Peter Howson

Windy when leaving Shotley. Wind behind and following tide meant 5kts or more without sail or engine. didn’t want to go faster as needed to arrive at Brightlingsea with enough depth over the marina cill. Fender fell off in River Colne so had to do a MOB drill to recover it. Took several attempts as rope with no loop in made it difficult to pick up with boat hook or lasso - resorted to leaning over the side and grabbing it.

A long passage frustrated by wind on the nose so lots of engine time. Attempts to sail lengthened the journey but were fun. My longest solo trip to date. Good facilities at the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club in Lowestoft made it a great place to pause and reset for the next leg.