Crossing the Thames

Having explored the coastline around Harwich, we decided that the time had come to travel further afield and cross the Thames estuary. This would require careful planning, not just checking weather and tides, but also being aware of the numerous sandbanks and the heavy traffic in and out of London.

We felt that, to get the best learning out of the trip, it would be useful to have some expertise on board. This would enable us to learn more about, not just passage planning, but also more about trimming the sails in order to sail more effectively.

We spoke to several other boat owners at the marina and booked two nights and two days with Paul, a very experienced instructor and sailor. The plan was to sail with him from Ipswich, across the Thames estuary to Ramsgate and back.

Dates were booked, times arranged and all that we needed to do was monitor the weather.

The original plan was to leave Fox’s Marina on Tuesday evening and head off down the River Orwell in order to anchor on the River Stour. Wednesday would be spent sailing to Ramsgate and Thursday would be the homeward journey.

Monitoring the weather for several days beforehand, we decided that it would be too windy to safely anchor in the Stour, so we stayed at the marina and headed off at 8am on Wednesday.

The journey from Fox’s Marina to Ramsgate is about 50 miles and, depending on wind and tides would take us between 7 and 10 hours!

The winds were good to test us: leaving the shelter of Harwich, we were getting Force 6 – 7 (21 -33 knots). This made for quick sailing when the tide was with us and we managed to get up to 8 knots. By early afternoon, however, the tide had turned and was against us. This made the going slower, and, as the wind was against the tide, there was plenty of rolling swell. Not a great combination and it did make us both a little queasy. Out came the seasickness tablets and ginger biscuits!

Things improved as we got closer to North Foreland and we were able to focus on the new coastline, knowing that Ramsgate was only a few miles away. It was good to get berthed up, showered and eat a great meal at the local Thai restaurant. the wine flowed and the conversation centred on the successes of the day.

It was a long 12 hour day and we arrived back in Fox’s Marina in the dark … another first for us.

It had been a brilliant two days and we felt that we had learnt so much.

Thanks Paul.

Next trip – the south coast!!