Destination: Harwich and Dovercourt
Sculptures visited: 18
Waves received: Loads
Times nearly toppling into bodies of water: 3
Ahoy there! Well, what a bubbling week I’ve had so far… Now that all of the Octopus Ahoy! sculptures are out across the area, I’ve made it my mission to visit as many of my decorated friends as I can during the summer… and make even more as I go! Earlier this week I set a course for Harwich to explore the sights and meet the lovely people of the town to spread the word of the project. I must say, they all made me feel very welcome!
I’ve been looking on the Octopus Ahoy! app and trail map – seems you cannot use the stars for navigating the trail – and there are a total of 18 sculptures to seek out in the town (I cannot count how many legs that is) so I needed to weigh anchor and get a move on.
Starting with Morrisons – gosh, what a place, almost as much variety as there are creatures in the sea! Word amongst the crew was that a fish delivery was due to dock first thing, so we swam over bright and early… turns out you have to part with some treasure in exchange for anything from the galley. The First Mate Crew wouldn’t share theirs, so I went sculpture spotting instead! Here’s me with one of the four school sculptures stashed in the store…
Speaking of schools, and I don’t mean fish or dolphins, have you heard of Chase Lane Primary School? Their captain, Mrs Barton, invited me along to say hello to the young ones, and it was a splashing chance for me to show them some of my dance moves. I’d say they were impressed! Their sculpture ‘Percy Verance’ is an absolute hit in Harwich, at Hair SHAC at The Pier, so we floated along for a look… and I discovered that hairdressing might just be my thing! The owner Gemma, and the customers, looked a bit shellshocked when I picked up the hairdryer, so I had to master sweeping instead (which was pretty easy with 8 arms).
A short range away was the Electric Palace; I’ve dreamed of being a siren of the silver screen ever since I saw ‘Octopussy’, so it was a perfect spot for putting my feet up for a moment. Laura, their Education Officer, was kind enough to give me my choice of seats for a private viewing of “It Came From Beneath The Sea” – now that octopus is an actor and a half! Not quite the glamourous role I have in my 9 minds though…
I daresay I really made a splash around the rest of town too – at the Ha’Penny Pier to meet ‘Camo’, The Pier for ‘Take Me To The Banksy’ (and to browse the selection of grog), and the Low Lighthouse with ‘Octavious’ – the shoals of people around town were very friendly, giving me waves and high fives, and taking photos. What a lovely sense of fun and community!
We made headway to the shops in Dovercourt – a trove of small sculptures to be found there, at Deli 141, Buds the Flower Shop, Harwich Library and Accent Stationers – and I popped my big head into some of the other local businesses there. They’ve loved having the sculptures around so far and will be voyaging around the trail across the summer.
I ended the day with a final surge of energy at Dovercourt Bay Lifestyles – the gym equipment was a bit complicated for me, with all these limbs of mine, so I much preferred the swimming pool which felt a bit more familiar (I’ve decided I would be a fantastic lifeguard too). I was really interested by the kayaks across the boating lake, as back home I only really see boats from underneath… the staff at Clacton Kayaks were very encouraging but I thought it best to practice on land for a bit before I take to the water.
Thank you to all of my newfound shipmates in Harwich and Dovercourt – we had a truly splash-tastic time and can’t wait to see more of you between now and September. If you saw me out and about, please share your photos online, and tag @octopusahoy #octopusahoy on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Next destination? Keep an eye out and see! CJ x