A friendly Wave.

[oldgit]

Heading back up the Mudway yesterday on the RCC Admirals Cruise Weekend, supposed to have gone to Queenborough ATL for " refreshements" before returning back to moorings at Rochester.
Stop at Queenborough abandoned due to Westerly winds pinning boats to ATL and the difficulty in getting off again.
40 odd biggish MoBos looking for somewhere to lunch.
Heading back up Long Reach.
Suspicious lack of other craft out, single sailing yacht plus small dot in the distance up by the Forts.
Debate while underway wether to take our bimini down or simply let one of the wind gusts do the job for us.
The dot turns into two lads in a very small budget inflatable which might at some point have been powered by one of those very cheap 12v car battery powered electric outboards.
Got them on board.
They had set out from Upnor beach and had spent several hours attempting to go upsteam while being taken in the other direction towards Sheerness, suspect battery had gone flat some time previously.
As we approached waving was intermingled with some half hearted rowing.
Their plan "B" was to wait for the tide to turn and row back to Upnor, only about another 3 hours drifting then ?.....we estimated about Sheerness and then wind against tide.
Took them back up to Upnor got as far in as we dared and waved goodbye.

Lads had launched around HW , not sure as to what they made of the considerable amounts of sticky Medway mud between them and solid ground.
Give them their due , both wearing bouyancy aids and did not seem in the least disturbed by their little adventure and no doubt somebody would have offered help at some point.

 

[Plum]

Heading back up the Mudway yesterday on the RCC Admirals Cruise Weekend, supposed to have gone to Queenborough ATL for " refreshements" before returning back to moorings at Rochester.
Stop at Queenborough abandoned due to Westerly winds pinning boats to ATL and the difficulty in getting off again.
40 odd biggish MoBos looking for somewhere to lunch.
Heading back up Long Reach.
Suspicious lack of other craft out, single sailing yacht plus small dot in the distance up by the Forts.
Debate while underway wether to take our bimini down or simply let one of the wind gusts do the job for us.
The dot turns into two lads in a very small budget inflatable which might at some point have been powered by one of those very cheap 12v car battery powered electric outboards.
Got them on board.
They had set out from Upnor beach and had spent several hours attempting to go upsteam while being taken in the other direction towards Sheerness, suspect battery had gone flat some time previously.
As we approached waving was intermingled with some half hearted rowing.
Their plan "B" was to wait for the tide to turn and row back to Upnor, only about another 3 hours drifting then ?.....we estimated about Sheerness and then wind against tide.
Took them back up to Upnor got as far in as we dared and waved goodbye.

Lads had launched around HW , not sure as to what they made of the considerable amounts of sticky Medway mud between them and solid ground.
Give them their due , both wearing bouyancy aids and did not seem in the least disturbed by their little adventure and no doubt somebody would have offered help at some point.

Well done to you for assisting.

 

[Parabordi]

Heading back up the Mudway yesterday on the RCC Admirals Cruise Weekend, supposed to have gone to Queenborough ATL for " refreshements" before returning back to moorings at Rochester.
Stop at Queenborough abandoned due to Westerly winds pinning boats to ATL and the difficulty in getting off again.
40 odd biggish MoBos looking for somewhere to lunch.
Heading back up Long Reach.
Suspicious lack of other craft out, single sailing yacht plus small dot in the distance up by the Forts.
Debate while underway wether to take our bimini down or simply let one of the wind gusts do the job for us.
The dot turns into two lads in a very small budget inflatable which might at some point have been powered by one of those very cheap 12v car battery powered electric outboards.
Got them on board.
They had set out from Upnor beach and had spent several hours attempting to go upsteam while being taken in the other direction towards Sheerness, suspect battery had gone flat some time previously.
As we approached waving was intermingled with some half hearted rowing.
Their plan "B" was to wait for the tide to turn and row back to Upnor, only about another 3 hours drifting then ?.....we estimated about Sheerness and then wind against tide.
Took them back up to Upnor got as far in as we dared and waved goodbye.

Lads had launched around HW , not sure as to what they made of the considerable amounts of sticky Medway mud between them and solid ground.
Give them their due , both wearing bouyancy aids and did not seem in the least disturbed by their little adventure and no doubt somebody would have offered help at some point.

i did wonder if that would be the case, the forecast was awful. And it was Westerlies so presumably a bit of chop on the way back?

 

[steppygas]

Well done for picking them up. Was one of the few yachts out on the water and had a serious slog back against wind and tide!

We had not long left Stangate heading back up river when the cruise came past, which meant we got a brilliant view of the tugs display.

 

[oldgit]

The day before. Cruise up to the Hawkwood Stone.
Mayor given Admiral of the River title in traditional Medway cruise

 

[xyachtdave]

Vince Maple spotted Dolphins?

 

[oldgit]

Vince Maple spotted Dolphins?

Right next to boat......We are all still looking for the promised Unicorns ?

 

[Celica]

Nice to see Vince Maple enjoying the River Medway. Shame him and his cronies voted to include one of the only working docks left on the Medway in the local plan and shut it and fill it with houses.

 

[oldgit]

Nice to see Vince Maple enjoying the River Medway. Shame him and his cronies voted to include one of the only working docks left on the Medway in the local plan and shut it and fill it with houses.

Previous administrations have deliberately ? avoided , providing a local plan for housing and commercial development while making no plans for the areas greatest asset, The Medway.
A plan should have been place in 2003.
Somebody has finally bitten the bullet and some folks are going to get upset about the difficult decisions to be made.
Well remember when the dockyard shut and the doubters were all out in force about the plans to put a marina ????? in there and even build houses on top of all that nuclear waste.
Who on earth thought up that daft plan. fortunately SEEDA and MDL ignored them all.

Nice penthouse available overlooking the marina for just over 500K
.....and recall the locals who actually live in the area were not that long ago whinging about the smell and noise from the estate.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillingham_Borough_Council_v_Medway_(Chatham)_Dock_Co._Ltd.

Spent several days in The Corn exchange, recently, at a public inquiry where an appellant was using the lack of a "housing" development plan as a reason for his flagrant disregard for planning rules on the river.
He lost.

Lower Upnor.
Locals have always been whinging about the noise coming from Patmans Wharf, last place on the Mudway you could get a cheap budget lift out.
Owner decides boatyard is more trouble than it is worth and puts it up for sale. £1M Housing proposed, planning permission granted.
Locals protest about "more houses"
GPS buys the wharf and uses it to extend their ship yard.
A right old racket coming from there the other day. see above .

 

[oldgit]

Just an edit..
The Admirals Cruise of the River.
This time we carried around 20 + or so Medway councillors (and their families ) including the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the leader of the council up to the Hawkwood Stone and down to Garrison Point.
These were councillors whos political learnings were of all flavours and none.
A chance for all of them to experience being out on the water and to see the river as we boaters see it and chance to bend their ears and open their eyes, my personal hobby horse, where are visitors supposed to safely and securely moor to gain access to the towns.?
Hostile and unwelcoming comes to mind especially for who travel long distances ie yachts.