The good weather will last over the weekend...

oldgit

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We are off to the Medway Barge Match.Presume you lot will not be skulking in your respective marinas ?
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We will most probably be marina bound :(

Far too many jobs to do before next weekends trip to Whitby. Still we will make the most of the sunshine from our berth and watch the masses trying to leave and enter theirs. Good summer sport :D
 
Rumour has it that you are actually spending many of your waking hours watching Lucy Worsley on BBC iPlayer :p



Err ..Ooo is that then and wot has she got that might interest someone who is highly cleaver as wot I am......INNIT ?

On the Greta. Was in charge of bottle opening and taking increasingly slightly out of focus picures
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Where is a good place to watch from? (Apart from on board a barge,of course)


The race,sorry "Barge Match" starts from the Bulls Nose at the lock entrance to Chatham Dockyard.A good place to watch from ashore is either at the end of Gillingham Dock(down Pier Road) dead easy to park or from the "Strand" just little further along the road.
Just how long they hang around that bit of the river depends on the wind.In theory the barges go down to No 1 bouy in the estuary but conditions sometimes involve turning round much earlier in order to get back in good time for the competitors celebrations to go ahead on time.
If on a boat,just drift down with them and try not to get in their way if there are any grudge matches or old scores about to be settled.
The old tubs can pick up their skirts and fly.Have once or twice been dawdling in the wrong place and watched with "interest" as 80 tons of barge tacks worryingly close.:)
http://www.sailingbargeresearch.org.uk/pages/barge_matches_page_1.htm
 
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Forecast NE 5-6,that should get them moving.
Arghh....Just had a look at start time,suspect will go and watch the finish instead.

According to Repertor's website the start was to be 0800 from Gillingham Pier. We set off very early from Croydon and arrived at the Strand at 0745, only to see them disappearing round the eastern end of the island!

Anyway,we drove to Sheerness and saw the barges passing there. Then we drove back to Gillingham again in time to see the finish. They certainly were a fine sight, and going fast with a good breeze.

A good day out.
 
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