All at Sea - Chatham Marina

[SP2]

Just got round to watching Tim and Shane and reading the threads on here.

I know there were comments posted about the staged emotion or returning to Chatham but as I pointed out to SWMBO, many people have been known to burst into tears just before entering the lock. That lock can be a real b****r

 

[oldgit]

"Just got round to watching Tim and Shane and reading the threads on here."




Excellent programme,boat was in Ramsgate but poss have left for Le Continent.




"I know there were comments posted about the staged emotion or returning to Chatham but as I pointed out to SWMBO, many people have been known to burst into tears just before entering the lock. That lock can be a real b****r "



Have got some real neat photos of boats belonging to a certain Thames club entering that blimming lock,they probably go through half a dozen locks every time they go out,however as have ended up sideways myself innit, would def be a case of pot calling kettle etc etc

 

[ChattingLil]

First time I ended up in there (by accident, missed the lock at Gillingham) it was near midnight, only had the boat a week, was v tired and emotion and ended up in backwards!

 

[MoodySabre]

It was the first lock I ever went into. Fairly low tide, strong cross current and wind so charged in. Suddenly no wind or current brakes rapidly applied

 

[xyachtdave]

The lock at Chatham has never caused problems when we berthed there, interesting at times and first go in the dark after 2 days of boat ownership.

However, first entry to Bradwell......towing dinghy, 20k blowing and went down a dead end trying to find our visitor space...oh dear!

BBQ smashed off rail, dinghy crunched, audience appear from various hatches, man points lost :-(

 

[MoodySabre]

Bradwell have put new signs up on the end of the pontoons - spoiling the fun for watching locals

 

[ianc1200]

Back in the golden days of hire boating, Thames locks used to be the place for entertainment on a Saturday lunchtime; sit by the lock just upstream of the hire bases to see the mayhem ensue. Attempts at going in sideways, backwards, whilst crashing into everything they could, but it kept the boatbuilders happy.

 

[SP2]

Entertaining the tourists

For crowds of onlookers, we particularly loved St Kats (our annual club Easter cruise) and I have happy memories of taking my parent's 42 footer in with only one working engine under the watchful eyes (and cameras) of the assembled nations.

Chatham lock was only once a problem for us after a rather torrid, windy trip from Ramsgate which ended in a busted lifebelt that hung over the pushpit. The most worrying process of lock in and out was always whether your name was on the target list of some of the more difficult boats to handle locking in after you. As our boats got progressively smaller and our fellow marina dwellers swelled in size, we tended to be left to last which meant we had some lovely big shiny things to moor up to.

However there must be something about it - even a yachtmaster instructor I know managed to thwack the side on entry.

 

[Behome]

I thought it was just me!
I avoid weekends at Chatham, so busy.

 

[xyachtdave]

I thought it was just me!
I avoid weekends at Chatham, so busy.

I'm mooring in the river now and live locally. Our neighbour's regularly walk around St Mary's Island past the lock.

They refer to it as the 'entertainment zone'!

Moody Sabre - before chugging down a/b pontoon I had already decided that with the wind astern reversing was the way out if needed....I hadn't expected to find the little motorboat when committed to the 'space'.

Why I decided to spin the boat around and drive out forwards I'll never know. Apologies if you witnessed my awfulness!