Kalessin of Orwell: Latest ever summer update

Once again it's time for our Christmas message and I realise that I have completely failed to post any sailing reports this year. We didn't manage to sail as much as we hoped but we did have a summer cruise with family and friends, so below are a few photos.

In winter prep the battery charger was replaced with one a quarter of the size and I had a go at some of the headlining in the forepeak. A truly horrible job dreaded by all Westerly owners, and I only did a little bit.

I found a great lamp on Amazon which kills mosquitoes as well as providing light in the cockpit. It really works!

Improved headlining (at least it stays up)

New Victron battery charger

We started our summer cruise with Ben on 27 June, and sailed down to Queenborough followed by a trip up the Thames the next day. It all went remarkably smoothly apart from two stonkingly early departures, but of course it was light so early that it was really no problem.

Alongside mooring at Queenborough

Into the Thames at 6am

Ben admires the QEII bridge

We spent three expensive but worthwhile nights at St Kats and met up with Anne (Ben's fiancee) who was working in London for a few days. You pay a premium for moorings but it's clear that the investment is mostly on the non-boater side of the railings. The facilities are looking tatty, and with one swing bridge completely out of commission it was a very long walk to take Sam to the accessible shower.

While we were there we had a plumbing problem and I had the very surreal experience of going for an early run, past Aviva's City offices where I have sometimes worked, and Leadenhall Market, to buy some unblocking kit from Robert Dyas.

We asked for a wide pontoon, which we have had on previous visits, but sadly got the thin wobbly sort

St Kats showers looking tatty. This is not the accessible one

Leadenhall market at 9.30am

Crucial pipe unblocking equipment. Ben spent a happy few hours dismantling everything, and when he put it back together it all worked

I also ran down to Decathlon at Surrey Quays to buy a special sleeping bag for Ivy, who formed our next crew with her mummy and daddy. Tidal timing was a bit of a challenge as by the time we could get out on the Thames it was 4pm. So it was another overnight at Queenborough and then a short trip the next day to Chatham where we all visited the Historic Dockyard - Guy, Kai and Ivy on Sunday 3 July, and Sam and me on the Monday. The museum's accessibility was impressive and we had a great time.

Hold on tight! The tourist RIBs made for choppy water as we headed downstream, with Ivy in her brand new lifejacket

"It it a giant tomato, Grandma?" Ivy trying to push a buoy into the Medway

Fantastic roof of one of the dockyard sheds

Sam on board HMS Cavalier

From Chatham, Ivy and Kai went home by train, and Guy crewed for us to Burnham-on-Crouch where we were joined by Alex and David. We chose Burnham because it has a railway station, and although many changes of train are needed to get there from most places, they seemed to work out ok. Burnham is very quiet from a sailing point of view; some of the yacht clubs and most of the chandleries have closed, but there are many pubs, all busy, and a good choice of fish and chip shops.

Sam & Guy

Essex walks

I see no ships - an empty Crouch

With Alex and David we relived some old memories, sailing into Heybridge Basin where Alex used to sail with her dad a million years ago. It was very hot and sadly my mother (now 95) didn't feel up to visiting us from her home, which is only a few miles away.

Then it was on to Brightlingsea, where we had previously only ever spent one night on a Haven Ports YC visit many years ago. It's a lovely little resort, much more seaside-y than you'd think given that it's well inside the Colne. From Sam's point of view it has the disadvantage that all the moorings are mid-harbour so he couldn't get off, but there was plenty to see from the boat. We also managed to get our most expensive cylinder of CampinGaz ever, at £50.

Lovely Heybridge Basin

View from the boat in Brightlingsea

Home to SYH

We were home by 11 July and although Sam and I spent quite a few nights on board we only managed one sail, without crew, in early September, although Guy, Kai and Ivy also had a trip (without us). And in late August on a big-ship cruise to the Canaries, Sam managed to revisit old haunts from when he did the ARC in 2009.