Gravesend to Burnham on Crouch - Day 97

Gravesend to Burnham on Crouch - Tuesday 16th August 2011 - Day 97

At 04.00 we slipped the visitor's mooring buoy at Gravesend sailing club to carry the ebb tide down the Thames.  You stay just outside the main shipping channel in the dedicated small craft route and eerily watch the buoys flashing lights go by, or the large ships with their engines rumbling, loom above as they pass.  Dawn was at 05.30 and at 06.00 we crossed the main channel from south to north at sea reach No.6 buoy.  Down past Southend and at 07.00 we hoisted full main and genoa, passing through the ships lying at anchor waiting for orders to their dedicated berths.  An hour later and we were heading for the Middle Deep channel and to the south the West Barrow sandbanks where seals could be seen flat out on the sand. 

Gunfleet Sand Wind Farm

At the entrance to the River Crouch you come to the end of this array of 48 wind tubines on Gunfleet Sand.  Around here we encountered lumpy seas and overfalls as we turned the corner and headed up the river.  The banks are flat and featureless leading down to mud flats and it takes two hours before you arrive at the entrance to the marina at Burnham and we were alongside our pontoon by 13.15.
An afternoon sleep was called for.
The village was 1/2 an hour's walk away so we decided to stay at the marina complex and visited the Swallow Tail.  Here we had a very nice meal and my favourite beer Speckled Hen was on tap, so I was happy.