Hi All,
2021 has been an interesting year so far, in as much as I’m currently not working full time, or indeed anytime for that matter. I’ve spent the past few months on catching up with some of the jobs I have ongoing and finally, this last weekend, went out for a sail, as crew, with a friend on his Bavaria 36. This was a club cruise, of which I’m not a member. Fortunately for me I know most of the crews on the 8 boats that attended so it didn’t feel strange at all.
We left North Fambridge in company with Lunan and her crew around 06:15 BST on Saturday and motored most of the way out of the river. Passing the entrance to the River Roach and looking at the anchorage as we went past it was very obvious one or two crews who’d anchored there the night before still appeared to be in their pits.
After the short run out of the River Crouch, Nigel decided to use the Whitaker channel today before turning to Port and crossing the Swin Spitway. The genoa went out as we crossed the spitway and we generally bimbled along at a steady average of 5 Knots over the ground. We were the fourth boat of the posse to arrive at Bradwell Marina and after a brief fight with the wind, willing hands assisted with our rafting up. Not much left to do except relax with drinks and friends, organize dinner after which the 3 of us went to join the remaining diners for a beer. Or 2? 🙂
Sunday arrived and as there wasn’t much to do until the meal this evening, the whistler crew decided to take a stroll along the seawall. Well its fair to say we didn’t get far, it was quite windy and not as warm as it should have been for the time of year. We spent a nice hr sat on the shingle/shell beach by the power station before taking a stroll back to the marina.
A couple of hrs rest and relaxation, chatting with friends and acquaintances was followed by a pontoon party at which cake was eaten, G & T’s were drunk, (along with various other alcoholic beverages and everyone disappeared off to prepare for the visit to The Green Man for dinner.
The rabble, pre-dinner in The Green Man, Bradwell Riverside.
Monday was a case of getting up at the crack of sparrow parp to make sure we didn’t leave it too late getting out of the creek on the tide, which turned out to be about 06:45 in the end. Once out of the creek and back into the Blackwater, whilst everyone else was sailing, Nigel decided we’d motor sail with just the main up until we turned at the Swin Spitway, then it was just a matter of sailing our way back up the R. Crouch to North Fambridge. All in all a very pleasant weekend, with very pleasant company throughout.
All images copyright 2021. Anthony Mealing/Freedomafloat.
