The Thames River and London are a bit overwhelming to folks like us who are more attuned to the quiet of Greenland or Alaska’s Prince William Sound. The maze of shoals and channels at the entrance to the Thames appears daunting, but then the reality is not that bad. We hope London proves the same. The River starts to become interesting around Greenwich. The Naval War College (above) was so lovely we had to slow down to enjoy the view.

St. Katherine’s Marina has been used for berthing for the past 1000 years or so. It is centrally located, next to the London Bridge and Tower of London.

As with most marinas hereabouts there are tidal locks to be negotiated prior to entry.

A miniature Panama Canal.

Where UK Customs check in was laid back, the local constabulary have now visited us twice. Pleasant (and unarmed), but thorough. These kind gentlemen even helped with our lines in the locks.

Locking in and out needs to be arranged in advance and takes place an hour or so either side of high tide.

We are ensconced amongst four Thames River sailing barges, the work boat crowd. The yachts are separated into three basins, with foot bridges closing off each for pedestrian traffic.

You get the feeling that the yachts and barges are hear for ambiance. The marina provides open space around which are clustered offices, hotels, and high end apartments.

There is a centrally located Starbucks, a variety of restaurants, a druggist, hair salon, news shop, and other essential vendors to the city crowd (but no marine stores). The “tube” (subway) is a five minute walk, and a lovely supermarket is close by as well.

Traffic is mainly afoot, mostly harried banker types, in black or dark gray suits. We’ll have more fashion oriented photos at a later date. The main sound we hear is the click of high heeled boots on brick and cobblestone.

Venturing outside St. Katherine’s is another shock. This is a big, densely populated city, with throngs of locals and tourists. The marina and its immediate environment are walled off from the masses, providing a respite. We don’t think we would last here long otherwise. But it may be possible to venture out for a few hours of sampling the “City”, returning to the quiet of this basin, secure within Wind Horse’s shelter. Time will tell.