Limehouse Basin Marina, London, UK

We arrived at Limehouse Basin Marina last Tuesday and this long and arduous cruise is finally complete. We stayed in Ramsgate for an extra day after all. We were going to leave at 0330 0n Monday morning but we popped our heads out of the back enclosure and the temperature was about 12 degrees and it was blowing about 35kts so we went back to bed. We had a nice visit from Ben and Jessica and the babies and the wind finally settled down in the evening and we spent the night on the hook outside Ramsgate Harbour and left at first light on Tuesday. We had an uneventful run around North Foreland and into the estuary. Very fast with the tide and into the lock at about 1430. This was a bit exciting as the there was considerable wind and current.
We are moored up with lots of barges and narrow boats mostly liveaboards. Limehouse has been completely transformed  even from seven years ago and totally unrecognizable from what I remember as a boy 40 years ago. The river has been developed and gentrified all the way down to Canary Wharf which is about 15 minutes walk away. There are lots of neighborhoods to explore. More photos of Limehouse to follow.

some bubbles to celebrate the end of the cruise

close encounter with a ferry Thames Estuary

sliding under Dartford Bridge

approaching the city of London

limehouse basin marina our home for the next year

martians in the thames estuary

Ramsgate, Kent, England

We still have not made it into London. The cruise from Guernsey was mostly pleasant. We filled up with duty free diesel at 68p (about a US Dollar) and left St. Peter Port at about 1400H. We were forecast to have nice SW breeze for 20 hours but it petered out to less than 10 kts after about 2 hours. Still, the weather was clear and we made good progress, especially through the Alderney Race and then jumped on the favourable tidal current from Selsey Bill to Dover.
Dodging ships in the Traffic Separation Scheme was no problem but the ferries coming in and out of Dover were very exciting. Once past Dover we ran out of  useful tide and the wind also veered from light SW to F5-6 NW and the last 20 miles from South Foreland to Ramsgate was very slow with a foul current and headwinds we made about 3.5 kts over ground. It began to rain and got very cold and nasty. We had intended to anchor overnight outside Ramsgate and wait for good tide to take us up the Thames Estuary but F6-7 NE were forecast so we went inside the Marina and had a good curry dinner and a good sleep while the wind howled like mad outside.
We had a visit from Ben and Jessica and the babies this afternoon and tomorrow it's the Thames Estuary and up to Limehouse Basin Marina which will be Callisto's home for the next year.

Dodging ferries off  Dover. These guys go 20+ kts and don't stop for anything

inside Ramsgate marina. Very rough outside

Sceaming through the Alderney Race

Ramsgate. Very peculiar architecture

One of the few clear sunsets we have had in the past few weeks. English channel.

New baby Evie,now 5 months

More boat envy. A brand new Amel 55 direct from La Rochelle rafted up to us in Guernesy. This one is the convertible version. Very nice German owners

St. Peter Port, guernsey, UK

Very busy for the last 48 hours. We went on the hard via a slipway on Thursday and had the dings in the gel coat repaired and while we were out changed anodes and applied new bottom paint to all leading edges and the water line and did some general buffing and polishing.
On Friday the bow thruster parts finally came and it took about two hours to replace the brushes and springs and the solenoid and control unit.
The thruster now works as new and we got launched at 1400h in 20 kts and major rain. We took on some fuel and went back to the dock but there was no space on a pontoon with a walk way to shore.
Fortunately, a brand new Amel 55  straight from La Rochelle arrived and after a boat tour and a few bottles of red, they launched their dinghy and we went ashore for a nice last night on the town.
We are just stowing and securing for sea and doing some last minute shopping and it's off at about 1400H with the tide.
Next stop Limehouse Basin Marina on Monday

St. Peter Port, Guernsey, UK

Well yes, we are still in Guernsey. The weather has been very blowy with easterlies to 30 kts. plus. It's much quieter this morning and we are going on the hard to have our gel coat repaired and the perpetrator is going to pay for it.
We still do not have the bowthruster parts so that isn't working. We have a weather window for London on Saturday so we have to get this stuff done. Next week there are strong easterlies again.
Here are some photos of Guernsey,

some serious 10m. spring tides

the breakwater and lighthouse on a blustery day

lobsters from M and L fishmongers at St. Sampson $10/pound. They made the ultimate sacrifice

gangway at spring low tide

the High street Guernsey

Drinks with the yachties at the Royal Channel Islands YC

street fair, St. Peter Port

Victor Hugo's house

Serious boat envy. A Russian Amel 55 just showed up. I want one of these

St. PeterPort, Guernsey, UK

Callisto arrived in St. Peterport last Thursday after 9 days at sea in all kinds of conditions. We had some NE breeze initially and had to do some considerable northing until the high pressure system went east. We were then able to motor to rhumb line foe about 24 hours until we picked up the bottom end on a very strong low pressure front. We had winds of about F5-6 for the next few days but fortunately from the SW and we had all of our working sails and so made good progress. Much better to have a functioning main sail and genoa!
Crossing the shipping lane just south of  the north western corner of France was exciting as hundreds of ships pass through this area every day. The weather has been cold and grey for days and we have not seen the full moon since we left the Azores. The tide was with us for the first 5 hours into the English Channel and the weather cleared considerably.
It was good to reach Guernsey after so many miles and thus ends our circumnavigation. It's a little anticlimactic but very good to be able to take a little rest.
On entry into St. Peter Port my bowthruster gave up the ghost but fortunately we were able to dock without any mishaps.
The Admiral and Marie-Luce (Ian's wife) arrived in the afternoon and we spent the time tearing apart the bowthruster. It will need some spare parts, a new solenoid and control unit as well as new brushes and springs. These were ordered express from France but it would appear that they got lost in transit somewhere and the order had to be put in again.
There are worse places to be stuck than Guernsey and we have been enjoying the fine weather  and the sights of the island.
Our parts are still not here as of today and the next weather window is Friday, we hope to be underway by then but who knows.
It's blowing hard from the north east again so we would not have been able to leave anyway.
It's also turned very cold again. The joys of a so called English summer!
Last night at 0200H we heard a bump in the night, in fact several of them. Once up on deck, in the cold and 25 kts. of wind we discovered the source. One of the visiting boats decided to slip his berth and try to enter the inner marina. He got all his lines and fenders ready but neglected to replace his steering wheel and once he slipped his lines and put the boat into gear he discovered he had no control.
Unfortunately, Callisto stopped his lateral movement until he finally got control his boat. In addition to everything else, I have a few scratches and dings that will need to be taken care of. The boat owner seems to be a stand up guy and has offered to take care of the problem, either here or in London.
We will have to wait and see about the local GRP guys and when I get my bowthruster parts.
Nothing is ever easy.
Ron left for the US last Saturday in order to organize his wife's birthday party. He was a great help with all the mechanical problems we have had over the past 2 months. He will be missed.
Some photos will follow.