Cruise To St Kats, London

[Nick Rainsley - Cento]

PICTURES NOW AVAILABLE _ PLEASE SCROLL DOWN!


Spring Cruise to St Katherines Dock, London.

For those wanting to sail into the heart of London, this is the way to do it. All welcome, but please give me plenty of notice if you are planning to come along.

The itinery will be as follows

Fri 9th       - Harwich (or wherever you are) to Queenborough (very early start - but afternoon doing nothing but relaxing)
Sat 10th    - Queenborough to St Kats (arriving about midday-ish) Afternoon at leisure!
Sunday 11th - All day at leisure in the heart of the throbbing metropolis!
Monday 12th - St Kats - Queenborough
Tuesday 13th - Queenborough- home


Please let me know if you are interested.

[Nick Rainsley - Cento]

Passage Plan for Queenborough to St Katherine’s Dock

Tides

Date                            Place       Time         Height
Friday 9th April       Sheerness       03.11        1.7 m
                                                09.42        4.3 m

                                                      

 Sat 10th               Sheerness          04.17        1.5m
                                                   10.43        4.6m
                            Tower Bridge      05.42        1.9 m
                                                   11.56        5.2 m

Tidal streams

   Will have 5 knots(equivalent to 5 nm travelled over the duaration of the tide) of positive tidal stream to St Kats, thereby saving 1 hour
   Timings: lock runs from 10.10 to 13.00 hours. Aim to be at lock by HW (11.56) latest
   Therefore aim to be at the lock for 11.45.
   Need to depart from mooring buoy at 04.15 latest.

Route

Queenborough – Grain Edge Green    = 2.5

Then to Nore Swatch Red       = 0.5

Then to Mid Swatch Green      

Then staying close to the South Thames Bank until Lower Hope Red

Then cross the river to Mucking Green

Motor up river following the buoyed channel

PORT COMMUNICATIONS
 “London VTS” (Outer Reporting Points to S.R. No 4 Buoy)
V.H.F. Channels 69
Radar Coverage Outer Port Limit to Thameshaven

 “London VTS” (S.R. No 4 Buoy to Crayfordness)
V.H.F. Channels 68
Radar Coverage S.R. No 1 Buoy to Erith

 “London VTS” (Upriver of Crayfordness, incl. **Thames Barrier Control Zone)
V.H.F. Channels 14
Radar Coverage Crayfordness to Greenwich


Thames Barrier        

River Thames - Thames Barrier Control Zone: Margaretness to Blackwall Point.

Electronic Notice Boards with lights at Barking Power Station,
Blackwall Stairs (N. Shore) and Blackwall Point (S. Shore).

Flashing Amber Lt. = Proceed with extreme caution.
Flashing Red Lt. = Navigation within Zone prohibited.
Red St. Andrew's Crosses (Lt) from Piers = Barrier or Span Closed.
Green Arrows (Lt) from Piers = Span Open.
In low visibility, Racons (morse ‘T’) and high-intensity directional fixed
white lights operate on either side of spans C, D, E and F in conjunction
with the green arrows.

It is extremely dangerous to go through a Span that is marked Closed (for
navigation), the gates may be in a semi-raised position.
Small Craft: Do not navigate above Thames Refinery jetty or below Gulf Oil
Island unless intending to pass through the Barrier.

ALL GATES CLOSED: No vessel to navigate within 200m.of Barrier due to
turbulence.

Depth over sill: Spans C, D & E, F = 5.8m. C.D. Spans B,G = 1.25M. C.D.

Call London VTS (Barrier Control) on Channel 14 at Margaretness and/or
Blackwall Pt for permission to pass through the Barrier.

Do not "sail" through - use an engine at all times.                    
  

 

[Nick Rainsley - Cento]

Boats so far    

Cento                Nick & Terri
Yuletide            Neil & Deborah
Zambak            Brian & Carol
Ocean Glider     Robert & Sarah

[Nick Rainsley - Cento]

Please make sure you have plenty of diesel on board, as Bergen, the diesel berth on the river is only open at odd times and you will have to lock in and out to reach it.

There is no other diesel available on the Thames

[Nick Rainsley - Cento]

What can be said! What an adventure, as the 4 boats headed down from Harwich, there was a stunning sunrise, but no wind whatsoever. A beautiful day for a motor, We did enjoy a bit of a sail just off Sheerness as we shot along at 2 knots in the zephyr caused by a passing butterfly. The trip up the Thames was equally fun with a fogbank appearing across Yantlet Flats and Mucking corner. This cleared to find two large ships astern making sure we kept out the way ( we did hear them on the radio talking to VTS about the fact they were following 4 quality yachts). However the sun soon showed itself and we made it safely to St Kats. We spent two days there for some R&R (Ok, eating and lots of drinking) before heading home in somewhat heavier weather. With gusts well over 30 knots we made our way back to Queenborough for a night of howling wind while we swung around on the moorings. Three boats (Cento, Zambak and Ocean Glider) decided that a free night or three in Chatham was the order of the week, while Yuletide braved some very heavy seas and wind on the nose to get home.

Brian & Carol spent the next three days at leisure in Chatham Maritime, whilst Nick, Terri, Robert & Sarah hired a car to get back to work for three days. The whole process was reversed on friday night, (curry night) before we all headed back to Woolverstone on Saturday in just 8-12  knots of breeze. On returning, yet another party ensued! (see bottom pic!)

Cento Out


Click on the image to start a slideshow


And more at http://gallery.me.com/dalmatictunic#100194 Thanks to Sarah Lomax, our East Coast David Bailey!

A true rendevous moment at the end of the trip!

[Brian Matthews]

If that doesn't give us sponsorship from the highlands, I do not know what will !!

[Brian Matthews]

Ello Ello Ello - was goin on ere then !!

captions on a postcard please !!

[Nick Rainsley - Cento]

Oi! - You're F****** nicked mate!

(courtesy of Messers Python etc!)


or


So sir, where were you at the time your hair was stolen?

[Brian Matthews]

So you are saying that your boat is named Yuletide and you are Father Christmas!!!!

[YULETIDE]

"Now come along Sir, we all know that 12kts through the Barrier was excessive, even if you were only under sail"..

[YULETIDE]

"For goodness sake Perkins, take that bloody hat off - we're supposed to be undercover!"