Sheerness to St Kats

ChattingLil

ChattingLil

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Did a silly thing in my rush to get sea-sick pal off boat yesterday...

I'm planning the passage up to St Kat's next Saturday and I stupidly left all my charts and pilot books on board (can't get back on board until Friday night!).

I'm trying to organise my crew and wondered if anyone can advise on how long it will take if I averaged 5 knots? I will do my proper plan when back on board on Friday, but an indication of likely time would be much appreciated.

THanks
Lisa
 
I only ever did it once, a hundred years ago in a friend's Trapper 500. My memory is that we did it quite easily in one tide as it pushes you along at a decent rate. This was from Queenborough. I think you get more than your 6 hours worth of tide going up the river too.
 
It is easily done on one tide. Suggest you leave Queenborough (if that's where you start) about 1 to 1.5 hours before LW Sheerness, and that puts you near or past the Nore Swatch buoy in time to carry the whole 7 (yes 7) hours flood up the river.
If you have 5 knots boat speed I guarantee you will arrive early for the St. Kats lock and have to hang about.
The tide is very fast in places, for instance I've seen 4 knots under the QE2 Bridge.
I came down from St.Kats on Saturday, leaving just as the ebb started, I dare say we did about 5 knots all the way and reached the Nore Swatch in 5 hours, perfect timing (the converse of getting 7 hours flood is that on the outbound journey you only get 5 hours ebb).
 
Low water off Southend Pier is my normal approach to heading for St K. Easily make it before HW at the bridge.
Fun under Dartford bridge 9 to 10 knots over ground, Just about double normal progress. Stay away from edges and solid bits as the tide can produce powerful eddies /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif.
 
Looking at your boat details I remember seeing you on the Mudway. We'll be down Ramsgate way this weekend but no doubt we'll venture onto your patch later in the year sometime.
 
Sounds like a good plan - but 3 am start???

What you really should have done, is break the journey somewhere like Gravesend. Start off this weekend, pick up a buoy for the week, then resume journey next weekend. That would be a brilliant plan! Unless of course you got really wild weather at the Medway entrance, then the wise thing might be to turn back...

James
 
[ QUOTE ]
Sounds like a good plan - but 3 am start???

What you really should have done, is break the journey somewhere like Gravesend. Start off this weekend, pick up a buoy for the week, then resume journey next weekend. That would be a brilliant plan! Unless of course you got really wild weather at the Medway entrance, then the wise thing might be to turn back...

James

[/ QUOTE ]

Indeed! In fact, I'd made provisional plans to just that yesterday. But were you out there yesterday?! hoowee! Bit wild for us - we got to the mouth of the Medway and had to retreat.
 
There really should be a tongue-in-cheek smiley...

... I'm the guy who lined up a buoy for you at GSC!

(that's the trouble with these forums... usernames ain't the same as real names... for good reason sometimes)
 
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