Chatham Dockyard (18 Jul 2004)

After a brief rendezvous at a Little Chef on the A2, we set off in convoy for the remainder of the journey to Chatham Historic Dockyard.

Keith was waiting to greet us with our tickets at the gate and Jo was on parking attendant duties - both doing a grand job. We were allowed to park within the dockyard area, the 40 cars providing a fitting display for other visitors.

There was plenty to see, including the RNLI historic lifeboat collection, the dockyard museum and HMS Gannet - the last remaining sloop of Queen Victoria's Navy and recently renovated to a very high standard.

The guided tours of HMS Cavalier (a destroyer) and Submarine Ocelot (pictured below) gave you a taste of what it would have been like to serve on board. Personally, the idea of spending many weeks at a time cooped up in the submarine filled me with dread!

With so many of us attending (over 70 people from a range of areas), we were split into three groups for the tour of the Ropery. Our guide in period costume told us how rope used to be made in the ¼ mile long building and a few 'lucky' volunteers got the chance to help make a small length of rope.

In the afternoon we all boarded the coal-fired paddle steamer Kingswear Castle for an hour and a half cruise on the River Medway.

Thanks to Keith & Jo Visser for organising such a great day out.

Robert Pain