Dickens was here, of course. He wrote his famous short story 'The Tuggs's at  Ramsgate' (1836) in the days of steamers and packet boats. They have all gone, as have the ferries to France and Belgium, but the Royal Harbour is still busy with small boats. This illustration (1876)  by Fred Barnard shows the meeting of the Waterses and the Tuggses on the deck of the Ramsgate steamer (1876).