Tag: Clamp House

An Outright Win and Hilary’s on the case

July 7, 2013 / / 1 Comment

After my last post in which we drew attention to the tracking software, you may know that on that day, on the Passage Match 2013, Cambria, with Richard Tichener as Skipper and Hilary Halajko as First Mate (Cambria is back in the hands of the Sea Change Sailing Trust), recorded another heroic Outright Win.

Also, you may recall from last year that when Hilary is in the chair, this blog gets well supplied with Cambria Updates, for which many thanks, Hilary.

Passage Match 2013

Passage Match 2013; Picture by Dave Brooks

The first of these is up on Facebook today and reads, “Update from sea change on Cambria. It’s been a very busy few days, we left Maldon on Wednesday evening with a fair wind so no need for a tug. A gentle sail to anchor just below the doubles and then underway Thursday morning bound for Pin Mill. A lovely sail, 7 hours from Maldon to anchor just below the SBA buoy. As we approached Harwich Harbour, Reminder was coming out of the backwaters and Mirosa getting underway from the Stour. So a lovely sight for anyone watching. We were able to launch the topper dingy and along with a rowing the barge boat everyone spent a pleasant hour or so in the setting sun with Mirosa anchored above us and Reminder above her.Those brave enough went for a swim, jumping off the bowsprit, that’s the easy bit, getting back aboard not quite so easy!!
On Friday Gus came to tow us to the blocks, no wind which made it easy to get there. Then 2 days of pressure washing, scrubbing, and anti fouling and boy did she need it, she was absolutely covered in barnacles!! The upside of being on the blocks is that we eat out in the Butt and Oyster!!
This morning Jonathan came to tow us off the blocks and down to the clamp house. A stiff sea breeze made it very difficult to pull her off and in the end we needed the barge boat and outboard alongside to make any headway. At the point when Jonathan shouted that his engine was overheating we already had the main and kedge anchors ready!!! we didn’t make it as far as the clamp house but were able to anchor in a spot where we could sail away before Jonathan’s boat finally packed up!! Bright sunshine a great breeze and tacking down against all those people who were sailing back up to return to work tomorrow, lucky us! We are now anchored just above Shotley Marina getting ready to go ashore for a BBQ , We are the luckiest people in the world right now!!”

We are green with envy, Hilary! What a way to earn a living!

Ipswich Wet Dock

August 14, 2012 / / 0 Comments

While the website is briefly distracted by the Swale Match, Cambria is out there working hard for a living and we receive the latest three ‘Cambria Watch’ reports from Hilary Halajko.

“This week has flown by”, she reports. “After our fast passage to Stone heaps we had a short sail to the clamp house and the following day a sail up to Ipswich wet dock. A tow through from the harbour launch and the Dock master playing “Red Sails In The Sunset” over the p.a. system! Made us feel really special. We unloaded our concrete and aggregate and then had a massive clean up on deck and down below as everything seemed to be covered in fine concrete dust. There was then a need for essential shopping to get the dongle working again and a visit to the swimming pool. Last night we had a celebration supper at the local Chinese and today we say goodbye to Rachel and Katherine. Yesterday’s reception for the IMT went well, more from Don on that later. We are washing and shopping today and off tomorrow, Blackwater bound”.

“We had a busy Saturday (11th Aug) in Ipswich Wet Dock”, she goes on. “The morning saw our load of cement go to two good causes, one via the Rotary Club, the other rather aptly towards work on Pin Mill Hard. During the afternoon the Ipswich Maritime Trust held a well attended reception aboard, under their vice chairman Des Pawson. We were also visited by groups interested in coming away with us next year and by Brett Aggregates, who had kindly donated aggregate samples to complement the cargo”.

Cattle Cake

Cattle Cake picture by Sea Change Sailing Trust

Then at Midday Monday “To commemorate Cambria’s last trading passage, which carried produce for making cattle cake, we made an edible cattle cake. It looked a lot tastier than the original!
During the afternoon we were pleased to welcome Bob Roberts’ daughters Gill and Ann, who had many reminiscences about their time aboard as youngsters when their father was skipper”.

A further piece at 6pm Monday says “We locked out of Ipswich wet dock at 11 am. The small harbour launch gave us a tow but her engine over heated so we dropped the tow just before the Orwell bridge. Short tacking all the way to Harwich, having to drop and reset the foresail at times and at one point having to quickly anchor as there was not enough room for us and a coaster. Cambria is fabulous, we were sometimes having to tack as soon as she had way on but she did it!! We are now anchored at Wrabness in the river Stour, very pretty place. I think we may be Crouch bound tomorrow”.

Thank you for all those, Hilary. It gives us ‘out here’ a real flavour of what the Cambria is up to and the good work you are doing.

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