Sailing (and eating) on the water...

The wind, weather and tides were perfect for a late summer cruise from Bradwell to Harwich, and thence to Burnham-on-Crouch and back to Bradwell.

Traffic just off Harwich Harbour. The container ship is in the deep water channel so there is little danger of a collision provided one stays in the shallows... 

On the visitors pontoon at Ha'penny Pier in Harwich Harbour; 19 boats on a Monday evening. The most I have seen there. In the evening we had dinner at The Alma, probably the best pub in the world...

To catch the tide down the coast we had to leave at 6 am. There was no wind and the sea was as calm as I have known it, reflecting the Gunfleet wind farm in a most eerie way.

Sometime later, the red flags were up on Foulness Island, and sure enough we were shaken by a series of blasts, one of which I felt in my stomach as I heard it... It is disconcerting listening to the cacophony of seabirds one minute and pyrotechnic detonations, quite close by, the next.

We tied up at Burnham Yacht Harbour and were able to sup the delights of the newly refurbished Ship in the high street for lunch. The food was excellent, not so the muzak. They agreed to turn it down – a just perceptible improvement – but it soon got turned up again. Such a shame; a beautiful expensive remodelling job on the pub, seriously tainted by the dreadful racket one has to endure while eating (and drinking).

An even earlier start the next day – 5 am – meant a beautiful view of sunrise five miles off the Dengie Peninsular. We're travelling north-east between the Buxey and Foulness sands.

Seven and a half miles off Dengie there is a break in the sandbanks that run south-west – north-east – the Swin-Wallet Spitway – just deep enough at low tide to allow boats drawing around two metres to cross. Turning left, we were able to run north-west back towards Bradwell, with enough wind to allow a very pleasant return ... in time for lunch at the Green Man...