A trip on the "MED" and bottom full of Barnycules.

[oldgit]

2023.AD
Finally.............Forecasts of of F1-F2 and 25-30C for an entire whole week !
A chance to unfurl that unused bimini for the first time since a pre Covid purchase and perhaps not just to keep the rain off.
A tank brimmed with diesel and and a hull apparently providing somewhere for the local barnacles/weed to hang off, despite spending a small fortune on expensive A/F that appears to have done nothing worthwhile to speak off.
Most of the early part of the year spent looking at gloomy strong NE windy forecasts.
Pile all the stuff on the boat ready for a crack of lunchtime start, what could possibly go wrong.
Fog !.
Lets go and see what happens .

Bit misty but not to bad actually.




Off Sheerness.............. its getting better.

The Four Fathoms Channel....need to watch out for "pots"
Bit shallow for comfort but we find the bouys at Copperas and Reculver then its a straight line and plenty of water to the North Foreland.


Interesting to watch the water breaking on the Margate Sands a few boat lenghts away but with 40ft of water on the depth sounder.
and then round the corner, call up Ramsgate Control and then the marina, told to find a empty berth .
Staff very welcoming, helpful and friendly and prices a bargain compared to the "Hedgefund PLC" owned private marinas.
The following morning up bright and early.

Lunchtime refreshments on the terrace at the Royal Temple YC and this view.
Regretably no food.

Spent the next few days exploring the nearbye pubs/restuarants and hiding from the Sun.
Trip back was simply a case of waiting for the mist to clear,setting the throttles and remembering to push the buttons on the autopilot.




Apologies for telephone camera pix ,any any spelling mistakes and where was everybody else ?

 

[harvey38]

Awww, we missed you.

How did you find the Yacht Club, did you have to pay a daily visitor subscription? All the time based in Ramsgate and yet to visit, I've heard it's a bit like Marmite.

 

[oldgit]

Club and bar are open to all "mariners" visiting Ramsgit. Excellent view of La Manche from the terrace.
We were made welcome but suspect the "shirtless and shorts" brigade would not feel comfortable.
As you probably know a good selection of decent resturants immediately below the RTYC and some decent places in the arches on the approach to the harbour.
Almost as good as the quality of the establishments to be found round most marinas in Spain, Italy or France.
Top choices a little Greek in the arches, the fish place by the RTYC steps and the cafe in the arches doing a decent English and coffee for £5.95.
For those to whom only classic "British Quisine " will do, Weatherspoons and a couple of pints of 1664 with your breakfast is nearbye.

Criminal not to have trip out on the Sunday to our local "Cala" as well .
My old boat in the background, the new owner is still speaking to me.


Was approached by this gentleman on a PWC was about to protest most strongly about his wash , unfortunately he is also a RCC club member ,worse still , berths just across the pontoon from me and had spotted us on AIS and thought our grandkids might like a quick trip round the creek.
They came back with smiles a mile wide, blimey it dont half go
Ooo....really fancy one of those, make some tentative ebay searches HOW MUCH


The grand kids were discussing things on the way back , Dad stated unfortunately Santa would be unable to get one down the chimney.
Case solved ?

 

[mainshiptom]

lovely report!

I am going into boat yard tomorrow to clean bottom and fix prop, but maybe towards end of the month meet up in the Swale?

 

[oldgit]

Sounds good.
Just need the temps to hold up.
Has the little wharf up by the bridge totally silted up ?.

 

[harvey38]

Club and bar are open to all "mariners" visiting Ramsgit. Excellent view of La Manche from the terrace.
We were made welcome but suspect the "shirtless and shorts" brigade would not feel comfortable.
As you probably know a good selection of decent resturants immediately below the RTYC and some decent places in the arches on the approach to the harbour.
Almost as good as the quality of the establishments to be found round most marinas in Spain, Italy or France.
Top choices a little Greek in the arches, the fish place by the RTYC steps and the cafe in the arches doing a decent English and coffee for £5.95.
For those to whom only classic "British Quisine " will do, Weatherspoons and a couple of pints of 1664 with your breakfast is nearbye.

Criminal not to have trip out on the Sunday to our local "Cala" as well .
My old boat in the background, the new owner is still speaking to me.


Was approached by this gentleman on a PWC was about to protest most strongly about his wash , unfortunately he is also a RCC club member ,worse still , berths just across the pontoon from me and had spotted us on AIS and thought our grandkids might like a quick trip round the creek.
They came back with smiles a mile wide, blimey it dont half go
Ooo....really fancy one of those, make some tentative ebay searches HOW MUCH


The grand kids were discussing things on the way back , Dad stated unfortunately Santa would be unable to get one down the chimney.
Case solved ?

Some much underrated, quality eateries in Ramsgate, not sure I agree with the Greek place though, mediocre food and poor service. The restaurants and bars were part of its charm and hence we stayed and didn't move back to the Thames as planned, we really ought to get to the yacht club, and the pace at the end of the pier. Did a couple called Richard and Karen buy your old boat by any chance?

 

[mainshiptom]

Sounds good.
Just need the temps to hold up.
Has the little wharf up by the bridge totally silted up ?.

No it should be fine but you can also use my moorings if you are ok to sit on mud?

 

[oldgit]

No it should be fine but you can also use my moorings if you are ok to sit on mud?

We absolutely love mud......whats the point of having a boat that cannot sit on a mud berth ?
Conyer is frequent destination.
Actually the majority of boats would have no problem with mud ............. its the skippers who are the problem.

 

[Parabordi]

Club and bar are open to all "mariners" visiting Ramsgit. Excellent view of La Manche from the terrace.
We were made welcome but suspect the "shirtless and shorts" brigade would not feel comfortable.
As you probably know a good selection of decent resturants immediately below the RTYC and some decent places in the arches on the approach to the harbour.
Almost as good as the quality of the establishments to be found round most marinas in Spain, Italy or France.
Top choices a little Greek in the arches, the fish place by the RTYC steps and the cafe in the arches doing a decent English and coffee for £5.95.
For those to whom only classic "British Quisine " will do, Weatherspoons and a couple of pints of 1664 with your breakfast is nearbye.

Criminal not to have trip out on the Sunday to our local "Cala" as well .
My old boat in the background, the new owner is still speaking to me.


Was approached by this gentleman on a PWC was about to protest most strongly about his wash , unfortunately he is also a RCC club member ,worse still , berths just across the pontoon from me and had spotted us on AIS and thought our grandkids might like a quick trip round the creek.
They came back with smiles a mile wide, blimey it dont half go
Ooo....really fancy one of those, make some tentative ebay searches HOW MUCH


The grand kids were discussing things on the way back , Dad stated unfortunately Santa would be unable to get one down the chimney.
Case solved ?

looks like you were moored exactly where we were the night before. I left my chartplotter on all night (with anchor light) to look at the track. When we came to leave, the Port engine wouldnt start, seems the kit is powered from engine batteries rather than the domestics. I started the starboard, but when i tried to start the port, it turned the starboard off! Was starting to panic a bit and call you to beg for a tow. But by switching off the Plotter and Anchor Light, the Port fired in to life. I am surprised just how much power a Raymarine plotter takes.

 

[oldgit]

Some much underrated, quality eateries in Ramsgate, not sure I agree with the Greek place though, mediocre food and poor service. The restaurants and bars were part of its charm and hence we stayed and didn't move back to the Thames as planned, we really ought to get to the yacht club, and the pace at the end of the pier. Did a couple called Richard and Karen buy your old boat by any chance?

The lady in the "Greek" was struggling ,staff had not turned up.She was being helped by her cleaner !
We did visit the place out on the arm when it first opened, it was dire, imagine one of the Maunsell Forts with a few tables and coat of poorly applied cheap emulsion
However did hear of favourable comments from more recent customers.
Previous boat was bought by a family relative and is berthed just up the pontoon, did complain recently that he really ought to give it good clean and in my opinion he needs to learn how to moor a boat.

 

[thejonesey]

Brilliant report! Thank you for posting. I am so glad to see you enjoying the boat as I know it took a while to find!

 

[oldgit]

Brilliant report! Thank you for posting. I am so glad to see you enjoying the boat as I know it took a while to find!

Very chuffed indeed with the boat, it would help greatly if there was another one in the UK though to grief with.
Dismantling the boat in pointless attempt to discover where bits and pieces were hidden when stuff goes wrong is a pain.
Never did find the auto AIS/VHF switch after it failed, in the end, quicker and cheaper to install seperate aerial for the AIS.
Do not ask about getting the RG58 from fly to radio.
Did eventually find where they had hidden the flux gate, long after had to fit new one when the original unit failed.
It was in the bilge, the bilge filled with water and glub glub went the fluxgate.
Sigh.

 

[Alicatt]

Very chuffed indeed with the boat, it would help greatly if there was another one in the UK though to grief with.
Dismantling the boat in pointless attempt to discover where bits and pieces were hidden when stuff goes wrong is a pain.
Never did find the auto AIS/VHF switch after it failed, in the end, quicker and cheaper to install seperate aerial for the AIS.
Do not ask about getting the RG58 from fly to radio.
Did eventually find where they had hidden the flux gate, long after had to fit new one when the original unit failed.
It was in the bilge, the bilge filled with water and glub glub went the fluxgate.
Sigh.

I know where that is coming from, I don't even know what make or model my new to me boat is, it certainly is not what it was advertised as.
Loved your report and pictures our first purchase for our boat is lifejackets for the grandkids, they should arrive tomorrow.

While make and model was one thing, we bought the boat as what we could see and trialled. Then the fun begins tracing out where everything is, like the fresh water tank, the diesel tank, and seacocks for the raw water cooling, they probably have not been closed or moved in years. we are planning a lift out in spring time to paint the boat, she was lifted out and antifouled last year, and there is not too much growth on her.

 

[oldgit]

The latest boat is actually the least worst of a series of boats boasting a labyrinthine tangle of wires and cables.
Although the builder of my ACM did their best to hide everthing and ensure all cabling went via the most inaccessible routes possible, they did go to the trouble of providing a manual( In French) designed to be total incomprehensible and unlikely to be decipheredby anyone not already snapped up by GCHQ or Bletchley Park !
They did also go to the trouble of running wires for any extras that a new owner might decide to add . All an identical gauge and Brown.
Mind you all the previous boats suffered from a only slightly less confusing wiring mess but with the fun of years of bits of totally unsuitable wiring , including Mower Cable and that old fashioned clear lamp flex intertwined with original loom.
Seem to recall spending ages extracting mysterious bits of cable on a Princess 33 which started and ended nowhere in particular and did not appear to do anything, before finally admitting defeat and giving up.
Do admit to breaking all the rules of boat owning recently.
After being totally unable to trace the faulty auto switch on the AIS did disconnect the wiring supplying it with 12V.
Then actually attached a note to the disconnected wiring to the effect that it used to power a duff AIS switch unit somewhere in the boat.

Somebody in the dim and distant future might come across it when installing the new power unit powered with 60/40 Split Red Hydrogen.
Which was originally supposed to be for agricultural Hover Tractors but being taken advantage of by Faircess PLC.