At Anchor

It was with great delight that we finally managed to spend some time properly at anchor during our recent holiday. We have anchored before on the Trent and in Brayford Pool but neither of these places comes even close to comparing with the experience of spending the afternoon at anchor just off Blakeney beach.

The weather was beautiful, the sun was shining, the skies were blue and the sea was turquoise blue reflecting the fantastic blue of the sky. The sea was calm with just a few long and spaced out small waves to gently rock the boat, reminding us that yes, we are still at sea. Bordering the deserted bay were miles of golden and unspoilt beach, stretching for miles, skirting along the perimeter of the bay. Not a sole to be seen bar us and our companion boat, the makings of a fantastic afternoon.

As we were lowering the dinghies to go for an explore on the beach a group of inquisitive seals came across to the boats to say hello and to have a peek at what we were up too. With the dinghies down and engines running we set off for the beach. Now landing a dinghy onto a beach isn’t quite as easy as it sounds. The small breakers at the beach edge make for a decidedly wet ride. The beach was as glorious as it looked from the boats. Not a spot of litter to be seen anywhere.

After an hour or so it was time to head back to the boats. With the tide now running in quickly it was certainly time to get back and check that the anchors were holding fast against the change in tide. If the ride to the beach was wet, then the ride back was soaking, but good fun. Riding the breakers was great fun but the journey back was made all the better by the seals swimming around the dinghies, escorting us back to the mother ships.

Back on board and safe in the knowledge that the anchors have held against the changing tides we settled back for an hour of fishing. Well I say fishing, we didn’t catch a thing, but we had good fun in the process. With the fishing not happening we back the gear away and settle down with a few ice cold beers, watching the seals watching us and the sea birds catching their next meals, life couldn’t get much better.

The afternoon spent at anchor of Blakeney has made us more determined to anchor again. It isn’t to everybody’s taste but for us the quiet and peaceful surroundings, the gentle rocking of the boat and the knowledge that you are there along and capable of sustaining yourself on your boat is truly hard to beat. Bring on the August bank holiday and our next chance to spend time at anchor properly on the sea.