Sailing Into The Heart Of London

At 08:45 we slipped our PLA (Port of London Authority) mooring in busy Gravesend and headed west along the River Thames towards central London.

We had our PLA recreational boating maps to hand on the iPad and switched the VHF to channel 68 to listen out for any communications from vessels using the Thames.

Passing Moored Ships on the Way Into London

We sailed past a number of quays where large ships were loading or unloading their cargoes and then passed under the M25 Queen Elizabeth road bridge with the cars above oblivious to our presence.


Approaching the M25 Queen Elizabeth Road Bridge

The river started to get narrower and to turn through sharper bends, making us have to start the engine and motor-sail when the wind moved too far ahead of us.

The Tate and Lyle Sugar Refinery
We passed the Tate and Lyle sugar refinery with the words "Taste The Sunshine" emblazoned on the side.  (Tate and Lyle use cane sugar from tropical countries to make their refined sugar).

Approaching the Thames Barrier
As we approached the Thames Barrier, we switched the radio to channel 14 for this part of the river and called the PLA to ask for  permission to pass through and which span to use.  The barrier was built in 1984 and can be lowered at times of very high tides or storm surges to protect the London area from flooding.

We were required to motor through and in this part of the Thames, all boats have to call the PLA for permission before setting off from the river's edge and must call other boats to agree it's OK before overtaking them.  The airwaves were hot with almost continuous calls between boats and the PLA.
One yacht was called up by the PLA and told to get back immediately to the starboard side of the river.  We all had to be on our best behaviour and listening out for the regular PLA navigation warnings!

A serious Rosie on her best behaviour

Thames Barge "Kitty" Sailing Past the O2 Arena

The Emirates Air Line Cable Cars Above Us at Greenwich

We were kept busy avoiding the super-fast Clipper Ferries (30+ knots) as well as the classic sailing boats heading for a rally at St Katherine's Dock, and before we knew it we were crossing the river and calling up South Dock Marina on the VHF radio to ask them to open the lock gate for us.

We squeezed ourselves into the space they had saved for us in this compact marina and were soon joined by sons Dan and Mike and Dan's girlfriend, Andrea.  We were rather glad to be away from the stress of negotiating such a busy river!


Alongside in South Dock Marina, Rotherhithe

A Relaxing Night Out at Santo Remedio Mexican Restaurant in Southwark



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Last Leg

Conclusions - Rosie

London Calling!