Underway in a Soupy Sea

Nell in the sunset at Harwich

DAYS 4 to 7 - Ipswich to Lowestoft

We are underway - a few days late, but as it happens the weather was not the best for cruising north, so we resigned ourselves to being confined to port, and got on with a few jobs. It's amazing how much you can pack, re-pack and then discard, when trying to establish what you need on a boat for 6 months.

We kept our steps up by walking to the local hostelries, and to the Suffolk Food Hall.

On Wednesday, the mystery of the mechanic was over - Tom reappeared but without the long-awaited and overdue heat exchangers. He would be back on Thursday morning 'First thing' - to fit them. I know that parts of Suffolk are the 'land that time forgot' - first thing in Suffolk clearly means 3.30pm- as that was when the refitting process started. By 5.15pm we had the engines running, and Sally, Diesel and I, climbed aboard and bid farewell to Woolverstone Marina. We gave Nell an hour's run down to Harwich, to berth on the Ha'penny Pier, for the night. It was a beautifully calm evening and the sunset rather special - hopefully a sign of what is to come over the next 6 months. A celebratory meal at Thai Up at the Quay, seemed a fitting way to toast the beginning of our adventure.

Next morning, the alarm was set for a 6.30am departure - which slipped a little, and we let go of the lines at 6.45am, bound for Lowestoft. It was a misty start and in fact foggy in places. We followed the windfarm service vessels out of Harwich Harbour and turned almost due North, running about a mile offshore, up the Suffolk coast. We saw no leisure vessels, but encountered two small fishing boats who asked us to move closer to the shore for five miles, to avoid their drift nets.

There was a the faintest of swell on the starboard bow, and the water had a murky brown hue, akin to a school dinner gravy, with a glassy skin, as the windless air created no ripples.

We followed the buoyage into the harbour, after getting clearance from Port Control.

So here we are, 5 hours and 44 miles later, berthed at the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club.

Our berth for 4 nights

We are in good company with some other serious cruisers, that are berthed close-by. Matt & Sarah are embarking on a circumnavigation of the UK, in their sailing yacht, Wind Dancer. We are following the same route and are likely to encounter them several times over the next few weeks. Berthed behind us is a chap aboard sailing yacht Mardler, from Shotley, who is setting off to Norway in the morning.

I had memories of Lowestoft from 20 years or so ago. In my mind it was plagued by litter, seagulls, obesity buggies, and people with over-inked exposed flesh. Some of that is true today, but the litter has gone. There seems to be real pride in the seafront - the public gardens are beautifully maintained, there is no graffiti, and not a scrap of litter to be seen. There is a mix of architecture which defines a little of the history of this not unattractive town. The industrial port, which caters mainly for the windfarms, is rather dominant, but at least things are happening, there is something to watch, and people are employed (apart from the outdoor lager enthusiasts, who are on the case at 8am, in the town centre).

We are weather bound for a few days, so we took the train to Somerleyton, a rather charming estate village, 10 minutes down the line from Lowestoft. With a Hall, village green and a good pub, this small, picturesge village, sits above the Oulton Broad and its marshes. The ice cream shop, sold bicycles of course, so two tubs and a folding bike later, we were on our way back to Lowestoft.

The weather apps suggest that we should have smooth passage to Wells Next The Sea, on Monday 13th April - let's see!