Wind 3 ENE Sunny

We left Southwold on a lovely sunny morning for the 3 hour journey to Lowestoft. The sea was relatively calm and we managed to sail most of the way.

We refilled with diesel and moored at the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk yacht club marina. This is located near to the Lowestoft harbour entrance. After lunch on board we wandered along the seafront. The beach is a fairly long strip of mostly fine, clean, golden sand. The town itself is looking rather neglected with lovely old buildings looking in need of some TLC and many empty shops. A recent Guardian article suggested that things are improving. https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2023/jun/15/lowestoft-suffolk-guide-short-break-places-to-visit

We did our boat chores a day earlier as we planned to sail to Wells next to sea on Saturday, where there are maybe fewer facilities. Jobs done we had a swim and sat in the sun on the quiet beach near to the harbour.

Lowestoft is the most easterly point in the UK so in the afternoon we walked to Ness point, which is near an industrial estate north of the harbour. Not as picturesque as Lands end (most westerly point of mainland England) and Lizard (most southerly point).

In the evening we enjoyed a nice meal in the yacht club.

We got up early planning to leave Lowestoft at 6am to catch the tides going into Wells next to sea. Richard went to start the engine and ………….

After several failed attempts, advice from nearby yachtsmen and Mr Google we contacted a marine engineer. Fortunately he was able to locate the problem and replace the cable that was the electrical supply to the glow plugs.

It was 4pm and much too late to catch the tide and arrive in daylight. We walked along the beach to the First Light Festival. This celebrates the midsummer solstice (which is really on the 21st this year) and Lowestoft being the first place in the UK to experience the sunrise. There was music, beer tents, arts and culture. We didn’t stay until dawn but enjoyed some music on the beach.

Winds ESE 1-5 Sunny

Thankfully the engine started first time and we motored gently out of Lowestoft harbour. Richard had studied the charts and tides very carefully and we were confident we could reach Wells within the necessary tide window, avoiding a very long sail to Grimsby.

The clue to why the entrance to Wells next to Sea is sometimes viewed as tricky is found in its name, it is not Wells on sea but next to sea. You have to navigate lateral buoys for over two miles and minus 1.5 hours either side of high tide to reach the town and visitor pontoons. The good news was that we timed our arrival perfectly and the deputy harbour master was really helpful. The Harbour Masters at Wells working hours are completely dictated by the tides. We arrived just in time for a quick evening meal in the Edinburgh Inn.

We had a wander around the town and replenished our food supplies. Very different late morning with the tide out when we walked along to the beach.

After a late lunch we had a walk around the lovely town and out along the coast path eastwards. We had our evening meal on board.

Winds ESE 2-3 Sun, cloud and two rain showers

We left Wells next to Sea at 7:45, with the high tide. We felt a bit more confident going out. It’s quite tricky, all these unknown harbours.

We had a good sail with helpful tides. There were a couple of heavy rain showers, Sue and Maisie sat down below and Richard sheltered under the spray hood. The joy of an auto helm. We had sunny spells too and arrived near Grimsby at 6pm, perfect timing once again, the lock was open into the marina.

A lovely warm sunny day to explore Grimsby. After walking to a nearby retail park to collect some supplies for Maisie we returned to the boat for coffee and lunch.

We returned to the retail park area to investigate the Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre. It was an enlightening afternoon. The museum gave a history of the local fishing industry enriched by internal mockups of a fishing trawler and old Grimsby town. We stepped aboard the Ross Tiger fishing trawler for a guided tour by a retired fisherman. There were lots of anecdotes about his career from young man, to fishing during the cod wars and as Captain of a deep water trawler off Russia, Iceland and Greenland.

Wind 4-6 ENE Sunny

After a leisurely morning on land and a tasty bacon and egg brunch we untied at 1:30. It was an interesting exit from Dover harbour, we had to wait 15 minutes for cross channel ferries to enter and leave, more like leaving an airport. With the wind once again on our nose we tacked very close to the wind. A challenging sail with bumpy seas, but enjoyable sailing alongside Chris, whom we met in Eastbourne, on his boat Guinevere. We arrived in Ramsgate in time for an evening meal on board.

In the morning we took a windswept stroll along the coast to Margate. The Isle of Thanet has many sandy, blue flag beaches. After an 8 mile trek we felt we deserved a coffee and cake in the cafe at the Turner Centre. I lived the first 16 years of my life in Margate, it is great to see it recovering after years of decline.

After walking past interesting shops and the Tudor cottage we visited the shell grotto. We returned to Ramsgate by bus.

We completed our walk fairly quickly because in the afternoon we had to take Maisie to a vet in Broadstairs for her monthly blood test. She had her first ever ride on a bus. She was very good, didn’t scratch the vet or make a fuss. She sat calmly, intrigued by her new surroundings.

For me, Sue, a day of reunions.

After completing our boat chores in the morning we met up with two of my school friends and their partners. I hadn’t seen Jo and Carina for 44 years as I left school at 16 and moved with my Mum and brother to Northampton.

In the evening, another reunion. We met up with Dawn and her husband Paul for a curry in Ramsgate. I had met Dawn more recently when they visited Cornwall this spring (again after a break of 44 years). It was a lovely evening, we are enjoying catching up with people on our journey around Britain.

After stocking up for Mondays journey we walked along the coast to Broadstairs. The winds have at last dropped and the beaches were busy with people enjoying the warm sunshine.

We had lunch in The Charles Dickens pub with my cousins Margaret, Mark and Theresa and her husband Dave. A leisurely lunch, really great to catch up with family members living in Thanet.

We returned to Ramsgate by bus to meet with Becky and Nick. They joined us in the sunny cockpit for a cool drink.

A very busy and enjoyable few days, lots of memories. Was great to see everyone, thanks so much for meeting with us.

Winds 1-2 ENE Cloudy then sunny

We headed North from Ramsgate in very calm conditions. We saw very little marine traffic or wind. We gently motored towards Harwich, reaching Shotley marina late afternoon. We were too late to take the ferry over to Harwich, so we never set foot in Essex. We went for a walk along the riverbank at Shotley. It was a quiet little marina but you can hear sirens and clattering from the container port in Felixstowe, 3 miles away, day and night. We found an interesting link to Falmouth, the marina is home to an HMS Ganges museum. She was transferred as a boys training ship from Falmouth to Harwich harbour in 1899.

Winds 2-3 ENE Sunny

A little more wind enabled some sailing as we made our way further up the East coast. After sighting Sellafield nuclear power station in the distance, we turned into Southwold harbour. It seems strange to call it a harbour, it is like a river with a series of wooden platforms and pontoons scattered along its length. Many are private moorings, so we had to look carefully when trying to find the visitors pontoon. It was interesting turning the boat with the wind and tide but it is better to be facing the harbour entrance for an easier exit.

We took an afternoon stroll into Southwold across the flat East Anglian landscape. It is the first time we have visited this pretty seaside town. We enjoyed a massive blueberry gelato ice cream before strolling along the seafront. There were many good shops and we found a lovely delli selling interesting pies. They made a delicious evening meal on the boat.

Walking to Southwold

Southwold seafront

We wandered over the bridge to the other side of the river and enjoyed a walk to the lovely village of Walberswick. The shingle beach was bordered by sand dunes. The footpath turned inland, across heath and meadows following a river then into a mixed woodland. The path then looped back into the village where we had a coffee stop.

After lunch on board the boat we returned to Southwold via the river path towards the sea. After an afternoon snooze in the sand dunes we made our way back to the boat via the lovely town and green footpaths.

We had planned to visit Cowes before heading to Portsmouth. Leaving the pontoon at Yarmouth was quite tricky with blustery NE winds so as we neared Cowes after a very good sail, we decided to continue to Portsmouth in one hop. Was a good decision as we enjoyed a very touristy afternoon visiting HMS Warrior, HMS Victory and the Mary Rose exhibition.

We enjoyed a sunny drink at Gunwharf Quay so much that we had our evening meal there also.

HMS Warrior, Victory and Mary Rose

Wind 2-4 Cloudy then sunny

We had visited Brighton by land many times so chose to go to Shoreham as we had never been there before. After a cloudy start out of Portsmouth the sun soon broke through. It was quite a calm crossing with the engine going most of the time. We had our first view of an offshore wind farm, probably the first of many. An interesting harbour entrance at Lady Bee Marina Shoreham. We briefly glimpsed a dolphin as we lined Captiva up with the power station chimney near the harbour entrance. We had to contact the harbour master for access to the sea lock, which is opened every half hour on request. Good practice for when we navigate the 29 locks of the Caledonian canal.

Entering Lady Bee Marina Shoreham

We had a 40 minute walk into Shoreham town from the marina on Saturday morning then walked along the Adur river. We met Gillian for lunch and Duncan for a late afternoon beer. It’s great meeting people we know who live near to the places we are visiting.

Wind 2-4 Sunny

A good sail, tacking close to the wind, able to switch off the engine. Varied coastline views of Brighton, Newhaven and dramatic chalk cliffs towards Beachy Head. Arrived mid afternoon at Sovereign marina, a modern marina with good facilities. We were able to tackle the laundry heap.

Later we met up with Ken and Judith, who lived in Northants then spent over 20 years sailing around the world. They now live in Bexhill and it was lovely to meet up with them again. We enjoyed a nice meal at a mediterranean style restaurant near the marina.

On Monday we enjoyed a stroll to Eastbourne along the promenade. We had a walk along the pier and coffee with scone and Cornish clotted cream (jam first of course). We took a ride on the big wheel enjoying the coastal views. Then a lovely lunch at Bistrot Pierre situated on the sea front (would recommend if you are visiting Eastbourne). A day of 21,000 steps each, so we earned the delicious lunch.

Tuesday was a long sailing day. There are no places to stop between Eastbourne and Dover. We departed from Eastbourne marina at 6am. A bright sunny day with the winds again on our nose.

We kept our distance from the end of Dungeness but still experienced lumpy seas. There were things flying around everywhere below decks. Fortunately Maisie had the good sense to hunker down in a safe corner in her cabin after a kilo of dried cat food rained over the cabin. She is the most amazing cat. After this 12 hour sail she was up and about and playing like nothing had happened. We are very proud of her. She seems to realise that if we lie in bed in the morning she is going to have a quiet day. When we are up and about early she seems to know she should lie down quietly in her cabin.

There were two other boats arriving from Eastbourne the same time as us. We were all quite relieved after navigating the lumpy seas at the entrance, to tie up our boats in the lovely new marina at Dover.

On Wednesday, after a good nights sleep and a slow start, we climbed the hill to Dover Castle. Sue had visited the castle many times, but it was Richard’s first visit. The castle has many layers of history. We started with the tour of the WW2 underground hospital and the Operation Dynamo centre which enabled the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers from Dunkirk. Sue’s great grandfather served at Dover during WW2. It was obviously fortunate that the nuclear bunker built there in the 1960s was not needed, the chalk tunnel walls would not have protected the occupants from radioactivity anyway.

The oldest part of the castle is the Roman lighthouse which stands next to an Anglo Saxon Church. The Norman keep was built in the 1180s. It was adapted for modern warfare during the Napoleonic Wars. The castle remained a military site until the end of World War 2. It is now run by English heritage. More information http://historicengland.org.uk and http://www.english-heritage.org.uk.

Wind SSE 1-2 sunny

After finally completing the loading of the boat, a process that seemed a bit like moving house, we cast off from our life on land. We departed at midday on a bright sunny and calm day. There was barely any wind, we motored gently, easing Captiva out past St Anthony’s head towards Polperro.

Wind SE 3-4 Sunny

After a brief stroll around Polperro, we try to walk each day as life on board can be quite sedentary, we departed at 9:30 aiming for Salcombe. Due to the higher winds and the unfavourable direction we moored in Yealm. A stroll along the river and a leisurely visit to the Dolphin in Newton Ferrers before curry on board Captiva.

Wind NE 2-4 Sunny again 🙂

A day sail to Dartmouth in gentle winds that continue to be on our nose!*<?. We anchored to one side of the channel for a comfortable evening. A longer sail than previous visits but arrived in time for a walk and refreshments in the sunshine. Another meal on board enjoying the company of the brave Maisie cat.

W NE 2-4 Sunny!!!

An early departure from Dartmouth (5am) for the crossing of Lyme Bay, again with the wrong winds. Arrived in time for a swim from the boat. A very busy Lulworth cove as was bank holiday weekend. We went ashore to find food but everywhere was fully booked, ended up with battered gurnard and mounds of chips, the last servings from the takeaway kiosk.

We had a lovely walk to Durdle Door on Monday morning and a refreshing swim off the beach. We met John, Isabelle and Pippa for a continental style lunch. A lovely few hours at the Lulworth Cove Inn then a walk back to the cove for our return to Captiva.

Wind ENE 2-4 uggg but mostly sunny

We left at 8am after releasing our anchor from a rock, thinking that the tide would help to push us along. Unfortunately we reached St Alban Head too late and spent a couple of hours doing 1.5 knots.

Arrived at Yarmouth late afternoon. After refreshing shower ashore we had an unsuccessful search for an evening meal. We booked for the next evening.

Wednesday a morning walk around Yarmouth followed by lunch on board. We then walked the Robert Hooke Way to the pebbly beach at Freshwater Bay for a dip in the sea (cool and bruising to the feet), but a lovely afternoon.