Crossing the Dover Straits, reputedly the most crowded shipping bottleneck in the world, can be a nerve-wracking experience. Today it was as relaxed as it could possibly be.

For one thing, the visibility was phenomenal. We could already see Kent when we cleared the inner piers in Boulogne harbour and we could still see France as we entered the outer harbour at Ramsgate, six hours later.

The weather was benign, too. A bit too benign, really. We managed to sail (slowly) up the French coast from Boulogne to Cap Gris Nez, but the wind died completely as we approached the Traffic Separation Scheme – a sort of ship motorway which you are required to cross at right angles. So we were motoring in a flat calm, no headsail to obscure the view, and able to devote all our attention to watching the ships.

A flurry of north-east bound ships had passed as we were approaching the lanes, but then there was a huge gap, and we crossed the first lane without having to alter course to dodge anything – an unusual achievement. And, even more remarkably, the south-west bound lane was just the same.

We can’t remember crossing the whole scheme without having to give way to a ship somewhere along the line before.

The tide was kind to us, too. We flew up the Gull Stream (between the Kent coast and the Goodwin Sands) with about three knots underneath us.

We were delighted to discover, when we reached Ramsgate, that the marina, which was woefully silted last time we stayed here, has finally been dredged, to two metres at chart datum according to the berthing master. Our draft loaded up for cruising is probably 2.2 metres. At low tide on the outside of the linear pontoon, probably the deepest part of the marina, we were just about touching the bottom. Hope the silt stays at bay.

After three long days on the move, we were feeling pretty weary when we arrived, even after such a stress-free trip. So we decided to award ourselves supper out at the Alexandra Ristorante, an Italian restaurant on the seafront.

Apparently it has been open for 24 years, and we must have been going there as long. It provides excellent food and excellent value, and we were delighted to see it really busy on a Tuesday night – hardly the liveliest night of the week at the tail end of the season.

We regard the proprietress as an old friend, even though she does not appear to recognise us – but why should she when we only call once every couple of years?

Having conquered the Dover Strait today, we only have the sandbanks of the Thames Estuary to negotiate tomorrow, and then our summer adventure will be over. But by now, we’re actually looking forward to getting home.