3 Aug 2010 - Ramsgate to Levington

Dawn in Thames Estuary

A quiet night, even the port did not make too much noise and the keel stopped clonking when I let it down after low water. Weighed anchor and motored out of the bay at 03:55.  Not our favourite time to start, but with lights from the port, a good moon and lots of buoys it was easy enough to find the way.  Breakfast under way and then a bit of daylight made us feel a bit better.  Motoring with the tide also helps morale whereas motoring against it is just painful. 

Coming to Foulger's Gat, I expected the tide to be against us, as I had noted that direction in the next hour of the tidal atlas (Moan: why don't they put tidal arrows in Fisherman's Gat and Foulger's Gat?). However the tide continued to be with us, but the light following wind was useless so the motoring continued until near Sunk Head, where we turned across wind and tide and could at last start sailing.  We then sailed the rest of the way, a bit slowly at times, and eventually picked up our mooring.

After lunch and a bit of packing the marina let us use a berth temporarily whilst we unloaded a whole carful of stuff, winkling out bottles of wine and cider and presents for the family from odd corners. It seemed a strangely sad packing up our home for the last 2 months and going through the normally-familiar checklist for leaving the boat.