Tuesday 12 November 2019

Notes from an Anchorage - 2019 GYC East Coast Cruise

Evening anchorage skies

So as we sail our way towards the end of the Greenwich Yacht Club 2019 East Coast Cruise and I sit watching a seal pup on the bank opposite this idyllic anchorage in the Roach its time to write some notes on the experience.  This has been the fourth year I have looked after the GYC ECC and it is my last in that role, but certainly not the last ECC I will take part in. Over the last four years I have thoroughly enjoyed the planning, the talking, the honing of options for destinations, the help from various people and of course the trips themselves. This year we have had strong winds followed by decidedly not strong winds.   A week in the Thames estuary seems to always provide us with a broad spectrum of weathers although in recent years they do seem to have got hotter.  My intention has been to plan routes and destinations which can be got to by all sizes of Greenwich Yacht Club boats.  I know these can feel a bit tame for the larger and speedier boats but it ends up working reasonably well for all. Most of those destinations are not exactly new, there is only so far you can get in one tide in the Thames estuary, and despite ambitions for more adventure our furthest point is usually the excellent Royal Harwich Yacht Cub in the Orwell, ever hospitable and picturesque, an ideal rest day place. I had hoped to get into the Deben this year but a 27kn wind on a difficult bar and river entrance was not going to allow that to happen - maybe next time....

Snow Goose flying into Felixstowe, goose winging in a brisk southerly wind

I am struck by how Sailing in these waters can quickly change from the serene and peaceful to the comparatively extreme, with steep chop, breaking waves and strong winds. Despite this our boats and most their occupants seem to cope. That said, it is important to respect this coast; it’s shallowness makes it nasty at times and planning to suit the tides is essential. Wind over tide chop is something most of us are familiar with and it’s not always fun.  But most of the time the sailing is good and getting the most out of our boats, coaxing that extra half knot out of sail trim or choosing the route with just enough depth and that bit more wind becomes a pleasurable obsession. The other huge pleasure is the wild-life. This year I haven’t seen a single porpoise which is unusual but we have seen seals everyday and great bird life, particularly in these creeks. Here in the Yokesfleet Channel off the Roach there are not only the usual, terns, egrets, gulls and all manner of unidentifiable small shore birds, but also big flocks of starlings doing their weird murmurations - drawings in the sky - why do they do that?  

Pin Mill doing what it does best

Wildflowers on the Orwell

Every year I have been on the East Coast Cruise has the company been excellent, a true GYC mix of light heart and earnest mutual support. Almost daily there are situations where one of us needs to ask the advice or help of another and this along with the beer, the wine and all that is very bonding. Somehow you get to know people better by doing things with them than by just talking.

This year we had around 15 boats take part ranging in size from the 22’ Seagull, a sea capable shoal draft ketch, to the 44’ Isandra lll, a mile eating fast cruiser, and the usual assortment of boats in between. I sometimes wonder what is the ideal boat for the East Coast Cruise, but the sheer diversity of our boats is what makes it interesting.  As long as they are sound, with good engines capable of getting us out of difficulty and comfortable enough for a coast hopping week it’s probably not the boat that is going to be under test.  Of course skippers put time into preparation of boats and kit to ensure the best chance of a trouble free week, but that said there is always the unexpected, be it engine failure, or in my case in recent years - a tiller breaking or a gooseneck parting, (both happily fixable en route). 


  



Navigation and passage planning are of course the responsibility of each skipper and although I have planned each day with the fleet in mind some boats just do get there quicker than others. The East Coast Cruise has developed a strong culture of informal group support with meetings and briefings when needed through the week at which we can pool our planning knowledge and experience for common good. These briefings and the 2-3 meetings in the months prior to the cruise are essential, to develop a sense of ‘family’ and ensure good communication. Perhaps there should be more of this in future years, more morning briefings and more formalised buddying between inexperienced and experienced sailors. And perhaps we will go further afield, or some of us go for longer - We will see.

To the next year...... 

Early morning mists on the Crouch