I love getting up early and having a bit of time to myself before anyone else is awake, especially when we spend the night on the boat because the morning light is so beautiful. We spent the night out this weekend on a mooring ball near The Ramsholt Arms and the sunrise was spectacular.
Alex got a bit of sailing done, that made him happy. Eva and her foreign student spent the night with us, I'm pretty sure he had a good time. Alex let him drive the boat for a bit and they rowed to the pub for a drink and a snack.
Most people we've talked to take their boats out of the water for the winter season but the weather has been so fantastic I guess they are waiting until the last minute because the moorings are still mostly occupied with boats. I'm still entertained by photographing all the varied and cute little boats that populate the river.
In the afternoon we took a walk along the river in the opposite direction that we normally go and saw where it ends. There are lots of interesting barges and weird boats to look at, most of them occupied by live aboard couples.
Things look much the same for Nani and crew. They are creeping closer but still have the wind dead against them. I got a message from Alex early this morning: Wind is still exactly from where we want to go...
Wind strength is good. Yesterday we were beating with 20 kts across the deck (~17 true) and she did admirably. She will self steer to windward for hours. We have not touched the wheel since yesterday.
We have very lumpy seas (wind against current), but hardly a drop of spray in the cockpit. In any other boat we would be drenched.
So it's all good, but very fustrating beating about in tacks when the destination is so close. If the weather doesn't get worse we hope to be in Brighton by Wednesday. If it worsens or we run low on fuel we may put in at Plymouth.
From Brighton we'll go to Ramsgate (80 NM), spend the night and then on to the Deben entrance and Woodbridge (another 70 NM). And this from David via Tricia yesterday: Well, we are 300 miles from the Scilly Isles and making very slow progress. The wind is blowing exactly from where we are going to, at this rate it could take another week to get in. It is getting a tad bit annoying being so close to the channel but not getting any nearer I am not sure where we will end up now.
I've attached a short video here from the "Keep Turning Left" series about the Deben river where we will keep Nani when she reaches England. She will be at the Tidemill Yacht Club, the marina mentioned about 15 minutes into the video.
