October 2022 – Medway and Swale Boating Association

More restrictions at Kingsferry Bridge

Yet more rail strikes will disrupt Kingsferry Bridge operations on 5th, 7th and 9th November, plus early the following mornings. Network Rail have a contingency plan to cover most of the disruption:

Saturday 5th November 2022.
Midnight – 06:00 Normal service will be maintained
06:00 – 07:00 No bridge lifts available
07:00 – 19:00 Contingency operator on shift – Bridge lifts available
19:00 – 06:00 (6th November) No bridge lifts available

Monday 7th November 2022
Midnight – 06:00 Normal service will be maintained
06:00 – 07:00 No bridge lifts available
07:00 – 19:00 Contingency operator on shift – Bridge lifts available
19:00 – 06:00 (8th November) No bridge lifts available

Wednesday 9th November 2022
Midnight – 06:00 Normal service will be maintained
06:00 – 07:00 No bridge lifts available
07:00 – 19:00 Contingency operator on shift – Bridge lifts available
19:00 – 06:00 (10th November) No bridge lifts available

Priority will be given to commercial shipping but leisure craft will also be able to transit the bridge. Please give as much notice as possible (call VHF channel 10) to avoid delays. If talks are successful and industrial action is avoided a cancellation notice will be issued.

CA Talk: Defending the Swale, 8pm, Thurs 10 November

The Kent section of the Cruising Association still has some places available for Adam Taylor’s talk on Defending the Swale, 8pm, Thursday 10th November at the Dog and Bear, Lenham (near Maidstone). Many regular attendees come to dine at 7pm before the talk – best to phone and book your meal.

Adam Taylor will take us on a journey through time as we discover the known and lesser known defences of the Swale channel from the 1500s to the 1950s. Some of us may remember Adam’s interesting talk on the Islands of the Medway via Zoom during lockdown. As the venue has imposed a limit on attendees, you need to book early to avoid disappointment. To register for this event please click the link here:

Book here for Adam’s talk

Harbourmaster’s Patrol Vessel

In response to our calls for greater visibility of the port authority, Peel Ports are now patrolling the river in a big red RIB emblazoned with flags and a blue flashing light. The crew wear matching shirts so there should be no mistaking their authority when they catch you speeding or infringing the 150m/250m exclusion zone by the LNG terminal.

Kingsferry Bridge Restrictions for Filming, 30 Oct

Network Rail have given permission for a production company to use Kingsferry Bridge to shoot sequences for an upcoming film. The filming will take place over the weekend of 29/30 October 2022 and will involve road closures and periods of disruption to marine traffic. Filming has been planned to coincide with a day of scheduled maintenance on the Kingsferry Bridge (30 October). Arrangements for the two days of filming are as follows:

Saturday 29 October 2022
Filming will be taking place on the bridge for the entire day, road closures have been requested from 04:00 – Midnight, trains will run as normal. Marine traffic can transit the bridge as normal although leisure craft may be asked to wait for short periods whilst specific scenes are being filmed.

Sunday 30 October 2022
Filming will be taking place on Kingsferry Bridge, in Ferry Reach and on the slipway at Long Reach Ski Club adjacent to the bridge. Road closures have been requested from Midnight – 22:00. It is envisaged that the bridge will remain in the raised position for the filming/maintenance period, no trains will operate for this period. Due to the nature of the filming the following restrictions will apply to marine traffic:
Commercial Shipping – Ship arrivals and departures will be programmed over the flood / HW period between 12:30 and 16:30
Leisure Vessels – No leisure craft will be able to transit Ferry Reach and the Kingsferry Bridge between 07:00 – 17:00.
Safety craft will be stationed either side of the bridge between 07:00 and 17:00 on Sunday, they will communicate with any craft attempting to transit who are not aware of the restrictions and regular broadcasts will be transmitted by Medway VTS on VHF Channel 74.

Do you recognise this boat?

This cathedral-hulled Birchwood 18 called Morning Mist was recovered by Medway Hunter from Gillingham Reach on Sunday after a call from the Coastguard. The neglected but seemingly quite usable boat was part-submerged and had a mooring chain attached to the bow. Peel Ports would like to know where the vessel came from, so if you have any information please contact info@msba.org.uk and we’ll pass it on.