I’ve mentioned the Finesse Rally at Chatham Marina over the recent Bank Holiday weekend, but that was just the first part of our mini cruise covering six days. The mate was in raptures: in the past ‘school reports’ have hung like the sword of Damocles over her head taking up the largest portion of a schools nine day break, with the weekends. For me it is bliss too. When I worked as an engineer officer deep sea I missed most of those traumas!
During our stay in the marina I took the opportunity to take a good look at the fleet of Dunkirk Little Ships that were also meeting over the weekend. Whilst many of the boats are relatively robust and clearly intended for sea/coastal passages, what is so surprising is that so many of the craft are so small. It did mean of course that these little motor boats were able to reach into the shallows to pluck so many weary soldiers off the beaches, but even so. The operators were clearly brave people indeed. It was treat to view them from close hand…
Looking over the fleet of Dunkirk Little Ships…
Anyway, upon leaving Chatham’s safe enclosure we cast ourselves to the ways of the tidal world again, making a passage to the South Deep. It always surprises me to note that, when one has to go down to the Fowley Spit buoy, it is 19 nautical miles… The last part of our journey was somewhat drizzly and making fast to one of the marina buoys and getting the cockpit boom tent over was a blessing!
On the way down river off St Mary’s Island we spied our old friends aboard their barge, the Edith May, with a group of day trippers enjoying the waterway. Leaving them astern we cut straight through the back of Hoo Island – before that I’d failed to see the secretary of the Medway & Swale Boating Association waving wildly at me from his ketch … I’ve humbly apologised after it was mentioned in rally correspondence!
Working sail on the river…
After a quiet night in the company of a rather dapper Dunkirk Little Ship we sailed under jib up to Conyer, for a rest day at the Swale Marina. I’d promised the mate a dinner at the refurbished Ship Inn: rally organising is just a little stressful and ‘she’ deserved a treat… Getting into our berth we had a minor hiccup, an unusual event on our part I must say, but we’ll come to that later.
Sailing, under jib, up Conyer in a light drizzle … the sun was trying too!
After a very pleasant evening at the Ship and another quiet night we departed for Queenborough after saying goodbye to the always helpful staff at the marina. Wind in our favour the sails were hoisted by the time we were passing the house barge at the old Conyer Marine site. With the sun doing its best to break through the cloud layer we turned across the Swale in a series of long tacks, shore to shore, keeping ahead of the sailing barge Greta, short tacking by Elmley to let them through… It was grand.
After a protracted wait for the bridge – maintenance – we still made Queenborough in good time. No sooner was the dear little ship tethered and we were rowing ashore for some fresh stores … for a delicious coq-au-vin. The club wasn’t open it seemed that evening so we stayed aboard enjoying a tranquil evening … the tender had a run out, of course.
Meeting an old friend round the Swale – Windsong of Leigh
Our last day dawned resplendently bathed in sunshine. The mooring was cast off around seven with the engine silent and we crept away quietly to beat the fresh flood out of the Medway’s entrance, before bearing away for our home shores. It was a grand sail. Nearing Southend Pier the mate was sitting on the foredeck, legs dangle overboard, watching for Porpoises or any other sea creature. She was in raptures! We did see a group of seals though, in their usual place, on the side of the Ray Sands. We brought up, nudging the bow onto the shallows, just above them. I went over the side, water felt surprisingly warm for time of year – as we found out the week before when scrubbing and antifouling the boat’s bottom… I wanted to scrub the marina grime from the sides.
Searching the sea…
Later, after coffee and cake we sailed away from the anchorage and went directly into Smallgains Creek, shooting the sail down short of our mooring … we nosed in … within ten minutes we were tied up. Both were exhilarated…
Earlier, when over the side, I was able to get a ‘proper’ look at ‘our little hiccup’ of a few days earlier. Going into our berth I got caught by a cross current and the wash from a big motor yacht on the approach. Seeing it was going to go ‘wrong’ I went full astern and scuffed my rubbing strake on the thick hard edge of a GRP yacht’s transom. No damage to the other boat, thank goodness: I feel bad enough anyway… Our damage was skin deep. A bruise… It’s been cut out and small graving piece let in, glued and screwed … with several coats of varnish already.
The ‘patch’ will act as a reminder that although ‘we’ have sailed Whimbrel for thirty-one years, the thirty-second still shows that one’s awareness needs to be constant!
www.edithmaybargecharter.co.uk
www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/mdl-chatham-maritime-marina
www.swalemarina.co.uk
