Commencing re-entry

Today was a strange one in some ways.  For various reasons we felt the impacts of the world outside our little floating bubble.

goodbye Shotley

The day started normally enough, and in a rather leisurely fashion.  The showers at Shotley are ... well, avoiding the alliteration, let's say not good - no temp control, Niagara strength, too small to swing a gnat, and the floor floods.  On the upside they had baths - our first lie down in hot soapy water for 8 weeks.  

Then came the first outside world stuff:  Lesley called a florists in Preston to arrange flowers for an old family friend's funeral; Nic called a damp treatment company to look at problems the decorator had discovered in No 8; we spoke to Gillingham Marina about taking up a permanent berth in a week's time; Lesley got a call from the BBC about prospective work.

We left the marina and pushed out through the Harwich/Felixstowe entrance against the tide with a F3/4 NW behind and just the foresail - gradually overtook a boat on the same tack with all his sails up (of course we don't race, yet always pleasing to pass someone).  We turned to starboard (right) and headed into the Walton Backwaters - water all around us and most of it too shallow.  This is where Arthur Ransome set his Swallows and Amazons books.  SIRENA IV sailed surprisingly well on just the foresail, even close-hauled (into the wind).  After many weeks where seeing another yacht was an event, it's amazing how many yachts are out and about in this area, even on a weekday.

Hamford Water is a popular anchoring spot in the Backwaters, and we dropped our hook with a few others and were gradually joined by a few more including two huge thames barges.  Another outside world moment came as we planned where we might spend the last 6 nights of the trip, and realised that we are so close to home we had been here before in our first boat.

As the tide dropped away and the rain & wind squall eased, we watched the famous red seals of Bramble Creek lounging on the mud banks.