Unplanned delights

We had no plans for this weekend. Alison checked the weather on Friday and it looked good. On Saturday morning we got up decided not only to go to the boat, but to stay the night.

We didn't want to do anything ambitious, and settled on a gentle sail over to Brightlingsea. The weather looked a bit grim when we got to West Mersea, but it soon became obvious that it was clearing rapidly and before long we had a nice breeze under brilliant blue sky.

When we got to Robinetta the bilge pump fuse had blown again. I replaced it and tested it and it blew immediately. I cleaned the pump as best I could and blew another fuse. We thought it might be best to go back to West Mersea and pick one up from Wyatts but we felt more like getting off so we hoped to get to the Chandlers at Brightlingsea.

We had a fine sail over. Close to Cocum Hills a fisherman was harvesting some very clean and new plastic pots. The flags at each end of the reach were uncharacterically large and clear. He looked like he had a decent catch. The boat was marked CK3 (or 2, I forget). I wonder how many boats have carried that number?

An east cardinal beacon on Cocum Hills marks the wreck of the Molliette. We've never seen the wreck itself, but its good to keep clear.

The big ketch Pioneer was also out. She headed off up the Blackwater.

As we entered the Colne we spotted what looked like a Rayner designed Westerly. She had a sail number 302 but no mark letter. It looped back to take a look at us. I tried to look the sail number up in the WOA yearbook but its not there.

We radioed the harbour master and moored up on the visitor's pontoon and Alison rowed us ashore. Keith was on duty at French Marine and sorted us out a new bilge pump. We chatted about sailing up to the AGM weekend after next. Maryll is still in the water and would enjoy a last trip too.

We still had some light to fit the new pump. It wasn't easy. Keith hadn't had a Rule pump small enough and had sold us the same kind he has on Maryll. Its totally different - long and low. It fitted nicely across the bilge but the hose was tricky to fit. I got it all sorted but crimping the wires in without a proper pair of cutters was not easy and I couldn't screw the new pump down. I want to re-do it once she's out of the water and I have mains electric.

We went to the Colne Yacht Club for a good wash and a drink. It turned out to be their Halloween party. They had Spooky Ale on tap and some good (and not so good) records. We ate there but left before the party really got going. We had a nice welcome chat from the on duty committee member, who happens to live in Bishops Stortford too.

Back at Robinetta we read for a bit and had an early night.

The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast and decided to leave as soon as the mud spit separating us from the town hard was half covered. Luckily, the harbour master came around before it was time to leave, so we got to pay. £9.50 for the night, not bad at all.

I decided to have a go at leaving the pontoon under stay-sail. It worked quite well, but with the tide rushing in, I couldn't get her head around in the space between us and the spit, even with the jib, so I used a little engine. Once headed down river we were just making against the tide so I killed the engine and Alison got the main up. We didn't make it all the way to the Colne under sail alone - once round the corner we were completely headed and after a few goes I put the engine on and we motor sailed out past the cardinals.

We had a pretty uneventful sail back to West Mersea. I sailed up the Thorn Fleet and Ray Channel under stay-sail alone and managed to get onto our mooring without needing the engine. I cooked a tinned pie and some sprouts and potatoes for lunch. It was high water by the time we were ready to leave. The whole spit from the bottom of Ray Island was submerged, making the Ray and Strood channels one.

Alison rowed us all the way to West Mersea Marine, something we can only do at high water. We got Worm on the roof of the car and were home by 5pm.

Its nice to have a completely straight forward sail.