Hello,
It has been a really busy two days here in Eastbourne. Chart-plotter worked on again and our fuel tanks cleaned. But the atmosphere here is great and everyone just so friendly. Tomorrow we leave bright and early, or foggy and early as the case may well be, for Ramsgate. We will be in a marina there for 2 nights.
Ru
Sovereign Harbor
The staff here is wonderful and the interest of the people walking through the marina has been amazing. Our boat is quite unusual for most marinas so folks are impressed with it and with the American flag! How nice! We could offer tours and be busy most of the day.
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Almost to Eastbourne from Gosport. |
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White cliffs but not Dover. We will pass Dover tomorrow on our way to Ramsgate, our next to last stop before London. |
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The lock into Sovereign Harbour You call on Channel 17 to ask about entering the lock. The lock was too full when we got there for us to fit in so we had to wait for the next time. |
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Lock closing |
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Boats leaving the harbor through the “outgoing lock” There are two locks, one for going in and one for going out though I don’t know if they can’t be reversed if need be. The locking system is to keep the level of water in the marina fairly even though there is a high level and a low tide but nothing like the tidal change outside the marina. Sometimes the lock is open at both ends to “top up” the level in the marina which they did this afternoon. I was on my way to the marina office to get another shore power card and had to wait about 15 minutes though it felt longer. While waiting I had a chat with a lovely older man and got some tips about our final anchorage before we reach London. Normally you can walk over the closed end of the lock as only one end is usually open at a time. |
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DoraMac in the lock You tie up just like you would along a dock. Everyone was really welcoming and happy to see our American flag. (Notice that the people on shore are pretty level with the boat.) |
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Randal readying our lines that we would use to tie to our berth in the marina. Notice the front gates of the lock. If the front is open the back is closed. There are walkways that cross the lock and depending on whether the front or back of the lock is open you cross that bridge so you are never stopped by a lock from walking across to the other side. The bridges that cross the waterways within the marina are another story; they open for ships and make pedestrians wait. |
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This boat was tied to us because the wall space was full. |
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It was high tide in the bay outside the marina, a higher water level than that in the marina, so the water level was being lowered in the lock to match the water level in the marina. |
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Opening the lock to let us into the marina |
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Our spectators are now up a bit higher than we are. |
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The next day while out walking I got caught by an open bridge. |
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Boat going under one of the bridges within the marina complex. My camera was on some funny setting so it looks quite odd. |
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It’s a huge complex of condos or apartments that line the waterways with a restaurant/retail area just behind on the right out of sight. Our fuel tank cleaner told me that this was the biggest complex of its kind in Europe when it was first built. |
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Raymarine fixit guys! See us all smiling!!! We had more issues with our chart-plotter than had been fixed in La Coruῆa, so these guys came. Now all seems in working order. They came to our C 11 berth but to have the fuel tanks cleaned we had to move DoraMac to the work dock so the Expresslube guys could get their truck close enough to DoraMac. We moved at 7:30 am the next day and there was only one man at the north bridge but he was happy to watch and wait. Poor Randal spent just about all of his time here in Eastbourne working on DoraMac or interacting with the workmen. I visited Eastbourne the second morning of the fuel tank cleaning. |
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Moving DoraMac through the north bridge about 7:30 AM over to the work dock for the fuel tanks cleaning. |
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Getting ready for the Expresslube guys |
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DoraMac and the yellow Expresslube truck. www.expresslube.co.uk The truck not only carried all of the fuel cleaning equipment but also a kettle for making their tea. |
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The cleaning system : the mechanical parts. Chris and Gavin were the human parts. |
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Chris and Randal |
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Gavin cleaning out one of the tanks |
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Gavin who came to finish up the job and tally up the bill. |
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Morning fog our second morning at the fuel dock. It turned into a two day job. The second day I took myself into Eastbourne which was lovely except for the part when I found a £9.90 haircutting place. The jury is still out but, though I can still pull my hair into a ponytail, it’s a very skimpy one. |
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Lovely gift of chrysanthemums from Valerie that I will do my best to care for. |
