There’s nothing like team-spirit. Or a team in good spirits. Which is what we were, mostly. Chief Engineer Jalil stood a round (or 2), and then became miserable for the entire evening.
The object of his affections, well she didn’t work last night, day off! (We didn’t laugh, not much).
We made an early start, on a typically cold day, fully aware we had a lot of distance to cover to get ‘Corsair’ back home.
‘HB’ arrived, neatly just as we were singled up and ready to leave, and we motored downriver in company. Unusually – the skipper was overcome by a bout of cleaning & I felt the need to clean the underside of the cabin roof (!) So much to the bemusement of my crew, I set to this task with gusto.
Whilst moored at Reedham Street – we were engaged in a weird conversation with Vernon the burger van man. He’d learnt of Nulsec’s sinking – and wanted to know the technicalities… he laughed!
Not much can be said of our transit of the lower Yare – the ebb ran and we motored a long stretch without many notable features.
Yarmouth reached, and it proved to be itself (!) I took full advantage of the situation, and having despatched Jalil & Chris B to Asda – I kept a viligant ‘anchor watch’ waiting for slack water.
Truth be told – were we all tired by this point. I’d lived aboard ‘Corsair’ for 9 days now, having attended a regatta before the cruise. We motored from Yarmouth up the lower Bure.
At Stracey – we did decide to set sail, in frankly what were gusty conditions. This was mostly a cry for help on our part. For much of the Lower Bure Theo had kept us entertained with a theory that all wind-pumps were actually Darleks… (yes, really?!)
To be fair, the first 2 miles of sailing (tacking obviously!) weren’t too bad. At one stage we even thought we might catch up with the hen-party who’d passed us on a motor cruiser!
However just upriver of Stokesby – we encountered a viscious squall, which after 10 minutes showed no signs of abating… Offering careful explanation “$%&* this” – I swung ‘Corsair’ into the weather bank and we lowered sail.
It was at this point, we learnt HB had lost their dinghy – and would be several hours later coming through Yarmouth. Perhaps sailing was finished!!
We then motored back to Oby quietely, tidying ‘Corsair’ as we went. Shortly before 4pm we arrived, moored and departed. l
Joe
Postscript
The 2009 cruise is 10 years past now. It’s made me smile, writing about it in lots of ways.
We flew by the seats of our pants a fair amount, and drank far, far too much.
Our holiday started with a near-drowning, followed closely by a sinking, several collisions (both with land & other boats), featured some broken ribs, an overall age range from 78 to 20, 5 boats, three rivers, and ALOT of tacking.
There was the full range of human emotion. Rage, anger, irritation, love, infactuation(those poor barmaids) rejection, grief & sometimes even normality!
As a comparison, I look now at the rivers in a very different way, the lower Yare HAS lots of features. You’ve just got to look for them and embrace the subtleties of the Broads landscape.
For example, I know now that the lump of Brambles on the North bank, just upriver from Raven Hall isn’t just Brambles.
It’s the remains of some ancient Lime Kilns, as part of the once extensive Berney Arms settlement. You just have to look, and explore.
Also, why spend a week tacking?! Go the other way for god’s sake…
Goodnight.
A Broadsman 