We all joined the yacht on the Friday evening and the girls very kindly turned up with offerings of wine - always welcomed aboard Petra - and fudge for The Kipper purchased from the Historic Dockyard after their visit earlier that day. They also handed out woollen hats with our designations embroidered on the front - Captain, First Mate and Crew. Brilliant! Loved my hat and it will be coming with me when we leave Falmouth for those chilly night watches.
Once we had settled in, stowed food and gear it was time to get underway. Christine thought it best to remain in the cockpit to assist The Kipper while Lisa and The Scribe went forward to sort out the lines for leaving the pontoon. Bearing in mind that this was the first trip of the season for The Kipper and The Scribe, there was some trepidation when we left because we normally manage to do something incredibly stupid on our first trip of the year; like for example wrapping mooring bouys around the rudder, hanging sails on upside down or maybe going aground...nothing catastrophic but generally, a bit dim. We put it down to being woolley headed after the winter months confined to the shore.
Having successfully left the dock and the lock at Chatham, we headed down river and found a sheltered creek to anchor in for the night. Once the anchor was down and set and the engine switched off, we introduced Lisa and Christine to one of the peaceful spots on the River Medway. I know that the Medway isn't the most picturesque river in the Country and that it boasts mud flats and industry along it's banks, but I can't help but like it. There are lots of little creeks and anchorages in which to tuck yourself away and it really is quite lovely. It is a haven for birdlife - the Oyster Catchers can be a little vocal at times but we can all live with that. The mud in the river always provides good secure ground for your anchor - once it is down and dug in you won't be moving anywhere in a hurry. The only drawback is that sooner or later the darned thing has to come back up again and The Kipper doesn't have a windlass - he has crew for that.
We spent Friday evening chatting and planning the weekend ahead and preparing a lovely meal accompanined by the customery glass of wine. Neither Lisa or Christine were heard to say, 'Taxi for two ashore please' so we took that as a good sign.
Saturday morning dawned sunny and fair although still a little chilly. We all donned our new hats and our warm clothes and headed out to the Thames Estuary. We had settled on giving Lisa and Christine a guided tour of the Estuary because believe it or not, it is really quite interesting out there. We first of all negotiated our way out of the Medway into the Estuary carefully avoiding the large ships steaming in and out of the river. The weather was almost perfect, we sailed for a while but then the wind dropped off so the motor had to go on. We took a tour of the infamous wreck of the Montgomery and then headed out to the old gunning towers that were towed out into the estuary and dumped there at the end of the war. It was perfect conditions for viewing the towers - I have been round them many times before but they never fail to fascinate me. I am convinced that one day the villain from a James Bond film will suddenly descend the rickety rusting steps to a state of the art speed boat, ready to go ashore to wreak havoc and put in place a plan that will ultimately bring on the end of civilisation as we know it...
...I digress...
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The wind didn't desert us altogether and we did have a good day out on the water. At one point, the wind piped up so much we decided it would be good to put a reef in the sail. The look on Christine's face can best be described as a 'picture' when the boat tipped over at one of those alarming angles. The Kipper and I both tried to reassure her that this was quite normal but she remained to be convinced. Lisa took it all in her stride and both joined in to help with tacking our way towards the River Swale where we had planned to spend the evening. They saw Whitstable from a different perspective and we searched for seals on the beach on the eastern shores of the Isle of Sheppey. Unfortunately, we managed to rip the mainsail when we put the reef in - the leech lines had managed to get themselves into a proper tangle and so when the outhaul (reef line 1) had been wound on tight after reefing, it ripped a big hole in the sail. It wasn't the worst thing that has ever happened and could certainly be put right by the lovely sail repair chap.
Sadly, our plan of sailing around the back of the Island to pick up a mooring bouy at Harty Ferry was scuppered when The Kipper received a phone call from home telling him that a member of the family wasn't too well and he was required in Devon! In view of this, we cancelled the plan to go into Harty turned around and headed back towards Grain chimney and the mouth of the River Medway. It proved to be a long day in the end but we made it back to Chatham and tied up safe and sound in the marina. Everyone had caught the sun and had that healthy windswept look about them. We enjoyed a meal and more wine and finally, everyone turned in tired but happy.
The Kipper was up and away early on the Sunday leaving Petra in the capable hands of the three girls. Sunday morning dawned fine and dry and saw the three of us in our jammies out in the cockpit drinking our morning tea. As we sat there chatting, we exchanged pleseantries with people passing on the pontoons and basically acted like we owned the boat and this was just another day in paradise. Lisa and Christine both said they could get used to this!!! We visited the excellent shower facilities at Chatham and made ourselves look presentable again and then tended to Petra and did the same for her. We removed the mainsail and then carefully folded it away and placed it neatly in the bag ready to go off to the menders and then we cleaned and polished and left Petra looking tickety boo. When we'd finished we popped to The Ship and Trade pub on St Mary's Island, Chatham for a bite to eat before heading home.
I think it safe to say that both girls thoroughly enjoyed their time aboard Petra. They enjoyed a period of respite during what was a busy and stressful time at work and after being on the boat for a couple of days they left feeling happier and calmer than when they had first stepped on board. That is the magic of sailing - it has a way of slowing you down to the pace of the boat and the water and life has no choice but to calm down. Mobile phones generally stop ringing because the signal is rubbish and there is no Internet. It doesn't matter if you look less than at your best because you all look the same and if push comes to shove - wear a hat!!!
All that matters is spending time with your friends, eating good food, drinking a reviving cup of tea or a nice glass of wine, chatting and sailing. I had to confess to being slightly worried about how the girls would take to the boat - particularly Christine because I knew that she had never sailed before - I need not have worried, she loved it and the pictures posted around her house back this up. She tells me that she has told anyone who showed even the slightest interest all about the trip and she has a picture of us three girls on her desk at work.
They also want The Kipper to know that they really enjoyed meeting him, sailing with him and are very grateful to him for extending the invitation to them to go sailing. The feeling was mutual - it is safe to say everyone got on very well. The girls now have an open invite to go sailing in The Med whenever they can get away - they would have their tickets booked now and are slightly miffed that The Kipper has to return after the delivery to finish work this year.
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