Heading home

Woke up to a still morning, but by 10 am the wind was whistling in the rigging at the Suffolk Yacht Harbour. We were pretty committed to going home though, and Julian checked the wind speed readings coming off the AIS in the harbour. They read 15 knots, so we set off as planned at 1115.

It was on the nose coming out of the Orwell, and very rough, but we motored through and got the sails up in Pennyhole Bay. It took us until 1330 to get everything set, (part reefed main and no 2) and we motor sailed out beyond Stone Banks. We kept seeing another gaffer heading in the same direction, and caught up motor sailing eventually. It was Duet, the Cirdan Trust ship, that Julian and I last saw in Yarmouth, IofW!

We headed out until we thought we could clear Walton Pier when we tacked, at which point we parted company with Duet who headed straight on. After that it was engine off, and long tack, short tack all the way down the Wallet. We did not have fun.

At least the wind direction was good, at south, south east..... but I've just checked the wind speed graph for the day at West Mersea, and by 10 am it was averaging 20 knots, which went up to 23 knots half an hour later, where it stayed until it started climbing again until by 1818 the average wind speed was 29 knots. After that it dropped like a stone, to a lovely gentle 15 knots by 1900. It all found us in the Wallet, but just that bit earlier.

One minute I could not hold Robinetta on course so we reefed the main right down, and the next we were hardly moving even though we shook the reef out. I'd had enough, so we put the engine on, and had a really nice motor sail across Colne Bar in practically flat seas.

What a day!

Safe on the mooring by 2000 in the last of the light. We tidied up, and got into Worm to row ashore at 2100, when the heavens opened and it started to rain. No noticeable wind though!