Today started with a sense of deja vu… Although without such a vibrant soundtrack, Mr Jalil was nontheless forced to vacate his bunk in search of drier sanctuary in the cockpit…
(At the time, we ended up duct-taping bin bans to the cabin side & routing them behind the bunk-shelf – diverting water mostly away from the mattress and sleeping crewmate)
This was to prove a persistant issue – and it wasn’t until 2016 I was in a position to attempt a permanent repair.
After such inclemency, the weather did improve somewhat. However before I divule such metrological bumphf I should mention the nice lay who sold us eggs… It’s all in aid of ex-battery hens & extensive testing of the said eggs (with bacon & fried bread) revealed that they are DELICIOUS!
Our cruises to Hickling seem to follow a set routine, where we tack away from the staithe in half a gale of wind! (see 2008 https://broadssailing.blog/2019/06/15/the-cruise-2008/)
Despite this usual ‘slog’ – we bravely carried on! (I suspect heads may have been sore after the Greyhound P.H) and began a long tack into Potter. There’s little which can be said about tacking against the tie, however if you add a narrow river, moored boats, bungalows and trees… suddenly it becomes a more ‘entertaining’ scene. One small piece of Willow was our only trophy for our endeavours!
Mooring at Potter Heigham proved to be quite eventful… The Hunter’s yacht ‘Luna’ who after several abortive attempts made a down-tide mooring which saw our harassed bowsprit bending most alarmingly. Full credit to the skipper who performed a leap worthy of a gymnast which Theo was dragged along the bank trying to tether same yacht with its bow-line. Still… it’s only varnish!
Such excitement behind us, we motored slowly out down the Thurne, before tacking up the Bure toward St. Benets, this 2nd bout of tacking proved to be the only sunny interlude of the day – something which we remembered fondly later on…
I can’t speak much for our trip up the Ant, except that I was busy repairing No. 1 jib (three repairs) and en-route we selected Neatishead as our destination for the evening.
Mooring & navigating to Neatishead requires care at the best of times, you dodge trees, motor-boats & other obstacles all the way up the dyke. So we went slowly…
… our unusual caution meant us getting caught in a viscous downpour which soaked us all to the skin. In such circumstances, we moored & ‘awned’ in record time. With both burners going on in the galley – we recreated a sauna whilst re-waterproofing Theo’s bunk with more bin bags.
Now, the pub.
Night.
A Broadsman 