Wednesday, 6th June, 2018
We were up just after 7 am and enjoyed our first cuppa of the day before heading up for our morning shower. Once back we had breakfast, then tidied away and prepared ourselves and the boat to lock-out. Carole noticed the green light of the lock, so Chris radioed in and we joined a big work boat for lock-out into the river at a low state of the tide. We motored as far as Pin Mill before we were able to get the sails out and by this time the wind was a cool north-easterly F3-4 with gusts of F 4-5. Warmer jackets and gloves were put on and we had an enjoyable, uneventful sail from Harwich to the River Colne. One of our friends and fellow sailors, Warwick, was spending a few days on his own boat, Lily Rose, at Brightlingsea, so he very kindly spoke to the Harbour Office and sorted out a berth close to his on the residents’ pontoon.
We were fast approaching our destination, so we started the engine and brought in the sails and as Chris navigated us into Brightlingsea, Carole put out the fenders and checked our lines. We were a little unsure exactly where our berth was located, but eventually it became clear when we spotted Warwick waving. After a quick turn round, we motored in nice and safely on to our berth, happy to have a capable pair of hands to help with our lines. Soon the kettle was on and the hatches were opened to let in the lovely fresh air.