Wix and Wrabness Yacht Club
Dove Cottage Oakley Road Wix Nr. Manningtree Essex. CO11 2SE
Tel 01255 870777
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Dove Cottage Oakley Road Wix Nr. Manningtree Essex. CO11 2SE Tel 01255 870777 |
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A week is never enough to pack it all in. There was only one answer..... go for longer!!! Two boats, (Levanter and Full Circle) set off at 11 from Pye End for the Roompot, with a third, Octima, scheduled to join us later in the week. The forecast promising a westerly 4-5 decreasing 3 -4, to blow us over, what we actually got was more 6 occasionally 7!
Still at least it meant we got there quicker, especially as the gunslinger/watchkeeper from Abu Dhabi refused any hint of a reef on Full Circle. Levanter was reduced to 2 reefs in the main, a pocket handkerchief genoa, doing over 7knots, but pushed all the way by Full Circle. Wind didn't abate to the promised force 3-4 until we were approaching Oude Roompot. Having got over much more quickly than expected, we arrived in darkness, with the challenge of unlit buoys all over the place. Slowed down to secure at Roompot at 04.30. Whilst several crew members succumbed to mal de mer, Jack soldiered on in spite of everything, and whilst he did spend most of the time below (cast iron constitution), he did venture on deck for the night crossing, seeing and plotting ships before we ever noticed them. On to Zierikzee for a couple of days rest and relaxation, before braving thunderstorms and hailstones (armour plating provided by Tefal cooking pots) on the way to Goes. Through the lifting bridge and on to Goes, another first for WWYC. So was body armour, but we needed it as we finally ran out of luck in our attempts at storm dodging. Soaked on the way there and enduring an interminable wait for the bridge a Goes to open, whilst newly laid cement liberally coated our fenders, we were dumbfounded to be sitting in the sun in Goes yacht haven one hour later. And so onwards to the Gravelingmeer, a lively sail there, lock gates slammed in our faces at the entrance meant a bit of a wait, with another 40 boats coming along to keep us company. Dogs attacking Dutchmen, mad Germans crashing into Full Circle, whilst expecting us to tie them up, with a thunderstorm thrown in, it was never boring. Brunisse was forgettable, Brouwershaven was delightful, not least because we finally found our final crew member there, as Debbie made from Ireland via most of Holland. We even heard from the third boat, Octima was in Zierikzee, although we were never to quite meet up (even though it transpires they were ony 5 miles away later in the cruise. The Gravelingmeer offered non tidal cruising, innumerable little islands to stop off at, Brouwershaven and some sunshine, so we made the most of it and moved the WWYC barbeque to on of the Islands. It was a champagne moment, made all the better by champagne provided by Adrian and Debbie, with a little more thrown in by Kevin and Jenny. John excelled in the culinary department making marvels out of a cramped galley and disposable barbeques. The Dutch were amazed at our organisation. From the Gravelingmeer to Wilhelmstad and into fresh? (green) water. Despite a very breezy and unpleasant experience in locks, we made it to Wilhelmstad, only to find so had most of the Cunard fleet. Massive motorboats filled the old harbour, Levanter just managed to squeeze in (thank goodness for big fenders), but Full Circle took the sensible option and retired to the new and very comfortable marina at the entrance to the town. Wilhelmstad was the jewel in the crown. One of the prettiest Dutch towns I have seen and possibly the best meal we had on the trip (save for the ones John cooked). It had to go downhill somewhere, and the next leg was it. A pretty good trip down to the Canal to get us to the Westerschelde, but some extended waiting in a flat calm before locking out was replaced by a wet, cold windy beat to Terneuzen when we got out. Why did we bother? Terneuzen was not the most picturesque, the marina was not the most sheltered (loos and showers rocked and rolled by ships passing within feet of the entrance); and the town was forgettable. Strange ideas some pilot books have! To top it all, we nearly lost a crewmember overboard as Debbie tried to make an almost impossible berthing possible. The pontoons are old, rickety, windswept and too narrow. Not a favourite and one we are unlikely to return to. Final leg of the trip was to Zeebrugge, and whilst that was another forgettable town, it did have one massive mitigating factor. After negotiating the harbour and finding the marina, we discovered it is only 15 minutes on the train to Bruges. That made it all worth while. The girls took up drinking lager by the stein, they also discovered Belgian chocolate shops at every turn, the boys were in Belgian beer heaven and the town is spectacular. If for nothing else, Zeebrugge was worth it for that. Pity we didn't know that Octima had by now made her way down the coast and was just down the road at Blankenberg. And so the trip home. An early start, 30 minutes just to get out of Zeebrugge harbour, sailing for a couple of hours before the wind died and then the iron topsail until getting back to home waters. The wind started to build again from Long Sand Head and by the time we reached Roughs Tower we were in danger of broaching under main and cruising chute. Full Circle took the southerly route round Cork Sand (good choice) and got in well before Levanter to the news that Sharon was now a Granny!!!! A fabulous trip, with great company and some new unmissable cruising grounds. One or two very missable towns, but overall the best cruise yet. Whilst Jack must have been frequently in considerable pain and some discomfort, his cheerful manner and determination to make the most of the trip, even though he was not as mobile as he would have liked, was an inspiration to all of us. There will never be another like him, and cruises will never be quite the same without him, but I know nothing would please him more than to see the club continue to thrive and broaden our horizons, setting out on the path he started us on. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Useful Links: Royal Yachting Association. The Met Office. Weather Online. UK Hydrographic Office Easy tide. Deben Entrance. Orford Entrance. www.marinas.com Stour Sailing Club. Windfinder.com Copyright © Wix & Wrabness Yacht Club 2002 - 2007 |
