The east coast of England is largely flat, sloping nearly imperceptibly into the shores of the North Sea. Completely different from the jagged inlets of England’s south coast, East Anglia’s long river inlets are an interesting destination in their own way. Madrone explored both the River Crouch and the lovely town of Burnham-on-Crouch, where her crew had visited previously by land, and the River Orwell to the north.
As always, one of the highlights was spending time with people we meet along the way. We sailed north along the coast in tandem with Tim and Karen aboard the fellow Taswell 43 Silver Moon – any time two boats are sailing near each other it’s a race, but we’d have to say this one ended in a draw. While moored on the River Orwell, we had the opportunity to meet up with Mark and Barbara aboard their sparkling-clean Island Packet 37 Island Rose.
The city of Ipswich lies near the head of the River Orwell. The water level of the inner harbor is steadied by a large lock, and the town itself served as a perfect spot for loading Madrone with provisions and doing a little maintenance before heading further north.
