OK. Eastbourne to the Medway.

[oldgit]

For the hard of understanding and whos plan "Plan A " is simply to wait for a F1 forecast , turn left and open the throttles regardless.

Best time to depart Sovereign to take advantage of tides all the way to Sheerness and ideally up to Rochester ?
Fast 20 knot Mobo.

Confused of Mudway.
All observations welcome.

 

[Tomahawk]

The tidal node point is at Royal Sovereign. (That's a gnats from Eastbourne so in a fast mobo you are quids in). It turns about HW flowing north. You want to be at N Foreland as the tide starts to flow West up the Thames. You will come up the Gull Stream at well over 10 Kts in a mobey
You will probably have to slow down from 20 Kts.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

.deleted

 

[Cantata]

That’s right, it doesn’t work at 20knts. Pass Dungeness at about HW Dover then run slower to N Foreland, perhaps.
Think you’ll be enjoying Eastbourne for a few more days waiting for a F1!

 

[tillergirl]

Best time to depart Sovereign to take advantage of tides all the way to Sheerness and ideally up to Rochester ?
Fast 20 knot Mobo.

Confused of Mudway.
All observations welcome.

Once upon a time, I regenerated all my tables based on 15kts STW. I concluded t'was pointless. I reckoned conditions were more important e.g. wind over tide.

 

[Chris_d]

I've done that run aiming for a lock in at Limehouse about 6.30pm approx HW London bridge, locked out of Sovereign 7am, stopped for brunch and some fuel in Ramsgate about 11.30ish. Didn't really look at the tides anywhere except for London bridge and the timing for Limehouse, Medway should be easy.

 

[Concerto]

From a sailing perspective with my 32ft Fulmar, I have found it generally takes about 16 hours with only about 4 hours adverse tide to arrive in the Medway at high water.

At 20 knots, forget about the tide, it is irrelevant and will make little difference to your elapsed time as somewhere along the route you will always be taking the tide or against it. Just leave at a convenient time and enjoy the trip.

 

[LittleSister]

I find it rather amusing that we devote all that money to own a boat so we can spend time boating, and then go to some trouble to make each boating trip as brief as possible!

 

[oldgit]

Saturday is looking good .
LW Eastbourne 09.10
About 2 hours from Eastbourne to Dover HW Dover 14.30
About 3.15 hours to Long Nose Spit Buoy. HW Ramsgate 15.15

"I find it rather amusing that we devote all that money to own a boat so we can spend time boating, and then go to some trouble to make each boating trip as brief as possible! "
No problems at all with that and with any prospect of F1 all day and 100% sure arriving in daylight without drama, tootling at 8 knots would be just right.
However its an unknown craft that has not moved far in 3 or 4 years and have recalled previously limping into various ports en route after hand on heart assurances from sellers that the boat was serviced without regard to cost "only recently"
Do know some of our local RNLI boys and girls and have intention at all of seeing the smiles on their face as they pass the blimming tow.

 

[John_Silver]

Saturday is looking good .
LW Eastbourne 09.10
About 2 hours from Eastbourne to Dover HW Dover 14.30
About 3.15 hours to Long Nose Spit Buoy. HW Ramsgate 15.15

"I find it rather amusing that we devote all that money to own a boat so we can spend time boating, and then go to some trouble to make each boating trip as brief as possible! "
No problems at all with that and with any prospect of F1 all day and 100% sure arriving in daylight without drama, tootling at 8 knots would be just right.
However its an unknown craft that has not moved far in 3 or 4 years and have recalled previously limping into various ports en route after hand on heart assurances from sellers that the boat was serviced without regard to cost "only recently"
Do know some of our local RNLI boys and girls and have intention at all of seeing the smiles on their face as they pass the blimming tow.

With you on Saturday, as best day. Meteo Consult gives 10kts breeze from the south currently.
Got into Sovereign, from Le Havre, on Friday night. The then forecasts looked as if we’d have a pleasant northerly on the beam for today. Now it’s 25-30 kts in the nose! But Saturday…..fingers crossed…. In a 5kt sailing boat I’ll only be aiming for Ramsgate though. (Leave around LW Dover, catch turn of tide @ Dungeness, ride it up to Ramsgate). Then catch the turn of the Sheerness tide, at Longnose, on Monday morning, and carry it up to Chatham. Wind willing!

Meteo C has Friday light too. But easterly. Headwind for me and too light. Maybe good for you?

EDIT: Would that be your purposeful looking Linssen (I think) elling over on C?

 

[johnalison]

I find it rather amusing that we devote all that money to own a boat so we can spend time boating, and then go to some trouble to make each boating trip as brief as possible!

Yes, it is like the similar paradox of the situation where you are enjoying a fine trip, but somehow long to get to your destination.

 

[Parabordi]

For the hard of understanding and whos plan "Plan A " is simply to wait for a F1 forecast , turn left and open the throttles regardless.

Best time to depart Sovereign to take advantage of tides all the way to Sheerness and ideally up to Rochester ?
Fast 20 knot Mobo.

Confused of Mudway.
All observations welcome.

i thought you already did that trip?

 

[oldgit]

With you on Saturday, as best day. Meteo Consult gives 10kts breeze from the south currently.
Got into Sovereign, from Le Havre, on Friday night. The then forecasts looked as if we’d have a pleasant northerly on the beam for today. Now it’s 25-30 kts in the nose! But Saturday…..fingers crossed…. In a 5kt sailing boat I’ll only be aiming for Ramsgate though. (Leave around LW Dover, catch turn of tide @ Dungeness, ride it up to Ramsgate). Then catch the turn of the Sheerness tide, at Longnose, on Monday morning, and carry it up to Chatham. Wind willing!

Meteo C has Friday light too. But easterly. Headwind for me and too light. Maybe good for you?

EDIT: Would that be your purposeful looking Linssen (I think) elling over on C?

Sealine F44.
Plan now to go down Friday night to brim the tanks before departing in the morning at an hour acceptable to gentlemen sailors and a decent breakfast.
Not sure of the lock operating hours. ?
Assuming there is a good chance of persuading the nav system to function and possibly even assisting our entire return home.
On a trip back from Brighton not that long ago , the installed maps on the plotter stopped ,just as the weather began to deteriorate and the next buoy urgently sought was Goodwin Fork.
Yes, we did have a course plotted using a dead tree and an A4 pencil but Navionics on a mobile phone proved very handy indeed.
Some concern that nobody has the faintest idea how to operate the Satellite TV and what will occupy us during the voyage ?

 

[John_Silver]

Sealine F44.

Not sure of the lock operating hours. ?

Locks are 24/7 on the hour & half hour, outbound. Show up 5-10 mins beforehand. At weekends, during the day, they often have one ready and waiting. But best to radio half an hour before you want to leave.

Enjoy your trip. And new boat(?) Looks like you will have good mobo weather!

 

[oldgit]

Locks are 24/7 on the hour & half hour, outbound. Show up 5-10 mins beforehand. At weekends, during the day, they often have one ready and waiting. But best to radio half an hour before you want to leave.

Enjoy your trip. And new boat(?) Looks like you will have good mobo weather!

Thanks for that.
Plan now............
Friday. Afternoon. Eastbourne to Ramsgate.
A chance to spend any of the new owners remaining money in a decent restaurant.
Saturday. Morning .Ramsgate to Rochester.

 

[Nauti Fox]

When we last did that trip we had a "nuisance" of semi submerged pot markers off Bexhill.

 

[oldgit]

If you want to make the deity of your choice smile....Tell him/her You have a plan.

Arrive at Sovereign on time but due to the usual boaty faffing depart a couple of hours late.
Exit lock around 16.00, its going to be tight and want to arrive with some light left, at 20 knots estimate 3 hours to Ramgite and the prospect of a decent steak and bottle of something.................. all at the new owners expence.
Top off tanks with 550 L . @ 1.50 per litre.
Just off of Hastings engine overheat alarm starts to buzz merrily away, down to 10 knots, no way can get to Ramsgate before dark so back we go to Eastbourne just as sun sets.
Check impellers and all seems OK.
Dinner at a "Harvester"

O7.00 and off again. Seems OK at I5-16 knots punching the tide this time so we carry on.
One of the Bilge Alarms intermittantly starts to annoy can find no trace of why.
Approaching Dover we check the fuel tanks. ....and into Ramsgate we go for fuel. 400 L £1.22 per litre.
Transit Dover at exactly the right time between arriving and departing ferries.

Depart from Ramsgate in bright sunshine and bit lumpy until we go round The Foreland and into the Four Fathoms ,smooth as a babbies bottom, it starts to rain and breeze perks up as we go past Garrison Pt.
Arrive at RCC at 14.30.

Managed to fire up the boats ancient Plotter just in case but used Andriod tablet with Navionics to navigate.
Plan was to recharge it via boats 12v sockets, these of course did not work, fortunately it lasted to the end of the day, mobile phone also was able to provide back up if all else failed.
The charts remained in the grab bag along with a list of waypoints.
Any functioning Autopilot is worth a Kings Ransom.

The previous owner has stripped the boat, making a cup of tea involved putting a cup in microwave to boil water and suger liberated from the "Harvester"
Overall an interesting trip but sitting in front of the computer now and the world still seems to be moving ?