Talora Chasing Tides

Vessel Name: Talora
Vessel Make/Model: Sadler 29 Deluxe!
Hailing Port: Shotley Marina England
Crew: Ray and Mary Nash
01 September 2017
31 August 2017 | Shotley, Ipswich
28 August 2017 | Eastbourne
28 August 2017 | Brighton Marina
28 August 2017 | Haslar Marina, Portsmouth
23 August 2017 | Cowes, Isle of Wight
22 August 2017 | Weymouth
14 August 2017 | Padstow
14 August 2017 | Padstow
08 August 2017 | Dale a Bay, Milford Haven
28 July 2017 | Ardglass
28 July 2017 | Ardglass
28 July 2017 | Bangor
28 July 2017 | Bangor
27 July 2017 | Ballycastle
27 July 2017 | Ballycastle, Northern Ireland
Recent Blog Posts
01 September 2017

Home and Together again

It's been a long three months and we missed the dogs dreadfully. Robyn, Ethan and Josh, between them, did a marvellous job of looking after the house and dogs which meant we did not need to worry about them......thanks guys!

31 August 2017 | Shotley, Ipswich

Coming home

We were so excited to get into the lock at Shotley, our home port. Our adventure almost over. This photo was taken by Dad.

30 August 2017 | Shotley

Leg 38 Ramsgate to Shotley, finally home!

So, at 1430 yesterday afternoon we make it into the lock at Shotley to a very noisy reception as the lock keeper let off the siren to signal our arrival, fantastic! My Mum and Dad surprised us by being at the lock to greet us, perfect, as did Brian, our Day Skipper Instructor, and his wife Ann. I had [...]

28 August 2017 | Ramsgate

Leg 37 Eastbourne to Dover which turned out to be Ramsgate!

Sunday 27th August and yet another glorious day. Steve and Hailey had left at 6am to go south back to Cowes. We left the berth at 7.30am to enter the Eastbourne lock at 8am. It was busy. We were in the lock with 9 other boat!

28 August 2017 | Eastbourne

Leg 36 Brighton to Eastbourne

Got up early leaving the boys in bed to nip to the supermarket to stock up on provisions. After a bacon butty breakfast, we said goodbye to Josh at the bus stop; he was heading back to Norwich on the train. We would have loved to have him with us for longer but we're grateful he had made the effort [...]

28 August 2017 | Brighton Marina

Leg 35 Portsmouth to Brighton

We woke up at 5.30am to the most beautiful sunshine over Portsmouth. It was going to be a lovely day. With Josh on board, it was lovely to have his company and with a very slight sea it was the perfect trip. Before we left the harbour we took one last trip past the Queen Elizabeth. Leaving the harbour, [...]

Leg 37 Eastbourne to Dover which turned out to be Ramsgate!

28 August 2017 | Ramsgate
Sunday 27th August and yet another glorious day. Steve and Hailey had left at 6am to go south back to Cowes. We left the berth at 7.30am to enter the Eastbourne lock at 8am. It was busy. We were in the lock with 9 other boat!
Half an hour after leaving Eastbourne in brilliant sunshine but with a chilly wind, the fog descended. One of the other sailing yacht from the lock, had come in our direction but they disappeared in front of us into the mist. It is a strange feeling to be sailing along but not be able to see anything around you. It was like the Le Haure, which often comes down on the north Norfolk coast and has been known to stay for days. We started to worry that if it did not clear by the time we got to Dover we could be crossing one of the busiest shipping lanes in the country with zero visability. Thankfully, after about 30 minutes, it lifted and became much more patchy until it eventually completely cleared.
By 1330 we had passed the power station at Dungeness Point and were approaching Folkestone. By 1530 we were at the narrowest point between England and France but we could not see it because of the visability.
At 1620, on our approach to Dover, we were making such good time and lots of carry from the tide so we made the decision to carry on to Ramsgate, another 3 hours. It was a simple journey although by the time we arrived we had been at sea for 11 hours and were exhausted. Ramsgate was noisy for the bank holiday weekend and the Marina was full of huge motor boats with Essex owners, some taking up two berths. Finding a berth for Talora was difficult but we managed to find a spot in the corner. We discussed whether we should push on tomorrow as the weather was again good, but that would mean another 5am start and we were so tired so we checked the weather and agreed to have a day off and leave the following day. We got into bed at 9.30pm and within 10 minutes there was a massive firework display over the Marina. I love fireworks and would normally have made the effort to get up but could not muster the energy. Ray was so tired that he fell sleep so quickly he never even heard the fireworks!
Today we spent the day in Ramsgate. It was so hot. We can't quite believe it but tomorrow will be the final leg of our a adventure, to Shotley. The engine pipe is still leaking a bit and we have developed an oil leak but we should be able to get back and sort it out there. We are so excited about coming home, 3 months is a long time to be away!
Photo is passing the white cliffs of Dover.
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