The passage versus the plan

I have lived near the East Coast for many years but was born and bred in the south, which is where I learned to sail. For the first few years of living in the east I explored the many rivers and creeks, but in all that time never really fell in love with the North Sea.

Consequently, for the last 20 years I have always tended to venture south each summer. This has meant many crossings of the Thames estuary.

This month I’m revisiting a passage I made on 21 May last year. Because I have to launch at Spring tide, and