Billy Blue
Well-Known Member
Chris,Many thanks all, decision made then, we're not going to try it.
My thoughts were that it was too risky, nice (in a way!) to have it confirmed.
There are other options, wait it out in Ramsgate, the Thames or east coast as suggested are all possibilities, we'll meet up with the others this evening and see who's doing what.
Dave, many thanks for the kind offer, I've just twigged who you are! Unfortunately I am constrained by holiday/kennels etc so this is my only opportunity otherwise we would have just delayed it.
We will next be on the Thames at Christmas, have booked St Kats for Xmas week
Thanks again all, good to be able to count on the wealth of experience on here
I think you have made absolutely the right decision particularly with the changeable weather pattern at the moment. I have just come back from a month trip to the Netherlands. I did Rochester to Nieuwpoort, then Niewpoort to Stellendam by myself. Both days were bumpy all day cruising at between 10-16 knots, max I could depending on the sea/swell with winds of Force 4 gusting 5 (and I'm in a semi-displacement not planing) and definitely not recommended with a family. I was lucky with Nieuwpoort as I was in overnight pretty well if not the night of the first fine. Returning my son and I came out of Roompotsluis and went direct to Dunkirk keeping out of Belgian waters, Dunkirk to Ramsgate then back to Rochester on Sunday. The return trip was much the same conditions as going out and I was very glad that I didn't have anyone on board that I needed to worry about with regard to bouncing around.
As an aside, there was a Dutch gent in Ramsgate who came in about 7pm. He was aged 75 and in a 7.95 metre motor boat which was a conversion from a sailing boat with the keel cut down and no mast, he had I think a 20HP engine with a maximum speed of 6 knots and it had taken him 11 hours to get there from Ostende and he didn't even have window wipers on his windscreen! Amazing, I was full of admiration.
Paul
