Present: Graham Wadeson & Geoff Osborn Hope 18’ foot gaff sloop Peter Bick Little My Finn yawl

Sunday — Derek Harvey Swampscott/dory skiff Charles Proudfoot Tai Tai Roamer

As the tide on the day of the rally would enable me to thoroughly explore the Orwell, I launched my Finn yawl at Levington at just about low tide 9.30am after a two hour trail. The wind was NNE force 3-4 and I first sailed upstream to Woolverstone Marina where I negotiated favourable terms for our berths for that night.. After consuming my lunch I tucked in a reef as the wind had increased and become gusty. I then continued to beat upriver noting the local sights such as the Cathouse, Freston Tower and the motorway bridge before going right through the commercial port of Ipswich and on beyond the flood control gate. After all this short tacking it was pleasant to be able to turn tail and head downriver.

When I returned to the marina I had afternoon tea in best yachting manner on the balcony of the Schooner restaurant. This was disturbed by seeing a small gaff sloop with all sails set to topsail and what appeared to be a DCA burgee, approaching the pontoons. As I was just into a beef sandwich and my second cup of tea I was relieved to see it sail off again. I was able to finish my tea before it returned and I then ran down the refuelling jetty to welcome Graham Wadeson with Geoffrey Osborn as crew and direct them to our allocated berth. They had sailed down the coast from the Deben where Graham has a mooring, right opposite his house! Graham being accustomed to such convenience, didn’t fancy a night on the bottom boards of his gaffer so departed to see someone he knew who had a modern 34 foot yacht in the marina. He returned having fixed himself up with a whole double cabin to himself with en-suite shower and WC. Although either Geoffrey or I could have shared his apartment we were worried about the effect that such luxury would have on our Spartan spirit let alone our DCA membership and decided to share the gaffer. This saved me having to find somewhere to pitch my tent.

I went off then to find DCA member Derek Harvey who had arranged hospitality at the Royal Harwich Yacht Club. After a couple of jars with him on the club lawn — the others missed this somehow — I found Geoffrey and we set off on the mile walk to Pin Mill and the pleasures of the Butt and Oyster; our return was somewhat unsteady — because of the uneven footpath…

Geoffrey and I did in fact have a very good night’s sleep in Graham’s boat and in the morning after a shower and shave using the marina facilities were invited to the yacht for breakfast. I allowed myself to accept tea and muffins so as not to hurt the owner’s feelings.

Geoffrey had worked out a tight passage schedule to fit the tides so they departed as soon after 8am as they could. I was due to meet up with Derek and sail down to Harwich in company at 9am. Derek was sailing the beautifully finished 16 foot yawl that he built himself; the design being his and Paul Fisher’s combined effort based on a dory skiff. On the way down we met Charles Proudfoot who had sailed up the coast from Walton. He was unable to be present on the Saturday and was now on his way up to Ipswich so we continued towards the sea. When we got to Harwich harbour the wind seemed to slacken and I decided to return to Levington in case it died altogether. This didn’t happen, quite the contrary, but I met Charles coming downriver as I went up.

To Woolverstone from the Deben by Geoffrey Osborn

As I was not using Dipper this year I accepted Graham Wadeson’s kind invitation to sail in Hope, a Souwester 18 West Country type gaff rigged half decker, quite heavy, and boasting an inboard Yanmar diesel auxiliary engine; quite a step up from my eleven foot Gull dinghy. As I was to find out later she handled quite differently also.

Saturday — HW Woodbridge 04.55 — LW Deben Bar 09.58

07.00 — Loaded up the 9’ Tepco and rowed out to Hope.

07.30 — All gear stowed. Raised main and jib and dropped the mooring under the benefit of a sunny f2 northerly following breeze.

07.45 — Passed Methersgate Quay. The wind was filling in nicely to a steady f3 and it was looking as if we would be able to sail all the way downriver.

08.00 — Passed the Waldringfield Maybush and the Ramsholt Arms half an hour later.

09.15 — Felixstowe Ferry abeam. We were making such good progress that we decided not to stop for a famous ‘Ferry breakfast’, but we would chance our luck on lunch at Shotley Marina Shipwreck Bar.

09.25 — Woodbridge Haven buoy abeam.

10.00 — Felixstowe pier abeam.

11.45 — Tied up at Shotley Marina to outside pontoon for lunch. It was now quite warm and I was quite comfortable wearing shorts and a T-shirt — until I was stung on the thigh by a vicious wasp. Despite applying vinegar there was soon a nasty red swelling. A pint of beer and some food helped to take my mind off of it.

13.40 — As Hope was moored head to wind and sheltered by the marina we were able to sail off the pontoon under main, jib and topsail. The breeze was fairly gentle at first but beating up the Orwell we experienced increasing gustiness. Somewhere near the Suffolk Yacht Harbour at Levington one severe gust and windshift caused Hope to put a gunnel under!

16.00 — Sailed up and down outside Woolverstone Marina looking for DCA presence. We caught a glimpse of a likely looking minuscule red mizzen sail right at the back of the marina. Finally we were rewarded by the sight of Peter Bick waving from a pontoon.

16.30 — Tied up on a sheltered inside pontoon just astern of Peter Bick’s converted-to-cruising Finn Olympic-class racing dinghy. Interesting to see the craft in the flesh after reading about it in the Journal.

After a cup of tea and cake we tidied up the boat, organised sleeping arrangements and set off for the Butt and Oyster at Pin Mill, along the path known as Dutchman’s Walk. The conversation ranged over a wide range of topics including vintage cars, compulsory training courses and certificates for dinghy cruisers and then we settled down to the serious stuff. An excellent meal, chilli, washed down with a suitable amount of real ale clarified our thoughts on certificates/training for dinghy cruisers. We decided that what was really important was competence — however gained. Certificates in themselves meant nothing; what matters is what people can do. Of course training is useful — who could deny it? But certificates, licenses and training will never guarantee safety on the water.

Returning slowly along Dutchman’s Walk it was extraordinarily difficulty to follow the path through pitch-black woods; I am sure it was nothing to do with the beer!

Sunday

08.25 — A leisurely start! We towed Peter Bick and his Finn out from the back of the marina against the ebb and a sunny f1-2 northerly to allow Peter to tie up head to wind on the outside pontoon while we departed under main, jib and topsail with a favourable ebb and a light following breeze.

We soon slipped past Pin Mill and saw a clear but more distant view of the Butt and Oyster than the previous night.

08.50 — By/No 4 buoys abeam.

09.40 — Fagbury — spoke to Charles Proudfoot in his very smartly painted Roamer.

09.50 — Shotley Spit abeam — where the Orwell meets the Stour.

10.20 — Cliff Foot abeam — virtually out of Harwich Harbour.

10.30 — Cleared Beachend using engine to cross at least half a mile ahead of a large vessel, the MSC Dominique.

11.00 — Off Landguard Martello — the wind dropped to next to nothing.

11.15 — Motor on, several Old — and new — Gaffers in sight, in addition to the lovely wood/epoxy 50+ feet wishbone schooner Barn Owl based at Shotley.

11.25 — Off Felixstowe Pier the breeze came back. Hope making 3 knots with engine in neutral while the occupants boosted their ‘crew morale’ by consuming food and drink.

11.30 — Engine off beam reach at three knots. After passing a little way off from an open Drascombe Yawl we saw that she was flying the DCA burgee.

12.20 — Woodbridge Haven buoy abeam.

12.35 — Felixstowe Ferry abeam sunny f2-3 northerly head wind; again we missed out on a ‘Ferry breakfast’.

One hour later with the benefit of the favourable flood tide we tacked past Waldringfield No3 buoy.

A little way above that I committed the sin of running Hope onto the mud on the upwind side of a small inlet. So there we were on starboard tack on the port side of the channel. I decided to try the dinghy tactic of backing the jib, freeing off the main and attempting to gybe round within the confines of the inlet. The first part of the plan went beautifully, Hope slipped off the mud and started to bear away quite willingly. Unfortunately once the wind came round abaft the beam Hope accelerated joyfully under the influence of the long-boomed gaff mainsail; and stopped turning. Almost before I realised what was happening she was firmly on the mud on the other side of the inlet. We were now worse off than before as the wind decided to pick up and the sails were doing their best to press us onto the mud even more firmly. Despite giving the Yanmar full throttle astern Hope would not budge until we hauled in the mainsail. The penny dropped. I should have hauled in the mainsail as soon as the wind was on the beam; this would have reduced the drive and speed and probably allowed the turn to continue into the desired gybe. I have to say Graham was incredibly and generously tolerant of my mishandling of his boat.

After that we tacked in good time when approaching the shallows! All too soon it was “tops’l down” off Methersgate Quay, and…

15.20 — Picked up the mooring, sails down, and pack up after a most enjoyable weekend.