Beachy Head to North Foreland (Margate)

North Foreland from the North after rounding.

Well, the wind didn't arrive at 2100 nor at 0300 either. In fact it didn't arrive until just before we rounded North Foreland and when it did arrive it was more West than South West and so of course once we rounded the Foreland (at about 0730) it was on the nose. So, we've had to motor ever since Beachy Head. Whilst its a beautiful day now (coming up to 0800) with a flat sea, I now just want to get back and so rather than beating we are continuing to motor.

Margate this morning.

The good news is that I managed to carry the tide all the way from Beachy Head to North Foreland AND very soon the flood tide will be making into the Medway. That all means that we should get in this afternoon after all.

The passage from Beachy Head was uneventful motoring. A couple of ferries were going in and out of Dover when we passed but all we had to do was slow down and then speed up for a while.

The charging of the domestic batteries from the alternator continues to be a problem. I think they may need replacing too - they are losing their charge too quickly. After a full day's sun, they went down to 11.9 volts over night.