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| Daisy II and other Drascombes making slow progress in light winds against the incoming tide |
Another rally, this time a return trip to north Norfolk and the delightful Wells-next-the-Sea. With coastal sailing, tides always dictate terms of engagement and never more so than here. Water rushes into the harbour a couple of hours before HW and disappears just as quickly afterwards. Building in a safety net for skippers, such as myself, unfamiliar with the qwerks of this location and we're really looking at a sailing window of little more than three hours per tide.
On my last visit to Wells, tides were on springs, with HW early morning and evening. This allowed for two daily sails with a long hiatus between. The drawback of this was the exceptionally early start. This time, we were on neaps and a lunchtime tide. I can see advantages both ways but, having seen it both ways, would probably favour the two tide option on future visits.
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| 11.7nm: Red track - Saturday; Yellow track - Sunday |
Saturday 11th June
Arrival at 8.30am, rigged and launched by 9.30 and sailing until 1pm.
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| Launching at the public slipway, steep at the top with a necessary 90 degree turn onto the quay. However, Daisy II was successfully launched and recovered with no major dramas. Single handed launching would be difficult since there's nowhere to tie up |
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| Wooden lugger Rita May with ingenious plastic green seats |
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| Lugger Piper leading the way but where's the wind? |
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| Dabber Mary Jane |
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6.7nm: Saturday track. We sailed in light, dwindling winds, out of the harbour. The winds died away completely, leaving us drifting eastwards in the now ebbing tide, so we motored back into the harbour.
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After-sail entertainment
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| Berthing on the pontoon: excellent washing facilities for visiting boatmen although one of the duty harbour masters seemed reluctant to release the key code. |
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| View of the pontoon and the harbour beyond. |
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| A spell of beach cricket gave an opportunity to look at another of the many retired lifeboats which are moored in the harbour. This one is, apparently, used as a holiday home! |
Sunday 12th June
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| Lugger Jimbo at 6am. Skipper Yann yet to surface from his ingenious tent |
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| Lugger Piper. Crew performing a 'wind dance' |
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| Winds finally arrive! |
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| Lugger Jimbo's turn to host additional crew |
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| Dissension in the ranks. The fleet opposes the admiral |
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| Dabber Mary Jane |
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| Winds drop, once again, opposite the lifeboat station |
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| 5nm Sunday track. Once again, we motored out of the harbour, hoisted sails and made something of the light breeze |
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