Getting home across the Raysand Channel

Julian and I headed back to North Fambridge after work on Wednesday, to spend the night on Robinetta before sailing home on Thursday, but she was no where to be seen when we got there! It took us quarter of an hour to find her tucked in between two larger boats in a different part of the marina!

Low water was at 0900 next morning, and there is a sill at the marina entrance that is too shallow to cross an hour either side of low water, so when we woke at 0530 we left and went to tie up at the yacht station pontoon for another couple of hours sleep. It was so peaceful there that after breakfast Julian tried climbing up the ratlines and onto the mast hoops to reclaim our lost top sail halyard. He got onto the first hoop but decided against trying to climb higher, and came down again.

We set off down river at 0905, on a rising tide, with the wind on the nose, but unlike last Sunday today's wind was only forecast East, or North East f3-4, and so not too rough. We had the main and stay sail set, but were relying on the engine to go anywhere, and we had a timetable to keep. By 1130 we were past the entrance into the Roach, and motor sailing to keep up a speed of 4 knots against the tide.

Normally heading home from Fambridge we work with the tide, and head all the way out to the Spitway, but today we had decided to use the shortcut across the Raysand channel, (pronounced raisan) so wanted to be at the Outer Crouch Bouy by 1230, two hours before high water to cross the drying sand bank with enough rising tide in hand to back off if we grounded. I was extremely nervous about this passage, but we had planned it carefully, and taken all care we could, so after we passed Outer Crouch and reached the narrowest part of the Buxey sands, with a least depth of 0', we left the Whitaker channel and sailed over the sand.

This was a good point of sail, a very pleasant reach, and we put the engine in neutral, but kept it on in case of problems. I was helming, and concentrated on following the "deepest" path shown on our GPS charts, while sailing Robinetta in the slight swell. I asked Julian to watch our depth gage, so I wasn't worrying about it, and he kept up a constant and reassuring report of "no change" after an initial "5 foot". Once the GPS showed us in a non drying area I turned the engine off and relaxed, and let Julian look up again! He said out least depth had been about 3', which gives us 2' beneath the keel. Not great clearance but enough given the sea state.

We were clear of the sand with 1 1/2 hours of rising tide, so stayed in the shallows, taking the most direct course to clear the end of the drying area of the St Peter's flats. Julian made lunch, in a suddenly rolling sea, while I sailed Robinetta, then after we ate I gave him the helm, and we sailed all the way up to our mooring, picking it up under sail at 1540, after nearly a fortnight away.

Worm towed beautifully all through out expedition, but something definitely happened to her, possibly when the North Fambridge marina staff moved her. When I went to get in to head back to the pontoon at West Mersea Julian noticed that the front thwart, where I sit when rowing or a passenger, was only attached on one side. Not good, and I was glad the outboard was working as I held my seat in place for the trip!

Robinetta's bows are now dry, but she is letting in water somewhere, as we pumped on a regular basis on every passage. Julian had a look, and he thinks it is coming in through the stern gland; stopping that, and reclaiming our top sail halyard are our next maintenance tasks. I also want to put another layer of varnol on the cap rails in the cockpit. The sadolin wore just as quickly, but the varnol looks so much better that I want to keep it smart!