Chatham to London

Hi everyone,
Last Friday evening we trained down to Chatham.  At 0700 on Saturday we locked out from Chatham Maritime Marina for our passage towards St Katharine's Dock in London.

Here are the usual plots for the passage...

Zen Again Track

Zen Again Speed

And here are the usual statistics...

• Distances/Speeds

• Route Distance = 51nm

• GPS Distance = 53nm

• Duration = 9 hours

• Average ground speed = 5.9 kt

• Weather

• Minimum wind speed = 2 kt

• Average wind speed = 15 kt

• Maximum wind speed = 20 kt

• Apparent wind angle range = 0 to 120

• Seas up to 0.5m

• Initially sunny, then increasingly cloudy.

• Engine

• Total = 4 hours

• Driving = 4 hours

• Charging = 0 hours

Initially the weather was very pleasant with a mostly clear sky and a light southerly breeze.  We motor-sailed down the Medway in the early morning light.

Approaching the lock in Chatham Maritime Marina

Heading down the Medway River at dawn

As we approached Sheerness at the mouth of the Medway we could sail in the 10-15 knot southerly.  We sailed around the Montgomery wreck before gybing and heading west.  We had a very nice sail up the Thames Estuary.

As the river narrowed and its meanders took us directly into the veered SW wind we returned to motoring.  By then the tide was flooding and we had over 3 knots of current with us.

Approaching the M25 Dartford Bridge 

Approaching the Thames Barrier

As we approached central London the river's meanders became more frequent.  The SW wind was increasing a little and funnelling along the river when it was aligned.  We had to keep a close eye on the high-speed ferries which whizzed past.

Approaching Tower Bridge

On arrival off St Katharine's we had to wait while a group of boats locked-out.  That involved slow circles while keeping a close eye on traffic.  It was a bit weird going around in circles so close to iconic Tower Bridge.

Locking-in was fairly straight-forward.  We were allocated a berth in the Eastern Basin.  The OCC's Port Officer and his wife were there to take our lines.

Entering St Katharine's Dock

Since arriving we've been busy sorting out the gear we moved aboard from our apartment.  We're also gradually stripping off sails and deck gear in preparation for winter.  We're enjoying SKD and it's fantastic not having to commute by train every day!