Northerly Winds

We are still in Waterford due to persistent strong Northerly or Northwesterly winds that would make a trip up the coast wearying to both boat and crew.

Any remaining non-sailing readers of this blog might think that there doesn't seem to be much to this yachting business. Hardly any time is actually spent at sea and most days seem to be frittered away in port. However the weather so far this summer has been quite a lot worse than usual and on most normal sailing holidays there is often not enough wind and its possible to spend everyday in shorts and T-shirts. We are still looking forward to this luxury.

The picture to the right shows D with Bonita on the pontoon in the background. The burgee of the Erith Yacht Club flutters bravely from the masthead – an anachronism today as most boats have mastheads so cluttered with electronic gear, radio aerials and lights that its not possible to fly a burgee.

The photo also shows part of the town's flood defences which consist of long lengths of sections of thick glass screen. In most other waterside towns where it has been necessary to raise the flood defences its usual to build a concrete wall. However this produces a visual barrier which isolates the land from the water surrounding it and diminishes the effect of much of the waterside architecture. Glass screens have a much better appearance, and retain the river as an important part of this old port. Will it be strong enough when the floods come? The home of Waterford crystal has put its faith in glass