Update - almost in Ipswich

I could write this up in sensational style, but I'll resist the temptation, beyond saying an unfortunate incident occurred in which Toucando, being securely moored in a high class south coast marina, with me hundreds of miles away, was struck by a former Nazi yacht resulting in some bended metal.  Nothing to adversely affect her seaworthiness,  but nevertheless definitely requiring some repairs.
We were able to proceed to Ipswich as planned, via Brighton and Dover, but instead of going to our intended marina we finished up at Fox's marina and boatyard - somewhere that offers all the necessary boatyard facilities to do the repairs. The excellent Bishop Skinner (insurer) has sorted everything out and hopefully all will be restored to appropriate condition without further delay. Once done we will probably relocate to Ipswich Haven from where we will make occasional trips. The Haven has the advantage of a town centre location, and I like towns. We will probably be doing some sailing in the latter part of August - the Suffolk and Essex coasts, Thames estuary, maybe the Low Countries. I'll keep you posted.

The Toucan Table

Toucando is back - and looking for crew

Hello! It’s been a long time since I posted. The last few years have been dominated by boat maintenance. But Toucando is looking forward to sailing again. There’s a big change coming. After seven years based on the River Itchen in Southampton, we are relocating to Ipswich on the east coast. I have been spending more time in Harwich for family reasons, and it makes sense for Toucando to come round here so I can get to her more often for both maintenance and sailing purposes.
We’ll leave Kemps Quay on Saturday 31st March, probably for a short trip on day 1 to a Solent destination. In the week following we will head up channel with possible stops at Brighton, Eastbourne, Dover and Ramsgate, before heading across the Thames estuary to Harwich Haven, up the Orwell to Ipswich. The itinerary is flexible and will take account of the conditions at the time. I intend it to be a pleasant, relaxing passage - 200 miles in a week. A regular crew member is already signed up, but there are spaces for one or two more. Please get in touch if interested.
Ipswich is a great harbour. The docks have been developed a lot in recent years, with bars and restaurants and the University of Suffolk surrounding the locked dock - once a busy port exporting east anglian grain and importing baltic timber. Once installed I hope we’ll be joining in east coast gaffers events - and maybe popping back to the Solent or over to the Lowlands from time to time. I’ll keep you posted on Toucando’s progress... and if you want to join us, drop us a line.