thames bolt hole near northfleet

dylanwinter

dylanwinter

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Buckingham
www.keepturningleft.co.uk
does anyone know about this place just upstream from Northfleet

(link too long for here - you will have to copy and paste it into the top window)

http://www.multimap.com/maps/?&hloc=GB|AL55SY#map=51.46442,0.30927|17|4&loc=GB:51.81219:-0.33811:16|AL55SY|AL5%205SY

the boat draws 18 inches and sits upright on the mud - I wondered about tucking myself away in there for a night on my way between the Medway and tower bridge. Are the natives friendly.

If you look at it on google earth it looks very intrigueing

Dylan http://uk.youtube.com/user/KeepTurningLeft
 
I think, but am unsure, you are talking about Holehaven Creek. I have used this on a number of occasions but not recently. I used to use it prior to St Kats being opened and also in the early days of St Kats when locking was more hit & miss than it is today. Of course today you also have all the other marinas.
When the tide goes out you sit on thick mud and it is quite secure. I would use it as an overnight stop. In those days my boat had no VHF although I had MF. Radar was prohibitively expensive for small craft and the safest thing at night was to hole up in Holehaven.
 
Nope! I have had a look on Google Earth. It isn't Holehaven. I haven't then any experience of it. The best way of learning the pros & cons of such a creek is to find a tame Thames Waterman (Freeman) what they don't know ain't worth knowing /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Its not mentioned in any of my books and I would have thought that it would only be accessable for a while either side of high tide, which would mean that you may get there OK but when you leave you will run out of tide before you reach the barrier.
Having said that even in my slow old tub Queenborough to Teddington is easily do able on one tide.

Julian

click on this link then click birdseye and you will get a better view of the place
http://maps.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.sk9q9mh0s64b_here____&encType=1
You can also use the rotate buttons on the laft to move round the image
 
I have done on more than one occasion.
Parglena is about the same as you speed wise, Have a look at this guide for timings:
http://members.aol.com/malbabs/guide.pdf
its 1.3mb but has a lot of info in it re the tidal Thames even if some of it is a bit dated now.

Leave Queenborough about an hour and a half before low tide you then get the benefit of the tide out to the Nore Swatch, the next bit is slow up to Holehaven as you will be pushing against the last of the ebb. After that it just gets quicker.

I have done Queenborough to Teddington on one tide with no problems at all except for the snow which cut visbilty to less then 300m, about the only time I have ever felt the need for radar!
Also done Allington to Brentford in one hit, left Allington at 05.30 just before high tide, arrived Brentford 1900 again just before high tide, mind you that was a long day!

Julian
 
Your'e talking upstream from Northfleet - the only place that springs to mind is Erith Sailing club. The natives were very friendly there in 1963 when I was on the old 'Worcester' - we used to visit fairly regularly.
I don't know of any visitor's moorings, but I'm sure if you called ahead they would be most accommodating.
There is also a little known 'marina' tucked in behind Gravesend pier (upstream) but I've never had cause to seek it out. - and Grays sailing club on the North bank. If you dont mind taking the ground most of the clubs on the tidal stretch may be of use.
 
Done the trip from Rochester to the pool many times mostly at around 6/7 knots most of that tide.
Normally leave with 2 hours of ebb left which gets me down to the Swatch at round low water,catch the flood up and arrive around four hours after LW.
Total time 6/7 hours.
Have gone from Rochester to Teddington in about 9 hours again at snails pace,however once the tide gets going we were whizzing along at nearly 8 knots.
Would try to do it in one go its a bit grim between Sheerrness and Greeenwich but full of interest stuff after that.
Watch out for the fast RoRo stuff lower down and even faster cat ferries further up.
You will need to call the Barrier at some point as well.
 
Broadness. There's a group of liveaboards there (I've heard them referred to as "water gypsies" but uncertain exactly what that's supposed to mean). Don't know what the available space is. But it does look right up your street as an interesting muddy bolthole.

The problem is that I think it's only accessible at the top of the tide, so as Parglena says, not much good for an upstream passage - you really, really don't want to be fighting the ebb up the Thames.

I'm afraid I don't agree that Queenborough to Tower Bridge is reliably achievable in one tide in a 4 knot yacht. It's 45 miles; the tide runs strong but not that strong! I'm based in Gravesend and cannot reliably make St Kats on one tide - OK if a fair wind, otherwise motor stays on after Woolwich.

Boltholes include Holehaven, just W of Canvey - probably too far downstream for you.

You are very welcome at Gravesend; for a night, you're best on one of our buoys in the river, but it can get lumpy with the tug traffic. For longer, you could lock into the canal basin, then explore the old Thames and Medway Canal (on foot... it's cut off from the basin... though there are plans to reconnect it).

I'm sure Erith and Thurrock would also make you very welcome.

I love this stretch of the Thames - it's a very busy commercial river with all that entails in terms of hazards and interest, yet still has porpoises if you're lucky, and is bursting with history.

James
 
Off topic, but there is another creek just downstream of the last Erith YC buoy, round the corner of Crayford Ness, where you can see a tidal barrier. It's the old navigation of the river Darent, leading to Dartford, with a branch off up the river Cray. There's a lock at Dartford without gates, but a sill, and when the tide rises you can get through the lock. A couple of years ago we took a NB into the creek, stuck the nose on until we could get in when the tide rose, went up to Dartford, back to the Cray, and up to Barnes Cray, on coming back it was virtually high tide, and the surroundings were very broads like, had only 30mins of flood left when we got out into the river, and then struggled back up to Limehouse.

There are some photos somewhere on the Tuesday Night Club web site. If there was ever a lock or even a simple tidal gate instead of the barrier, this could be a very pleasant backwater.

IanC
 
[ QUOTE ]



For longer, you could lock into the canal basin, then explore the old Thames and Medway Canal (on foot... it's cut off from the basin... though there are plans to reconnect it).

James

[/ QUOTE ]

Coo! and I didn't know it was there. Can you give us more details please. How accessible is the basin, locking times, facilities all that sort of stuff.

I knew there were plans afoot to restore the canal but took no interest as it wouldn't be of use as a cut-thru for real boats. Bridges, tunnel and other obstacles. I am however VERY interested in the Basin.

I found this.....
http://www.theembankmentmarina.net/1317/frames.php but what about pubs, caffs, shops etc.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Can you give us more details please. How accessible is the basin, locking times, facilities all that sort of stuff....what about pubs, caffs, shops etc.

[/ QUOTE ]
You've found their web site - good! As you'll see, you can only lock in or out near the top of the tide, which is why I only recommend it if you're staying more than a night.

The basin is about half a mile from Gravesend centre. There's a pub right there, more in town. Cafe on the promenade if you time it right. More eateries in town. Gravesend Sailing Club is right there, but we're a small club and only open when someone's there.

A short walk round to the disused canal (follow the cycle route to get there). The canal has been disused for quite a while, and is disconnected at both ends. The Medway end went through a tunnel that is now used by the railway (they managed to share the tunnel for a while thanks to some clever engineering). The Thames end was filled in & built over, but the area is being regenerated and there is talk about reconnecting to the basin. Don't know how serious that talk is.
 
Should maybe have made my comments a bit plainer.
My one tide scenerio would be achieved by going against the last hour or so of the ebb while in the lower part of Sea Reach and catching the flood perhaps half way up off Holehaven or there abouts..
However maybe even this would not give him be enough time perhaps?
 
Dylan, I'll be doing that journey soon in a boat not much bigger than yours. I've never sailed the Thames before so would be very interested to hear all the little boaty details if you'd be so kind. I'm starting to get a little nervous about it.
 
Good luck Dylan! I won't wave as you go past as I'm currently in Faversham on my way to France. Great town at the end of a tortuous creek... rather tempted to stay an extra day!
 
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