Following on from the previous Autumn’s trip to the Alde and Ore rivers (Blog: Oct 30, 2006 ‘Sunday afternoon at the Bar’) an intrepid group rose at an eye watering 6am on Good Friday, planning to catch the end of the flood tide at the Orford Bar. Fortunately coffee, breakfast and a briefing were hosted by Jonathan and Sarah on Caressa, so by the time we had readied the boats and Jonathan had shown me the magical working of the fabulous paraffin cooker on Night Wind we set out at the slightly less painful 7.30 am.
I must admit that once the rosy glow of our Boat Show booking had worn off a little, I did wonder whether an ‘An English Easter on the East Coast’ would make for a cold damp holiday. But I am happy to report that the weather was very bright and clear with blue skies and sunshine. The N’easterlies which blew for the first two days were frigid, but for the return journey the wind veered to warmer S’westerlies, and heralded the hottest Easter I can remember.
The navigational intricacies of the Orford Bar have been described previously, so I won’t dwell on them, suffice to say we had an interesting time circling the safe water mark whilst the still unbouyed channel (re-surveyed by the Trinity Lighthouse every April and according to the charts buoyed April – Oct…) was explored by the Classic Sailing Club boat with the shallowest draft and a bilge keel ‘Myfanwy’. Caution paid off and we crossed into the Ore with no depth issues.
We moored off Orford in time for a late lunch and following some well deserved R and R, dinghied into town for supper at the Butley Orford Oysterage. The Restaurant’s reputation is well deserved and I dined on the freshest fish I have ever eaten.
We slept like logs and awoke to a slow Saturday morning. We planned to sail up river to Aldeburgh to moor off the Yacht Club for showers and exploration. This trip turned into a fine unofficial pursuit race, short tacking up wind chasing Caressa, to secure the best moorings. Night Wind performed well and we sailed onto our new mooring feeling rather proud. The intricacies of hank on sails and cutter rigs had not blunted our competitive spirits.
From Top:
Sailing onto mooring at Aldeburgh
Lone Barge drifting down from Iken on the ebb
Night Wind moored off Orford and sunset at Aldeburgh
All aboard Myfanwy to explore the Butley
After another group lunch — the weekend had by now developed into a very jolly social with a remarkable relaxed feel of being in the company of like minded friends — a spot of ‘gunk holing’ was decided on. We all piled onto Myfanwy to head upstream. We crept up and up the Alde, sailing on the rising tide, reaching Iken church before finally making contact with the muddy river bed. I have never been that keen on river sailing but the tranquil weather and landscape that afternoon converted me.
Later, after our return to the moorings and with our ablutions complete, we retired to the Yacht Club bar and prepared for the best fish and chips on the East Coast with a couple of pints. The fish and chips were great; but the Easter weekend queue was huge! Probably, on balance, the gourmet fries were worth the wait, and as queues go this one was very civilised. Drinks were served from the pub next door and our fellow ‘queuees’ were happy chaps.
On Easter Sunday we slept late and indulged in newspapers and long breakfasts. We moseyed down to Orford in the early afternoon and the group split into two parties: one headed for the shingle spit to beach comb, with the remainder on Myfanwy, bound for the shallows of the Butley River (we wanted to see the oyster beds where Friday’s supper had lived).
A shorter trip than that up the Alde, we encountered the river bed just below a small steep wooded bank, known locally as a cliff — a relative term in an almost eerily flat landscape. We had supper that evening in the Crown and Castle. The hotel provided us with a private dining room, rather grand and complete with a chandelier, which all added to the ‘club member’ atmosphere. Again a great meal: what can I say? Sailing and good food are a truly winning combination.
We sailed home on Monday, reaching down the river, crossing the Bar cautiously following Myfanwy’s wake, and turning for home on a close haul/reach until Landguard cardinal. We breezed up the river to Pin Mill with the wind abaft the beam and sun on our faces. A glorious conclusion to a great weekend.
Jane Davis, Member
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