I had a few problem this morning so ended up setting off nearly an hour late. Firstly the Shore power cable was tapped by the pontoon against the pile that supports it. I had arrived on a rising tide, where there was a slight gap to run the cable, but leaving on an ebb, the gap was no more. I’ve shredded the cable, but it’s no big deal; an easy repair.

Then I discovered that in my haste to finish the rewiring job, which I only completed late last night, I had wired the power cable back to front. Oops. I got a screw driver out and sorted it, then left the screw driver clipped to the switch panel incase I encountered anymore niggles, which I did.

After I had set off I’d realised I’d done the same thing with the autopilot. D’oh! I’m not as stupid as I might first sound upon reading this, I promise, it’s just the guy who did the wiring in the first places used speaker cable, so I wasn’t sure which side (both the same colour)  he’d used for positive. Anyway, after all that was up and running, I raised the sails, put a reef in the main, remembered the forecast, but another reef in, and set off down the river.

Then things got a bit hairy. Once out to sea, conditions got pretty bad. The wind was sustained at 23 knots, with gusts upping that a little, and the sea was in a horrid state as it was wind over tide, a notorious condition for whipping up waves due to the friction of the opposing fluids (air and water).

It was getting quite difficult to keep Kudu on course and the waves were steep enough to make it slightly worrying to take them on the beam, so when big one’s came – which was often – I luffed up a bit to take them on the bow, then resumed course has I came down the back of the wave. I missed one though and it broke over the side of the boat, sending a torrent of water over the coachroof and into the cabin. After the second similar wave struck, I was beginning to have doubts about being out there. I look at the plotter, noticed I was just passing the East bank of the River Blackwater, although 2 miles out to sea. If was decision time. If I continue, I’ve got a long slog to the next safe haven at the Walton backwaters. Eventually prudence got the better of me and I resigned to the fact that in the absence of any experience in sea like this, I didn’t know if I was safe or not. I wasn’t scared, but I had stopped enjoying myself, so I made a run into the Blackwater.

Kudu surfed her way towards the land under goose winged sails, regularly hitting 6knots over ground, and I saw a brief peak of 6.9 knots. That’s against the tide! I’m not sure Corribee’s are meant to be surfed, but it was quite exhilarating.

Still under sail I made my way into the shelter of Brightlingsea creek, once I was in there I furled the genoa, and continues my way up the creek looking for an anchorage. The creek decided my resting spot on my behalf, and I’m writing this with the boat sat on the mud, listed over at 20 degrees.

I’m a gutted I’m not in the Deben, and I’m gutted I bottled it and came in, but I think with reflection, it was the right decision.

I’m still getting 25knots of wind, and the Rutland is pumping out power, so I’m going to have no problems running the laptop this evening. I think a few films are in order :p

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