Fifth Leg

Sat 19 june
Harwich to Ramsgate
We awake to sun showers and a bit of wind but decide to go for it. We both want to get this bit over with as the Thames Estuary is a maze of sand banks to meander across. As we come out of the channel dozens of boats out, racing, cruising. There are about 10 old barges with full gaff rig gracefully cutting through them all - might is right even under sail!!
We get the sails up and decide not to put a reef in (!) and choose to go inshore of the wind farm at Clacton. Just as we got past the 1 st squall hit us. The wind shot up to 30+ kn per hour, I was down below, Ivan steering and I heard him shout 'we're going over babe' and my response was 'we ****ing not' !!!! Well we didn't and the rig and boat thankfully took it all in it's stride!! Thanks to Pip for pestering andWilliam for advising. Rob, the anchor points welded to the deck were just fine.....!! Had about 3 or 4 more big squalls and as the day went on the sea got bigger and bigger and very shallow in some places (2 metres when Ivan cut the corners on sand banks!!). By the time we got to North Foreland we were both worn out and were in the biggest sea I have ever been in, and Ivan said the last time he was in seas that big he was on the lifeboat!!
We had to motor the last few hours again. The North sea is having it's las say!! But the engine is doing really well thankfully. By the time we get to Ramsgate we have a few repairs - the AIS aerial bracket and 2 sliders on the foot of the main have failed. Ivan got whipped on the nose by the foresail sheet and Angela got bruised being thrown around in the wheelhouse so a day of rest and repair is definitely in order. But we have at last escaped the North sea !!