Skippering The Paxton Princess around the Norfolk coast and safely arriving via Great Yarmouth
Skippering The Paxton Princess around the Norfolk coast and safely arriving via Great Yarmouth

Cruising from Wells-next-the-Sea to Great Yarmouth around the North Norfolk coast in much better conditions with some choppy water off Cromer and Sea Palling but slight seas in the Yarmouth Roads. We tied up at the Town Hall Quay and went ashore for tea at McDonalds which everybody enjoyed.

Today, we had a nice variable force 3 breeze and, with a warm day and clear skies, I made the decision that we should resume our voyage. I got the family up in good time and then pulled over to the pilot's quay for fuel and water before setting sail at 9.50am. Diana had decided to come on the next leg after her fright the other day, with me assuring her that this would be very much better. We left the harbour with Daniel at the helm and me about decks stowing ropes and other equipment and we emerged from the shelter and made our way to Wells bar. It was a bit choppy but nothing compared with what we had experienced the other day.

As we cruised round the north Norfolk coast the so-called variable breeze settled first into the NNE with the remains of an uncomfortable swell and then turned to the SE which worried me in view of the noted problems of entering Great Yarmouth with the wind in that quarter. The problem is the developing sea breezes in this hot weather. The worst weather was around Cromer and Sea Palling but then the sea was slight in the Yarmouth Roads and the entry breeze was only SE4 at its worst. Even so, the harbour entrance was very turbulent with the ebb and the waves gave us quite a bashing as we came in. The, of a sudden, we were in calm water and in the shelter of the port. All the family were relieved and glad that the sea part of our voyage was over. It had been a worrying voyage from Kings Lynn and rough at times but nobody had been sick and there was no permanent damage done. We tied up at the Town Hall Quay and went ashore for tea at McDonalds which everybody enjoyed. Once back to the boat, I wrote up my log and we then slept the sleep of the just as all of our worrying was over.