Drascombes and Cobles

Coble at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea

I was in Northumberland this weekend, visiting my son who is at the university in Newcastle.  Whilst waiting for him to discover the meaning and value of mornings, my wife and I took a breakfast trip to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.  Amongst the many things which make a visit to this charming seaside town utterly worthwhile, I happened upon a yard of Coble boats.  Native to the north east, these historic boats are very much the spiritual antecedents of John Watkinson's Drascombe design.  It's not difficult to see why when observing that familiar rake on the stern transom.  Further discussion can be garnered from this thread from the Drascombe forum.

Today seemed a good opportunity to take some snaps of these fabulous looking boats.

Another coble, with the distant view out to sea.

Later the same day, my son did surface and we took a trip to Kielder Water which is the former stamping ground of Daisy II in her former guise of Aquarius prior to my purchase of her.  Indeed, my only previous visit to this place was in November 2006 at the invitation of her previous owners, in response to their advertisement, viewing Aquarius before discussing terms.

We didn't find much boating going on today - it would have been cold and wet, albeit a pleasant northerly breeze - but, after a pleasant shoreline walk, we popped into a pub for a very welcome mid afternoon meal.  It's remarkable, in the bleakness of the surrounding countryside with so few people around, to find such an oasis: The Boat Inn at Leaplish Waterside Park.  Recommended!

May half term cruise 24-27 May

A quiet bank holiday Monday anchorage off Iken Cliff on the River Alde, just short of Snape (day 2)

Another half term holiday, another opportunity to wind down from work; what better way than cruising.  Nowhere in particular to go, all the time in the world to achieve this!

Day 1, Sunday 24th May: Orwell to Deben

19.2nm

Tides, during this cruise, featured early morning and early evening HWs, heading towards neaps.
I left the mooring at 1330 heading downstream with the intention of setting out to sea, towards the Deben.  Winds in Harwich harbour were easterly and touching F4 leading to quite loppy seas.  So I decided to run with the tide down the Stour waiting for conditions to improve.  Winds duly abated and I turned back under motor, using the beginning ebb, back through Harwich harbour, cutting the corner at Landguard Point and then setting sail towards the Deben.  The sea state had much improved by the time I reached Woodbridge Haven.

Woodbridge Haven

Winds were now NW and very light.  I wouldn't have made much progress beating against the ebb, so motored to a favourite anchorage on the NW shore near Bowships Reach.

Anchorage on the Deben at Bowships Reach

Deben sunset

Day 2, Monday 25th May: Deben to Snape

38.1nm

Ordinarily, I don't bother with curtains in the cabin.  One reason for this is so that I wake when daylight arrives and don't lose a moment.  Today was no exception.  I left the anchorage at 0430, before breakfast, and enjoying the last hour or so of the flood up to Woodbridge, beating into NW breeze.  

Woodbridge once again!

The good reason for being on the Deben today was to rendezvous with the previous owner of Daisy II who was a part of the Cape Cutter rally which had reached Waldringfield.  A return run downstream led to me sailing past his boat at 0810.  Not having the heart to wake his crew, I stretched out time by sailing on to The Rocks and then beating back upstream against the tide where captain and crew had finally surfaced.
Following a pleasant coffee aboard a Cape Cutter - splendid boats, perhaps more to write about these another time - I needed to press on with the day's objective which was to reach Orford Haven in time to use the flood up to Snape.

Good facilities at Felixstowe Ferry

I was leaving the Deben at LW, but there was plenty of water.  Out at sea, the flood had already set, so the trip up the coast was against the tide.  In order to speed things up, the outboard was deployed about half way up the coast until safely in the Ore where, against a NE breeze, sail was set for a beat up the Ore and Alde as far as Aldeburgh.  Turning west at Aldeburgh, winds abated so I motored along to the evening anchorage at Iken - photographed at the start of this article.

View back towards Iken Church, overseeing the ominously named 'Troublesome Reach'

Further view of Iken Cliffs

Day 3, Tuesday 26th May: Snape to Walton Backwaters, via Stour
Today, it transpired that Daisy II put to the test that notion of sailing all day, without a single break.  Just how far can a Drascombe coaster go?  Here's an answer:

48.3nm

This will surely be one of the longer daily doses of cruising, lasting from 0700 at Snape until 2100 in Landermere Creek.  Still, it's 14 hours at an average speed of 3.5knts which is not unusual.  There were plenty of moments of much greater speeds, particularly with the ebb down the Alde/Ore and then along the coast in a pleasant F3 easterly breeze.  Returning to the Stour, and an unsuccessful attempt to find a lunchtime berth at Halfpenny Pier, I pressed on upstream, lunching on the hoof (?) as it were!  Along the way, I heard the boat Lucy Laver call the coastguard on VHF confirming its successful trip from Ramsgate up to Harwich.  That sounded like quite a trip, even more so when the very boat appeared alongside me off Erwarton Bay.

Lucy Lavers

She looked an interesting boat so, since returning home, I've looked her up.  She was returning from the 75th anniversary of the 'retreat from Dunkirk'.  She was one of the boats that participated in the real thing.  Extraordinary.  Her website is here.
Winds gradually abated so that, at a point short of Mistley, a few hours short of HW, I found myself drifting upstream under the power of the tide alone.  There still wasn't quite the depth to plough on to Manningtree, except along the channel along Mistley Quay.  I didn't fancy this, so turned back downstream, initially against the flood.  Eventually, the easterly breeze picked up and I had a wonderful long beat back towards Harwich harbour.  Off Parkeston Quay, I realised that it would require a night sail and some stamina to continue sailing to the Backwaters.  I had also experienced trouble during the day with the outboard being very reluctant to start.  I have a feeling it may be a carburettor issue.  So, an 'Italian tune-up' seemed a good idea.  Make or break!

Returning past Harwich Lifeboat Station, Lucy Lavers was seen mixing with the new boats!

The ear-splittingly noisy trip round to the Backwaters took 75 minutes!

Day 4, Wednesday 27th May: return to mooring

10.6nm

Well, this is a well-rehearsed route.  Winds, today, were NW so pleasant until reaching Harwich when, again, there wasn't sufficient strength to justify a long beat into the harbour and back to the mooring against the ebb.  So, following on from yesterday's ear-splitting ordeal, I put the outboard to the test again.  It still isn't starting properly, seemingly not starting within four pulls with choke pulled out, but then starting second pull with choke pushed back in.  It's never behaved like that before.  Better that it starts any way than not at all...

Sunday (yellow), Monday (red), Tuesday (green), Wednesday (white).  116.2nm

Rudder rest and day sailing

I've been making do without a rudder rest for a couple of seasons since the old one finally broke for the last time.  Due to other recent woodworking successes, it seemed churlish not to have a go at making one.  I used Tim Pettigrew's excellent website for inspiration although the dimensions, particularly in terms of length were changed slightly.  My version is ever so slightly shorter in both overall length and the length of the slot.  I also made use of a cheap supply of stainless steel fixing plates (ebay, all the way from Hong Kong!) to reinforce the top.

Rudder rest in situ

As can be seen from this picture, mine is slotted in in the opposite way to Tim's - ie. with open bit facing to the stern.  If I had tried it the other way round, it simply wouldn't have fitted - and it would seem odd trying to slot it in that way round.  It seems to work this way round, although the front end does rest on the upper bearing so the whole thing doesn't quite rest in the rudder casing.

Given that I simply used old spruce off-cuts from my store in the garage, the whole thing cost no more than £6.50.

All of that excitement aside, I have been for a couple of day sails during the past three weeks - the weekend in between was choral society weekend.

Coaster Pamela coming out to play on the 10th May - sadly, I was on the way back to shore!

On the 10th May, I came down just to spend a few hours fiddling - fitting the rudder rest.  I went for a brief sail, but conditions were of the gusty kind I don't much like.  Yesterday, 23 May, the purpose of the visit was to prepare the boat for a cruising beginning today.  It was such good weather, I had to go for a sail. I was also looking out for Cape Cutters who are beginning their annual meet based at Suffolk Yacht Harbour.  I saw a couple and took some good snaps!  They are truly splendid boats and I would be tempted to buy were they not so damned heavy - you really need a good 4x4 and a two people to launch and recover with ease.

Cape Cutter Sapphire

Cape Cutter Fraoch

Cape Cutter Fraoch

10th May (yellow) 2.2nm; 23rd May (red) 7.8nm

Sunday 26th April

Nothing remarkable about today's sail.  Just a good opportunity for a gentle sail.

A Thames barge sailing past Trimley Marshes

Winds were light, NE.  Rain threatened but, bar the odd spot, never really materialised.  Setting off around LW, I sailed downstream against the incoming flood (currently neap tides).  Motor sailing was necessary until the turn at Collimer Point, after which I made good progress without the motor against the continuing flood as far as Fagbury Point.  The return trip saw dwindling winds so that, the motor was deployed around Butterman's Bay mainly to avoid commercial traffic.

Good to sea the port of Ipswich continuing to attract business.

  A brief coda saw winds return and enabled me to sail up to Royal Harwich Yacht Club to see the freshly launched Valentine on her mooring.

Coaster Valentine on her mooring, looking good for her winter fitting out - obvious addition is a mizzen boom.
I gather she has also received copper coat antifouling.

8.9nm

Seahopper assembly

Boat assembly, Seahopper style.

Bag laid out

hull removed

opened out revealing centre case and hinged stern transom 

port side stern transom fixed in place

and the starboard side; boat begins to take shape.

centre thwart in place

centre thwart pushed into place, stainless steel latches and turn buckles under the seat near the centrecase secured

stern thwart in place (subsequently read the instructions which suggest this should be done after the bow is sorted...)

bow, showing inner membrane

bow board in place

bow thwart in place with latches secured

boat completed for rowing purposes.

stern board in place - this can support an outboard, if required - except that I don't have one!

the stern board is more useful for the tiller

help from the cat!

side seats in place

mast hoisted and stays secured.

It was very windy today, so I did unfurl the sails and studied the rigging but didn't go any further.

Assembly didn't take long: I'm looking forward to the first launching opportunity.

End of term mini-cruise: 23-24 July

Free at last...(from term time...)

Such is the lot of a teacher, summer holidays lead to cruising opportunities the like of which other working-folk could possibly only dream...
On Wednesday, the boss let us out at lunchtime and, by 4.30pm, I was at Pin Mill, rowing to the boat with 40 litres of freshly filled water cans, a 5 litre top up can of petrol and sufficient equipment and provisions for an overnight stop somewhere.  In truth, the water and fuel is in preparation for the big cruise starting on Monday.  It also acts as ballast in that I arrange the water on the cabin floor around the centre case; it certainly helps stiffen up the boat given that I usually sail single-handed.

Winds were NE F4 and, as is often the case, I began tentatively.  Using jib and mizzen I sailed close-hauled, against the flood and initially with the outboard ticking over, down the Orwell.  I switched off the outboard opposite Levington and it wasn't troubled again for the entire trip.  Sailing around Shotley point the tide was now in my favour as Daisy II reached up the Stour.  One can be certain that jib and mizzen will do when speed tops out at 6.5kts in such conditions.

In winds of this direction, I calculated correctly on a smoothish night at anchor in Holbrook bay close to the eastern side.

Overnight victuals...

Sunset over Holbrook School

The sail back on 24th July, again, was characterised by NE winds, F3 initially, more like F4 as I reached Harwich harbour.  It was a wonderful beat up the Stour against the remaining flood under full sail.  As I returned to the Orwell, I hove-to briefly to furl the mizzen and put a few furls in the jib since some stronger gusts were coming across.  Once around Collimer Point, mizzen was unfurled and I had a lovely run back to the mooring.  Along the way, there a Drascombe was sighted - not sure which one but wonder if it is the longboat kept up at Woolverstone?  Happy for anyone to let me know!

Unidentified Drascombe (sailing too fast for me to catch up...)!

I also spotted my next trailer-sailing option, although I do worry about coping with the roping!

Tall ship with copious rope!

20.1nm, top speed 6.5kts