30 knot squall!

Steve Rowley

Isobel’s David got here for 0800 and we set off for Waldringfield. The dinghy ride out so Lou-Lou Belle was fine. I was squeezing out of the cabin when I accidentally pulled the cord on my life jacket which then inflated triggering my distress beacon which was hastily deactivated! 15 minutes later HM Coastguard phoned to ask if we were okay - what a reassuring service! We then took the ebb tide down the Deben, tying in a mainsail reef along the way. As it about an hour from LW we tacked out of the river and past the Safe Water Buoy. Conditions were bouncy but okay. A couple of times David mentioned the big black cloud to windward. We hove to again to make a cup of tea and eat David’s Welsh Cakes which he’d kindly bought all the way from Wales. As conditions were getting more spicy we both put on oilskins and I double reefed the main and rolled some of the genoa away. Then the big black cloud delivered a 30 knot squall with rain, big waves and much spray. We dropped the main, rolled away the headsail and motored back into the Deben sharpish paying particular attention to the navigation marks as it was just gone LW It was then a peaceful sail back to Waldringfield. Very exciting!