The 24 hr shipping forecast for Gibraltar point to N foreland at 6am gave :-

"Variable 3 or less, then S or SW 3-4
Smooth to Slight
Drizzle.
Poor later"

Next 24hrs:-
"Variable, then 3-4 South
Smooth or slight
Occasional rain, fog developing
Moderate to poor.  Occasionally very poor."


 

Excellent we thought. Our Eta Gt Yarmouth was 2200, still light, and with minimum current at the entrance at that state of tide to worry us. So we ploughed on through the rough water over Wells Bar, Caz was watching us from the Coastwatch lookout near the beach huts, and glad to be on firm land, not tossing around like we were. 
 

We were told the bar was bad to cross in a Northerly but ploughed on through it, thinking it would improve in deeper water. ( it was an easterly, not a Northerly )
But it didn't, and even got a bit worse, completely unexpected, we had felt the wind moderating in Wells and had listened to all forecasts.  They were quite long waves, a bad length for the pitching, so we couldn't increase speed and take advantage of the tidal flow going East round the bulge of Norfolk.

We were stuck with horrible rolling and pitching for 10 hours or more in an unexpectedly rough sea, we should have gone back but thought it would improve, but it didn’t. Anyway, we survived and took a marina mooring in Lowestoft to recover after our 15 hour passage

The waves into which we were heading  came directly onto the bow, and a bad distance apart for our boat length. The pitching, made the bluff bows slam down onto the water, so we couldn't increase speed and take advantage of the tidal flow going East round the bulge of Norfolk. Going slower meant that we were not as far round as we should have been when the tide and current changed to go against us.  That in turn meant that we only managed 2knots over the ground just beyond Cromer at 16.00pm, and it didn't pick up again till after 20.00 off Happisburgh.  Then by 00.30 on Wed, we were wooshing down Gorlston roads at 6 knots. past NW Holm buoy.  Yes, that's right..... anyone with a chart would notice that we had missed Gt Yarmouth!

Chris had rung Gt Yarmouth earlier at 22.40, for advice, when she could see that our new eta would be around 00.30, not the nice safe 22.00.  The Pilot's office there kindly, and without talking down to her, said they would not advise entry, but to anchor off (they told her where) till around 9am, and try then.  We took them up on the first bit, but nobody fancied being on deck to drop the anchor in the dark, and with still quite a bit of movement. So we arranged with Lowestoft to go there instead.

All the buoys popped up just as they should, clearly visible - thank goodness that  the fog forecasted for later in the evening didn't materialize.  Our valiant steerers (Roger and Chris Goodwin) handed over to D for the final entry to Lowestoftt 01.30 which was nice and controlled.  Then, phew, we were in the calm water of the outer harbour, waiting for the lifting bridge so we could proceed to our berth at School Road Matina.  Finally moored up, engines off at 02.07.
Caz came down in our car, which had been at Wells, at breakfast time.  David then stayed on the barge tidying up and washing salt off (it rusts things really quickly) whilst the crew were returned to Wells.  We then had two quiet days in Lowestoft before going up into Oulton Broad to start on a fortnight in the Broads.

So then we had a relaxing break for 3 weeks, deep in the Norfolk Broads.