Harwich-Medway-St Kaths Any advice

[rushers]

Hoping to do a 'first time' trip in a couple of days time!
Advice from the more experienced would be much appreciated, where to stay in Chatham, what to avoid, in fact any tips to lighten the load would be much appreciated. We draw 2m. Thank you.

 

[Cloona]

if you like a quiet spot with a lot of wild life and not much else -
enter the Swale (Isle of Sheppey) from the eastern end and anchor at Harty Ferry ...not many places like that left -

 

[Gin]

If St. Kat's is your prime objective then I wouldn't go as far upriver Medway as Chatham, you are looking at an 18 mile deviation- if you do go there then Gillingham or Chatham marina would be the two most suitable destinations but you could always pick up a buoy in that part of the river.

Reverting to the St. Kat's objective you would be better off either mooring on a visitors buoy at Queenborough or for a quieter location anchoring in Stangate Creek which is a favoured spot for locals- the latter can be a bit 'bumpy' in a NEasterly. Choosing one of these two will position you at best advantage to plug the last of the ebb and then have the benefit of the whole flood to St. Kats

 

[PetiteFleur]

We did this trip a few weeks ago. From SYH we left at LW and went to Queenborough and picked up a visitors mooring. The next morning took the last of the ebb out of the Medway and all the flood up the Thames. Plenty of time, it took about 6 hours from leaving Queenborough. For the return we stopped at Brightlingsea and changed crew as it was forecast to be windier the next day and it was! Not sure if the 'gate' on the All Weather Landing was working as it seemed to be open all the time but we didn't go ashore.

 

[oldgit]

If you do decide to go up as far as Chatham can recommend the MDL Marina in Chatham dockyard,esp if you want to stretch your legs for a day,

if however just needing a overnight break then would agree that a visitor bouy at Queenborough or an overnight at anchor in Stangate would do the job.
For a really peaceful night go into Sharfleet about half way down on the right just past the little wreck bouy, keep an eye on your depth sounder lots of water in there even at LWS but lots of bits dry out.

 

[AndyAndKatie]

I would second Gin and suggest you dont go up as far as Gillingbham or Chatham. Your looking at about an hour and a half to get back down to Garrison point and back out into the thames.

One point I will make is, dont forget that you will have about an hours extra tide when going up river to st. kats, because HW London Bridge is about 1h 10mins after HW Sheerness, which is when you want to be in the Thames heading up past Allhallows on your Port side on the Isle of Grain. It gives you an extra hour or so of tide and gives you plenty of time to get up there, but it also means that you will have about an hour less to get back down again,

Also, watch out for the Thames Clippers as they really tear up and down the river at some rediculous speeds.

You'll have a great trip though. There is so much to see going up river. All the little creeks, old locks though to docks, etc.

I'm assuming that you have a book like East Coast Pilot??, Thats got all the info about when you call London VTS (on channel 74 I think??) to obtain permission to pass through the Barrier. Mind you, you can't miss the dot-matrix sign telling you to do so!! (its on you STB side as you pass Barking Reach going Up river, and on the spit where the O2 (dome) is coming back down.

We are planning on going to St. Kats the last week of July, and very much looking forward to it again.