Medway, Swale, C&B N Page 2

Thames Estuary, Medway, Swale, Thames Estuary, Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation, Thames Estuary and Tidal Thames to Brentford

2- Limehouse Cut to Bow Lock, Tidal Thames, Estuary and Tidal Medway to Allington Lock.

The Commode D' Or woke up with a start at 03.30 and then cast off at 04.02, back down Limehouse Cut, to our finally acknowledged 05.00 start from Bow Lock. The rest of the crew soon came on line and we got to Bow Lock at 04.25, with the bow stuck against the inner gate. At 04.55 the top gate began to move! . . the locky had crept into the cabin with out us noticing and worked the lock without turning the spot lamps on. Being around high tide, there was virtually no drop and at 05.00 we bade farewell and trundled out into Bow Creek.
The Thames was still in fair flood when we swung out of Bow Creek at 05.30. We passed our first ship, the "City of Westminster", bulk aggregate carrier, just before the barrier at Hookness. He winded in front of us to get on the Angerstein Wharf. The Thames flood Barrier was passed (05.55) after the pointless communication with barrier control. The Thames was still in flood at the barrier, although it should have been staring to ebb. We put this down to the S Westerly wind blowing down the Estuary. Next a couple of *Trent* sized ships passed us going upstream - The Esprit and the Star Zaandam (tanker).
Barking Creek, with it's flood barrier was passed at 06.26 and Ford Motor Work at Dagenham at 06.42. One of the soon to be much experienced "Cobelfret" Trailer / car carrying ferries was lurking on the wharf. The QE2 bridge was passed at 07.20. Next we were passed by a Rumanian Rhine size container ship, coming upstream. Tilbury Docks were passed at 08.00, with not much activity. One of the "Cobelfret" ships passed us coming upstream at quite a speed, the first time that Ian had to steer for bow wave and the first water to get under the cratch cover, in the resulting 4 big thuds. This was as we went on the inside of Lower Hope buoy. From here on the course takes us on the inside of named buoys, Lower Hope (08.45)(opposite Mucking No3), West Blyth, Mid Blyth (09.10) - opposite the safe haven of Holehaven, East Blyth (09.35) and West Nore (09.55). These buoys mark the outer edge of the estuary side sands.
From now on we went on the inside of Nore Sand (in fact Ian went over most of it!) through the small ship Swatchway Channel in to the Medway. West Nore buoy passed at 09.55. Nore Swatch (10.30). From here it got a bit *yompy* as we started to take the S Westerly side on. Driving rain also really started here, with a bloody great black threatening cloud coming out from London. A small fishing boat raced us for the smallish gap between Grain Edge and Medway No 11 buoy, as we finally rounded Grain Spit (10.45). We won!, but he soon swung in front, for his fishing party to take a good few snaps of us. Yes in true tradition, we annoy the fishermen, even out here! At this point you can see the masts and warning buoys of the American Liberty ammunition ship "The Montgomery", sunk at the end of the war.
Once round the corner, we still found the Medway still very much in ebb, we were half an hour early for low water, but we followed the ebb all the way until Rochester Bridge. From here we had to really throttle back as the upper tidal Medway virtually dries out at Low water. Grain Hard buoy passed at 10.55 and North Kent at 11.10. From here on it was a choppy sea, as now wind against us. Three or four fair sized yachts came flying out of the Medway. Next we were overtaken by a fair sized plastic cruiser - "Amarillo".
No commercial traffic encountered in Medway, but next we were taken unaware by the Sheerness lifeboat coming straight at us, on the plane! Buoyed channel taken all the way to Rochester, Stoke No13 (11.40), Medway No 17 (12.05), Medway No 25 (12.35), Medway No 27 (12.40), Medway No 31 (13.05) - here we were still doing 5 mph although we had really throttled back.
Passed under Rochester Bridge at 13.40. Just beyond was the empty visitor mooring pontoons. Medway Bridges (14.15)(yes - bridges now, as new channel tunnel high speed link bridge and second M 2 Bridge were half finished.) Really creeping along now, waiting for the flood to fill up the river beyond. Beyond Snodland the tidal Medway is not very inspiring, especially through the very extensive Aylesford paper mills. A brief nice spot was passed (15.40) - Aylesford Old stone bridge and old town (took it very easy as water level still seemed very low)
Finally arrived to the pre warned and open Allington Lock at 15.55. By 16.15 we were out and moored in the lock cut, just above, as all the moorings outside the Malta Inn Beefeater were taken. That night we went to the Malta Inn for a beer and a steak.

04.57 5.46M - HW
10.57 0.95M - LW (around 45mins late!)
17.21 5.18M - HW
23.25 0.86M - LW