Unscheduled Stop in Southwold
Trip Start
May 06, 2008
1
107
130
Trip End
Sep 30, 2008
Southwold, England, United Kingdom
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Unusually, I was allowed to tie up alongside a lifeboat as we took on fuel. I fervently hoped that the crew wouldn't get a 'shout' whilst we were thus engaged! All was well, however, and we were on our way by 10:00.
Once out in the bay, we were able to switch the engine off and commence sailing roughly in the direction we wanted to go ie south. For once it was quite sunny and the breeze was lowing at a F4 from the South West. The tidal current hereabouts runs at about 2 knots and this force, running directly into the wind, meant that a short little sea had been kicked up, quite sufficient to make Ben initially, but to be followed by Angus, somewhat seasick. Our original plan to sail 30 miles or so to Orford Ness was then abandoned and we made a bee-line for a point 10 miles south of Lowestoft, the charming Southwold harbour on the River Blyth. By 12:50 we were safely tied up against the pontoon, just behind a 45' catamaran. Of course the boys were now ravenous and once fed, they were champing at the bit to go crabbing. They soon befriended Callum from the catamaran, the son of Julie and Ian Dalgleish, who also owned an absolutely wonderful dog called Marley, (after Bob) - a Hungarian Vizsla ( a type of pointer). The boys then spent the rest of the day catching an impressively large number of crabs, which kept them fully occupied while we relaxed.
One nice thing that happened in that we were joined by Pete & Margaret Grenfell on their Southerly 135, ie the couple who anchored with us in Holkham Bay on Tuesday night - they rafted outside us and thus enabled us to become acquainted over aperitifs. They live in Leamington Spa and keep their boat in Woodbridge, so you never know, we may well meet up during the winter months.
Aperitifs over, we had spaghetti Bolognese and lots of chat and went to bed happy in the knowledge that the boys were having a ball.
