We had planned to leave on Friday morning but the weather dictated that we delay our departure for 24hrs. So the 10 boats gathered at Berney Arms on Friday evening.
After a skippers briefing at 0800hrs Saturday morning, the boats made their way down Breydon for a 0915hrs Haven bridge lift. The fog that had blanketed Gt Yarmouth earlier was burning off quickly and conditions were pleasant as the fleet made its way out of the harbour behind Evita. This was a slow speed cruise so we had a steady run at 8 knots plus a helpful couple of knots of tide. We arrived at Southwold Harbour around midday and had a pleasant afternoon in warm sunshine.
At 1600 hours all the crews gathered on Evita for a few drinks and social for a couple of hours after which most of us went for some excellent fish and chips.
We departed Southwold on Sunday morning after a leisurely start at 1130. Sea conditions were good. As we neared Lowestoft the heavens opened and visibility worsened significantly in the heavy shower. All the fleet were close in line behind Evita and in sight of each other as we made our way up the Stanford Channel studying Evitas radar carefully. We were in good time for our 1500 Haven Bridge lift back onto the river.
Much enjoyed by all.