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The Westerly Owners' Association National Cruise 14 to 24 June 2011
The cruise area was set by our Vice Commodore at a Committee meeting some months before, when she suggested it was time to go East again. As she fixed me with her gimlet eye, I could hardly refuse, and set about planning. The nominal start date was 14 June, to meet at Ramsgate for a dinner at the Royal Temple Yacht Club. However, sailing action of various sorts began some days before. Our only Channel Islands boat, Summer Breeze, had weather problems that delayed her in N France so much that she had to cancel completely her plans to join the cruise; others also suffered from the weather later on. My own intention had been to arrive in Ramsgate with Hunters Moon and my wife Christine on the 12th, but a poor forecast for that day led us to advance the plan by 24 hours. A similar move was made by Andy and Carol Clark with Falcon, so we met near Colne Bar and sailed in loose company, geographically speaking, to Ramsgate. Already there was Flora, whose skipper David Jibb would join us just for the RTYC dinner. Titan of Dart with Robert and Jan Jones arrived on the 12th after a slow windward slog from Ipswich. The feeder cruise for the S Coast group, to be led by David Symonds, had a difficult start when he had to turn back after 3 miles through illness – though he and Judith both travelled by car to Ramsgate for the opening dinner. The weather became less than helpful, an English summer blow, with SW6-7 around the South East on the 12th and 13th. This turned out to be just the first of several active weather systems that would affect us. The S Coast boats became somewhat scattered, with Starquest (Martyn and Anne Langford), and Supersonic (Mike Mason and Molly Davey) arriving some hours apart on the 12th, the latter suffering an engine overheat en route, and needing a tow from the Ramsgate ILB to enter harbour and berth in very difficult conditions. Freya (Gren and Georgina Savory) arrived from the Medway on the 13th. The final S Coast boats, Unity (Richard and Robert Truscott) and Dunlin (John and Pauline Powell), sheltered in Dover until the 14th and came up to Ramsgate in rather better weather. The Royal Temple Yacht Club was the venue for the dinner to mark the start of the cruise. Their splendid clubhouse overlooks the harbour, and twenty two of us enjoyed a very fine meal in excellent company. The 15th saw eight boats leave Ramsgate around breakfast time over an hour or so, and we were largely in sight of each other for the passage North. The forecast SW breeze was late arriving, but most boats managed a few hours' sailing. Unity powered ahead with her spinnaker. On Hunters Moon we flew our cruising chute briefly before the wind freshened above its limit, then while recovering it I dropped my hat overboard. Recovery was successful at the third pass - should do better, as I have had previous practice. In the Walton Channel, I was concerned to see a boat aground on the edge of Pye Sand, but relieved to find both that she was not of our fleet and that she was towed off by a local Konsort. Three boats opted for marina berths, but five boats from Ramsgate, plus Bill Miller in Maggie May, anchored in Hamford Water for the night. The following day saw Leah (Roy and Jeannette Dunning) and Astrid Therese (Rex Stowe) join us, and other boats exploring locally prior to the pontoon party at Woolverstone on the evening of the 17th, ably organised by Martin and Liz Ball, whose Two Plus Two is based there. The weather started to interfere with us again, with rain and stiff winds, so the plan had to be adjusted. Instead of using a pontoon, Martin arranged the use of a patio and a room at the marina office building. These, with a gazebo he had brought, served to keep us comfortable on a wet and windy evening. Two boats were trapped away by weather, Unity in Woodbridge on the Deben and Limelight at Bradwell, but their crews travelled by car, train, and bus to join the party. East Coast Group barbecue plans have a recent record of cancellation by weather, and the one planned for Erwarton Ness on the 18th was no exception. With forecasts of rain and gusting onshore winds – which were correct - there was no point even trying, so crews made their own other arrangements, with some boats staying another night in Woolverstone, and a few going up-river to sample the delights of Ipswich. By now it was becoming evident that the passage to the Medway for the final few days of the cruise would be an uncomfortable slog upwind. Discussion with the other available skippers produced a shared view that such a passage would be better avoided. A quick re-plan after cancelling the Medway events produced an enthusiastic response from the Colne Yacht Club at Brightlingsea, when Andy Clark asked if they could, at short notice, host our end-of-cruise dinner. From the forecasts, Sunday 19th promised to be the best day to move to the Crouch, with an early start required by the tides. Hunters Moon and Falcon sailed in loose company to near the Spitway, where the former pressed on for Fambridge, while the latter decided to head for Brightlingsea. Starquest, out of Ipswich, also sailed to Fambridge. Unity managed to leave the Deben, and went to Shotley for the night before moving on the next day to Burnham. We were now a widely scattered fleet, spread from Ipswich to the Crouch. Weather problems continued to intrude, with Freya deciding to move home, as work commitments began to affect sailing plans, and Starquest heading for London for a family event. However, over the next few days several more boats joined us at Brightlingsea. On the 21st Unity arrived from Burnham, Speedwell from the Swale, and both Supersonic and Dunlin from Ipswich. The latter two had a long slog up the Wallet against strong SW winds. Dunlin had a small misfortune in missing the narrow marina entrance channel, and spent 6 hours on a mudbank only 20 metres from the haven, finally making entry at 0230. It was still windy the next day, but the intrepid crew of Unity took the foot ferry across the Colne and walked the length of Mersea Island to indulge in a lunch of oysters. The following day we were quite pleased to hide in harbour from the rain and the wind, which remained at a good F6 occasionally 7 – one of those days when it was better to be in here wishing you were out there, rather than out there wishing you were in here. On our final day, 23 June, Unity had to leave on the early morning tide to start home – other commitments called, including a day at Wimbledon. Later, her skipper texted to say they had passed Ramsgate after less than 6 hours, decided to press on for Dover, and had a hard time for the final few miles from Deal which took them four hours. Ouch! That same day, Hotspur (Richard and Christine Bull) tried to join us from Ipswich after several days' delay from illness, but turned back while in the Wallet when conditions became too uncomfortable. So, for our final dinner at Colne YC, we were down to a party of 11 people – the crews of Dunlin, Falcon, Hunters Moon, Speedwell and Supersonic plus a single local “Westerly on wheels” in the form of Ian Bartlett. Colne YC looked after us extremely well, the conversation flowed as easily as the wine, and we looked out over a harbour that by then was basking in a fine evening. Those present collected the fine sum of £55 in a hat-passing episode, which I deposited in an RNLI box at West Mersea the following day. The Cruise was an interesting experience, affected as it was by difficult weather. Crews showed both flexibility and determination when changes were necessary, which I appreciated greatly. Many thanks to all who took part, and commiserations to those who were excluded by circumstances beyond their control. Three boats made a successful trip up the Thames to St Katherine Dock, by Tower Bridge, immediately after the cruise – but that is another story. Participating boats were: Ken Parry WOA ECG |
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