Our departure on Leg 2 has been delayed due to the very sad passing of Dick Meakin, President of the Minety Branch of the British Legion. Dick’s funeral is on Tuesday, so Mark, Wendy and I will now not be departing until Thursday 26 June. Leg 2 is therefore going to be something of a gallop up the East Coast to Whitby until we regain the schedule and we shall therefore have to miss out Oulton Broad and a cruise up the Humber.
26 June – Ipswich to Lowestoft
Left Ipswich in bright sunshine – and not a lot of wind – outbound on Leg 2. As we ticked along under engine in a variable (nay, floppy) F2, Mark spotted a green and a pink cloud in close proximity to each other in a clear blue sky. The camera failed to capture the subtle spectacle, but there it was… refraction? Diffraction? Anyone know?
And then… the wind appeared. Suddenly, we were doing more actual sailing than we had since Eastbourne. A relatively easy entrance to Lowestoft Harbour and we were soon secured in front of the impressive Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club.
Sadly, the rest of Lowestoft proved to be a little more shabby in the post-fishing era.
Daily statistics: we did 45.14 miles through the water and 52.46 miles over the ground; a tide gain of 7.32 miles. Our running time was 7 hours and 45 minutes. And – finally – we sailed for 3 1/2 hours!
27/28 June – Lowestoft to Grimsby
We caught the wind straight out of Lowestoft and sailed a thoroughly nice beam/broad reach for an hour or so. It couldn’t last…
With storm clouds ahead – and serious lightning about – we handed sails and prepared for a deluge. This included putting the hand-held VHF and mobiles into the microwave (very cheap Faraday Cage!) and isolating as much of the electronics as possible.
The deluge, when it came, was just that. Torrential rain, hail, reduced visibility but – thankfully – no especially strong winds. It took 20 minutes to motor through it and, afterwards, we had the comfort of knowing that there would be no requirement to hose salt off the decks in Grimsby!
In the lull that followed, we had time to admire the laid-back lifestyle of seals basking on the shoals. We also had time to develop a thorough loathing of the endless wind farms that have infested the North Sea whilst we have not been paying attention.
We had another deluge a little later and then the wind flopped and varied for a few hours. In order to motor sail, we needed a mainsail. Which had jammed when we furled it away in a hurry due to the approaching storm. There followed an entertaining half-hour involving a bit of climbing, a boat hook, several bits of rope and a certain amount of thinking. Out came the main. Moral: even with a furling mainsail, always head to wind before handing it.
Darkness had fallen by the time the wind settled properly and then started to build, giving us a pleasant rush through the night on 1 1/2 reefs in an F4/5 until our arrival at Number 2 Fish Dock in Grimsby, home of the Humber Cruising Association. It cannot be said to be pretty and its impossible to miss the fact that we’re next to the Grimsby Fish Market. But people are friendly and the facilities are more than adequate – great for a stopover without committing to going right the way up the Humber. And only £25 for 12.5 meters – bargain!
Daily statistics: we did 97.6 miles through the water and 103.4 miles over the ground; a tide gain of 5.8 miles. Our running time was 16 hours and 40 minutes.
29 June – Grimsby to Whitby
No pictures today. Amongst the other things that got wet is the laptop keyboard, so this entry is by tablet.
Leg 2 finished in Whitby after a mammoth passage from Grimsby. It was F5/6 on the nose pretty much all the way. The decks were permanently awash with green stuff coming over the bow as we slammed and crashed through the waves. Helming was, to say the least, a character-building experience even for those with fully-built characters!
No surprise that, at some stage, the dorade vents gave up and things got a bit damp in places. Some make-and-mend required tomorrow…
Daily statistics: we did 82.18 miles through the water and 84.62 miles over the ground; a tide gain of 2.44 miles. Our running time was 13 hours and 10 minutes. And we sailed for 1 1/2 hours; the rest was on engine – again!
30 June – In Whitby
Today was a drying and sorting out day. The Whitby Computer Centre judged the laptop keyboard to be beyond repair but were able to supply a USB keyboard for £9.99 – so the show goes on. Carpets were rinsed and dried out, clothes washed and stuff generally sorted out after a right royal bashing by the North Sea yesterday.
This afternoon, some sightseeing – Whitby Abbey is de rigueur and well worth the trog up the hill.
Tonight, the famous Whitby fish and chips. Delicious but a mammoth portion which defeated everyone but Mark.
Good to hear from Derek, who will join us at Amble for the run to Edinburgh.
When will you be in Whitby?
With a little luck, tomorrow (29 June) at around 1930. We’ve heard the fish and chips are legendary! Are you about?