We followed every news rumour about potential easing of the UK lockdown and borders reopening as we suffered from every itchier feet. We kept hoping things would open any day but inevitably we would be disappointed. We also still had a couple of key jobs that the marina yard were supposed to have finished but hadn't so we really wanted them to reopen before we left. The restrictions within the UK slowly eased and we were even able to rent a car and explore further afield. Who would have thought we would have rented a car to go for a walk? But we did just that heading into the Kentish countryside for a great walk through sheep fields and past old manor houses.

Finally, we were ready and actually allowed to move on. We had shipped our new dinghy up from the south of France (a shockingly expensive and tricky process). The water tanks were fitted, solar panels up and running, and the ducklings that the girls had spent so much time raising were ready to be sent to their new homes. The yard reopened enough to finish the jobs they had promised. All that was left was a really good send off from our buddies in Gillingham.

We hosted a social distancing dock party, complete with a bucket of beer, artwork from the kids, and a great evening that went on into the wee hours of the night.
We headed off to anchor the following day (with friends for a second goodbye send off), and then found ourselves heading down the Medway and into the North Sea towards Ramsgate. Our plan was to wait a couple days there, and then head to Belgium for the border opening on June 15. This way, we could head from Belgium to France, and not have any quarantine issues to contend with.

We explored Ramsgate for a few days, found some fossils and had some beach time, then we headed to Belgium to start our journey to the Med!

Instagram for updates: @sailing.swift