Ramsholt back to Woodbridge

My new dinghy wheels

Roach alongside at Mel Skeets

A Sea King investigates

Ramsholt back to Woodbridge

I was woken by an RAF Sea King doing an exercise up the Deben, and it few very close over Roach. Anyway, I made myself a nice espresso and decided to plan the rest of the week. I would leave tomorrow early on the last of the flood so that I could get in over the Orford bar with plenty under my keel.

I missed the inshore forecast on the VHF and rather stupidly decided not to wait up for the Shipping Forecast and turned in. This was a bad decision as I was awoken with the little ship rolling heavily. A gale was blowing from the West and there was enough Fetch on the Ramsholt Reach to make some nasty little waves. Although only around two feet high, they were breaking and moving the yacht disproportionately to their size. The wind was around F8 and annoyingly was strong enough to suck my lovely canvas bucket from the cockpit floor. I stupidly left my towel to dry over the boom too, so that was probably beached somewhere.

I knew that it would be sensible to abort the Ore trip and maybe I should head for shelter in Woodbridge. I could do with some diesel anyway.

So I rang up Mel Skeets yard (it is a fraction of the cost of the Tide Mill at £8 per night for Roach). I secured a berth for the night. As I motored back on the flood (I could not be arsed to deep reef and beat all the way back to town) I passed all the Albert Stranges running under foresails.

I have never been this far up the River and I had no pilotage chart for the upper reaches of the Deben, but Mel has buoyed it very well so long as you trust the acute meanders a yacht of under 5ft draft will have plenty of water at HWN. I moored up Roach, and decided to do a bit of maintenance. A new mainsheet block from Classic Marine and fit wheel to the back of my tender. The wheels were a present from my brother who lives in Australia – where incidentally they are very cheap as they are unaware of the concept of Mud and Tides!

After the tasks were done, I took a walk along the sea wall to the Wyford Bridge Pub. A lovely walk at dusk, but do take a torch for the return trip, as I could not see a damn thing!