Aldeburgh and onto Snape

Approaching Snape



BBC World Service Monstrosity




Black Heath House with its own private marina!






Roach now stuck, looking towards Iken Church

Roach from the dinghy. By leabing her into the bank, I managed to get her pretty upright for a decent nights sleep.

Sunset on Iken Reach.

So then it was time to head off to Snape. What a lovely stretch of River. After the moorings a large expanse of water greets you, but bewared, it is very shallow and you must stick to the withies which are sometimes hard to decipher.

The channel starts to meander back on itself at the aptly names Troublesome Reach, and I ran Roach aground here only a few yards outside the channel. I was on the flood though, so it was a good excuse to lower sail and look like a deliberately ran aground when the tourist launch from Snape came by. After a cup of tea I kedged her off and continued the torturous twists under engine. I would advise anybody attempting to get to Snape to have the kedge ready in the dinghy already and motor. Sailing is a non option after Iken – the channel is only around 20ft wide at most.

Several larger yachts were aground ahead of me, so that reassured me and I continued onto Snape, to see if I could lie against the wall for the evening. I decided to turn around though as I could not get a patch of wall next to a ladder and I had already been a museum exhibit at Woodbridge, and was not in the mood to gawped at, so I turned back in order to find a “hole” which the pilot book described as being 2 metres at LWN. Well this hole simply does not exist as the deepest hole I could find (I sounded with a lead from the dinghy) was only 3ft at LW. So with water running out of the river fast, I rammed Roach into the bank so she remained relatively upright for the night. Roach behaved and I was rewarded a spectacular sunset in a most beautiful setting. I celebrated this by using the remaining ice for a proper G&T!