White Cliffs

Highlights

• Visit Margate Harbour and admire the art at the Turner Contemporary gallery
• Slurp oysters in colourful Whitstable
• Discover Britain’s maritime history at Chatham Historic Dockyard and Ropewalk
• Join in Thames Sailing Barge Match racing at Gravesend
• Cruise gently up the River Thames past Greenwich, the Thames Barrier and Canary Wharf.

Itinerary

Day 1: Board Snark from 16:00–18:00 at Sovereign Harbour Marina, Eastbourne. Group introductions and safety briefing, followed by evening meal on board.

Day 2: An early start to catch the flood tide up the White Cliffs for a full day sailing around the prominent stretch of headland at Selsey Bill and on to Dover. Anchor in Dover Harbour overnight.

Day 3: Sail through the infamous 10-mile-long sandbanks at Goodwin Sands around the eastern tip of England and past North Foreland to Margate Harbour at the start of the Thames Estuary. Dry out on the sandy harbour and walk ashore to visit the Turner Contemporary Gallery. Dinner back on board as we float off again.

Day 4: Set sail as the tide lifts us off the sand along the Thanet coast to moor in the colourful seaside town of Whitstable. You have plenty of time for a walk along the beach and an afternoon working out which restaurant serves the best oysters!

Day 5: Leave mid-morning to cruise through the Swale tidal channel past the Isle of Sheppey, under the lifting bridge at Kingsferry, on into the Medway and up to moor at Chatham.

Day 6: Spend the day ashore at Chatham to visit the award-winning maritime heritage destination of Chatham Historic Dockyard, famous for the only working ropewalk in England and for building Snark, as well as Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory, among others.

Day 7: Sail around to Gravesend to join the Thames barge fleet assembled for the Thames Sailing Barge Match. Join the crews ashore for a gossip and a look over the historic vessels.

Day 8: Follow along the Thames Match, the second oldest sailing race in the world exclusively for Thames barges. Return to Gravesend for the post-race rerun at the pub.

Day 9: Cruise up the River Thames past so many historic landmarks we don’t have the space to list them all! Arrive mid-afternoon at Limehouse, in the centre of London’s East End.

Last day: Breakfast on board, followed by goodbyes and disembarkation at 10:00 from Limehouse Basin, London.

A typical day’s activities might include:

• An early breakfast on board.
• Cast off and sail to our next stopover with lunch and refreshments along the way.
• Learn the ropes and help sail the boat as we go.
• Relax on board, keeping an eye out for wildlife and coastal landmarks, or chill on deck, reading a book, sketching or photographing the coast as we sail by.
• Moor up or anchor in the afternoon with cultural visits where available.
• Dinner on deck or row ashore to a secluded beach for a sea swim or coastal walk and barbecue, or evening out to a harbour inn or restaurant (onshore meals not included in price).

Note: The above itinerary is provisional. It may be subject to change depending on weather and other factors. Some ports will not be available in certain wind conditions. We might get to others too late or skip a stopover for a longer day’s sail if we’re running behind.