An early start was necessary to leave Spurn Point in time to reach Wells Next The Sea about an hour before HW. The alarm went at 04.30 after a disturbed night wondering if it was time to get up. By 05.00 the anchor was up and it was just as the sun was peaking over the horizon. I heard Michael on Foreness asking permission from Humber VTS to leave the anchorage. He was told not to depart until the 3 ferries had passed our position. I didn’t immediately call in as I was just slowly moving around on the shallow area of the anchorage, but I was spotted by VTS and told not to exit the anchorage.
Once the 3 ferries had passed we were given permission to cross the shipping lanes and pass to the stern of an exiting commercial vessel.
The Humber had quite a confused chop, but once clear of the estuary the sea calmed to a windless mill pond and remained like that for all but the last mile or two of the 48 Nm journey. More diesel burned. It was a pretty much straight line with a few slight deviations to avoid a wind farm and some shallows.
We were given instructions by the Harbour Master to pass the East cardinal marking the channel over the bar and steer 160 degrees to the first pair of red and green buoys. The east going tide made keeping the course difficult, but we reached the buoys and followed the channel in passing very close to the holiday makers enjoying the beach. The Chanel twisted and turned its way closely past the Lifeboat Station and after a very tight turn by another beach headed inland. We were met by the harbour master who pointed us to the berth he wanted us to raft up on and took our lines.
We had arrived early enough to explore part of the town full of holiday makers and the quay that the visitors pontoon lies along side, lined with children grabbing. We escaped the crowds and walked out along the coast path across the marshes.
Looking at the weather for Wednesday we realised that there was a strong Easterly forecast that would make for a very unpleasant slog along the North Norfolk coast. We decided, rather than another very early start to get out of Wells we would stay an extra night.
That gave us the opportunity to walk out and see the lifeboat station, visit the Coast Watch Station and have a walk on the vast sandy beach. We heard about the history of the Wells Lifeboat and it was the last lifeboat to be launched using horses. A statue of a horse stands opposite where we are moored on the side of the creak to recognise the horses that played a part in the lifeboats history.
Whilst at the Coast Watch Station we could see out to the bar and how it extended across the area that we crossed yesterday.
