So, 2025, let’s have a wander back down the creek of time.
For me it marked a personal moment in my life: in June it was seventy years since my birth. During the year we have been having a ball – that is the boat, my mate and me – never mind stuff away from the waterfront for we’ve done all sorts during the year, but this piece only covers the sailing side of our lives.
It is now two and a half years since our move to The Blackwater Marina located at the head of Lawling Creek. It has been a blissful time after the turmoil we latterly experienced at the Island Yacht Club – something that we (me especially) are allowing to slip into the past. It has been a happy experience with the yard and in our uncluttered freedoms coming and going without fear.
Bird life in the rill off the moorings at Maylandsea.
There is always a little bit of water in the creek just off the end of the Blackwater Marina moorings and during the winter a myriad of water fowl can be viewed at close quarters. The ‘mewing’ of Widgeon mingles with the calls of sandpipers and more distant curlews. Larger mallards dabble and egrets strut. Yes, it’s grand.
We ‘took’ Graham who lives in Canada for a virtual sail…
While out on the water during the winter (and at other times) we have called my eldest brother Graham in far off Newfoundland, where he is usually ‘snowed in, allowing him to enjoy a virtual sail. He, in his inimitable way, always proceeds to tell me where we are and what we are doing as if he, himself, was at the helm!
Sailing into our moorings – mate ready to drop headsail…
When conditions are right we now think nothing of sailing out of the marina and also sailing in, right into our berth. With a crew aboard, it helps for the headsail can be judiciously dropped to allow the boat’s way to forge inwards, but I have dropped onto our berth under full sail i light conditions.
Back in the time when we were berthed at ‘that club’ up Smallgains Creek, sailing in was a common procedure. If it isn’t necessary to use the diesel, then why do so, remains my motto.
As is the way, when spring comes round, the usual touching up of broken or damaged varnish begins to be remedied in preparation for over-coating. Decks too are spot repaired. Below, the mate always has a thorough clean through of all surfaces and cleans out behind ribs, clearing out trapped verdigris.
Dinghy cover having been cleaned it was reproofed.
All the covers get a clean and coat of reproofing fluid.This greatly improves longevity – not an arduous job but a cost saving in the long run.
When the tides suit at a suitable late spring weekend, we are ‘free’ to use the yard’s hard to do the bottom scrubbing and antifouling. At that time the hull gets its going over and is touched up as required. The hull varnish work is sanded and recoated too.
This seems onerous, but it isn’t really. The exercise is good (knackering) and we always make it as fun as we can. We usually enjoy fish and chips for supper after the ‘first’ bottom has been readied for painting – the down time allows for drying. The ‘longest’ bit is the early morning wait for boat to ground, pull her over and get at the bottom with pressure washer for I always let the boat ride down hard for the ‘second’ side, allowing an early departure on the subsequent afternoon tide…
Whimbrel on the hard, scrubbed, antifouled and varnish recoated, with tide creeping up.
After a ten day holiday in Jersey and Guernsey from late May, we arrived home and were aboard Whimbrel within thirty-six hours … unbeknown to us, our boy had boarded in our absence and decorated the inside of the boat with a 70th streamer. That wasn’t all for when the loo compartment was opened it was found to be choker with balloons, which tumbled out… They were strung up, adding to the jollities!
We came back fro the Channel Islands and found Whimbrel had been ‘attacked’…
Over my birthday we had an overnight visit to Maldon staying at the Shipways Yard which is now a separate entity from the chandlery. The yard’s manager (Adrian) and his son purchased the whole caboodle: chandlery is now leasing the shed… I had taken the precaution to prebook…
Adrian and his wife said that their taking over of the yard was a thought-through decision but was still rather frightening. A new office was under construction on the quay in the upstream outer corner a couple of months ago. There yard has a shower facility available too, off the lobby of the sailing school.
Roger and Andrew (Ardley) were joining: I moved Whimbrel to outer pontoon and got ready to leave…
The annual tie up with my youngest brother and a cousin, this year, meant an early Friday arrival for them due to tide times. To be sure, Whimbrel was moved onto a clear outer pontoon, ready to slip, on a falling tide. It was a grand weekend, with some lively sailing.
My brother provided us with some delight in the Mersea Quarters sailing Twitch in stiffish conditions. A lot of fun was being had we could see, but when he was on a return to base leg in the cut, off the floating pontoon, I said to my cousin, ‘Don’t gybe … don’t gybe…’ looking at the dinghy. A gybe took place with its resultant capsize and crew dunking … my brother was standing up to his waist bailing the dinghy when we slipped alongside on a rescue mission… It was all under control though but was for the best. The newly serviced and equipped lifejacket had inflated!
Twitch going well…
The turn of my sister and two friends came next after the mate and I had enjoyed some pottering on the Orwell and Stour. I’d planned for us to reach the navigable head of the R. Alde as well as a tour of the R. Deben. Objectives were achieved with slight change to some planned destinations due to weather. Early on the tide from the Butley River the crew sailed up to well above Iken Cliff, where after touching, we stopped for lunch. There wasn’t to be any digging out sagas this time…
Passing Iken Church on the R. Alde.
We met a Dutch couple during the Snape trip and they came aboard two days later for a drink when we were both moored above Felixstowe Ferry ready to clear the river on the following morning.
The mate and I had an ‘interesting’ rest more or less in same spot a week or so later. Coming to one of a myriad of vacant moorings with trailing weedy lines, the ‘harbour master’ ferry man was passing and I nodded, he waved, I assumed we were cleared to moor. Later, I was asleep (!), with mate in cockpit reading/knitting the ferry man ranged close and gave her a rocketing for mooring without prior permission … he was extremely rude … he had passengers aboard too! Mate, although indignant, ignored him, especially when he said, ‘Do you understand me…’
On a windy day in Suffolk Yacht Harbour, we went for a walk inland.
The summer was punctuated with a couple of windy sessions along the way and during these we made for shelter where ease of getting ashore was number one priority. Windy days make for good walking days, especially when sun is sparkling on the white overfalls on turbulent waters.
A little ‘funny’ – the laundry was strung up in the rigging at Suffolk Yacht Harbour and we returned from a walk to well aired dry washing … it was only later when I couldn’t find a pair of smart chino shorts … we realised they’d clearly escaped!
On the whole the summer weather was good, again. Towards the end of our cruising, we had a rather delightful sail up to Colchester Hythe with a gentle breeze wafting us along. The visitors berthing was all taken up by ‘abandoned’ and other craft, bar a short bit awash with saltings at the ‘town’ end. Later I found out that one alone was there by permission. So, judging short end not fit for purpose and in the grass, we about turned and powered down to Wivenhoe where the delightful sailing club welcomed us into a berth.
Sailing up the R. Colne to the Hythe.
After a discussion with Colchester Council, I was told that many changes were to take place along the Hythe to tidy it up, clear ‘dumped’ vessels, put in some control and keep the visitors pontoon clear for visitors…
I got a bit of flack from a disgruntled mooring holder who completely took the wrong line on a piece I gave to the Blackwater and Colne Users Group – apart from being branded an ‘incompetent’ she threatened court action! So, since then, I have stopped adding stuff to the group as nothing was said. Facebook seems to have got a heck of a lot worse in recent times and group controllers are just not doing their jobs.
Scrubbing Twitch’s bottom.
Twitch’s bottom had two scrubs this last season. Fouling wasn’t bad though. Lower down is a picture of her bottom anti-fouled ready for her next ducking…
I crept into a gutway off Woodrolfe Creek to look at the remains of the Saltcote Belle.
Twitch took me into various little creeklets during the season, as is the way. One was a little gut of Woodrolfe Creek where the remains of the Saltcote Belle rest in decaying grandeur. It has been interesting watching her demise over the years – she was a barge from my childhood and was often met in our family sailing!
The Rally for Finesse craft was organised by Whimbrel’s crew this year, however, the weekend coincided with a rather torrid ‘summer blow’ – it cae as per forecast and if boats had travelled earlier in week, we could have had a grand time. Disappointingly, it was just us! Various owners came by road for chat and a evening chow at marina’s bistro bar.
Whimbrel dressed for the Finesse Rally…
Autumn came upon us, as per usual, and we had a few trips down river taking in West Mersea and Brightlingsea. The Colne barge match weekend was a disaster but a few local barges and smacks braved the weather, which on the day, wasn’t as bad as predicted. We didn’t make it.
The crew, dressed for the autumn!
In fact, the mate came up with a rather grand idea, ‘why don’t we have a ‘dirty’ night away instead…’ she had a twinkle in her eye too … so I found a room at a delightful hotel in Lavenham for the Saturday night. We plan to go back. Food was grand too! Lavenham is in Suffolk, beyond the R. Stour.
We stopped off in Sudbury and found water – the R. Stour!
On our last visit to brightlingsea, in ideal and delightful conditions, we were able to get away from the Heritage pontoon under sail with a clear slant – second time in the year – and was watched by a group of rowers.
Mate looks back: she’s ready to slip from Heritage Pontoon, Brightlingsea.
By the first week of October our overnight sails were at an end. We had a cottage holiday in Derbyshire during the last week by which time November was nigh.
Cruising chute used while returning on our last weekend…
While the weather was still good enough, the dinghy had a varnish make-over ready for a full over coat in the spring and her bottom was done too.
Twitch is prepared for the next season!
The autumn and early winter have dished out a lot of wind but continued joys came our way.
Yes, it has been a good year.
What many boaters miss are those wonderful coldish days when the sun shines. The air is clear and the colours are wonderful and reflective. I wouldn’t miss it for the world…
Whimbrel sailing in Lawling Creek on a painted sea creeping over the flood with barely a breeze.