County Wet Weekend July 2006

River Deben

This event is organised by Suffolk County Scouts and Guides and is held at Ramsholt under camp condition’s.

Sea Scouts met up at their Sudbury headquarters at 18.00 on the Friday night, we loaded up the camping kit and food for the weekend.   We also hitched up our own safety boat as were also helping the water activities over the weekend.  Once this was done we all headed over to the camp site at Ramsholt,  we set up camp before turning in for the night.

Early the next morning we were up getting breakfast started, before taking one of our sailing instructors over to Felixstowe Ferry to help the organisers out with the rigging and launching of the sailing fleet. We launched our safety boat on the slip way at Bawdsey, just a couple of miles up the road from the camp site and a matter of minutes from the sailing club at Felixstowe Ferry. With enough time to have a cooked breakfast at the Ferry Café , leaders work better once fed and watered, Jeff and I escorted the sailing fleet up the River Deben to the Ramsholt moorings along side the other safety boats from the Felixstowe Ferry Sailing Club, and  ready for the start of the first sailing session of the day.

Meanwhile the scouts and guides had walked down from the camp site, to the Ramsholt Arm’s public house and the meeting place for the water activities. Once all groups were safely on the water, they took part in Kayaking, Canoeing, Dinghy Sailing, Dragon boating and some Sea Scouts also got the chance to go out on the yacht’s that were their for the weekend.

The weather was great all weekend, so when it came to lunch time the Scouts and Guides all had lunch on the section of beach known as “The Rocks”

After lunch the sessions continued till late afternoon. The Scouts and Guides returned back to the camp site, changed out of their wet kit and started to prepare dinner, over seen by Assistant Sea Scout Leader Zoe Richardson, Zoe was on camp to help the Sea Scout while others were helping out boats from the days water activities. I also got back to the car in time to listen to England crash out of the world cup on penalties again! I was then sure that I had made the right decision to come on the wet weekend and not go down the pub!

With there being no water available on the camp site,  the leaders need to make their own arrangements. The nearest water tap is at the Ramsholt Arm’s so there is never a shortage of volunteers for this task and a nice way to finish the day.

The Sea Scouts had dinner, then sat around their camp telling everyone what they had been up to during the day before turning in for the night.

Sunday was much the same only shorter, as we still need to break camp and have flag down. County Wet Weekend badges are given out to everyone who was on the weekend. The County Wet Weekend is a great weekend, and averages 150 Scouts and Guides each year.

These type of activities would not be possible to run, without a great deal of help from land owners,  boat owners, sailing clubs and not forgetting all the Scout and Guide leaders that help  with the water activities and those leaders and helpers that stay behind to run the camp and help with the land base activities.

On behalf of everyone at 3^rd Sudbury Sea Scouts

THANK YOU FOR A GREAT TIME!!

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