A couple of weeks ago I spoke of my belief in the immanent arrival of spring. Well it has definitely arrived.
My Mate and I got out on the tide, after I’d fitted a new oil lamp below – leaving the Mate getting the boat ready!
We’d gone creek-wards laden with a generator, drill and a new slider too – later fitted to our aft moorings after getting back in. As the tide left the boat I also went overboard (on a walking board) to use a newly acquired impact driver to loosen some screws on Whimbrel’s bow fitting. Its got to come off for re-bedding!
Anyway, the important aspect of being down the creek was to go sailing…
We slid out of our mooring a little after two hours before high water – the tide seemed to be sluggish for a 5.8 m (Southend), we thought. Sails were set whilst the boat jogged with the flood, up the creek, before tacking round to run out…
Sailing out of Smallgains Creek on a very spring-like morning…
For a short time I thought some assistance with the diesel was going to be needed as we slowly stemmed the incoming tide, but no, with patience, the game little sloop prevailed. There seemed to be a huge number of Brent honking and jostling around the base of the cord grass beds. The eel grass has long gone and I expect the wheat and barley fields below Hadleigh Castle is being cropped off regularly now! Its still at least two months before they’re due to head off, north.
Brent dabbling amongst stalks of cord grass… My mooring neighbour and fellow Finesse owner’s house sits on that yonder hill!
‘Which way?’ I asked the mate. A wave of the arm and a comment about only being aboard for the ride, I headed in the light south-westerly upstream. Off Two Tree Island, and approaching Bird Island a flock of waders lifted aff as the water ran over it. A group of gulls hung on for a little while after our passing… Then I spotted a heron watching the edges with sublime patience…
‘Harold’ the Heron…
The marsh colours today were fantastic with a decent amount of sunshine, at first, giving them a ripened glow. The new season’s growth will be beginning to show itself amongst those dead stalks. Like on land the plant world decided on spring sometime back.
My Mate enjoying her book, interspersed with watching our slowly passing world…
Some tacks were necessary as we went up towards Benfleet’s end of the creek. The Mate, after making another coffee, decided to set her reading aside and help: it helps to keep the cold at bay! We had a series of long and shorts up to the moorings of Benfleet YC. The, strangely the wind went southerly – great!
Our turn was made just beyond the club house and we noticed our mate Dick’s Mariette was still out of the water. There are two other Finesse 24s here, hiding up the Benfleet club’s back channel – I’d love to see them out!
The Island’s other yacht club through the rigging…
We were hailed by an ex-Finesse owner who was aboard his Moody 27 getting it tidy below for putting stuff ‘back in’ he later messaged on Facebook. Nice to see a friendly face!
We also saw Mister Pegotty, a Seaking 31, based at the Benfleet Motor Yacht Club on the north shore. There were several people aboard out for a spin under power… We exchanged cheery salutes…
On the way down the creek, passing Two Tree Island again, the Mate commented upon the chimney looking a little lonely without its boiler and turbine houses spread out beneath: they’ve all gone. And, that chimney will be down soon. It’ll not be there next spring. We both remarked about this with just a little sadness, but, change is continuous. The estuary is not, like the Cutty Sark, preserved in a jar of aspic…
The soon to be demolished chimney on Grain. The ship just happened to be coming up Sea Reach too…
Back down in the open a couple of other sails were spotted as we sailed on past the Island’s point. Then, whilst turning, I dispensed with the mainsail while my good Mate jogged into the creek under jib: it was time to head for home…
Yes, we had a grand sail. It was great to be out, together, enjoying the first of spring…