TRIP REPORTS

SAILING BARGE CHARTER 2005

Part 1   -   Tuesday evening & Wednesday

Click on a picture to see a bigger version with a caption

ON BOARD SAILING BARGE CENTAUR OUT OF IPSWICH, 12-15 JULY 2005

I'd not sailed on either of the Thames Sailing Barge Trust's barges at all in 2004, so I was determined to run a charter in 2005, despite knowing it was going to be a very busy year for me. All my previous charters had been weekends from Maldon, but this time we'd decided to go for something different, a mid-week three-day charter from Ipswich, on the barge Centaur. After one change of date for the trip (in order to get a week with more conveniently-timed tides), and a long period of dithering from me (during which I several times nearly cancelled the trip because my diary was so full), some of the people who had shown interest initially were no longer available, so we had a tiny charter party of just four of us.

For more information about the TSBT and its barges, visit their web-site

TUESDAY EVENING

Wendy, Lesley & I drove up from London in Lesley's car. We found that the flour mills by Ipswich Dock, by which Centaur moors when in Ipswich, had closed down since my last trip from there, and the vehicle entrance I was used to was closed off. So we spent a time exploring the one-way systems of Ipswich, finally finding an entrance to the quay next to the Custom House, which enabled us to get the car right next to the barge to unload our gear. By now it was about 16:45. Having unloaded, Lesley & I headed for Sainsbury's to fill the car up again with the provisions for the trip. We got back from that at about 19:00, by which time Kevin had arrived, with news of another couple who might be interested in joining us (but in the end nothing came of this).

With Kevin, we went off to the Lord Nelson for supper, joining forces on the way with Molly, who had come up from Sussex earlier in the day to meet some friends.

We got back to the barge about 22:15. While Wendy went to give Molly a hand bringing her kit from where she'd parked her car, I had a chat with Tim about sailing plans for the trip. We agreed that plan A was to head for Orford Ness, then into Orford Haven and towards Aldeburgh, which would have been new sailing water for me. We would sail at about 06:00 next morning.

WEDNESDAY

We set off, under power, just after 06:00 and locked out of the dock. I was pleased to see that the Port of Ipswich is still fairly busy. In addition to the various freighters we saw a squadron of RN patrol boats moored in the dock. I later discovered that this particular squadron are training vessels, normally dispersed throughout the country to various University RN Units. Further down, on Cliffe Quay, we passed the frigate HMS Grafton.

The morning was very misty and there was no wind, so when we reached Clamp House, Tim decided to tie onto the mooring buoy there and wait for a change in the weather. While we were waiting I served breakfast.

We were under way again, still motoring, at about 10:00. By the time we were off Felixstowe there was a little breeze and we started sailing. By now we'd missed the tide we'd have needed to make Orford, so switched to plan B which was to head for the Walton Backwaters, that I'd never seen either.

At about 12:00 we were off Harwich, tacking backwards and forwards across the river in sunny weather, when the naval patrol boats passed us, outward bound. By now we were making so little progress downstream that we had switched to plan C, which would mean going into the River Stour for the night. Eventually we cleared the corner into the Stour and were running before the wind, which meant that lunch (by Wendy) could be eaten on deck without interruption.

By the time we anchored off Sutton Ness (at about 15:30), I was having a mid-afternoon siesta. Tim dropped the barge-boat into the water in order to scrub some weed off the barge's hull. Then Kevin demonstrated his sculling expertise by taking me out in the boat for a trip right round Centaur to get some photos of her. On our way back aboard the barge I had a near escape from a drop into the oggin, when Kevin expected me to be as nimble as he in leaping from the boat onto the barge.

Kevin next fitted the outboard onto the barge-boat to take Lesley ashore for some swimming off the beach. Meanwhile Wendy, Molly and I demolished a few gin & tonics and did some crosswords. Supper (by Lesley) was eaten fairly late and consisted of a mixed grill followed by strawberries, after which we all turned in.