Southern Thames Estuary sailors - possible navigation problems

[xyachtdave]

Hopefully I'm not the last person to know this and repeating old news!

In 40 months time the Isle of a Grain power station chimney is being removed and Kingsnorth's chimney is coming down 6 months later.

Finding the entrance to the Medway and Thames is going to get a whole lot harder without these that's for sure!

Info supplied by member of staff involved in the decommissioning process, I've asked whether they could leave the Grain chimney and lose Kingsnorth, but it is looking unlikely.

Just when I thought I could find my way about without bothering to look at the charts....

 

[Firefly]

I used to live at Grain. A couple of years ago we had a village meeting with EON. Their rep was delighted to be able to tell us they were going to demolish the power station and chimney. He was very disappointed when I leapt up and down saying "you can't do that, its the best nav mark in the whole estuary!" The chimney really is a remarkable object - I agree it would be good to keep it.

 

[Cantata]

It is a remarkable landmark and I am always surprised at how far away it can be seen on a clear day.
But I expect we'll learn to manage without. Admiral De Ruyter found the Medway OK in 1667, after all, and I don't think the chimney was there then...

 

[FullCircle]

It is a remarkable landmark and I am always surprised at how far away it can be seen on a clear day.
But I expect we'll learn to manage without. Admiral De Ruyter found the Medway OK in 1667, after all, and I don't think the chimney was there then...

This bloke....

Interesting story...

http://militaryhistory.about.com/gi...deruyter.org/CHATHAM_Dutch_in_the_Medway.html

 

[Tomahawk]

You can see it from behind the high street in Maldon...

 

[LittleSister]

I think the compass adjuster (remember them?) used it for bearings when he swung a mate's compass on the Crouch some years back.

 

[MikeBz]

My wife says "they can't do that, it's been there all my life!" She grew up in Thorpe Bay. We can see the Grain chimney from our lounge in Brightlingsea visibility permitting.

 

[sunquest]

When we see the chimney we know we are close to home.