The Plan.
To make the most of the weather conditions and tide this month, we had an early sail on Saturday 11th. Leaving at 8 am to make use of the last of the ebb tide in the light airs (F1 to F2), returning around midday, followed by a sail on Sunday 12th at 10am. The wind forecast (F3 to F4) looked good for a longer cruise.
A full moon a day or so earlier meant a greater tidal rise and fall – “Springs” coupled with the jet stream over the north of UK allowing a high pressure system to park over the UK – often giving light airs from a northerly direction.
Saturday sailing by Robin Bromham.
After the exploding trolley wheel incident (It was an Aldi centre-aisle one, degraded by UV, I think), we set off soon after 8am with Samphire and Blue Moon.
We weren’t expecting much wind, but it filled in after half an hour, and we reached Radio Caroline at slack water, so we continued to Bradwell Beach.
It was a northerly light onshore wind, so we anchored in knee-deep water, had a stroll and snack and set off again when it was thigh-deep. We could sometimes see the shingle banks beneath us, around Thirstlet Spit, but didn’t connect with any of them.
I hoped that those sailing on Sunday had a nice day.
Sunday sailing by Tim Sweet.
Wind forecast for Sunday was a little better at F3 to F4 north shifting a bit to NE by midday.
Six folk in 2 Wayfarers: Blue Moon and Penelope plus RS Vision: Tomtit. Setting off at 10:00 gave us about an hour of Ebb tide, this got us to about Caroline after which we kept as far inshore as possible to avoid the tide.
Our GPS logger gave our track speed at about 4knots but the targets of either Mersea or Bradwell Beach did look a bit distant.
Patience and a few pleas to the wind Gods saw us past Caroline and then arriving at Bradwell Beach near midday.
Mersea was not possible as it meant crossing the river. Anchored, we enjoyed a picnic in the sunshine. Sailing back was real easy, wind and tide did the work, reaching MSC by early afternoon.
