Sunday: progress with the slipway; the piles are all now in place ready for the main structural beams (visible on the deck ogf the work boat).

Update Wednesday: I have felt unwell, exhausted and depressed since I came back from London. I did not even have the energy to write diatribe on London buildings as I threatened in my last post. I made it to the river on Sunday with a lot of effort and I did a few things I had to do - like have a blood test. The rest of the time I have mooched around feeling that the valley (of the shadow of death) would soon open up ahead of me. I  am glad to say that I feel better today.

Tuesday - the new chemo regime started. It was a shorter session than many and the stuff has not yet had obvious side effects. I had helpful chats to a couple of the nurses in the Day Unit, which helped with the gloom and despondancy. I am also getting to admit that I need to plan my life differently, rather than living in (pleasant) denial.

Day 3: Friday 24th August: from an anchorage in the Backwaters to Titchmarsh marina due to bad weather.

Classic boats at anchor in Hamford water - I am anchored quite a way upstream from them - new camera has zoom lens!

I did not want to retreat from the anchorage but the forecast was not good from late afternoon and so I booked a berth in Titchmarsh.

Then I went sailing out to sea - a reach out and a reach back for a couple of hours - with all the sails up and no engine. I enjoythe sea. Then into the marina (engine and genoa for ease of manoevering in the confines of the narrow river up to the marina.)

At sea, with waves and classic boats sailing southwards.

I stayed for two nights in the marina and had a carvey meal on the first night.

Day 2: Thursday 23rd August: Leaving the Deben and anchoring in the Walton Backwaters.

Leaving the Deben in calm weather at low tide

I left the DEben at low water in calm weather. I followed a few 'old gaffers' down from Ramsholt. (They had been in Tidemill the day before and I know some of the boats.) We caught to end of the ebb tide and the note in my log is ' - - this is how it should be - - '. But it is scary to go out at low water and see the banks of shingle on either side and spreading into the channel. There is also a shallow patch (2.7 M) with disturbed water between a green and red bouy, just as you think you are clear of any nasties. I certainly do not intend to enter or leave the Deben in other than calm weather.

Over the bar in calm weather - glad not to be there in rough weather.

Thereafter - good wind and sunshine. So I headed off to the Walton Backwaters with full mainsail and no engine, going with the wind and the tide. (how it should be - -) and with lots of other boats heading the same way - which was good company.

Having picked my way between more shingle banks into the Backwaters, I anchored in the Hamford river. The wind then got up (over 20 knots) with the forecast for more wind and rain for several days. I spent a long time debating whether to go back to the Deben, whether to go to Shotley or whether to go to Titchmarsh (a nicer marina but further from routes home if I get trapped).

In a Laser with a radial sail, Tynemouth c. 2000. This picture was taken when it was deemed to windy to race.

2000s sailing: I still do 'sport' in some sense. This is the best action picture I have but since about 1982 until today I have enjoyed sailing and racing.

Yesterday I took out the Streaker in fairly windy conditions - mostly upwind so not much planing. In the river it is hard to just go for a good blast because there are moorings, cruisers motoring (who do not obey the collision regulations) and boats moored; there are also mud banks to go aground on.  So you cannot just set off in a straight line as I did in the picture. I also find the streaker does not plane as well as the Laser - but I think this is partly that I am not quite 'at one' with the boat yet. And also that the new hulls (mine is quite old) get on the plane earlier.

I have entered the Regatta in two weeks - I hope to do what I did last year - and sail the first race and then start the second but only finish if I am feeling well. The second start means I get a result for the race as well as practice starting.

You can gather from this that the 'holiday' from the chemotherapy is giving me back a bit of physical energy (before I run out of energy in the middle of the afternoon!). And I hope that I will also get back a bit of confidence. Being ill is a downer - not only through the physical effects of illness but through zapping the confidence to 'do' stuff. As I resolved some time ago - I am not planning to worry about it all going wrong - although obviously I do.

Today - the sun - intending to gross out in it on the beach - probably at Bawdsey.

Tower Bridge preparing to open. The olympic rings have already been lifted up to the pedestrian bridge.

 I think I have seen it open once before - not impressive as I lived down the road for a year or so from 1971. It had already opened 15 times today.

A large, well used barge comes upstream.

The bridge opens.

The barge goes through in a stately manner.

Seen today as Aidan and I had lunch by the river. We also noted that it could not go much further as London Bridge does not lift.

I walked back to Aldgate underground and I was able to walk a lot faster and further than previously due to lack of side effects and an increase in fitness.

On a beach - perhaps Bournmouth - with a boat.

1940s: I had to include this as it illustrates two of my life-passions - beaches and sailing (although I did not do sailing until I was about 40.). I think my father  made the boat - note the aluminium wheels - he often used aluminium for the things he made.

A fine barge at Woodbridge quay - with Tidemill behind and mud in the foreground.

It came up the river the other day - inspite of the nasty weather. It is here for the Woodbridge regatta - whih is also a sort-of festival of boats.

The parade of boats along the Thames - I watched it - and tried not to listen to the commentary. Sky News was the best as it showed more boats.

The front of the parade at Chelsea - impressive

The train - fantastic.

It rained here most of the day - otherwise I would have been screwing fittings on the deck of my boat. I have experienced some fatigue from the chemo - which made staying indoors easier. I have managed to return to doing weights in the gym - for about 35 minute sessions.

One corner of Fox's marina

I went to Fox's chandlery today - with a list. I actually spent more on some new thermals than I did on bits for the boats - which is a good thing as it is getting cold again.

Fox's marina is an interesting mix of massive boats with hired crews and old boats in mud moorings - just visible at the top of the picture.

 

The wonderful Tocata. I spent a happy evening aboard playing Monopoly three years ago in Brightlingsea - when I felt ill but did not know why. The capt and crew were kind to me - I do not forget.

Looking the other way - I spotted Tocata - the wooden ketch.

A snapdragon 24

I was tempted by this as it has standing head room and a loo. But it also needs more work than I have time or energy or money for doing. So I wisely and prudently decided not to go ahead.

This encapsulates what I have been doing for a few days - I crawled over it and made a long list - walked around and did worrying - as you do.

The anti-coagulant seems to be working - I am less breathless - but still feeling a bit feeble - too feeble to avoid temptation of exploring a boat.

Weekend - lots of streakering. And on Saturday - I came second in the slow handicap race - which was just the right length for me. Very shifty winds - so was quite pleased by this and grateful for the experience I had at Tynemouth.

The mill pond for the Tidemill seen from the other side of the river. An image from the Frith collection.

Once a historian - always a historian - even if I swear I have said what I had to say. This is the Tidemill Yacht harbour before it was a yacht harbour. It was then a vaste mill pond for the Tidemill corn mill - just visible to the left. An econimic / social / environmental history of the boat yards and havens up and down the river would be nice. (The boat trade and the river Deben - 1800 to 2010)   In our endings are our beginnings. (You won't understand this unless you know that my first book was The Pottery Trade and North Staffordshire, 1660-1760) So have spent a day vaguely thinking about it.  I don't really have the time or energy - - do I?

Have also done the usual trivia and been to the gym and advertised a laser for sale.

River walk from the sailing club balcony

Today - the Woodbridge regatta. The river bank and all the open areas adjacent were full of stalls, eateries and people.

Just after the start of the Topper race. The wind got up later.

And there was some racing in sight of the revellers. I did two laps of a big course in the streaker which started after the toppers had finished (I came in after an hour and a quarter as I was tired and also had some equipment failures). The first time I have raced for about three years. The wind was pretty good for about half the time - then dropped. It is very variable here - a lot of gusts and shifts. Various muscles are protesting but I don't feel any worse than I did a few years back.

Aim - to finish one race this season (they do very long races and wonder why more people don't race). (One of the problems of handicap racing due to the need to give the really fast boats a decent length of race which is too long for the slower boats.)

Sunny in the morning but it became cold and windy, with heavy rain after lunch.
I went to the boat and  fixed the mainsail on the boom before it rained.

At low tide alongside the town quay - the entrance to the Tidemill marina is between the white buildings

Talked to the families that own these boats on the way there. Scuttled back as the wind got colder and the rain nastier. The rest of the day indoors - partly doing some useful things (such as studying the sailing club's standard race courses - which were incomprehensible but are getting easier as I get more familiar with the river)  but mostly not doing much at all.