SOA East Coast
East Coast
Shrimpers are supreme here where there are shifting bars to cross and muddy shallows inside, with creeks to explore.
Each river is very different in character, from the wide open, commercial Orwell to the prettier, much smaller, Deben. From the messy but delightful Mersea island and its magic fish cafe to Arthur Ransome’s much loved Walton Backwaters with major seal population and dead easy access; from the shingle banks of the Ore and its castle, becoming the Alde, and leading to smartish Aldeburgh, it’s a great area.
The Deben
The Deben starts with the regulation Martello towers and carries on up river getting shallower and muddier until for most boats it gets difficult at lovely Woodbridge. But if you’re a Shrimper, there’s another 2 miles to go.
The Deben has, and we hope, will again be the hotbed of Shrimper racing in the area. It is a superb area with quite perfect sea sailing in the bay outside, and gentler but tricky conditions in the winding shallows to the north.
The Ore and Alde
Orford and Aldeburgh have the highest number of Shrimpers on the East coast rivers, and hold Aldeburgh weeks for both juniors and a motley selection of keelboats and dinghies including Shrimpers. Aldeburgh week has a real buzz because of the number of competitors in a hair-raisingly small space. Past Aldeburgh, in the shallows again, Shrimpers have sailed to Snape for concerts and slithered around in the mud on their return with equanimity.
The Orwell
The Orwell is wonderfully accessible whatever the weather and tide, with five marinas at various points as you go up to Ipswich, stopping off points like Pin Mill with the excellent Butt and Oyster pub and spritty barges on the mud.
Please click on the links below for additional information.
Creek crawling in Suffolk - Bumbling up the Butley Creek