July 5 – Lowestoft to Ramsholt
By Joe Barrett | July 5, 2012
An early start today. We left Lowestoft at 06:00 for Ramsholt, on the River Deben, some 40 miles away, along with the fishing fleet and the all of the other yachts going south. We must have worked the tides out correctly after all!
It was out into light wind and bright sunshine. We sailed for an hour and the tide was with us. The wind was dying as the quaint seaside town of Southwold was passed. Southwold is a place we would liked to have visited as it is full of olde worlde charm with its fish sheds and traditional sailing boats. However, the tides did not work for us so we sailed passed.
Minutes later we were enveloped in thick fog. The rest of the journey down to the Deben entrance was done using all of our electronic toys, plus the mark one eyeball. As we approached the Deben safe watermark buoy an old Thames barge loomed out of the mist. A ghostly sight but it confirmed a quarter of a mile of visibility. Enough to enter the Deben.
Thames barge in the mist
The Deben is one of the prettiest rivers on the East Coast but has a shallow sand bar at the entrance and the sandbanks completely change from year to year. It's best not to enter unless you have the latest local chart, which you used to have to buy from the ferryman at the village on the entrance. Nowadays you can just download it from the Internet. The entrance was made especially exciting as we closed the shore with only a few hundred yards of visibility.
We are now on a mooring buoy off the picturesque old quay at Ramsholt. The mooring fees are very reasonable here, being only £5 per night. This is collected by the harbour master who comes clutching a Lifeboats collection box. He is the same harbour master who was here last time Dawn Treader was here ten years ago. He told us he has been doing the job for the last 50 years!
The Ramsholt Arms, River Deben
Tonight we are booked in for a meal at the pub, the Ramsholt Arms, which we are told also has not changed and expect good beer and live music. Happy days!
Sunset at Ramsholt
Tomorrow the weather is bad but we have a cunning plan. To go just 6 miles further up the river to Woodbridge and the Tide Mill Yacht harbour.
More tomorrow after we have explored Woodbridge …
Today's Passage Statistics
Lowestoft to Ramsholt: 40 nm / 8 hrs
Sailed: 2 hrs / Motor-sailed : 6 hrs
Total distance since start: 1568nm
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