After a lovely few days in Wells next the Sea, Katie and I set off to cross the Wash and anchor in the mouth of the Humber. Doesn’t sound so appealing does it… but I had fixated on this anchorage for months. Anchoring there and not having to go to Grimsby would save us hours. First mistake. Don’t become stuck to your long held plan…
We sailed and motor-sailed across The Wash very successfully. The wind from the West came and went a bit during the day. After about 12 hours we reached the mouth of the Humber as the tide was turning and starting to flow back up the river. We radioed the Humber VTS and got permission to cross to Spurn Head.
The wind was forecast to slowly move round to the North. This was my justification for anchoring there… the truth is also that we were also knackered and I wanted to stop. Second Mistake – be wary of decisions taken when tired.
Third Mistake – don’t judge a sea-state by what’s happening at slack tide… What follows is my account written on the following day on the train home…
Had a bit of a disaster… after a good long 45m leg, we arrived about an hour ahead of schedule at Spurn Head. Was a bit concerned that the wind hadn’t swung round to the North as predicted, but the water was settled and, as the wind was predicted to die down, I decided we’d stay. The anchor held well in about 5 m of water. We cracked open the rose and started cooking supper. Over about 30 minutes, the wind increased to Force 4 and stayed resolutely in the – completely unprotected – West. At the same time, the tide rose significantly heading in the opposite direction to the wind. By the time dinner was ready and the sun was setting, we were riding a bucking bronco… it was like being anchored in the middle of the sea… wind and waves were smashing into us side on but the tide was pinning us on the perpendicular. I tried rigging an anchor bridle but the pressure on the rear fairleads was so much I gave up. We had a really really horrible night till 1am when it all suddenly calmed down. This morning I decided we’d head for the marina and forget the next leg… but the anchor was completely stuck – no matter what I tried I couldn’t budge it… so I tied a fender to it and dumped 30 metres of brand new chain overboard and headed to the marina. Now on a train back to London! Stanley, Frank and I will try and retrieve it on Friday…
Perhaps it sounds over-dramatic, but we felt horribly exposed and Bob was creaking alarmingly at times. Also, with the wind staying in the West, we were anchored off a lee shore which added to the sense of danger.
