Nieuwport to Ramsgate

We left Nieuwpoort at 0500, and were off Dunkerque by 0800. The swell had decreased over night and Julian began to cheer up as he accepted that stopping at Nieuwpoort had not been a mistake! In the end we had a good crossing, having timed the tide right to let it carry us down channel until we were past the Sandette Bank, then back up towards Ramsgate. The wind was in a better direction too, and we motor sailed most of the way. The waves, though hardly flat, were beautifully regular and did not knock us back, just broke with a crash of spray under Kajan's bow.

We entered Ramsgate harbour at 1800, and tied up in the Royal Harbour Marina West. Yvonne had never actually been there before, always tying up on the East marina with the fishing boats, but it is a lot quieter on the west! We showered, then all had fish and chips together, before Julian and I headed for the train station. We left Yvonne on Kajan to wait for new crew, to finish her journey home.

The three of us were on Kajan for 24 days, travelling for 20 of them. We did 557 nautical miles between 22^nd July and 15^th August, so an average of 28 nm per day we were on the move. We saw a lot of the Netherlands, in company with some great people, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves thanks to the Dutch OGA's 10^th Anniversary Tour.