Our next trip to Suffolk was for the Classic Regatta and Tim had agreed to be crew for the weekend with his friend Richard helping for the passage down from the Deben. 

We drove down on Sunday 21 June at the beginning of a very hot week with temperatures reaching over 30 degrees! It was disappointing that the tides were all wrong for going out kayaking but Bev went out for a lovely early evening swim with Claudia one night and spent time catching up with her sketching. Taking frequent breaks for a shady rest under the awning in the cool of the van, Steve completed the varnishing and got ‘Cachalot’ ready to take down to Levington. 

Leaving the Tidemill at 0930 on Thursday, Steve spent the afternoon in the water scrubbing barnacles off the prop on a buoy at Waldringfield. Tim & Richard arrived early on Friday to leave the Deben for an extremely hot and airless motor-sail over the Deben Bar and down to Suffolk Yacht Harbour. Bev drove down in the van and helped an extremely exhausted crew to moor up mid-afternoon. Saturday’s forecast was for even less wind and higher temperatures so the decision was made to scrap ideas of racing, take a rest day and wait for Sunday. Tim and Richard returned to Woodbridge leaving Bev ad Steve to enjoy a sociable evening at the Lightship as boats began to arrive for the weekend. There was a very good turnout of five smacks, seven Stellas, 21 Bermudan yachts, four gaffers and 18 motorboats.

Having a rest day on Saturday proved to be a good plan – we watched from the shore as the racing fleet drifted in the Orwell down to Harwich Harbour and back for two very long back to back races. Sadly, during their time trials, several of the classic motorboats overheated. The evening entertainment at Haven Ports Yacht Club aboard the Lightship was lively with an excellent band playing.

Sunday dawned with the promised increase in wind, a good south-westerly. Tim arrived refreshed with Gemma who was also going to join us for the race. There were separate starts for each class and the gaffers were given a shorter course staying within the Orwell. With four boats in contention ‘Fanny of Cowes’, ‘Fable’, ‘Capriccio’ and ‘Cachalot’ we made a very good start but soon dropped behind our competition. It was an enjoyable short race and we came in fourth.

After the prize giving in the Harbour Room we spent another enjoyable evening having supper at the Lightship and then aboard ‘Capriccio’ with Paul when everything had to close down due to a power cut! Bev took the van back to Derbyshire as Claudia was coming up to visit, en route to Wales and Ireland! Steve and Tim took ‘Cachalot’ back to the Tidemill on Monday to be tucked up in her berth ready for our next visit, the OGA Summer Cruise.