Cruising The East Coast

The Thames Estuary and the coastline between Sussex and Suffolk, the area within relatively easy cruising range from our base on the River Crouch, offers a superb selection of ports, harbours, marinas and anchorages. Weather and circumstances permitting, the coasts of Norfolk, Lincolnshire and even Yorkshire to the North are potentially within range of a longer, more ambitious, cruise as are Hampshire and the Isle of White.

Crossing the channel or the Southern North Sea, a daring but not preposterous proposition for a small yacht, brings us to the North Coast of France, Belgium and Holland. Add to the mixing bowl the further ingredients of prevailing South Westerly offshore breezes, relatively benign tides and currents (there are very few locations where even a small boat like Brigantia cannot make headway against the tide if needs be) and the sheltering effect of the drying sandbanks offshore and, as many a sailor has found in times past, you have a recipe for, arguably, the best small boat cruising ground in the world.

That said, there are some drawbacks which the articles and books often fail to mention! There is, for example, the notorious Thames Estuary Chop. The seabed configuration and geography of the area can generate a short, vicious chop sufficient to bring a small boat to a virtual standstill and her crew to despair. Add to the normal chop, virtually guaranteed in any breeze of F4 and upwards, any wind over tide component and life can become very unpleasant indeed. Not for nothing is The Wallet sometimes known as "The Vomit"!

Some of the river and harbour entrances can become difficult, even dangerous or impossible, to enter in a strong Easterly winds and a stiff Westerly is just what you do not want to encounter when embarking on the twenty mile slog from the Spitway into the Crouch and upriver to North Fambridge especially since you will surely have planned your passage to take advantage of the flood tide to carry you swiftly past the Swallowtail and up the river and now must face the prospect of tacking backwards and forwards into a steep head sea making precious little gain on each tack. All but the most die hard ardent sailing enthusiast will be reaching for the engine starter within an hour or so of that form of savage amusement!

The very same sandbanks and shoals that offer so much shelter and which damp the effects of bad weather on the sea state become an unmitigated nuisance when planning a passage from any of the Estuary rivers towards the North Foreland with a view to an excursion along the South Coast. It is Hobsons' Choice whether you weave between the banks adding many miles to the passage or risk nipping across one of the several unmarked short cuts across the drying sands.

As if these natural obstacles were not sufficient to tax the brains of the novice amateur mariner (such as myself), the area is home to an increasing and bewildering array of wind turbines - Gunfleet Sands, Kentish Flats, Thanet Offshore (not that 6 miles is offshore in my book), and the already vast Phase 1 of the London Array which will eventually cover the whole of Long Sand, the Kentish Knock and block the Knock Deep channel (once the primary deepwater route into London Docks) are all visible from the coast and there's more either built or planned both inshore and offshore.

The area can become very busy on a sunny summer weekend with yachts and motor cruisers jostling for space in the often confined channels between the river banks and shoals but with very few exceptions the denizens of the East Coast are friendly and considerate towards each other and it's rare indeed to fail to obtain an anchorage or berth for the night. During the week, even in the height of summer, the area is eerily quiet and peaceful with empty anchorages and silent marinas although the many excellent pubs and eaterys are often quite busy even mid-week.

This vast area of coastline, waterways and rivers is all within our reach on a two week cruise but for the purposes of this article we'll concentrate on the tighter area available to us on a seven to ten day "out and back" gentle cruise .

Lowestoft

At the Northern extreme of our normal range lies the port of Lowestoft. There are several options available for a transient berth but we have only tried (and would instantly opt for again) berthing in the Yacht Basin and visiting the wonderful arts and crafts style edifice that is the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club.

Lowestoft is a favourite arrival and departure point for a North Sea crossing to the Netherlands so it does tend to be chock a block with Dutch yachts and thus, by definition, Dutch yachtsmen. They are an almost universally friendly bunch though!

Outside the gates of the RN&SYC compound, and I use the word advisedly, Lowestoft isn't a shining jewel of an English town it has to be said.

There is a very useful Asda within walking distance, the town centre with the usual range of uninspiring chain stores and charity shops is but a few hundred yards away and there are one or two reasonable pubs, I am told, within a stones throw of the basin. However, the club itself is friendly, sociable and comfortable serving a decent pint and offering a reasonable meal (although the lunch choice isn't extensive). There is a dress code for the restaurant (not unreasonably) which, it was gently and politely suggested, we failed to come up to but as visiting yachtsmen, even such scruffy ones as ourselves, we were welcome to make use of, and dine in, the members lounge!

From a navigation point of view, if you are heading North then Lowestoft is pretty well the last virtually all weather safe haven until you get to the Humber. The Norfolk harbours are all affected by entrance bars which become impassable once the wind gets up, the Wash offers little in way of safety until you penetrate it's labyrinthine channels and sandbanks and the Lincolnshire coast is all but totally devoid of anything of note to the yachtsman such as harbours, anchorages or even shelter.

 Southwold

A short hop down the coast from Lowestoft lies the jewel in the crown of the Suffolk coast. It might even deserve promotion to the jewel in the crown of the entire East Coast and possibly beyond. I speak, of course, of the marvellous yet surprisingly under-regarded town and harbour of Southwold.

Alright, before I wax lyrical about the delights of this favourite place of mine there are a couple of niggles that should be mentioned. The first is that the harbour entrance can be, to say the least, a bit of a challenge if there is any sort of sea running. Add to that what is probably the fiercest tide to be found outside of the Bristol Channel and you'd better pay attention when entering or exiting the harbour.

Once in the river, there isn't a lot of room to manoeuvre and that tide rears its ugly head again - you really do not want to make a mistake handling the boat as the slightest error could bring instant disaster. The visitor moorings, for which you will pay handsomely, are best described as antiquated and quaint. The uncharitable might equally call them outdated and dilapidated! Me? I like them! It is one of the few places left where you tie up to fixed stagings and must make full and proper use of springs, fender boards and so on.

The next negative I must raise is the issue of, erm, facilities. The harbour toilets, once you find them (and that is a challenge in itself) are extremely basic. There are no showers, only a loo. For a modest fee you can make use of the showers in the Sailing Club building but I earnestly advise against it. A better option is to walk down to the camp site, also council operated, and make use of the facilities there which are acceptable rather than outstanding.

Nb. Things may be a-changing at Southwold since it seems that the new harbour North Wall will feature floating pontoon moorings for visiting yachts. I do hope this is in addition to the existing moorings upriver which would be my preferred destination.

Lets get back to the positives since by now you must be wondering just what on earth there is about Southwold to make it my favourite spot sailed to so far ...

Right away, once ashore, you are instantly drawn to the good offices of the aptly named Harbour Inn which lies but a stones throw away at the very spot to which you are moored. Good beer, good food and folk music on some nights. Perfect.

A walk along the Black Shore is a walk back in time. Clapboard sheds open up to offer a superb range of locally caught seafood (sadly not our thing, although it really ought to be, but I have braved a prawn this past year so there is hope yet!), old boats of all shapes and sizes rot quietly or show signs of renewal and renovation, the workshops of Harbour Marine offer a glimpse of work being carried out on all sorts of craft and along the way there is a cafe offering an excellent cooked breakfast or hearty lunch.

At the harbour mouth is the RNLI station and the old Cromer lifeboat shed, relocated to Southwold to house the Alfred Corry, Southwold No.1 lifeboat and its museum - well worth a look around. You can also get a welcome ice cream on a warm day or a cup of warm brown liquid masquerading as coffee on a chilly one from the ice cream shop.

A brisk walk of a mile or so brings you into the town of Southwold itself. What can one say? I spent an inordinate amount of time in the Lord Nelson public house marvelling at the speed and efficiency of the friendly service on a clearly very busy lunchtime, browsed around the Mariners reading room, failed to visit the lighthouse and was mildly impressed by the pier. Despite the usual chain store incursions Southwold is still a charming place that seems able to swallow up an extraordinary number of visitors without feeling crowded. Oh and it is home, of course, to Adnams brewery. I will, for a certainty, be back.

Dunwich and the Suffolk Coast

As we head South from Southwold, it is easy to ignore the fact that we are sailing past one of the most remarkable lost locations of medieval England. I refer, of course, to the lost town and harbour of Dunwich. In fact, the very River Blyth which we have have just departed once exited to the North Sea some way to the South of its current mouth at the entrance to the port of Dunwich.

Long shore drift, harbour silting and coastal erosion all contributed to the decline of this once busy port, one of the largest in the country in Norman times. Coastal erosion also whittled away at the town itself and by the 1600's less than a quarter of Dunwich survived. Today, virtually the entire town has vanished beneath the waves and of the harbour there is no sign at all. In benign weather, we might contemplate anchoring off and taking the dinghy ashore for a pint or an ice cream although a more viable option might be to take the rowing ferry across the river and walk up through Walberswicke and on to Dunwich although I grant that this would be an unusually energetic undertaking on my part.

Whilst Dunwich may have receded into the mists of antiquity, one landmark that is hard to overlook along this coast is Sizewell Nuclear Power station. In fact, it is the only notable feature until the soon to be redundant lighthouse at Orford Ness hoves into view.

It has to be said that it seems a little perverse, to my way of thinking, to upgrade the light at Southwold which is located in the heart of the (at night well lit) town centre and marks nothing much in particular in order to switch off the light at Orford Ness which stands in splendid isolation and marks, well obviously, the headland and shallow water around Orford Ness! But this is precisely what the good brethren, or their modern day equivalent, at Trinity House have decreed so that is how it shall be.

And that brings us neatly to ...

Orford Haven, the Alde and Butley Rivers

We blamed, a paragraph or two ago,. longshore drift for the decline of the medieval port of Dunwich. Now we must thank the same process for the shingle spit that protects and shelters the moorings and anchorages that lie behind Orford Beach. Having rounded the Ness and avoided the shoals of the Whiting Bank, it comes as a surprise just how steep too the beach is. Our nerve failed well before the depth alarm sounded as we tacked almost within spitting distance of the shore.

The entrance to the haven is protected by a bar which it is not sensible to cross at low water, in heavy seas or choppy conditions (oh well, two out of three eh?). Once over the bar, the entrance channel itself moves from year to year, sometimes even from month to month, as wind, waves and tide reconfigure the gravel banks and islands through which you must weave. It is vital to have the latest information on the entrance and to follow the buoyage unless you have local knowledge or a lot of luck.

Once inside the River Ore you find yourself sheltered from all but the worst that the weather can do. There are, however, no marinas or harbours for those who cannot cope without electric hookup or a walk ashore berth. Some visitor buoys might be found amongst the moorings at Orford and Aldeburgh and it is possible space permitting, to lie alongside Orford Quay at High Water otherwise it's to your own gear that you must lie for the night. All is not lost however since there are a host of suitable places to anchor.

At Slaughden Quay there are two boatyards and two sailing clubs and a trip ashore offers access to Aledburgh although we passed this opportunity by on our one visit to the Alde and pressed on upriver. Past Aldeburgh, the river is fairly bleak and very shallow albeit navigable, for those with the inclination, nerve and a shoal draught, as far as Snape Maltings. Our patience (and possibly nerve) ran out well before the upper reaches and we turned tail and headed for deeper water. The Butley River offers perhaps the most sheltered anchorage to be found anywhere albeit in a rather narrow channel.

There is still much left unexplored in this area as far as Brigantia is concerned. A lifting keel would be a definite boon hereabouts, our twin keels are not ideal for exploring the narrow and shallow channels prevalent as you penetrate deeper inland.

River Deben

With the famous wartime radar station of Bawdsey to the North, the entrance to the Deben is, like the Ore, protected by a bar with a somewhat fearsome reputation. At the head of the navigable river lies Woodbridge from whence we purchased Brigantia although she left for Fambridge by road on that occasion.

The Deben is yet to be explored by us at all - Woodbridge is often recommended as a destination and Sutton Hoo is nearby (and I've long desired a visit there).

The Orwell and The Stour

With the stark cranes and hulking behemoths of Felixstowe Container Terminal to the North and the less visually blatant but if anything busier Harwich Ferry Terminal to the South, the entrance to this expanse of water is full of excitement and yet, thanks to excellent bouyage and clear pilotage information issued by the Harwich Harbour Authority relatively straightforward even at night.

We have yet to penetrate the further reaches of these rivers although with Mistley Quay being the subject of a drawn out access battle between owners and locals there is, in truth, not a great deal to attract us to venture up the River Stour.

Halfpenny Pier at Harwich may be worth a visit at some point, to date though our favours have been granted to Shotley Marina across the river and Suffolk Yacht Harbour just upstream at Levington. Of the two, I much prefer the access to Levington given that entry and exit at Shotley involves the use of a lock. Niether location can currently be recommended for eating or drinking though I'm afraid.

We have yet to explore beyond Levington upstream of which lies Pin Mill of Swallows and Amazons fame (and a former home port for Brigantia under previous ownership), Woolverstone Marina, Foxes Marina and finally the attractions, one hopes, of Ipswich Docks, now almost entirely given over to leisure craft.

Hamford Water and the Walton Backwaters

The scene of Arthur Ransome's Secret Water, the area offers several decent anchorages and a well regarded marina. The adventurous and intrepid can even head all the way into Walton-on-the-Naze itself at High Water and find a berth in Walton Yacht Basin.

However, Secret Water notwithstanding, the reality is that only Hamford Water and Twizzle Creek are readily navigable with a fixed keel. The favoured anchorage at Stone Point, where Brigantia spent the night on our one visit to the backwaters to date, has been affected by recent shifts in the channel and need especial care when picking a spot.

We shall certainly be venturing up Twizzle Creek at some point in the not to distant future and I shall report upon our experiences in the fullness of time.

The Wallet

Between The Naze and Priory Spit just South of Clacton, the inshore channel known, for reasons lost to the mysteries of antiquity, as The Wallet is wide, deep and all too frequently somewhat choppy. Bounded on its seaward side by the shallow and in parts drying Gunfleet Sands and running in the direction of the prevailing South Westerly winds, the Wallet can, on a bad day, offer up the best, or perhaps I should say worst, that the Thames Estuary has up its sleeve as far as wind over tide chop is concerned.

On a good day, however, it can be a minor triumph of coastal passage making to fetch the Wallet Spitway buoy on a single screaming six knot close hauled leg from Medusa or to sneak around the end of Walton Pier and just manage to hold a course for Clacton Pier in airs so light your cigarette smoke goes straight up.

The River Colne

On the North side of the expanse of water that marks the beginning of the Blackwater Estuary, of which more anon, lies the entrance to the River Colne.

We have only ventured as far as Brightlinsea to date and it has to be said I singularly fail to see the attraction of the place despite it being highly recommended by many a yachtsman. The visitor moorings are on pontoons with no shore access leaving one at the tender mercies of a water taxi service or reliant upon one's own tender to get ashore and the ashore doesn't greatly attract me in any case. Perhaps I am doing the place a disservice but I'd rather go to Bradwell!

St. Osyth lies further up creek from Brightlingsea but in drying waters that don't greatly tempt. Across the Colne lies Pyefleet Creek around the back of Mersea Island which is a recommended anchorage we have yet to test our for ourselves. Further upriver, we hear good things about Wivenhoe and there is a visitors pontoon at Rowhedge so we shall investigate these options at some point.

Beyond Rowhedge, the river becomes narrow and shallow especially since commercial trade to Colchester ceased and dredging became a thing of the past. There is nothing in way of visitor moorings or attractions and unless and until this situation changes for the better Colchester will have to survive without the attentions of the Brigantia crew.

The Blackwater Estuary

As one enters the Blackwater proper, Mersea Island lies to starboard. The creeks around West Mersea are home to numerous moorings operated by various local businesses and clubs with various charging regimes and water taxi services running, or not running or might be running as the case may be.

It all sounds rather complicated to me and, to be brutally honest, not worth the bother compared to the simplicity of popping into Bradwell Marina on the opposite shore and enjoying the delights of a stroll into the village to the renowned (if slightly overrated in my opinion) Green Man or enjoying the excellent hospitality of the marina bar.


If a more vigorous expedition is desired to ease the kinks out of legs several days afloat, I can thoroughly recommend the walk along the sea wall past the gloomy edifice of the soon to be demolished Bradwell Nuclear Power Station (fear not, it no longer glows in the dark) to the delightful simplicity of St. Peter's on the Wall (believed to be the second oldest surviving Christian place of worship in England) before following the old Roman road back to Bradwell and thence to Bradwell Waterside before quenching ones thirst in the aforementioned Green Man.

The remaining attractions of the Blackwater have yet to be given the benefit of our attention. Across the estuary from Bradwell lies Woodrolfe creek at the head of which Tollesbury Marina, with a swimming pool and a well regarded restaurant could be well worth a visit despite being tidally restricted. Futher up-estuary and at the top end of the drying Lawling Creek lies Blackwater Marina.

As the banks of the estuary close in and we pass Osea Island and Northey Island we enter Colliers Reach and the entrance into Heybridge Basin. I've all sorts of reasons for wanting to visit Heybridge. My ancestors came from Heybridge for one thing, it was an East Coast collier that carried my youthful Great Great Grandfather from his birthplace in Maldon to meet and marry a Sunderland lass and settle on Wearside (without which unlikely liason I would not be here) and the Chelmer and Blackwater canal is managed by a subsidiary of the Inland Waterways Association with which I was associated for many years and of which at one time I was a trustee.

Finally, if we press on past Heybridge we reach Maldon, the home of many a sailing barge and quite a few other craft besides. There is, apparently, a visitors pontoon by the Queens Head (although it has escaped my notice on admittedly brief visits by car) although other reports suggest it may be silted up beyond use. I shall investigate this one as a visit to Maldon would be of considerable interest.

The Ray Sand and the Spitway

Continuing our virtual voyage south we come to the perennial conundrum of passage planning twixt the Crouch and points North. Namely whether to play the tides and slip across the drying sands into the Ray Sand Channel (otherwise known to the locals as the Rays'n) or to play it safe and conservatively and make for the (at least at present) all tide Spitway at the bottom end of the Gunfleet.

Now it has to be said that I find the matter of the Rays'n a bit of a frustration, I can't help feeling that I am missing something because everyone keeps looking at my as if I have lost the plot over my reluctance to bother with it and yet, with one exception I shall relate in a moment, it just hasn't made sense to do so.

For starters, unless one plays fast and loose with the shoals over Bachelor Spit, the distance saved is barely four miles or around an hour or so in Brigantia sailing terms. It never seems worthwhile to forgo the benefits of the ebb tide and flog the flood all the way downriver just to cross the Ray'sn when the passage timings will actually work out quicker if you get your act together and leave earlier. Then, having flogged the flood to get across before High Water (and I simply will not risk crossing drying banks on a falling tide, it seems to me to be appallingly bad seamanship to do so), you'll soon be flogging the ebb to get into the Blackwater. What, I have to ask, is the point of that?

The one time we have crossed the Rays'n was fairly contrived. We left Bradwell on the neapest of Low Water neaps, idled around into the Ray Sand Channel against the last of the feeble flood and then wandered gently along the 2m depth contour in a near calm with just the lightest of breezes to help us along before sneaking across the sands somewhat to the West of the recommended track at somewhat less than half tide.

All very undramatic (and a lovely sail to boot) but rarely to be repeated I suspect. So if, in conversation, I turn my nose up at mention of the Rays'n, please forgive me. It's a case of you take the high road and I'll take the low road and I'll be in Bradwell before ye!

The River Crouch and The River Roach

Ah, home waters. And what waters they are too. It is a never ending source of mild astonishment that hardly anybody in this country has heard of the Crouch or even knows where it is. I'm constantly explaining that it's "between the Blackwater and the Thames" and if this was really its only claim to fame I suppose it could be forgiven.

However, we have some twenty odd miles of navigable sheltered (for the most part) rivers, several sheltered and peaceful anchorages, marinas, boatyards and sailing clubs galore and all the facilities you could wish for. Really, the only drawback is the long haul down the Whitaker Channel before you can decide whether to turn left or right ... sorry, port or starboard but that aside it is a gem of an East coast backwater.

On entering the river, to the South is the forboding Shoeburyness Artillery Ranges from whence the occasional loud bang might be heard but which otherwise doesn't impinge much on our pleasure since the restricted area is mostly drying sand in any case. The River Roach enters to the South around the back of Foulness Island and immediately offers an excellent sheltered anchorage from Westerlys and Easterlys. We have been battered soundly getting into the river by a stiff Westerly over the flooding tide, made the turn into the Brankfleet and dropped the anchor, with considerable relief it must be said, in a virtual flat calm.

Upstream of the Roach, we pass the new wharfage facility for the importing of spoil from the London Crossrail project for use to build up the land surface of Wallasea Island before letting the sea back in. This RSPB sponsored project seems a bit daft to me given how short of productive farmland we are in this country but hey ho.

Soon we run into, hopefully not literally, the extensive moorings at Burnham-on-Crouch (which is not to be confused with Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset).

Burnham is the home to several institutions of varying degrees of poshness none of whom we've yet visited. There's the Royal Burnham, Corinthians and so on but it is, rather like Brightlingsea versus Bradwell, a hell of a lot less effort to call up Burnham Yacht Harbour on the VHF and find out which berth on pontoon A they'd like us to spend the night in on this visit! OK, it's not the cheapest of visitor berths to be found but it's sheltered, has full facilities and the Swallowtail Bar is a very nice place to eat and drink. It's a short walk to the shops as well. Opposite the Yacht Harbour is Essex Marina whence I have, on one occasion, purchased petrol at a reasonable rate and would happily do so again (although it takes nerves of steel to approach the fuel berth when the tide is running!)

Continuing upstream we soon pass the somewhat exposed but quite popular anchorage in Cliff Reach and thence the masts of the yachts at Bridgemarsh Marina can be seen up Althorne Creek. There's nothing to tempt us up there (it's a marina and it's a long walk to the nearest pub. What more can I say?) so it's onwards and up-river-wards for another few miles until, passing Landsend Point and Shortpole Reach, we enter Longpole Reach and can finally espy the masts and buildings that mark our home "port" of Fambridge Yacht Station.

The swinging moorings, visitors pontoon, slipway and yard at the Yacht Station were once a seperate business from the marina around the corner in Stow Creek which was then known as West Wick Marina. Now, both operations are owned and managed as one operation by Yacht Havens Ltd. Our mooring is close by the downstream end of the 120m pontoon and whenever possible we aim to get alongside on the shore side where it's usually less prone to chop and the wash of passing boats.

Visitors can also moor in the marina if they prefer and from either location it is but a short walk to the Ferry Boat which, these days, is effectively my "local" (given that I rarely drink in the village pub where I live). A recent development has been the marina purchasing the pub and installing a new tenant who has also taken over the running of the bar at the marina itself. Exciting times at North Fambridge!

Further upriver still lies Brandy Hole Yacht Station and several more sailing clubs and suchlike on the increasingly narrow and shallow tiver to Hullbridge and beyond. The daring, or perhaps plain crazy, in a small boat can theoretically press on as far as Battlesbridge and land at the precarious visitors landing stage when the tide is in but I wouldn't fancy it in Brigantia. The cafe at the top of the old granary is much to my liking though and makes a most acceptable baked potato lunch!

Whizzing all the way back downstream and returning once again to the Roach the first feature of note is Pagelsham. It is rumoured that the remains of HMS Beagle lie hereabouts and that some of the ships timbers were incorporated in the shed at the boatyard. We've heard mixed reviews of landing at the yard but haven't yet tried it ourselves.

Pagelsham Pool is often offered up as an anchorage but, frankly, forget it! Having taken a turn around the pool with the echo sounder beeping a constant alarm at about high water, I couldn't find anywhere to anchor without taking the ground and there are as good, or better in fact, options elsewhere.

Without doubt the best anchorage, albeit a very popular one, is in the lower reaches of the Yokesfleet just off the main river itself. It can, though, get quite busy here on a nice day so be prepared to be disappointed! Pressing further up the creeks will bring you to Suttons Boatyard (good prices, not sure about visitor facilities) and thence to either a return to the main river via Potton Creek and the Potton Swing Bridge or out onto the Maplin Sands, in the middle of the firing range (!) via Havengore Lift Bridge.

This Southern exit from the river system is tempting due to the significant distance saved if making passage to points South but it's a quite scary prospect! The range will, it should be said right away, cease fire for the passage of boats to and from the Haven. The bridge, owned and operated by the MOD, lifts on demand (except under exceptional circumstances) around 2 hours either side of High Water.

The intrepid mariner must then make a beeline across the drying and obstruction strewn Maplin Sands, crossing the raised and worryingly solid obstruction that is The Broomway, the ancient road too and from Foulness across the sands before reaching, no doubt with a sigh of relief, the deeper waters of The Warp. The inbound skipper is faced with the even more daunting prospect of leaving safe waters to head inshore towards (or so I am told having yet to try this for myself) a less than obvious destination lost amongst the haze of the featureless shoreline. (I can't help but wonder why the bulk of the bridge doesn't stand out though).

The Thames

The once mighty Thames, the greatest shipping river in the world, is but a shadow of its former self. Happily however that makes it a more attractive proposition from our point of view! It is a lot cleaner than it was in days of old and there's a good deal less shipping.

That said, the new London Gateway Terminal will bring more container ships into the river, Tilbury Docks is a busy shipping hub and there are various other wharves and terminals still in operation especially in the lower reaches. Add to the mix an unhealthy dose of rubbish barges and a gaggle of fast passenger boats and a passage upriver starts to sound quite a challenge! I have it in mind to visit Greenwich by boat (or as near as I can get since apparently we cannot tie up alongside Greenwich Pier) and St. Katherines Dock, amongst others, offers walking distance access to the delights and charms of central London.

Sadly, Brigantia can easily pass under Tower Bridge with her mast up and the bridge down on all but the highest of high tides so I can't justify calling up and getting the bridge raised (twice) so that we can take a turn around the Pool of London.

The Medway

Creeping carefully past the brooding menace of the SS. Richard Montgomery (a sunken WWII munitions ship of which it is said if it ever goes up it will wipe out Sheerness - no, no, put down those matches) brings us into the Medway, Or, it would be more apt to say, will bring us therein one day when we get around to exploring it.

Queenborough is usually listed as a place to break a journey up into the Thames, often in the same sentence as "your dinghy / children / wife will be stolen by the local yobs". It is, apparently, making some effort to improve its reputation however. Stangate Creek, nearby, offers anchoring possibilities for those who do not wish to sample the delights of Queenborough.

Otherwise, it's a case of press on to enjoy the dubious delights of Chatham Maritime Marina which has in its favour the location being right next door to Chatham Maritime Museum. There are other mooring options hereabouts at Hoo, Victory Marina and the like but they all come with caveats about difficult owners and awkward operators so it shall be to the great Satan MDL we shall turn because, whatever their faults, they advertise visitor mooring rates and won't turn you away or turf you out on a whim.

Oh I suppose I should, in the interests of fairness mention Gillingham Marina. On the other hand, they don't advertise visitors mooring rates so they can go swing too!

The Swale

Passing around the South side of the Isle of Sheppey, The Swale once formed part of the now lost "inshore" route between London and the South Coast. Now it is home to a swing bridge that seems to open only when the operators feel inclined and a series of tatalising creeks (Milton, Conyer, Oare and Faversham) which have near legendary status in old books about sailing and sailing boats and which I fear will turn out to be a disappointment when visited. Time will tell.

North Foreland and the Isle of Thanet

Not so long ago, there ran from Reculver on the North Kent coast to Pegwell Bay between Richborough and Ramsgate a navigable channel called the River Wantsum. Until the late 1600's, this was the usual means by which shipping made its way into the Thames but silting and coastal erosion made it unnavigable and today it is marked only by a low lying belt of land and the archaeological remains of wharves and harbours scattered along its former course.

Now, we must pass by Margate, round the North Foreland and make our way towards Ramsgate the long way round. The drawback we face, as we exit the River Crouch to head for points South, is the series of sandbanks that lie at right angles to our direct route.

This is a passage we have yet to attempt and about which entire books have been written. In essence, we need to either wind our way on a circuitous course around the obstructions or time our arrival at key points to the ideal state of tide to sneak across one or more unmarked crossing points. All the while, of course, paying attention to wind, tide and weather with the added distractions of wind farms, cable laying, stone depositing and general shipping etc. to keep us on our toes. I can't wait to get started!

Ramsgate, Dover and beyond

Ramsgate does not get the best of press in the yachting magazines and forums. Mind you, Dover fares little better. We shall no doubt investigate both in due course and report back.

Rather like passing Lowestoft and knowing it's a fair haul to the next port of call, once past Dover we're round Dungeness and into Rye Bay before our next possible destination comes into view. Rye strikes me as being, potentially, the Southwold of the South Coast and I hope its not a disappointment when we get there.

Thereafter, Sovereign Harbour at Eastbourne, Newhaven and finally Shoreham beckon us further along the coast before it would be time to turn again for home.

All of this is yet to be explored and much more besides ...

Off the map ...

In ideal circumstances with a full two weeks in hand, or if we arrange to leave the boat somewhere for a week or two, we could press on further along the South Coast to Littlehampton, onwards around Selsey Bill and thence perhaps to Chichester or even further. In fact, following the highly successful 2012 Cruise that didn't make it to Scarborough, we're planning a 2013 Cruise that doesn't make it to Chichester.

Hopping and skipping all the way back to our Northernmost point on the map of Lowestoft,. the same extended time on board opens up the delights of making it to Blakeney, Wells and the Wash or even across to the Humber, Bridlington or Scarborough.

Foreign Lands ...

Although not a feature of our plans for the forseeable future, Brigantia is capable, with due care, of crossing the channel or the Southern North Sea bringing the coasts of France, Belgium and Holland comfortably within range.

On the road ...

And finally there is the ultimate range booster - a road trailer. One possible scenario (not an original concept I grant) is to stage our way around the UK coast using road transport to relocate Brigantia for all or part of each season in the next area to be explored.