The Northern cruise goes South

In a change to the advertised programme....
After a steaming hot July, August came in changable and moody. As our big cruise got nearer, the weather refused to settle and the prospect of a week on the Northumbrian coast with rain and contrary breezes didn't look quite so attractive all of a sudden. So, in the best tradition of all wimpish cruising sailors, we changed our plans and went with the wind.

There's plenty of tales to tell, but little time to tell them, so a select few will appear here over the next few days. We had a happy crew of seven - that's the four of us, my parents and our friend Melissa, freshly escaped from the USofA and about to take up a job at the University of Kent in Canterbury.

Our new, make it up as you go along, itinery took us back to Brightlingsea, then down across the Thames to Chatham, back up the Medway and home to Ipswich. A good mix of sailing and more restful days ashore, with a fair sprinking of excitement along the way. The boat performed pretty much faultlessly, and we had a good week in weather from 0 to 40+ knots of wind.

More to come....