Sluiced Out of the Thames

A Family of Great Crested Grebes With Their Unusual Nest Site

We enjoyed our short stay at South Dock Marina with its friendly live-aboard locals and watching the birds also making their homes there.

But we needed to press on and the tide would carry us out with a fair wind when we set off again at midday.
It was much faster unravelling ourselves through the twists and turns of the Thames and we felt much more at home this time.  The out-going tide is stronger than the in-going due to the added alluvial (river) flow in this direction.  So we positively speeded along as we sailed our way out, reaching 11 knots over the ground at times.

So it was that we were able to return directly to Queenborough on the Isle of Sheppy, this time choosing to tie up alongside their floating pontoon albeit for just 8 hours overnight.  We never got to see Queenborough in the daylight - or even to walk ashore there!

The following morning we started out from Queenborough at 03:50 in the darkness (again) and set a course for Ramsgate, 40 miles to the south.  Strong winds were forecast for the following day so we needed to move there today to sit out the bad weather.

We had fair winds from the W and SW and arrived in Ramsgate at 10:00 in the morning, ready for a late nap to catch up on our sleep.  Time and tide wait for no man and in our case it seemed the fair tide is invariably early in the morning!

Ramsgate Marina with Rapport Safely Tucked Up To Sit Out The F7 Winds Forecast for Tomorrow



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