Window of Opportunity

Had a really busy time at work recently, and without kids at school, no half-term to punctuate the season. Back end of this week was a welcome lull in the schedule and had hoped to take a day or two to work on the pram dingy I'm building in the garage but we took a peek at the weather last night and it seemed like a sailing day.

Finally got around to fitting the new stay-sail and the new furling line we bought at the boat show. Low water was at about 2:15 and the wind was due to be southerly backing easterly. So we really should have gone out into the bay with the ebb and come back with the flood. We'd have had to beat out but had either a run or a reach back in. Visibility wasn't very good when we got there and we felt it would have been a bit ghostly out there so we decided on the Stour instead.

Decided to use the low water to get to know the upper reaches a bit better. Took her as far as the no.7 buoy and chickened out. I'm sure we would have got most of the way to Mistley but it was just as well we turned back because by the time we were down river of the Holbrook cardinal the promised rain had come and it was starting to get unpleasant. The flood was quite strong for the day after neaps and the wind was backing round and weakening and we found ourselves going backwards. It really wasn't nice enough to linger and beat our way out so we turned the engine on and motor sailed back to Shotley.

We got home tired and happy.