Friday
This was our first trip with the Wanderers, Brian and I arrived at Shotley
Lodge in the early evening. There were people outside rigging boats. We wandered across to introduce ourselves and had a beer thrust into our hands, a great welcome auguring for a good weekend.

Introductions done we set upon rigging the boat. That accomplished the assembled party adjourned to the nearby "Bristol Arms" for a meal, good fish dishes and some excellent beer. The 100 yard stroll back to the Lodge was broken by the partaking of a night-cap in the sailing club.

Saturday
Saturday was grey and rainy. More boats and crews turned up and set out rigging up. After a briefing it was all hands to launching down the long but gently sloping ramp and then we rather raggedly set off for our objective of the day Manningtree.
 

I am sure that we all hoped that the weather would improve but the mist refused to lift and the rain fell heavily down and cold hands the order of the day. We proceeded by long tacks up the Stour, with a
moderate wind, our progress helped by the flood tide.

Mistley seemed well named today and then eventually we landed on the beach at Manningtree. All the boats had plenty of water lapping the floorboards testament to the amount of rain.

 

The Stour sailing club was welcome haven to warm up and devour our picnic, but the tide had turned so a leisurely stop was out of the question. Back to the boats, they were now a long way from the waters edge and there was a marked degree of urgency to manhandle them back to the water, followed by a muddy paddle out to deeper water. At least the rain had well almost stopped.

The wind was with us now so a good run was had back to Shotley point. Everyone helped with recovering the boats then time for showers and a change to dry clothes.
 

Later we took the water taxi service over to Harwich where tables had been booked for an eve meal and very pleasant too. On return to Shotley, my crew was given an education in the art of sampling fine single malts at the marina bar by a kind sole. They succeeded too for he has been asking me ever since where to purchase bottles of single malt.

Sunday
A much better outlook today, the mist was lifting and a pale sun threatening to break through. Some new boats joined us today. The briefing revealed the objective to be at the Ipswich road bridge with lunch to be taken at the Royal Harwich Yacht club.

Once again all helped with the launching and then we were off, against the wind and tide at first. Rounding Shotley point, both wind and tide were with us and so it was a gentle run, at times goose-winged, up the Orwell. There was much more traffic today, yesterday it seemed only us Wanderers were on the water. Later, past Fox's Bottom, the wind picked up a little.

Once Royal Harwich Yacht club was abeam we decided to press on to the bridge. It looked quite close but it never seemed to get any nearer, the size of it misleading us to think it is closer that it was. At last underneath the central span
then around one of the island of the bridge supports and short tacks back under the bridge, it towering overhead and then the long beat back to the Royal Harwich.