To try and attract more boats to join us for a cruise on the east coast, we decided on a different approach this year. DCA boats were invited to join an organised Wanderer and Wayfarer cruise on the Orwell and Deben, with an alternative of joining the fleet at a place of your choice, as in the traditional DCA manner. On the morning of the 11th May five Wanderers, including DCA members the Kells (W773), Allan Hunt and a colleague (W1191), and Tim Winterton (W477), with six Wayfarers and a West Wight Potter crewed by DCA members Arthur Burton and John Taylor, left from the Royal Harwich Yacht Club. Planning the cruise centred around the tides and it was the tide that certainly dominated the sailing that morning. Following a week of gale force, biting cold north-easterly winds, we were blessed with very light airs for most of the weekend. In fact, the sail down the Orwell proved to be very frustrating with a force 0 to 1. Fortunately a very strong ebb drew us towards Harwich. Unfortunately our slow progress resulted in some miscalculations and by the time we reached the mouth of the Orwell the tide had already turned, although now free of the land the wind had increased to a respectable north‑easterly force 2… brrr! As we arrived at Harwich so the moored ships all decided to stir into action and we had an interesting time playing dodgems with ferries and container ships. A couple of our fleet even had their knuckles, or possibly fenders, rapped by the pilot vessel for cutting it a bit fine on the edge of the shipping lanes.

Safely across the busy shipping lanes, we then beat up the coastline towards the entrance to the Deben. Our original plan was to enter the Deben at low water when all of the notorious sand banks would be obvious and hopefully avoidable. Due to our slow progress we arrived about two hours after low but in such light winds the waves on the bar were not too intimidating and many of us managed to cut the corner into the Deben without coming to grief. As we sailed past Felixstowe Ferry we were hailed by Geoff Osborn in his Gull, who had sailed down from Waldringfield to join us. With wind and tide then behind us we raced up the river to stop for a very late lunch at Ramsholt.

Having regrouped, thawed out and feeling suitably revived we then continued our leisurely sail up to Woodbridge. Here we met Andrew Nairn in his West Wight Potter, who had started out from Bawdsey, with the aid of Graham Wadeson who had rowed down earlier to assist him with the launch. We then retired to the comfort of Woodbridge Marina, where most slept aboard under a variety of boom tents.

We had been aware since Harwich that one of our fleet was no longer with us, but with such light airs we felt that they were unlikely to have come to any harm and had probably returned to Woolverstone. However on enquiry at the sailing club there was no sign of the boat or its owners and a phone call home was answered with a recorded message, so we felt duty bound to call the coastguard. They in turn summoned the inshore lifeboat and between them spent several hours searching for the missing boat. To cut a long story short, both boat and owner were later found safe and well at a local bed and breakfast! The moral of this story is that if you decide to turn back from a cruise, please, please, please make sure that someone knows where you are.

Our sail on the Sunday was a reverse — no we didn’t sail backwards! — of that on the Saturday, although the wind occasionally touched a force 3 on the way down the Deben. However, as before the wind on the Orwell was a little more fickle and several boats resorted to auxiliary means of propulsion for the last couple of miles. An additional DCA member, Paul Constantine, joined us in his Torch dinghy for a short sail as far as Waldringfield.

We had covered 41 miles over the two days, sailed in some excellent company and had a thoroughly enjoyable trip. The teaming up of Wanderers, Wayfarers and DCA boats worked very well and made for a reasonably large fleet. After the events of Saturday night we all certainly returned the wiser for our experiences and have learnt a valuable lesson for future cruises.

River Crouch — 25-27th May by Gerry Noble

Various options were open for this weekend with launching, camping and car parking facilities being provided by the Up River Yacht Club.

The week leading up to the rally saw the weather deteriorate rather rapidly and whilst a number of members had shown an interest in joining initially, I found myself faced with several cancellations and a number of calls enquiring about local conditions.

I could only report it as it was — strong west to south-westerly winds and buckets full of rain. The list of takers dwindled to one and I felt obliged to ring him and give a position report. It looked as if it would be just him and me and in the prevailing conditions sailing for me would be out. In the circumstances and faced with a goodish journey, he too pulled out.

Now with the DCA being such a loose knit association it was always possible that folk would arrive unannounced so I made myself available at the club on Saturday morning. The weather had brightened up but rain was forecast with the west to south-westerly winds veering north and strengthening to f5. Nobody arrived so I abandoned for the day. During the evening I received a call from John Buckley to say that he would arrive on Sunday evening ready for a sail on Monday.

I repeated the exercise on Sunday morning with the same result. The one bright spot was the arrival of fellow club and DCA member Ken Mitchell who had arranged a sail with his mate John Hodges on their cruiser and who were prepared to accompany us downriver. The conditions were not suitable for Tad and me so again I abandoned. John arrived in Hullbridge about 2030 and camped in his van in the URYC yard.

I met the smiling, gentle giant John at 0730 on Monday and we shared a coffee whilst we discussed the day. Rain was forecast with similar winds up to f6 with gusts to f7. This was too much for me to consider as past Brandy Hole Bay there is very little shelter but John decided it was worth a shot. We launched his Kestrel Spindrift and he shot off with the wind up his chuff!

When I spoke to John after his sail he said that the wind had indeed been as forecast and he had not got any further than Brandy Hole but had a very enjoyable day. He left Hullbridge for home at about 1730.

Even though I will not have any sailing memories of this weekend, I will remember several pleasant hours spent in the company of a kindly, knowledgeable fellow sailor and also the sight of a flight of twelve swans about three feet above the water making their way upriver; for lunch I expect. Such is dinghy cruising — sometimes.