Woolverstone to Ramsgate
First of all a big thank you for all the good luck wishes we have had, we hope we don’t need the luck only good weather.
The first leg was a short shake down sail across the Thames Estuary to Ramsgate as we had not even had time to raise the sails this year.
We cast off from the Royal Harwich Yacht Club Marina after receiving many good luck wishes and waves from envious (?) members crossing the club start line at 11:39 and the log reading 1793.3 even having Mr and Mrs Commodore chasing us down the river in a rib taking photographs.
We knew the tide was not ideal for the trip but we wanted to get started and get clear of the bad weather forecast. In the end it took 10 hours to do a short hop that can normally be done in 6 . The weather was changeable to say the least, it was light winds and t’shirts when we left soon to be force 6 to 0 and back to f6 on the nose all the way .
Ramsgate hove into view and we finally docked at 21:53 a 10 hour slog , lets hope tomorrow will be better. A quick run into town and Curry for supper at halfpast ten ,it could not have tasted better.
A word of warning Ramsgate is not now a all tide harbour , the harbour control even called to check our draft to ensure we could get in .
As we awaited the tide for two hours to give enough depth for us to clear the mud the lifeboat arrived towing a square rig training boat that had lost its rudder during the night . Two of these boats had been giving training in the Thames.
First of all a big thank you for all the good luck wishes we have had, we hope we don’t need the luck only good weather.
The first leg was a short shake down sail across the Thames Estuary to Ramsgate as we had not even had time to raise the sails this year.
We cast off from the Royal Harwich Yacht Club Marina after receiving many good luck wishes and waves from envious (?) members crossing the club start line at 11:39 and the log reading 1793.3 even having Mr and Mrs Commodore chasing us down the river in a rib taking photographs.
We knew the tide was not ideal for the trip but we wanted to get started and get clear of the bad weather forecast. In the end it took 10 hours to do a short hop that can normally be done in 6 . The weather was changeable to say the least, it was light winds and t’shirts when we left soon to be force 6 to 0 and back to f6 on the nose all the way .
Ramsgate hove into view and we finally docked at 21:53 a 10 hour slog , lets hope tomorrow will be better. A quick run into town and Curry for supper at halfpast ten ,it could not have tasted better.
A word of warning Ramsgate is not now a all tide harbour , the harbour control even called to check our draft to ensure we could get in .
As we awaited the tide for two hours to give enough depth for us to clear the mud the lifeboat arrived towing a square rig training boat that had lost its rudder during the night . Two of these boats had been giving training in the Thames.
Ramsgate to Dover
The weather was still looking to come in from the North F8 after a day in the South so is only a short hop to Dover today.
We left with a light wind on the nose again and a late start due to the lack of depth in the harbour. It was boring trip under engine for the 15 miles ending in a very bumpy crossing of the ferry lanes , and on entering the harbour the wind got up , typical.
Dover to Eastbourne
Forecast Westerly turning North Easterly 4-5-7 occasionally force 8 later with Rain and cold
For once the forecast was correct and did it rain all day , what else should we expect on a bank holiday weekend.
So up at 05:30 leaving t 06:30 and arriving at Eastbourne at 15:30 , 9 hours under engine in bitterly cold rain. We have found the new radar works really well as a means of telling if its raining ahead , we don’t know much about yachts as most of the time we are the only fools out .
Once in our berth the wind started to build as was forecast leavingus planning the passage for the next day to Cowes , a 6:00 start in winds forecast up to force 8 but at least it was in a favourable direction.
Tomorrow :- The Solent and Cowes
Hopefullyno rain but F8 gales forecast
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