A high pressure sitting patiently north of Scotland had been spinning vicious winds along the Norwegian coast, which in turn were funnelled over the North Sea down to the English Channel, coming in as north-easterlies at Force 5 gusting up to Force 7 over the route we planned to take.
Our plan was to sail across to Zeebrugge, chosen since passport control there is actually conducted close to the marina. From there we would head north to Holland.
As we proceeded down the Blackwater Estuary, a kite surfer on a foil buzzed us a couple of times with a huge grin on his face, conveying the message, "Look at me. Look at me." Our immediate concern was an imminent Force 6 on our direct route around midnight. Did we really want to face that, or shall we drop anchor and resume in the early hours. Hey, we are pensioners, we chose the sensible course of action. With the wind coming from the east, our options were very limited; either drop anchor in St. Lawrence Bay off Bradwell, or in Point Clear Bay at the mouth of the River Colne.
We chose the latter, and Rex identified a suitable anchorage where in theory we would not end up on the mud. We noticed another boat had decided on a similar option and was already anchored in the bay. We glided up to our preferred location, dropped the anchor, running out 15m of chain, dug the anchor in using engine power, and after checking we were not drifting, set the anchor alarm on the chart plotter.
Despite the mayhem in the North Sea, here in the shelter of the bay it was a lovely evening, with clear skies, but a cool, ominous breeze blew across the grey water. Sitting in the cockpit, each sipping a beer, we communicated our current plan to family and friends. Rex then cooked a splendid spaghetti Bolognaise (courtesy of Meryl), and we dined like kings. A few yachts sailed lazily past us, heading up the channel to either the Pyefleet Creek, the River Colne or Brightlingsea.
We followed on the radio the Champions League final, Manchester City versus Inter Milan, until half time. However, as we had agreed to make an early 2am start in the morning, we decided it would be sensible to grab a few hours sleep.
 Sunset over Mersea Island |
 Point Clear with Neighbouring Yacht Anchored Nearby |