Orwell Archives - Sea Bear

Some sailing in August

by Chris | Aug 20, 2024 | Voyage Logs

I drove down to Pin mIll in the afternoon and after prepping and launching the dinghy I had a welcome half pint of Mosiac at the Butt and Oyster before rowing out to Sea Bear and boarding early eve. Time for a cuppa and cook some tea. It had been and hot and sunny day but it clouded over later and there where was a few spots of rain

Some more rain overnight but it had cleared by morning which I spent swabbing down the cockpit and decks to clear the bird droppings. Midday saw me making sail and running down the river with a very light breeze. In long reach we were becalmed so on with the engine after a while, Breeze back by Collimer so tacked down to the Orwell bouy and there turned around and ran back up the river under a 10k SE and so back to the mooring.

Next day was sunny but with a strong SW, about F6. Somehow I didn’t fancy battling the wind so pottered about the boat tidying and sorting. Always worth delving into the deepest depths of the lockers to refresh the memory of what and where you have aboard. I know some do this with lists.

In the night there was strong winds and rain with the wind veering to the NW. By morning it had eased so slipped the mooring, We ran down to Collimer where the wind deserted us. Motored out towards Harwich Shelf, wind returned and now with main, yankee and staysail set headed out past the Pitching Ground. Here I turned around, back in past Harwich and turned up the Stour. Here I anchored in Copperas Bay opposite the wood in about 5 m. I love this spot to anchor, wooded and peaceful and compared to the Orwell very little traffic.

In the night I heard some splashing, venturing on deck there was a seal in the dinghy. Damm that means it will be swamped in the morning. That dawned sunny and windless. Amazing how many buckets of water the dinghy holds and hard work lowering the bucket on a rope, hoisting and emptying. Once the water level is some way down I could carefully lower myself into the dinghy and finishing bailing out, but still half full of water it is pretty unstable and would be so easy to dip a gunwale under.

It was calm, hot and sunny all day, there was a little breeze late afternoon for a while but decided to stay put. I wasn’t in the mood for motoring.That evening, not fancying a return visit of the seal I hoisted the cub out of the water and set it on deck. Not too hard a task using the main halyard and the mast mounted winch. Actually it is another point in favour of having the the main hoist at the mast rather than led into the cockpit so it can be used for tasks such as this.

With a light breeze the next day I set sail, slow progress down past Harwich and out towards Medussa. Somewhat sort of this we were becalmed so I turned around and headed for home. It was a mixture of motoring, motorsailing, and some sailing with many tacks eventually saw us back up the Orwell and on the mooring.

The cub hoisted on deck

A scrub for Sea Bear

by Chris | Jul 25, 2024 | Fitting out & maintenance, Voyage Logs

Sea Bear on scubbing posts

An early morning drive followed by a row out in the cub took me out to the boat. Fouling seemed particularly bad this year and Sea Bear had been very sluggish on the last trip. I thought it was time for a bottom scrub. I had originally planed to do this via a swim but two things persuaded me against the idea. Firstly the water was quite choppy in the afternoon and past experience had showed me this made the task difficult and unpleasant or should I say even more difficult and unpleasant. Secondly the water in the Orwell is so murky that you cannot see what you are doing. Ok only thing then was to utilise the scrubbing post on Pin Mill hard. Accordingly just before high water next day find me manoeuvering alongside the posts and making secure, a tricky business single handed but we managed. Then come the nervous wait for the tide to ebb, adjusting the lines and ensuring that the boat sits upright on her keel, ideally with a very slight lean into the posts. As soon as the water was low enough, on with the wet suit and overboard to start the scrub. It is best to have water to brush off as you scrub still it is a bit of a race to get it all down before you are left high and dry. Surprisingly the weed wasn’t too bad but there were lots of small barnacles and the prop was very badly fouled with barnacles and growth. Looked liked the antifoul hadn’t worked on that at all. Job done time, for tea and dinner and then a little nap waiting for the tide to return. It was around 3.15 am when we were afloat again, time to free the boat for its multitude of securing lines and motor back out the mooring. It was a very dark night so great care needed to avoid all the other moored boats and spot the pick up buoy. I always prefer to do this without a torch which I find spoils one’s night vision but it does make it tricky. Safely done and so to bed.

June sailing

by Chris | Jul 7, 2024 | Voyage Logs

At long last it looked like some good weather was on the way so I headed off down to the boat. High water was around 10pm. I took advantage after readying the dinghy and parking the car by having a nice pint of Adnams Ghost Ship at the Butt & Oyster before rowing out to Sea Bear with the last of the light. There is always some relief when you arrive and find all well with the boat.

A beer at the Butt & Oyster

Tide times and light at times almost non existent winds precluded any plans for going far so a couple of sorties down the Orwell and back. At least it was warm, and relaxing. Then one day after endless tacking down to the docks at Felixstowe the clouds arrived and the rain poured down and the wind disappeared. On with the engine and motored down to anchor at Copperas Bay. At least the rain. stopped and I could dry out. Next day although I tried to sail but no wind so motored down past Harwich and then with a little wind could sail to Pye End with a couple of tacks. Down the Pye channel to the Backwaters it was touch and go hard on the wind. Then glancing over my shoulder a coaster that goes to the explosives factory up Oakley Creek steaming up the channel. It is a narrow channel but just before high water so plenty of room to move over and for it to pass no problem. And so to anchor in Hamford water.

Gaffer at Hampton water

Out next day a run out down the channel under main and yankee. Out by Pye End I turned and sailed towards Stone Bank. Slow going with a light wind and against the ebb but relaxing. By the buoy I turned for home. Lost the wind closing into Harwich so finished under engine. The forecast remained for very light winds so although it had been a few pleasant warm days (apart from the afternoon of rain) the lack of wind was frustrating and too much motoring needed so headed off home.

A visit to the Medway

by Chris | Sep 30, 2022 | Voyage Logs

In September I took Sea Bear down to visit the Medway. On the first day I sailed down the Wallet to anchor at Pyefleet for the night. Next day up to and across the Wallet Spitway, crossing the top of the Whitaker spit and down the Middle Deep and West Swin to join the Thames, upriver then past Shoebury Ness until I crossed the main channel by the Nore Swatch and so entered the Medway. I proceeded to enter Stangate creek to anchor for the night.

Stangate creek

On of my reasons for this Medway visit was to visit the historic dockyard of Chatham docks so I motored up the Medway to enter and berth at Gillingham marina. That evening I took a walk to a nice old pub in Gillingham called the Ship.

The Ship Inn, Gillingham

The next day I walked to the Historic Dockyard, it turned out to be a little farther to walk than I expected, Chathman marina is nearer .It was a very interesting day wondering around the various exhibits and I particularly enjoyed the ropemaking. The place is well worth a visit.

Victory model

Inside of shed roof

knotwork frame

sailing barge & dock

Leaving the Marina ventured further up the river to see Upnor & Upnor Castle. It was interesting to visit this spot as this was where my sailing mentor and friend Don had grown up and learnt to sail.

Upnor castle

Then I turned back down the river to once more anchor at Stangate creek.

It had been my desire to complete my trip by visiting Queensborough and sail around the Isle of Sheppy but the forecast wind was from the NW and the pilot advised that the anchorage was not sheltered in those conditions. Another consideration was the tides would be wrong a – too late in the day for completing the passage to Harty Ferry in daylight. So I left it for another day.

Instead I headed back across the Thames and up the West Swin and Middle Deep across the Wallet Spitway and so the Pyefleet. I did briefly consider making for the Orwell directly but decided it wouldn’t be worth having to buck the tide and tiredness later, beside Pyefleet is a nice anchorage even it is a bit of a diversion. A good sail the next day took me back to my mooring on the Orwell.

The Ore & the Alde

by Chris | Aug 4, 2022 | Voyage Logs

The descriptions for entering the Ore had always seemed a little daunting, but in August I summoned up enough courage to visit. Of course conditions had to be right, this year there had seemed to a lot of on-shore winds so a visit had been put off. One difficultly of timing a visit from the Orwell is that to arrive at the Ore bar at good time to cross the bar (2hrs before high water) you have to go against the ebb from Felixstowe so first visit timing is tricky

As it turned out, with a good wind I arrived at the Orford Haven clearwater buoy at just about the perfect time so headed in for the bar under sail and conditions were good. Still it was a bit nerve wracking for a first time entrance as the channel is quite narrow and it didn’t help that a faster boat was on my tail and shouting at me that they couldn’t slow down. (Well they could have I thought if they had hauled in their main a little or even scandalised it). Still they managed to pass safely enough. Thereafter it was more straightforward

I took the channel around the back of Havergate island where I dropped the hook in Long Gull. Lots of birds here as Havergate Island is a bird sanctuary

Next day I proceeded up the river past Oreford and further where the river changes it’s name to the Alde up to Aldborough threading my way through the rows of moorings here and then to arrive at Cob island to anchor again a very peaceful spot.

by Cob island

In the morning I reversed my course down the river next day and anchored just short of Flybury point to wait the tide.

Aldeburgh

Martello tower ccc

Orford

I left here 2 hrs before high water which meant I had to buck the incoming tide but its is recommended that it is foolish to leave on the ebb and besides the tide is not really strong until you get to the bar. Here is was strong lots of ripples & eddies and you pass so close to the beach on side and the sand banks on the other , there is a side entrance as it were where the tide rushes in at you and even with engine progress is slow so it kind of prolongs the agony and suspense. It was quite a relief to pass the buoys and head out for the clearwater buoy. There I could relax and have a very pleasant sail back down the coast to rejoin the Orwell and so back to my mooring.