Gillingham Marina and East Coast

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ANDY_W

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I have a 31ft sailing yacht with a fin keel drawing 1.4 meters which I have kept in Holland for the last eight years.
With the effects of Brexit nearly upon us, especially the ' 90 days in 180 days ' rule, I plan to return the boat to
the UK this year.

Before going to Holland I was based in Plymouth which was convenient to where I live but the costs of mooring
there now are prohibitive compared to what I have become used to.

So this is an enquiry in two parts.

Firstly, with respect to Gillingham Marina, does anyone have any views or comment that they may wish to impart?

Secondly, my cruising pattern in Holland was more about living on the boat from May to October and moving every
few days to change the view. Easy walking access to shops for provisions is essential. The occasional visit to a marina
for fuel and water but otherwise being at anchor if not on the move. I do have a dinghy which I row but would an
outboard be advisable?

The area I am looking at is Ramsgate to Southwold . Is there enough there for five months cruising or should I look
at including a couple of months going to Holland and back to stretch it out?

As ever, any contributions gratefully accepted.
 
As marinas go Gillingham marina is nice enough, on site chandlery, not too far to walk to Tesco Express or Asda for provisions, staff are friendly etc.

The lock is smaller with restricted access times compared with Chatham MDL which has around 1.5m at LWS, so you could get in and out 24 hours a day.

Gillingham more like 2 hours either side of LW for 1.4m.

If you’re off long term cruising that’s not an issue of course.
 
"The area I am looking at is Ramsgate to Southwold . Is there enough there for five months cruising "

You cannot complete a comprehensive cruise between Ramsgit and Southwold (why stop there?) in 5 months. Best you buy the East Coast Pilot (even East Coast Rivers as well).
 
Hi,

The area you are considering is, imho God's own country for yacht cruising, but very different and perhaps more complicated than you have become used to in Holland. Firstly, while not quite so pricey as the south west UK marina berths are more expensive than in Holland, wherd the vast majority kf marina berths don't face the engineering challenge of a tidal range of 5m and local authorities actively encourage yachting.

The area is characterised by tidal estuaries offering more sheltered sailing connected by offshore sailing in waters where, despite being many miles offshore, even your yacht could readily run aground. While occasional grounding in the muddy rivers is just part of East Coast sailing, hitting the sands offshore in heavy weather can be the end of a yacht as the waves pound her on the hard shingle. While many ports are accessible at all states of the tide, I class many as "half tide ports", by which I mean that a 2m draft boat can enter with half tide or more, naturally, your 1.4m draft will have more hours of access. Tidal streams run hard enough that they need to be taken into consideration for passage planning - "Crossing the Thames Estuary" by Roger Gaspar is very helpful for this. As a pilot book for the area, you can't beat "East Coast Pilot".

As Tillergirl writes, there's more than enough to see in the area for a 5 month cruise, including the often ignored ootion of a visit go London (but beware marina prices here). However, if you fancy a trip back to Holland, there are many easy crossing options: Harwich - Ijmuiden to Harwich - Breskens or even shorter hops to Breskens / Vlissingen via Ramsgate and Dunkirk.

Peter.
 
Something else to consider, we took our Halmatic 30, draft 1.4m, into the Southern Norfolk Rivers. You can enter via Lowestoft and cruise the Waveney upstream to Beccles and down to St Olaves. To visit the Yare you have to enter through Gt Yarmouth and can visit the Northern part of the Waveney and explore the Yare almost to Norwich.
You do need a visitors licence, but a lot of moorings are free overnight.
 
I agree with the comments of xyachtdave. We were in Gillingham for many years and liked it a lot. These comments are from 5 years ago but I doubt much has changed: It is locally owned and not part of a chain but they will issue you with a Transeurope card which gives 50% off the visitor cost of a number of marinas on either side of the Channel (https://www.transeuropemarinas.com/) Manned security is 24/7 behind a gate so no worries about leaving a car there. The incidental costs (haul out, use of a cradle etc) seem to be less than we currently pay. It is less exposed to westerly winds than MDL Chatham although it does suffer a little from early season north easterlys, it is also not overlooked by Joe Public, which is nice. We never considered moving to MDL Chatham despite the better lock times, in part because it is at least another half hour up the river and there seemed to be the need to pre-book lock outs on busy days, never an issue at Gillingham. The Medway is also a great day sail and overnight sail river; we eventually moved across to Suffolk because the nippers were growing up and beaches became more of a priority, one not easily fixed on the Medway!
 
As they have said, there should be plenty to occupy a sailor for many months on the East Coast. However, it is very different from the Netherlands, and I suppose has many fewer potential stops, though still a substantial number, especially if you include anchorages.

There is far more wildlife here, and Holland is something of a desert in this respect, with few tidal areas now. There are plenty of historic museums and towns, and people have been known to swim as well. Shallow draft is not essential, but a handy dinghy is useful, though a small one with 2hp is sufficient. If you are already senile, a bus pass can also be worthwhile. If you get homesick for the Continent, it is only a few hours from Ramsgate, and for us less than 14hrs from Harwich.
 
Holland is fabulous for many reasons but you will get more "tide sails" on the East Coast.
In other words, if you like to sail more than visit places, you can get lots of sailing without
the congestion.

Often, if the winds are rather heavy , you can still get some protected sailing i.e Harwich area, Medway area, Blackwater area and Burnham area.

Yes, the East Coast has it all.
 
pvb said:
Agreed, when I go down to the west country I'm always pleased to see the colour and clarity of the water.
Click to expand...
It works both ways. I also get a cosy sense of coming home when the water turns brown. Actually, our water can be fairly blue at times, but not like the West Country, or the black water of the Baltic. You do get relief from the swell, which can be tiring after a while and sometimes hard on the boat. Holland has its own range of colours, from the peaty brown of Friesland to the pea soup of the Ijsselmeer.
 
Very many thanks to all who replied; I have ordered a copy of East Coast Pilot ( which I didn't know existed! )

Coming from the South West where water can be tens of meters deep right up until you hit the base of the cliffs,
the Waddenzee was a bit of a shock but I am now used to having only a few inches of water under the keel.

I suspect that the problem with the East Coast is that the shoals change more due to the greater tidal flows and
I will need to pay close attention to the echo sounder no matter what chart or plotter might say!

I am old enough to qualify for a bus pass: as to senility, if affected, how would I know?

For those who might wish to visit the Netherlands by boat I can honestly say that the harbours and marinas are
usually of high quality, many having free wifi and electricity, and the staff tend to be cheerful and helpful.
Mooring fees, even in the sea marinas, tend to be considerably cheaper than the UK equivalent. English is
widely spoken, often to a high standard. ( I wonder if I'll find the same in the East Coast:rolleyes:)

I would quite happily have seen out my sailing days there, with the occasional trip to the Baltic, but such is life.
 
Like xyachtdave, I berth in MDL Chatham marina. I agree with many of RivalRedwing's comments about Gillingham. However my comments on Gillingham are based upon having my late parents 43ft boat berthed there and visiting in my 32ft Fulmar. The lock is very small, whenever my parents used it they would not allow another boat in at the same time. My last visit I entered the lock as las boat with three 26ft boats. Talk about being tight and the attrocious steel shuttered lock sides protected by long fenders and then trying trying to pass a line round the hanging chains - not fun at all. The basin has mostly box moorings and a few very bouncy finger berths within a box. The basin is very tight to move round and is quite shallow. The water in the basin becomes quite warm in summer and causes rapid marine growth. The onshore ablutions blocks are fairly basic. You could consider using their drying berths if you are going to be sailing for most of the season.

I disagree with RivalRedwing's comments about Chatham I have been based there for 5 years and sail frequently during the season, but only once have I not entered the lock when I want. The lock is much larger than Gillingham. Regularly it takes 6 boats of the 36ft and smaller size. I have been in the lock behind a 40ft yacht with a 38ft motorboat on the other side with a 50ft motorboat alongside him. Entry into the lock is cross tide, but easy to do at maximum tidal flow. Coming alongside is a doddle as there are wood faced floating cassons with cleats just above my stanchion level. The locks are timed to operate twice in and out an hour as a condition of the lease as there is a road bridge to be lifted (currently not used by the local housing, but will in the next few years as the building works end). The berths are serviced by very good pontoons and fingers that are very stable. The berths are wide and have good room to turn. The basin is about 11 metres deep, so there is very little mud in the water, it stays cool in summer and has minimal marine growth. The floating ablutions block is one of the best on the East Coast in my opinion. Security on site is very good with 24 hour cover and CCTV in the car park and boat yard. The boat yard can lift your boat easily and move it in a cradle. You only pay for the lift and launch (at discounted rates), nothing for cradle usage. The staff will move your boat if you cannot attend, again at no cost. They have no paid workmen and allow tradesmen to work on boats, if you are not into DIY. If you do travel to the South Coast you have a string of MDL marinas you can use for free and the Passeport Escalles gives free berthing in many French, Spanish and Portuguese marinas (but no Dutch ones).

Personally I prefer Chatham to Gillingham and it certainly is not half an hour upstream of Gillingham, more like 12 to 15 minutes.

As to sailing from the Medway, I consider it to be heavily under rated. On one tide you can reach Burnham, West Mersea, Brighlingsea or Ramsgate. With a 12 hour use of tides you can sail direct to Dover or Calais/Boulogne with no adverse tide. I have sailed to Eastbourne and Brighton (just under and over 100 miles) and only had 4 hours of adverse tide! There plenty of small harbours and creeks to visit, some might require taking to the mud formaximum benefit or total solitude. The East Coast Pilot will certainly help you make the best of the area.
 
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