Stargazer foams down Four Fathoms Channel. It is optimistically named. We have, at most, two metres under the keel - sometimes less . I am keeping a close eye on the depth gauge. It is our first visit to The Swale.
Stargazer kept her appointment with Bob-the-lock- keeper. The morning rain clouds clearing before her. And the breeze filling in nicely from the south west.
The sun breaks through, and the wind settles, as we clear Garrison Point, at the mouth of the Medway. Gateway to the sea.
Stargazer skims down the north shore of the Isle of Sheppey. Cheating the tide. Seeking out the green bishop’s hat of the Columbine buoy. Guardian of the seaward entrance to The Swale.
We beat in between high golden banks of uncovered sand - surveyed impassively by recumbent seals. The new tide flooding beneath us. Off the entrance to Faversham Creek, the Thames barge Ironsides lies at anchor, waiting for enough water to enter. Sheep bleat from the pastures. The wind’s urgent passage-making rush is stilled to a contemplative sigh. Our signal to pause.
No comments:
Post a Comment