'The Tow'

We had a good run from Goole to Hull Marina on Saturday morning. The river was fairly calm considering the NW f4, with the breeze blowing off the north shore.

Upon arriving at the visitors pontoon, it was a tight squeeze to get moored up as a vessel had moored inconsiderately and and was wandering about in the wind as it wasn't tied up properly. 

We had two evenings at Hull before heading for the Trent.



 We had a fantastic fast run from Hull to the Apex on Monday morning, where we slowed down to displacement speed to pass a Seamaster.
After passing this vessel, we followed a course of 152° to clear Island sand for the leading marks and intended to resume planing speed once again. It was then we heard said vessel put a mayday call out to VTS Humber, as he had lost power and had initially thought it was on fire. Fortunately it was just steam from an over heating engine. We promptly got him under tow, mindful of the coaster 'Dornum' which was entering the River Trent, so he wasn't a hazard. Once he was settled under tow, we contacted VTS to request assistance from Humber Rescue. We kept close to the west side while the coaster overtook, and then we rounded up and stemmed the tide whilst the coaster rounded up to moor at Grove Wharf. We ended up towing him to Keadby, where Humber Rescue arrived to resume the tow into Keadby Lock.
Once he was safe, we continued our passage to Torksey. At this stage we were at high water, so got very little help from the tide, but at least we had loads of depth.
We eventually made Torksey about an hour and a half after our estimated time of arrival. After a well earned dog walk for the hounds we continued onto Saxilby for the evening.





Tuesday morning we had a steady run into Lincoln, mooring on the new Brayford Trust visitor moorings for two nights. When visiting Lincoln we have always moored on the CRT visitor moorings, and use the generator to top up the batteries and water heating etc. However, to save us the hassle, noise and cost of petrol we thought £15 per night was a small price to pay to stay on nice new clean moorings with a lovely view of the pool. During busy periods it would be prudent to book ahead to secure a berth, however at this time of year the moorings were empty since half term has ended for Lincolnshire.

Wednesday morning after putting the reserved sign on our mooring, we had an early frosty start heading down to Burton Waters for our prearranged appointment with the resident upholsterer to discuss reupholstering the saloon seating which is on its last legs. Unfortunately, he wasn't around as planned, but we left with some Ultraleather fabric samples to offer up, and arranged to return the following day.  Neither of us are any good with colours, and obviously with high cost implications we didn't want to make a poor choice. After looking at other boats online of a similar era, and after already changing our mind several times on a colour we eventually decided on a contrasting buff colour against our existing ivory headlining.

On Thursday after a bit of food shopping, and after an especially noisy long night of Uni students celebrating Halloween, we set off once again to Burton Waters hoping to see the upholsterer. This time we were in luck, and he patterned the base cushions up to ensure a better fit than the existing cushions. After much debate we have chosen the buff colour and are certain this will suit the saloon and contrast nicely with the side linings.  The Ultraleather fabric we have chosen is a synthetic hard wearing fabric which mimics leather both in looks and texture. The existing cushions are still the original genuine leather, but have worn extremely thin and are scruffy with the foam very soft, so much so that they don't sit properly anymore. To say Moonshine was built in 1996, they haven't done too bad. Now we just have to wait for a quote, and if all is in order we will drop our cushions off at their work shop next week for work to commence.
After a constructive morning, we moved off back down to Torksey for our tidal trip back to Goole the following day.

We departed Torksey just after 9am on a frosty Friday morning and ran down river on the ebb hoping to meet the flood in the Keadby area at displacement speed.  We had to be very careful as the river was very low especially at Marton Bend, the lowest we have seen it in a long time. We also encountered a sunken boat at the downstream end of Knaith Rack, which must have been completely submerged on our way up earlier on in the week as we did not notice it, and it looks as if it has been there for some time. Clearly nobody is in any rush to remove this hazard. After meeting the flood at East Butterwick, we soon had enough water to commence planing.  The river was pretty clear of debris, and we arrived at Ocean Lock Goole in good time receiving good service from the dock master.

We have had a good week away and have been very lucky with the weather, despite the cold and wet weather last weekend. Moonshine has run well, with continuous use of the heater, and hopefully we will soon have the upholstery works in motion to tidy her up a bit more.

Mobile Again, At Long Last!

Moonshine has been out of action for the last six weeks, due to the power steering cylinder being removed.


This had been leaking on its piston seal for quite some time and has gradually gotten worse, so prior to our Autumn weeks holiday at the end of October we decided to remove it for repair. The cylinder was taken for repair to a local steering rack specialist, however after trying several seals over the course of three weeks, they were unsuccessful in their attempts at repair. They agreed that this was due to Volvo using a one off seal which you cannot obtain now. After seeking further advice from IVSS Marine, we were advised to either purchase a second hand unit ( obviously we could still have the same problem), or purchase a new one. Therefore, we were left with no alternative but to research the cheapest deal which we found was from a seller in the USA on Ebay. Overall the new unit cost with import duty and shipping a total of £530 and took a week and a half to arrive at our home address. Not badly priced to say that in the UK we were quoted £660 from Keypart who had three in stock, or the main Volvo agents were close to £900 and these were on back order. It was far too windy on Saturday to test due to Storm Callum, however Sunday was a lot calmer but very wet, but despite this we took Moonshine for a trip along the canal to make sure everything was in good order, which it was.

We have also been busy with making protective covers for the cockpit table and dashboard.


We made paper templates, then made the covers with cream vinyl and used a rot resistant thread. Not very easy making boxed sections on a domestic sewing machine, and due to the thinkness of the fabric the machine was just on its limit. Not perfect, but does the job. We would have preferred matching Silvertex as this is a lot easier to work with, but this would have been quite expensive with any errors potentially incurred due to novice workmanship. This has left Helen hankering after a better machine now.

Lazy Weekend

Its always a good sign when the dog checks the engine's, and Lottie was eager to check them over this weekend. We had a nice but late start on Saturday up to Pollington. After two weeks back home after our holidays, and some long hours at work for Peter, we were looking forward to a short break and a lazy weekend aboard Moonshine.
The new kettle is fantastic. We opted for a 1000w Kampa kettle from wowcamping.co.uk as this looked more aesthetically pleasing compared to other low wattage kettles, plus we needed more gas for the Weber bbq and this was the cheapest place to purchase it from even with postage costs. It is a touch power hungry on the generator, however we have only bought it for use when hooked up to shore power.

The heatwave has finally gone, which makes it a bit more comfortable especially for the dogs. The sun eventually made way for rain on Saturday evening, and we noticed the recently cleaned and re proofed canopy was leaking in various places. After further investigation, we discovered this could be due to shrinkage after the very hot dry weather as water was only permeating through the stitching. We will re proof these areas next weekend, but don't envisaged this to be a major problem.

Next weekend will be taken up with work commitments again, but it is that that pays for the boat and our plans to have the saloon seating reupholstered this winter. I think I will have to wait until next year for a new front door at home......, then we can look forward to yet another predictable trip to Hull over the forthcoming August bank holiday weekend. Roll on some more settled good weather!

Homeward Bound

Day 13.  Chatham to Burnham on Crouch
The start of our last week and we are now homeward bound. We departed Chatham Maritime Marina lock after discovering they penned every half hour as this involves a bridge lift each time. We left on a much quieter river than when we arrived, enjoying help from the last of the ebb until we had gotten into the Medway Approach Channel. We planed from Hoo Island when it was safe to do so, until we heard Medway VTS in conversation with a work vessel at Thamesport Gas Terminal with men working at the waterline. We dropped off the plane for 5 minutes so as not to cause them any problems with our potential wash, and when we were safely away from them we attempted planing once again, however we must have had some weed around Moonshine's drives as she wasn't happy at all. After going astern and releasing said weed, she went back up on the plane with no problem. We were against the flood from the Medway Approach to the  Inner Whittaker, where we dropped off the plane as we crossed Whittaker Spit as the tide was still quite low and we were down to 2.5 mtrs depth. Once back into deeper water we were able to plane once again quickly covering some decent ground, we then dropped down to a slow speed just passed the River Roach off the River Crouch and obtained a mooring for the night in Burnham Yacht Harbour.  You couldn't have asked for any better sea conditions today, as it was flat calm all the way. A keen breeze got up later once we were moored up but we could only put that down to sea breezes, but it freshened the air considerably after yet another swelteringly hot day.







Logged 46.2 nautical miles.

Day 14.  Burnham on Crouch to Woodbridge
This morning prior to heading back out to sea we decided it would be an idea to obtain fuel. Unfortunately the fuel pump in Burnham Yacht Harbour was out of commission, so we ended up heading across the river to Essex Marina to fuel up. We then headed back down river in a very brisk breeze with wind over an incoming tide to get back out to sea. Once out at sea it was pretty calm (but nowhere like the conditions we had enjoyed yesterday) until it got a bit choppy off Walton on the Naze, then plotting a course due north to cross the Harwich deep water shipping channel it calmed off again and we enjoyed a good run up to Woodbridge Haven. Once in Woodbridge Haven we came off the plane to run steady up river, however with a very fast flowing inward tide behind us we had to navigate very carefully as the tide was pulling the anchorage buoys just beneath the water making navigation very challenging. We obtained a mooring in the Tidemill Yacht Harbour for a one night stay.



Logged 49.1 nautical miles.

Day 15.  Woodbridge to Lowestoft
We had a very lazy morning waiting for there to be enough water over the cill at the Tidemill Yacht Harbour moorings before we could set off. We had a walk around the grounds, and just like everywhere else around here the grass is parched and quite uncomfortable to walk on even with sandals. The dogs also have to be carried to shore as the gaps between the wooden jetty boards are too wide for them. Apart from that this is a very tranquil place to be.  With a very light breeze we departed the yacht harbour, and steadily made our way punching the tide in the River Deben heading back out to sea. It was quite choppy in the River mouth, but once out to sea we enjoyed calmish sea conditions, gaining help from the tide once past Orford Ness. When we approached Lowestoft sea conditions had chopped up a bit, however we were able to follow the wind farm vessels in, which were returning back to the harbour in true 'wacky race' form, and they smoothed the path nicely for entry. With all this green energy, it would be interesting to see what the wind farm boats carbon footprint is.....

Logged 47.4 nautical miles

Day 16. Lowestoft
If it's not the wind that keeps us in port, it's the fog! Our intention today was to have an early start to visit Wells next the Sea. Unfortunately the morning started with a loud fog horn  blast! We awoke to the sight of dense fog which at times thinned slightly but repeatedly became dense again. We had a time window of up to 13.40 to safely get into Wells, however since we would have to plane with our now later start, we considered this far too risky with the reduced visibility. The fog eventually cleared late morning, so a day spent in Lowestoft was in order. It isn't such a bad thing as this allows us to restock up on our badly depleated alcohol stock, oh and the four letter word beginning with f.....FOOD!




Day 17.  Lowestoft to Wells next the Sea
With no fog this morning our penultimate sea passage this holiday went very smoothly in very calm seas. We encountered a myriad of crab pots close into the coastline just off Cromer and Sheringham,  and it seemed there was no getting away from them, until we altered course to head further back out to sea. Once passed the Wells leading buoy we could then steadily make our way in following the harbour launch, and upto the pontoon on the quay. Now we are here, this will be a pleasant finale to our holiday, before having to make the final sea passage back to the Humber.



Logged 55.4 nautical miles

Day 18.  Wells next the Sea
A gloriously hot lazy day was spent in Wells today. We love just sitting on the boat relaxing watching the tides change and the boats moving about.







Day 19.  Wells next the Sea to Hull
It is far too easy once ensconced in Wells Harbour to not want to move on, but time is now running short and we need to head back to the Humber today. Our final sea passage was a bit bumpy for the first half hour from the leading buoy, but after that the sea state smoothed off. Once in at Spurn the only chop we encountered was from other vessels, and we made Hull Marina after two hours and fifty minutes of planing. Tomorrow we are heading back to our home mooring in Goole, this means we will be back to dodging floating debris instead of crab pots. It is nice to be back to more familiar territory and our normal stomping ground.

Logged 72.7 nautical miles

Day 20.  Hull Marina to Goole
We enjoyed a flat calm run back up river to Goole, and had excellent service from Goole Docks on a return pen. Thankfully there was no floating debris to contend with today. We returned back to the polluting atmosphere Moonshine calls home after a respectable 58 minute run.

Logged 21.8 nautical miles

We have now been away for almost three weeks, and it has been a heatwave from start to finish with not even a drop of rain. The only slight issues from the weather were sea breezes due to the heat, and one morning of fog. Moonshine has run faultlessly, and it has been a  pleasure to discover new places we never visited before.

Overall total logged 564.2 nautical miles.

Rip Off Merchants

Day 5.  Ipswich

We spent a very pleasant lazy day in Ipswich. It has been far too hot to do much, and it has been a battle keeping the dogs cool and stimulated in this heat, as their walks have now been restricted to the early morning and late evening. 

Day 6.  Ipswich to Woolverstone

A slightly cooler day today, we got up early and eventually found our way to the Lidl supermarket for stores. Somehow we managed to take the long route there, but took a shorter more direct route back. Once the fridge and beer cooler were stocked with Whitstable Bay and the odd bit of food we trundled back down river to Woolverstone Marina. In the afternoon we took a walk along the woodland path to Pin Mill with the dogs. 

Logged 3.0 nautical miles

Day 7.  Woolverstone to Titchmarsh

Our intention today was to venture back out to sea and make the short hop to Brightlingsea, however the forecast northerly breeze put paid to that...for today anyway.  Therefore we decided the best option would be to visit Titchmarsh Marina and have a meal in the 'Harbour Lights' restaurant. After checking out their menu which looked rather limited we opted for yet another meal on board. It looked as if the restaurant had gone considerably down hill since our last visit a few years ago, not just with its menu and it's odd weekday meal finishing serving times, but its overall condition of the building as it isn't as smartly kept as it used to be. Incidentally, we noted quite a few people turning up and finding the doors padlocked.

Logged13.4 nautical miles

Day 8.  Titchmarsh Marina

Day 8 and we are spending another day in Titchmarsh Marina whilst waiting for the northerly breeze to pass and the sea state to smooth out. Walton on the Naze is the nearest town for groceries, it is a fair walk there and from previous experience is not brilliant for stocking up a rapidly empty fridge. We have sandwich stuff, milk, Laura has her veggie sausages and hash browns left, and there are two cooked chipolata sausages from last night's tea....but they have the dogs name on them! So it looks as if we will have to delve into the dried food cupboard, as tuna and pasta bake sounds good for us tonight. I also knew it would be useful to carry a few 1litre whisky bottles, as one was very  handy being appropriately placed on the worktop to use as a mallet to crush the plain crisps to top the pasta bake for tea!

We are now itching to move on now the weather has calmed down a bit, tomorrow we will visit Brightlingsea for a few nights.

Day 9.  Titchmarsh Marina to Brightlingsea

Now itching to be back to civilization, we made our way out of Titchmarsh. The other day we were not sure where the channel into the marina was, but since it was high water we didn't have any problems with depth even though both the depth readings were playing up. This time we stayed in the channel which is in-between the anchored yachts.  There was still a gentle northerly ground swell running, but this got considerably smoother the further down the coast we went. It is always challenging when visiting new places whilst trying to navigate through the buoyed channel, but we made it safely and obtained a mooring within the Waterside Marina...normally when visiting you would end up on the mid river non shore connected pontoon, and would have to use the dingy to get to shore.

Note the cill at low water!

Logged 25.8 nautical miles

Day 10. Brightlingsea

We decided since the fridge was getting low on stock to walk to the large Co-op which is on the other side of town. There are several small grocery stores in the town, but we thought a larger shop would be a bit cheaper...how wrong were we! This shop was considerably more expensive than the ones in town and the term rip off merchants spring to mind. We just bought the bare essentials and will wait until Chatham to stock up again. Let's hope that due to all the residential building work going off here, it warrants an Aldi or a Lidl store to be built near that Co-op to make them more competitive. Apart from that gripe whilst wrestling to feed a family of four, Brightlingsea is a lovely place and is definitely on our list of places to visit again.

Day 11.  Brightlingsea to Chatham

We departed Brightlingsea as soon as there was enough water over the cill of the little marina. We had an excellent run with calm seas, we were against the tide until we had gotten through the Swin Spitway, and then we had really good help from the spring tide all the way up the Medway. You have to carefully plan your passage on the Thames Estuary, as there are several different routes across, making sure there is  plenty of water over the sand banks. Once at Chatham Marina lock we had a short wait whilst the harbour master put the lock into free flow, then we had to carefully navigate our way through the lock entrance with the tide behind us making us shoot in like a cork. There was still a substantial inward current whilst entering our given pontoon as it was near the lock. Now safely moored up we are certainly looking forward to exploring Chatham since this is our first visit here.

Logged 41.0 nautical miles

Day 12.  Chatham Maritime Marina

Another very hot day today inland touching the 29°C mark and too hot to do anything meaningful. A quick mooch around the shops and a lazy look around the marina, we couldn't wait to get back to the boat in the cool of the shade and of course to the two small mains fans we have running. I did purchase a nice electric kettle for Moonshine, after figuring it would be a good idea whilst on shore power rather than using the gas, however this had to be returned as it was a 3kw kettle and would potentially have problems tripping out the electric...I wouldn't mind but Peter was with me when I purchased it, but he was too busy protesting (actually he was moaning a bucket full) about more unnecessary added weight than pointing out what was a more obvious thing to him in the first place. But nevermind, now I have impressed on him the benefits of getting one I have sourced a nice 1kw model which will have to be ordered upon our return. 

With just one more full week left, it is now time to head back up the coast. In reality we only need a good three days to get home, but since the weather is still looking good we are looking forward to visiting more places on the return leg packing as much in for as long as is possible.