Waiting for my brekkie to cook I have a few moments to write about yesterday.

I left Gravesend just after 8 in the morning to catch the best of the tide. The water was flat and silver, shimmering like a mirror. Michal Madera, who did a full circumnavigation of the UK with his wife Natalie in 2013, had warned me about the shallows on this stretch.

It was high tide and getting closer towards the estuary, the Thames looked wide. I wasn’t anywhere near the shipping lane, but my kayak doesn’t sit as deep as the big cargo ships. Having listened to Michal however, I kept a long way away from the bank.

Then I spotted them. A large group of seals. They seemed to be lounging about on a sandbank. But …. they were between me and the shipping channel! Hmm. That didn’t seem quite right. Minutes later Sundance and I were stranded. Oops!
Nothing I could do. I had to get out of the kayak and tow her to deeper waters. The water came half way my calf and luckily the sand supported me and was stiff enough for me to walk.

The seals were curious and came a bit closer to see what this crazy human was doing walking in the middle of this wide, silvery river.

For the past hour or so I had been wondering where I could have a pee break. The banks were super muddy and it hadn’t looked like a pee break would be possible any time soon. Being out of the boat anyway, I decided this was the perfect moment to try out the shewee. (a funnel allowing me to pee standing up like a boy). A bit surreal this situation, standing there, peeing, in the middle of the river, with at least 15 curious seals watching!

By midday I arrived at Garrison point, where the Medway joins the Thames, and where the Isle of Sheppey begins. I took a little break to eat some crackers with tuna.

I wondered what I should do. I was feeling good, and the idea of a steak at the Harty Ferry Inn was alluring. I had stayed there a couple of times before and in the past, they allowed us to camp in their garden if we had dinner at the pub. I decided to keep paddling.

It was a relief to find the landlord at the Harty Ferry Inn was as welcoming as I had hoped. It had been a very long day, but by 6 pm my tent was up and I was enjoying a mighty steak and chips.

 

Distance paddled: 51 km / 32 m / 28 Nm