Done It!!

As Jenny and Rod Brown-Lee are off to sail in the Kestrel Nationals on Friday, we decided to do the Harwich run today (Wednesday 29th July), as there seemed to be a semi decent weather window. So, Rod and Jenny and Graham Richmond and Duncan Wilson (poor Debs got blighted with the Swine Flu - Nasty!!) got away from Goldhanger at 0645 to catch the ebb. After a stonking run and reach out of the Blackwater and round past Brightlingsea, Clacton, Walton etc. we arrived at Harwich at 11:15am having averaged 6.5 knots all the way. We parked the Kestrels in the putty and walked up to the foreshore where Graham's Wife Joan was there to meet us with a fabulous picnic all set up for the four hungry sailors. After lunch and a quick dash to the conveniences, we were off again for the return trip. This became a bit of a tester, as we started off in a Force 4 Southerly, which gradually built all afternoon to a Force 6. This ended up as a 30 mile beat from Harwich, virtually all the way to Goldhanger, where we arrived at 1805.

Aching bodies, but a job well done. We had a splendid reception at Goldhanger, where a number of the locals were there to greet us, one with a very warming rum brew, which went down very well indeed.

So - for any of you sailors out there who would appreciate what it takes to sail 58 miles in 11 hours (minus Lunch break of 1 hour) in a 15' 7" Kestrel dinghy. If you have a few spare bob that hasn't been credit crunched. Please can you contribute via this Charity page?

Coastguard says "Don't even think about it!!"

So - after watching a complex weather sysyem develop late last week over the UK, the forecast was a F5 for the whole trip. Not fancying a war of attrition with the weather over 60 miles, we rang the Coastguard at Walton-on-the-Naze. "If you could see what I can see from my window, you'd go back to bed Pal- it's blowing F6 gusting 7".

Graham and I have done plenty of heavy weather sailing in our time, but to set off in a F5 with the Coastguard reporting a F6 gusting F7 would have been plain daft and irresponsible. So there we are, left to sail this trip another day. We are penciling in the week of the 24th-31st July in the hope of a more favourable weather window.

Many thanks to all of our followers, sponsors, BBC Radio Essex and well-wishers for your enthusiastic support.

Kestrels - Goldhanger to Harwich and Back

mond and I will be sailing our Kestrel dinghies from Goldhanger Creek on the River Blackwater, to Harwich and back (approximately 60 miles) over a period of a straight 8-12 hours. The Kestrel is a 2 person dinghy, well known for a good turn of speed and its seaworthiness, We are both very experienced dinghy helms, who are Goldhanger locals and know the Blackwater well. We have first hand experience of the wonderful work done by the MNDA and would like to give something back to this very deserving cause.

Graham’s Wife Joan,  is an energetic and much loved member of the Goldhanger sailing community, who had the misfortune of contracting Motor Neurone Disease. This has not prevented Joan from continuing to take a very active part in organising significant social events including last month’s Goldhanger Sailing Club’s 50^th Anniversary, which was attended by over 250 people. Joan has now lost the power of speech, but is still a very influential mover and shaker in the local community.

Joan’s Daughter – Debbie and my Wife – Jenny will be crewing with us in our 2 craft.