2019 Shakedown cruise

Back on the water.  This is the Blackwater with F5, gusting F6 easterly winds.  So, going upstream against the tide, the jib worked well enough. 

Daisy II has been quiet for several months, but things have been happening and, at last, it was good to be back on the water.

Monday 15th April - White track (6.7nm); Tuesday 16th April - red track (30.9nm); Wednesday 17th April (9.0nm).  Total track length 46.6nm

I've been having issues getting the Garmin software to work with Google Maps.  The above is a compromise for now, whilst working a better way round the various barriers which seem to be in the way.

Log summary:  

Monday 15th April.  Launched at Bradwell Marina.  Winds F5/6 easterly.  Tide receding.  Left the Marina at noon, mid-tide, set full jib and worked a way upstream.  Conditions were awkward with big 'wind-over-tide' waves midstream.  Stuck to the edges of the channel where the water was calmer.  Worked upstream to Lawling Creek for anchorage.

Tuesday 16th April.  Winds F3/4 easterly backing north-easterly.  Took the tide down to Heybridge and then turned with the fresh ebb to work downstream.  Lunch at anchor off Bradwell Power Station.  The seas had calmed down sufficiently to sail across to the Colne for evening anchorage in Pyefleet Channel.

Wednesday 17th April.  Becalmed.  Motored back to Bradwell Marina, pulling the boat out at 12 noon.

Daisy II waiting patiently on the jetty at Bradwell Marina

Bradwell Marina continues to offer an excellent slipway, and remains a great place from which to cruise this wonderful sailing area.

So much better than the oval windows on other Drascombe coasters

Sunset on Pyefleet

The exciting repair is a new rudder/mizzen capping since the old one was completely warped and in danger of falling apart.  This new one is from Churchouse Boats - they made it specifically to fit since the old one seemed to be slightly different in size from their standard fitting.  

Summer holiday shakedown cruise, 21-24 July

No charges for this evening berth in Holbrook Bay

At last, the summer holidays have arrived and it's always important to set out one's stall, as it were.  This will be a summer of sailing - as if it hadn't been already.

100.7nm

The first instalment on Saturday 21st July, was to tag along with a Dinghy Cruising Association rally - the first time I had done this.  They happened to be in the area, so it seemed churlish not to.  The plan was to launch on the Orwell, sail around to Holbrook Bay, beach our boats for the evening, making use of a local pub, and then back the next day.  I like that ethos: no expensive marina fees, free moorings courtesy of 'mother nature'.  In the event, Daisy II was one of four participating boats.



Other DCA boats

Evening berth, courtesy of 'mother nature' in Holbrook Bay

The evening was only spoilt by the pub claiming it was too busy to serve us food, thus forcing me to work through some tins of rations on the boat. When we arrived at the pub for beer at 9.10pm, it was completely deserted, so they couldn't have been that busy...

Day 1: 19.0nm

The following day, I parted company from the others and sailed out of the Stour, down The Wallet to Pyefleet Creek opposite Brightlingsea.



Yet again, Pyefleet rewarded me with some excellent sunset imagery.

Day 2: 30.2nm

On 23rd, I motored out to Colne Point and then set sail back up The Wallet, bound for The Deben.  The weather was set fair, with light winds, and progress was steady and I arrived at The Rocks anchorage at about 3pm.
Later that evening, I called in at Waldringfield for a bite to eat in the pub.

Beached at Waldringfield

...before retiring to The Rocks for the night.

Day 3: 36.2

Finally, on the 24th, I motored back round to Woolverstone to return home.

Becalmed on the final morning - anchored at The Rocks, River Deben



Day 4: 15.3nm



June birthday cruise to Pyefleet

High and dry: dawn in Pyefleet Channel

I haven't had much luck recently. Quite apart from needing to get the trailer serviced, Daisy II finally hopped from her trestles (see previous post) back on to a supposedly (see below) newly serviced trailer only to be stuck in 100 minutes of stationary traffic on the A14 last weekend.

Stationary for 100 minutes, but safer than the motorcyclist, a few hundred yards up the road, who the emergency services had to peel off the road.

Once moving again, there wouldn't have been much time to enjoy Rutland Water, so I returned home, determined, this weekend, to do some sailing.

Imagine the joy, then, of being stuck on the A130 with a red hot offside trailer wheel, whilst trailing down to Bradwell.  Hailing the AA, efficient as ever, we diagnosed a bit of a problem with a sticky offside brake.

It had by now freed itself, and the mechanic suggested the recent 'service' perhaps wasn't of the best quality.  However, with a few adjustments, it seems now to be working properly, and there were fortunately no further dramas for the remainder of the trip down to Bradwell Marina.


The 150 minute delay meant that I had missed the tide and, indeed, almost missed the chance to launch altogether, rush-launching the boat an hour before LW at the muddy end of the slipway, doing the remainder of the rigging whilst afloat.  Finally, I was ready for a sail.

Finally launched after a disappointingly dramatic journey.

I had intended to slip up The Wallet to the Walton Backwaters, but had missed the tide, so opted, instead, for a more leisurely sail across to a calm anchorage in Pyefleet, returning with the tide the following morning.

Mersea Island's battered sea defences

Unusually for me, on the return trip, I left Pyefleet about an hour before HW.  In previous visits, I seem always to have left at or around LW, perhaps ready for a trip up the Blackwater with the tide.  So, it made sense to capitalise on all of this water and sail in close to Mersea Island, something I don't remember doing before.  I had to dodge a few sand banks which seem to extend a fair way out to sea.  I also spent too much time listening to the endless drone of these ridiculous jet skis.  What people see in these things, I'll never know.  Only good for unsettling an otherwise pleasant sea, and making loads of noise.  Otherwise, it was good to sail in close to the island for the first time, although I do fear for its battered sea defences in places.


The other relief on this trip is that the outboard, which on the previous Broads trip had developed a marginally worrying rattle, seems to be working fine - which suggests my theory was correct - that the rattle could have been some object stored elsewhere on the boat.  Will continue to monitor...








White track: June 23rd Bradwell Marina to Pyefleet.  11.1nm.  Red track: return trip: 9.4nm