Sailing Log: Medway and Back 20-21st July 2013

Early morning day 2 - passing Grain Tower

Single handed weekend sail to Queenborough, Medway 

Day 1. 

GYC 1125

Crossness 1155

QE2 bridge 1350

Gravesend 1455

Hole haven 1645

West nore1800

Nore swatch 1900

Queenborough 1945

8 hours 20 minutes

Surprisingly grey start after two weeks of blue skies but undeterred etc.  Motoring start into force three and then on the nose all the way. Ran slightly late and behind schedule at each waypoint but not enough to matter. Bursts of motoring. Motor sailing v effective. The usual nasty chop at Gravesend from wind on tide.

The sun came out in Sea Reach, a beautiful pearly light in this broad place, and the waves started to build.  Passed a lifeboat attending to a yacht (aground perhaps?).  Wind over tide building to 8 ft waves to ride - which spray did well - soaking the skipper and crashing off wave tops. Scary. 

Saw a seal lying leisurely on the beach only 50 metres away from my maelstrom. It feigned fear and started toward the water but thought better if it when it saw it was only me.  

Last few miles motoring, then sailed into the Medway with a following sea of breaking waves. Unpleasant near broach - Held the helm over seemingly forever to try and get the boat round.  Eventually it came round but not before lying broadside in a trough with the rail in the water. Did not ship too much so perhaps lucky.  Lesson -  free the mizzen and main immediately, in fact do not sail downwind in a following sea with mizzen at all.  Too tired for such excitement. Decision - anchor in Stangate or moor in Queenborough? Went for the latter. Too tired to go on and anyway looking like rain. Good choice, after ambling round the harbour in a dazed state found the harbour boat and negotiated a nice mooring next to Hal and his wife on Kingfisher! These GYC people get everywhere. They were also sailing back the next day.

As you go down the estuary the landscape gets bigger. Result - You get smaller. Cruising is always like that, big gaps between buoys and long distances which look tiny on the map. A very beautiful experience.

I must have motored half the way, 20 nm. Less than half the

tank used. Pretty good. That means 0.75L per hour or 3.3MN

per litre.

Fantastic day.  More of the same tomorrow?

Reefed all the way.

Queenborough - safely moored but exhausted

Day 2.

Queenborough 0530

Nore Swatch say 0630

West Nore sand 0700

East blyth 0725

Holehaven 0750

QE bridge 1030

Crossness 1140

GYC 1250

7 hours 40 minutes.

Damp and grey start up at 0430 for simple breakfast and welcome tea (simple things make sense in small surroundings). Set out a few minutes ahead of Hal assuming he would catch up - he did. Straight out into head wind and waves.  Motor sailed out to Nore Swatch in company of about 5 others. Amazing seeing medium sized yachts leap over and into the waves, at times most of the hull out of the water - what must Spray look like.  Crashing down makes a horrible noise but the boat seems fine. Engine is good for this stuff, tough and confidence inducing. 

Turning left into the Thames over shallow water (1.7m at one point) and then the long run in. Hal a tiny spec behind growing of course as they caught up and over took.  Shook out the reef at East Blyth and flew along at 5KN. Slowing as the day grew and as the wind reduced to force 2ish.  Hal put his biggest genoa up to overtake me but slowly enough for a chat.

Motored through Gravesend and Tilbury to avoid the shipping in windless spots.  Passing Broadness a glimpse into a tiny inlet with moorings I had not seen before – very Dickensian looking, must come back.

The wind died in Woolwich and the day suddenly became hot, 30 degrees, so put the motor on to GYC.

Ghosting upriver past the Ovens Buoy

The boat performed brilliantly with no breakages and very little water shipped in the whole weekend. The new boom is a real improvement down and upwind but makes for more work reefing and stowing - Must fit a topping lift.  The engine is OK although it soon reverted to old habits of not running at low speed grrrr.  I think I will replace it, but is an electric powerful enough to get through that?). 

Moving time 15.34 hours

Distance 81 NM

Max speed 9.4kn (over ground)

Average moving speed 5 kn