18th and 19th August 2020: A false start then a quick dash home to Burnham.

Tuesday

Patrick and I were woken by our alarm at 3:30, an hour or so before the crew of Free Wheel had set theirs as we are so much slower... and more risk averse... the wind was due to strengthen as the day went on and we could get into Brightlingsea earlier due to our shallower draft. Looking outside at the glass like water beneath us it was hard to believe the 15 to 20 knots forecast, but a quick look at the Sandettie Light Ship actual wind strength showed 18 knots from the South West. Neither of us had had much sleep, the boat to our embarassment was not anywhere near ship shape enough to survive strong wind over tide in the Wallet without a good deal of tidying up first. We didn't want to do it! We felt bad that our friends really wanted to go, and that the kids would miss each other and perhaps not catch up again if we decided to head straight for Burnham the next day, but fundamentally as skippers we have to make the decision that is right for us.

We set our alarm for Free Wheel's wake up time and got up to wave them off... Esmé too although AJ was still blowing z's... before heading back to bed. On waking we were still looking at the mill pond outside and berating ourselves for being too cautious. I decided to check how Free Wheel were getting on by looking for their AIS signal on one of the internet based tracking sites. I couldn't see them but saw our friends Gordon and Ali on Alshira out in the Wallet making good progress which added to my feeling of inadequacy for not being out there too. I messaged Marika to ask how it was going and to mention I couldn't see them on AIS. Her response was unprintable and they were considering turning round. The Wallet with wind against tide is not called Vomit Alley for nothing. We decided to head towards Shotley so we could be there for when they got in and take the kids if they needed a break however once we were underway we got another message to say they were keeping going as they had put the engine on and were taking an inshore route which was more comfortable.

We enjoyed a lovely sail down the Orwell under headsail, with the wind steadily building as we went. 

Once safely tucked up at Shotley we relaxed before properly tidying up the boat ready for a lively trip the next day. It was only later that we realised we hadn't heard from Free Wheel that they had arrived.

Patrick messaged Dave to see if they were there and got a phonecall straight back. Their engine had died outside the Colne and they had had a bit of nightmare getting in to Brightlingsea... but that's their story to tell. Although in some ways it made us feel a bit better about our decision to wait, we felt bad that we hadn't been there to help our friends.

We finally dragged ourselves out for a walk/skate before an early dinner and bed ready for our early start the next day.

 Wednesday

Low water was at about 6:15 so normally we'd leave just a little before that to take the last of the outgoing tide out of Harwich harbour, however the wind was due to start light and then build as the day progressed, ending with heavy rain. We rather thought we'd like to be out of the Wallet (AKA vomit alley) before the wind strenght rose to the levels of the previous day so opted for a 4:15 alarm call to make best use of the lighter winds (and hence flatter seas) for the early part of the passage. It was a beautiful ,morning and we felt somewhat guilty for not sailing straight away but when we motored quickly past boats that were trying to sail we felt a little vindicated for our decision.

Despite feeling a little tired after the second early start in 2 days, I still love the early mornings and watching the sun rise.

We made good time and made it to the Swin Spitway and out of the Wallet just as the sea state was starting to get a bit lively. We then hung on until the Inner Whitaker Southerly Cardinal and headed into the Crouch. The new course and a slight change of wind angle meant that sailing was now a viable proposition so we hoisted the mizzen and rolled out the genoa and enjoyed a lovely sail into our home waters. We arrived back in Burnham, moored, plugged in electrics and got the cockpit tent up and hid down below just as the first droplets of rain fell. 

Feeling guilty about not making it to Brightlingsea we contemplated driving round there for a last meal with the crew of Free Wheel. It's a pain of a journey but we felt neither we or the kids had had chance to say a proper goodbye so we booked a curry house, caught up on some sleep and then headed out into a wet and soggy evening. 

I'd like to say it was a perfect end to the day and the holiday... and in many ways it was, however the amazing food was marred somewhat by the exceedingly slow service due to staff shortages. People who don't have kids often don't realise the effort needed to  (quietly) entertain children in a restaurant when food doesn't arrive within 3 minutes and 47 seconds of them sitting down. Our table was booked for 6:30 and by 8:30pm the only food we'd received was popadoms! Still, it was nice to have a catch up before saying our final goodbyes.