Our group event on Wednesday was an organised trip from the Orwell Quay in Ipswich, down the tidal River Orwell to Pin Mill and back. It was billed romantically as a ‘Sunset River Trip,’ but as luck would have it, the day had been cloudy, damp, and breezy so we were not too optimistic!
However, after reliving student days with burger, chips and zero-alcohol lager in the MIX café & bar on the quayside by the University, the seven of us donned jumpers and waterproofs and settled ourselves on the upper deck of the Orwell Lady upon thoughtfully provided blue and white gingham cushions.
……[Or, on a sunny day : 
]
The Ipswich Waterfront and Marina is full of an impressive array of boats and yachts, including some lovely Thames barges, which we sailed around before negotiating the Prince Philip Lock out onto the river, where huge container vessels also moor up and unload. From early Saxon settlers and Viking invasions, to global maritime trade and luxury yacht building, the Waterfront has been at the heart of Ipswich’s transformations over the town’s 1,500 year history.
The 2 hour long trip took us under the towering A14 Orwell Bridge, where the skipper pointed out the nearby Peregrine falcon which nests under the bridge. It was scouting along the river banks where hundreds of waders and shorebirds (and a few human bait-diggers) were taking advantage of tasty morsels left by the outgoing tide.
The boat took us past The Cathouse (with its smuggler tales) to Pin Mill, home to Arthur Ransome (cue for Swallows & Amazons reminiscences), where it turned and sailed back up river to Ipswich.
As we approached the Lock again, there was a brief glimpse of the sun as it descended from behind the cloud, but it did illuminate one of the barges rather nicely for us.
All in all, it was a lovely way to spend the early evening, with good company and a complimentary drink – and we only got slightly rained upon in the last five minutes!
