Fascinating conversation.
I wonder if modification but also have been limited by the hot air failing to mix at all with the cooler surface air over the water, and like laminar flow in a river, simply skated across the top of the cool, finally making landfall a few m ASL on reaching the Kent coast. Temperatures on the open water would then be much lower, and under the circumstances there wasn't enough time for a sea breeze set up.
Originally Posted by: Bertwhistle