Sailing into the anchorage at the South Deep a week or so back, I noticed something didn’t look ‘right’ on a boat that has been moored up on the mud flats below Butterfly Wharf for a number of years.

Later, after the mate had had a row in the tender, I pottered off after supper for an evening sail to look at the run of the Conyer Creek ‘overland’ passage and get a look at the withies marking the deeper gutway.

Passing the little yacht I could see a problem – there seemed to be wires hanging over her guard rails with something in the mud.

Sailing over to the mud edge to get a closer look, the problem became apparent. The boat’s mast has gone overboard and the rigging is entangled with the mooring.

I hadn’t noticed anything amiss when sailing in the ‘back’ a couple of weeks earlier, however, the gear looks to have been down a little while.

Does the owner know?

Has anyone reported it?

The likely answer, I hope, is yes and a ‘rescue’ is planned…

Or, is this yet another abandonment around the Medway and Swale waters? Boat abandonment is becoming a a pretty common feature…

Postscript:

Following my post, Swale Marina have told me that they are aware of the boat which is thought to have been abandoned.