 9th April
Ideal conditions for a trip down 'The Wallet' (the stretch of coastal waters between Walton on the Naze and the entrance to the River Blackwater) would be NW.  Today's SW winds hadn't read the script, particularly when they fizzled out completely just off Clacton on Sea.  I left the Orwell at 11.30am with the last few hours of the ebb, aiming to pick up the fresh flood off the Naze tower.  Winds were F3 or less and I persisted rather too long with sail power, underestimating the distance from the Wallet, the two Eagle markers, the Buxey Beacon, over the Buxey sands (following AC Stock's directions) and then on into the Crouch.

Buxey Beacon, guarding the Buxey Sands.  AC Stock recommended a short cut shoal-draft channel over the sand bank at or around HW, when approaching from the River Blackwater instead of following the usual Whitaker Channel.  Although I didn't need to follow this route, I wanted to try it out.

 Unlike, Stock, I had to make extended use of the engine, which fortunately behaved impeccably and arrived at my anchorage, just off Wallasea Ness inside the Roach, in the dark!  

Thursday 10th April
Last night's anchorage was, literally, a shot in the dark and I knew, from echo sounder information, that I would be left high and dry and, most probably, on a slope.  Fortunately, the slope wasn't too pronounced, although I was hugging the port gunwhale for much of the night.

Grounded at dawn on Thursday morning

Today's plan was to take the morning flood up the Crouch, and the evening flood up the Roach, looking out for suitable landing spots along the way.  As with the previous day, winds were exceptionally light in the morning although the sun shone and the face burned.

Approaching Hullbridge - looked to be a stopping place for a meal here.

North Fambridge Yacht Station - stopping involves paying!

Approaching Burnham on Crouch from the west.  Handily, there is a town pontoon which was almost deserted, although I imagine things will be rather different in the summer.

Tied up for lunch at the town pontoon, Burnham on Crouch

The usual town facilities are within easy walking distance - this will be handy in the summer.

After lunch, the wind made a more serious attempt at doing something useful.  In F3 W winds, I worked my way back down the Crouch to the entrance to the Roach, and sailed along the main river towards Paglesham, enjoying both navigation aids and the wildlife.

Navigation markers on the Crouch have a statuesque quality: something of the 'Queen of the Night' about them when approached at dusk!  They were much appreciated, as was the fact that my 2004 paper charts were woefully out of date.  Fortunately, I had the up to date chart on my ipad.

Seals aplenty on the River Roach

Paglesham boatyard looks as though it might be 'visitable' in the summer

My intended anchorage for the evening, Paglesham Creek, noted on the charts as being a suitable anchorage point, had a disconcertingly hard floor to its central channel which my anchor didn't appreciate, giving feedback all through the night.  Despite moving to a different location at one point, things didn't improve.  One to avoid in future, unless stopping on one of the sloping mudbanks.

Paglesham Creek

This evening's meal was more Lloyd Grossman 'red curry sauce' with chicken, added mushrooms and courgettes.  Worked a treat, as does the Trangia alcohol stove!

Friday 11th April
The forecast for today wasn't ideal - light winds from the NE, opposing my intended journey back up 'The Wallet'.  However, the next day looked worse and needing to be back home by tomorrow, I didn't want to leave all of the journeying until then.  So, the plan today was to sail back to the Walton Backwaters, and spend the night in one of my favourite anchorages.
I spent breakfast amongst the seals just inside Yokesfleet Creek.  Several came up for a chat, but few were close enough to photograph.

Shy seal

I did manage this bit of video.

Afterwards, I sailed round to Burnham for morning coffee.

More of the town pontoon at Burnham

Then, I sailed out to the mouth of the Crouch in NE winds.  I didn't fancy beating out of the Crouch, so used the engine to work my way along the official channel, using the northern arm - Buxey Edge, Swallowtail No3 - and then returning to sail, sometimes motor sailing, cutting between Wallet Spitway and Swin Spitway markers north east to the distantly observable Essex coastline.  At Frinton, the wind became too light to make much impact on some loppy conditions, and predicted afternoon showers threatened.

Afternoon showers were forecast for the Suffolk/Essex coast which, I thought, was just my luck as the remainder of the country bathed in sunshine.  Curiously, whilst there were clearly plenty around, I managed to avoid them all, although they made for interesting scenery.

So I used the engine to round the Naze tower along to the Pye End buoy and then into the Walton Backwaters.  I managed to pick up an empty mooring in Kirby Creek round the back of 'Skipper's Island', nostalgically, the same mooring that I spent my very first night afloat in Daisy II back in 2006.

Saturday 12th April
Leaving the mooring at 6.30am, I sailed back to Harwich and had a brief sail up the Stour.  Feeling fairly tired, it was time to return to the mooring which I managed by about 12.30pm, using the engine for the final mile. 'Brunch' and tidying followed and I managed to hit the road by mid-afternoon, before the onset of road tiredness - it being an 80 minute drive back home!

Overall, it was such a bonus to enjoy an extended trip and stretch further the cruising grounds of Daisy II.

Overall trip length 120.9nm.  Day 1: red.  Day 2: blue.  Day 3: yellow.  Day 4: white.