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.