wayfarer jan 10

Wayfarers January 2010

Wayfarers at Dawn

Brancaster January 2010

Sun, sea and sand they said on the invite – well 2 out of three ain’t bad. The weekend of the 16-17th January 2010 saw the 10th Annual Wayfarer weekend at Brancaster, Norfolk organised by Simon and Rachel McEvoy from Notts County Sailing Club. As a relatively inexperienced Enterprise and Laser sailor who had never sailed on the sea before, the invitation to spend a January weekend on the Norfolk coast was an enticing prospect that I couldn’t refuse. Boats and sailors started arriving on Thursday night at Burnham Deepdale Backpackers and Camping to allow leisurely if frosty rigging of the boats ready for the rest of us arriving on Friday after work. Meeting at the White Horse Inn for a welcome meal we retired to the hostel for singing, sea shanties, and the first of the relaxing and very convivial evenings. As a newcomer the musical talent of the Wayfarer gang was a revelation led by their very own “Seasick Steve” aka Steve Payne. I was amazed at the diversity of talent on offer – guitars, accordion, singers, rhythm section – what a talented bunch my fellows were turning out to be. The only slight concern was the revelation that to maximise our sailing experience Simon had kindly organised the trip to enable us to experience a dawn cruise - claims that this was in fact due to a misreading of the tide tables when booking would be clearly unfounded.

Waking at 5:30 was a bit of a shock to the system but soon we understood Simon’s plan. Clearly he was keen to test our seamanship skills and knowledge of the Wayfarer. Rigging in the dark, the new Zen seamanship test, certainly tested our ability of what goes where -especially for those without torches! Launching just as dawn broke into what we all agreed we would report to nearest and dearest as a force 8 (mind you even without exaggeration it was a challenging force 6 with fearsome gusts) was simply a blast. Those like me with limited experience were happy to be the movable ballast with a tight grip whilst the more experienced helms blasted up and down the harbour at speed. In my case Martin’s helming was even more impressive as we had to borrow a tiller extension from the sixth boat Topsy – the loose fit I suppose possibly increasing the need to be at one with the boat. Although I guess we should have been colder the combination of adrenaline, exercise and multiple layers meant we all finished with a warm glow ready for breakfast and shore side Buck’s Fizz. Five boats went out Cockle, Miss Quinn, Wye Rush,Samphire ,Ullathorne, not one capsize and lots of smiling faces. Breakfast was extremely welcome some heading for the Deepdale Café and some the White Horse and all this and still only 10 am. The rest of the morning was spent hiding from the rain (which didn’t start till after the sail – an example of more perfect timing from Simon - before a lazy afternoon spent at Burnham Market, walking or at the RSPB Reserve at Titchwell Marsh in the company of Steve – this time in his guise not as a musician but as a birdwatcher. Not only an exhilarating weekend then but also an educational one! Our minds were stretched even further by an excellent quiz by Simon and Rachel and our stomachs by an excellent Chinese takeaway from Burnham Market. What more could we fit in to a day that had already seem to have lasted a weekend. The answer was soon forthcoming – the First Wayfarer Spoons Championship – I never realised cards could be a blood sport. After a frantic hour the first champion Alison Goodall had the last spoon in her triumphant hand.

I would say early to bed, early to rise but I would be lying – more music, singing and drinking ready for our 5:30 alarm call. What a difference a day makes, Sunday was an absolutely beautiful, clear morning with a manageable breeze. The reefs of Saturday were shaken out and all six boats launched. For this we would all like particularly to thank the local Chandlery for the kind loan of a tiller extension. The later tide and calmer winds meant that this time we went out beyond the sand bar to the sea. For me it was the first time at sea in the waves and a chance to helm. A fantastic experience heading out as the sun rose with thousands of Brent Geese taking to the air. Mind you it wasn’t all fun and games and Martin and John insisted I follow the channel buoys – no dodging out of gybing for me! Excellent practice and a great opportunity for me to ask questions and learn. The wind though calmer took us on a great, fast reach from the shore but a more challenging beat back especially with the developing shallows as the tide ebbed.

Packing up was a bittersweet experience for me – so much packed into one weekend and yet all too soon it was over. However there was one last treat before the trip home – the Big Breakfast at the Deepdale Café. So many great experiences for me with the absolute highlight being the line of Wayfarers sailing line astern back to shore on Sunday into the rising sun with flocks of geese like rising smoke in the sky. I don’t think sailing gets better than this.