29 August At Sea Ramsgate to Brighton

Thursday 29 August  Ship’s Log At sea, Ramsgate to Brighton

Approx 5 hrs at 15 Kts sog.

Engines 978, water 1/2, fuel full (196ltr, £165)

Waypoints: Ramsgate, Gull Stream S, S Sands Clg, Dover Ent, Dungenness Clg, Beachy Clg, Brighton Ent.

We meet a bigger cousin in Ramsgate

 

1115 Cast off. Clear port. Set at 2750 15.6 kts =. Flat. Bright haze. +0.4 kts tide. AOK

1150 Sea increased to moderate. 15 log, 15.3 sog. Bright haze, AOK, but port engine running at 200degF

Dodging Dover ferries

1215 Sea stronger at dover. Avoiding 3 ferries. Bright haze. Port engine now cooler at 195F

1300 7.5 nm to Dungenness. Lumpy sea (S/M). Wind F3 increasing (not forecast) Vis 3nm. AOK

1330 Sea now choppy. Waves 3-5 ft occ higher, but wavelength is the problem, giving slamming.

At Dungenness.

 

 

A welcome sight indeed

 

1400 Slamming continues. 13log, 14sog. AOK

1430 Fishing pots difficult to see in mounting seas.

1500 9nm to Beachy Head. Wind F4. AOK, but very uncomfortable  passage.

1530 Beachy Head. V.choppy. 17log, 14.5 sog. AOK

1630 Thankful arrival at Brighton Entrance.

1700 Fuelled up. 273 ltrs, £301.61 engines 984.

Sunset in Brighton
 

 

We arrived in Brighton after one of the most uncomfortable passages of recent years.  As an example of the strength of some of the slams, the bulb in an Anglepoise lamp came free from its bayonet fitting. Luckily, the crew (bless her) had done her usual great job of stowage for sea, so no other damage done, apart from seawater on the Basil plant.

When we had rested up and done our communications, we  walked up to the  bright lights of the Brighton Boardwalk, and treated ourselves to some posh Fish’n’Chips. On our travels, we chatted to the crew of a “traditional” gaffer, who had built the boat from scratch 13 years ago.

The Bright lights of Brighton Marina Boardwalk

 

 

 

 We will rest up and recover here for a few days.......

 

28 August At sea London to Ramsgate

Wednesday 28 August began with a 5am  alarm clock, and a fog so thick that we couldn’t see The Shard, but after a hasty breakfast and a very tricky manoeuvre out of berth, we were in and out of the lock and away from the nearby fuel dock by 6.30. On the river, visibility was OK, and we were on our way home...

Top bankers in the cloud

Wednesday 28 August  Ship’s Log At sea, Tower Bridge to Ramsgate

Engines 979, water 5/8, fuel full (196ltr, £165)

0545 Cast off. Tight extrication from mooring.

0600 In lock. Port navigation light out.

0630 Cast off from fuel dock.

Glorious Greenwich



 

 

0700 Greenwich.  9 knots, waiting fair flow. AOK

0730 Woolwich ferry. Tide now fair. 2500 13knots =.

0800 Flat calm. No wind. Chart 2650. 14.5 log, 15.5 sog, Erith Rands, thames 15 mile mark.

The flood barrier

0815 Chart 1186 1 B. Brightening. 2500 12.7 log, 15.1 sog ( tide of +2, ref says 1.8)

0840 Coalhouse Point. Chart 1186. AOK

0945 At Medway Entrance Dangerous Wreck. Cop peras 15.6 nm @106T. Bright haze. Flat.

1030 5.5nm@106T to Copperas. Slight. Vis 1nm.

1050 Copperas. Depth 3m below bottom. .

Graceful beauties
 

 

And scenic views
 

 

1130 Sea change at N. Foreland Pt. Choppy AOK

1140 Sea back to slight.1150 Ramsgate approach.

1200 On Ramsgate fuel dock. 247 ltr, £274.69.

 Berth fee £26-10.

Wednesday afternoon was taken very gently, in a berth very conveniently situated just across from the fuel dock.  As well as doing the next day’s navigation, we had lots of phone calls, texts, and messages from friends and family, many concerned for the well-being of the skipper. (Thank you all!). Ramsgate is as nice as ever, although we can’t figure out why it is so quiet and in places obviously run-down. We had a ramble around the town, calling in at the well-appointed Yacht Club, and we enjoyed a delicious Thai Curry on the picturesque Arcade which rises in a sweep over the scenic Harbour and marina.

Then back to Middle Watch for an early well-deserved bed.

 

 

Last day in London

Tuesday 27 August, our last day in London, was yet another fine day, and we had a visit from Jeremy, Nadine and, of course, Molly.

 

Molly entertains
 

 It was agentle day, since your blogger was still recovering from his hospital escapade, so a lunch on board was followed by a perusal of the Clipper yachts, which were “open house” on the pontoons. Nadine and Jeremy went on board while Molly entertained us ashore.

 

Goodbye, Taff

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We said our goodbyes to the neighbours, including Taff the dog, and decided that we would after all be able to extricate ourselves from a very tight berth next morning at 5.45am. It was an early night, and the evening was speeded along by the obligatory 2 episodes of “The West Wing”.

Nadine & Jeremy board "Derry"

 

August Bank Holiday Weekend 24-26 August

Sat /Sun 24/25 Aug (Bank Hol W/E)

Hayley arrived in the early afternoon after an extended drive in heavy London traffic, and we started her visit with fish & chips  which we bought from one of the stalls in “The Clipper Village” on the Central Dock. Unfortunately the first day of both the village and Hayley’s visit was a complete washout in ceaseless and heavy rain—but this was not nerly enough to dampen our spirits. In the evening we went across to “Café Rouge”, taking in the evening sights as we walked, and we finished off the day playing cards on board.

The Luggage Room fizz

On Sunday, since the rain had exhausted itself by pouring all night, the weather picked up, and limited sunbathing was possible in the morning -  - that is, when we had finished queuing for the facilities which were overwhelmed by the onslaught of 250 yachties. Lunch was a steak sandwich on the quay, followed by drinks on the sidewalk, and then a very pleasant afternoon on the boat before pre-dinner “champers” and a trip o “Cote Brasserie” for dinner.

Thriving well

 

Meanwhile, the young waterbirds were still thriving, much to the delight of two lovely little girls who were spending a couple of days with their parents on a motor cruiser a few fingers along the pontoon

26 August, the Bank Holiday Monday, turned out to be a really great sunny day, but it got off to a bad start when Hayley arrived to her car to find that it had been broken into, and some items stolen.  

Hayley reports a break-in

 

 

 

 

 

 

This involved an hour or two with the police and security men. We also began packing up procedures, in between sunbathing, snoozing and strolling around the Clipper Village.



Sundown in the Park

 

 

 

In the evening, we set off  and visited  Kensington Gardens on our way  to a really excellent dinner at The Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington.

 

(Editor's note: Blogger is an erratic piece of software at the best of times, but I have just noticed how this blog loses its formatting when viewed on iPads, etc. Apologies on behalf of both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs)

 

A Virus Attack! plus 16-23 August



A view through the hospital window 

Friday to Thursday, 16-22 August , the blogger was crashed for 6 days by a virus.

 No, not the computer, and not an internet virus, but the the skipper of Middle watch who was brought down by a viral infection. This arrived in the form of severe pain, nausea, and a high temperature, the first mate took him off to a walk-in centre at Guys Hospital. From there he was referred to A&E at St Thomas Hospital, where after examination he was admitted to “Acute Admission Ward”, on floor 7. After a couple of days he was in a position to admire the stunning view of Westminster just across the river. Anyway, the infection passed, and in the process a full MOT of all kinds of tests showed that he was indeed alive, well and kicking!



The empty Central Dock
 

A visit from Ben



Scrubbing up
 

23 August was a busy and exciting day. It was, of course, delightful to be back with my lovely mate on our lovely boat, and to wallow in the friendly concern of our lovely neighbours

 

. Nephew Ben arrived for a visit, and we were looking forward to Hayley’s arrival for the weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 And all the while in the background, St Katharines was embroiled in preparations for The 2013 World Clipper Race. What excitement!

 

Freeflowing in (v unusual)
 

 

 

Tight manoevring

 

 

 

Getting ready to party

Party Time



All in





 

A holiday within the vacation

Tranquility in the heart of the city

Just across the road (drink included)

 

 

 

Monday to Wednesday, 12-14 August was “a holiday within the holiday”, a complete  period of “boat time”, and with no engagements nor adventures planned, it was a good opportunity to enjoy the tranquillity of this “secret haven” in the very heart of frenetic London.

Gloriana in the  early morning

Reading in the sun, strolling around the dock, watching again and again the comings and goings, reading, snoozing to music,  popping across to Waitrose for supplies, taking advantage of the amenities available, or just simply chatting are all very satisfactory pastimes which we were enjoying to the full.

The Marina boatmen reposition a 50-ft barge

 There is something very special about life on the boat, and time just seems to flow pleasantly by. Breakfast ends at morning coffee time, which seems to be immediately before lunch. Afternoons are hardly long enough to fit in a snooze, take a stroll, and have a pot of tea before it's time for dinner. And then, after a cup of coffee, a round of cards, and perhaps a DVD or two, it's midnight already. SWWYGI.

A lasso expert shows how it's done