Day 6
The forecast was good and conditions were light. We started with our life jackets on and were motoring out of the small creek. We were using the latest outboard engine. I wanted to give it a good run and it had worked well in the test runs. As we neared the Shipwrights Arms, where Oare Creek joins Faversham Creek, Kate asked me what we would do if this engine failed. I said that we would get the jib up quickly, and not a minute after that the engine conked out. Kate got the jib up and came back to helm. We were pointing as close to the wind as possible, with just the jib up, and were heading straight for the side of the creek. We tacked Valmik easily and headed back towards the fork in the creek. During this time, I started to replace the failed engine with my old, reliable Seagull. Kate tacked again and, in the narrow creek, we nearly went aground as we came through the wind. I had the other engine on the outboard bracket soon after and got it started easily. We dropped the jib and started motoring again. Wow, that was an adrenalin rush! And then the seagull conked out... Jib up again. I had to way up my options quite quickly here: Both outboards have failed, the wind is too strong to row against, we could always sail back down the creek or we could beat out of the creek. I thought we would have to do a few quick tacks to get out, so I quickly got the mainsail up to give us more control. We got some help from a small wind shift, enabling us to sail closer to the channel. In the end, we managed to get out of the creek without any further tacks.
When we emerged from the mouth of the creek, the wind started to increase. It was much stronger than was forecast. We reefed down to make it more comfortable. Even though Folkboats can handle stronger winds before reefing, we were not after another fast-paced sail through this anchorage. The tide had already turned and was quite strong. We struggled to make ground against the elements, but slowly pulled away upwind and uptide of the cluster of anchored vessels. We tried a couple of times to pick up a mooring buoy. The wind was with the tide and both were strong, making this quite difficult. We started looking for a nice place to anchor. Our timing for tacking the jib was improving very quickly and I started to wonder if we did need those old winches I had bought.
We found a nice spot in which to anchor, well away from the other boats. I dropped both sails and slowly lowered the anchor onto the seabed. We started going downtide and downwind rapidly and I thought that the anchor would bite into the mud quite quickly. Holding the chain, I could feel the anchor skipping over the ground. Oh no. We were fast approaching the other boats. Why had I anchored upwind, uptide and in line with them all? I let out all 30 metres of chain and started letting out my warp(line). Kate remembers clearly my pleading for the line to please hold as we neared the other boats. I was again quickly weighing up my options, none of which I liked at all. We looked like we might be lucky and fall between a big fishing boat and a small yacht, but I was unsure. I considered raising sail and tacking up to the anchor whilst winching it in. This was not something that I really wanted to do. Finally, the anchor bit in and held well. I very quickly got one of the outboards up and running in case we needed it and monitored our position closely. When the tidal stream decreased in strength, we raised the anchor, motored ahead and took a mooring buoy. We then had another one of those evenings which can only be earned. VIDEO
Day 7
In the morning I investigated the problem with the other outboard. I got it working, then it stopped, indicating that it was a fuel problem. Oh you idiot! I had miscalculated the petrol:oil ratio and put far too much oil in the mix. The problem was easily solved and the engine ran very well after that.
We headed off for the Medway. We decided to motor to test the engines. I had both engines mounted on the transom and we tested them at slack water. We reached a top speed of 4.5 Knots with both engines running at full throttle. It was a little after low tide when we left and, according to my chart plotter, there should have been just enough water for us to make it on low tide. As we approached a deep part of the channel, I realised that my chart plotter was still showing depth in feet, not metres. I thought that I had already adjusted the units of measurement. We did not have enough depth to continue as planned, so we anchored. After a lovely swim (VIDEO), we changed our minds about heading to the Medway that day. Instead, we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and have a calm sail back to Harty Ferry for lunch. That evening we enjoyed another beautiful sunset on a mooring buoy.
Day 8
We had a wonderful sail this day. Our intention was to sail to Queenborough on the Medway via Conyer Creek. We set sail a little after low tide. The beauty of sailing at this state of the tide is that, if you go aground, the tide will most likely lift you off. We were sailing in quite a narrow channel and had the tide helping us along our way. This was good because the wind was very light. We learnt a little bit here about sailing close hauled in light winds with a strong following tide. The tacks were very short in parts, due to the width of the channel at low tide. Kate sailed us downtide/upwind of a mooring buoy. I dropped the main and she turned us around. We picked up the mooring easily, under the jib alone. It is very funny and a little frustrating how much we change our minds about what we want to do. We decided not to go to Queenborough in the end for reasons explained later.
We went into Conyer Creek in the inflatable dinghy to pick some things up, buy supplies and use a friend's washing machine. I managed to catch up with some friends before we had to catch the last of the tide out. We left just in time to make it out of the creek whilst there was still enough water to motor the inflatable. It was approaching dusk and, despite the noise of the old seagull engine, it was a very serene and special trip. We had another really still and peaceful night.
Day 9
We woke up very early, before the sun showed its face and at high tide. There was a gentle wind and we set sail back to Harty Ferry. The wind was behind us, we had full sails up and a following tide again. It was a beautiful morning and we had a lovely calm sail. VIDEO. With the wind and tide pushing us along at about 6 Knots (over the ground), we were fast approaching our destination. In fact, we were going to struggle to pick up a mooring buoy under sail alone in these conditions because the wind was too light and the tide was too strong. I pointed Valmik into the wind and tide and, it might be a little hard to understand but, we were actually sailing backwards over the ground. We were moving forwards through the water, but the water was moving in the opposite direction much quicker. It was a calm and peaceful morning. Unfortunately I had to break the silence with my loud outboard engine. It would have been nice to test our skills by sailing onto a mooring buoy backwards, but we will try this another time. We caught up on sleep for a little bit and I had a swim at low tide. VIDEO.
As the tide came back in, the wind picked up. I reefed the sails down and we once again had a really enjoyable sail. We sailed very slowly into the wind and tide to get upwind of the entrance to Faversham Creek, where we dropped the mainsail. Kate did all of the helming and she sailed us nearly all of the way up into Oare Creek. We dropped the jib as we came within sight of our mooring and I took over the helm. Both of our outboards had been in tick over since we entered the creek. It is a very shallow creek and I took my concentration off the game for a little bit, which resulted in us going aground again. It was nearly high tide so we would not be getting any help from the tide to lift us off. I tried reversing, but the engine was not powerful enough. The dinghy was already inflated and the kedge was calling for me to row it out again. A friendly couple on a boat that was moored nearby asked me to throw them a line. They winched our bow around, pulling us off the mud. mooring easily after that. Some really nice people came to help us, as we needed to pull Valmik through the mud into the mooring because there was a bit of a mud bank in our way.
And here is the update...
Okay, well, we will not be completing a circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland this year, much to my disappointment. Due to financial issues, and the fact that we are getting married soon, it is not really possible. We just have too much going on. It is a shame, but I need to go back to work. Do not worry, I am not giving up, it is just being delayed once again. We will, however, be having lots of sailing adventures this year, regardless of how far we actually sail!
Yes, I know, it is disappointing. Due to the fact that my sponsors have failed to materialise out of thin air, I will have to continue my aspiration to circumnavigate the United Kingdom and Ireland another time. Although if they do show up quickly, we might still be able to enjoy a long cruise.
