During the summer we sailed into West Mersea a few times. One was over a weekend when there was a bit of a fair taking place on the carpark in front of the West Mersea Yacht Club – regatta end day, I think.

Apart from Christobel asking how she could become a fairy … the stall that caught my eye was emblazoned with the ‘word’ ENORI’ and being inquisitive, I walked over.

It turned out that the letters stand for, Essex Native Oyster Restoration Initiative. It is a collaboration between all stakeholders and others who are working towards the restoration of the traditional native oyster beds.

The native oyster does not thrive in the drying shallows but it lives in the shallower tidal waters fringing sand/mud banks and creeks.

The project has begun with a trial ‘patch’ of culch laid in part of a block which recently appeared in ‘our’ chart corrections. It is roughly in the pencilled area seen on the chart section above. It is surprisingly big, however, the section in use is relatively small as of August this year.

The native oyster has been around a jolly long time and ‘all’ shell finds in Roman (greater consumers), centuries before and after up to the disasters of the last century are of this family.

The much more widely consumed oyster now is the ‘Pacific’ which was imported to restock after the devastations following big freezes – 1963 especially which proved pivotal.

The first layings of culch – the fragmented oyster particles that the spat clings to – have been made. This bank will be fed spat and young oysters and farmed in the traditional manner.

The chap I chatted to was not only very knowledgeable but was also extremely passionate with the project. It was a great chat.

So, if you haven’t picked up on your chart corrections and marked up the ‘oyster box’ then it might be wise to do so!

And, if a lover of oysters, perhaps in the years to come, the good old native will slip down with a pint or two…

The old packing shed lives on, on Packing Marsh Island, however, the island itself is in a precarious state. Its survival appears to be at the behest of ‘regular’ discharges of shingles on its shores. I could clearly see huge degradation from my previous visit to the area two seasons ago.

I feel the native oyster has a better chance of survival…

See www.essexnativeoyster.com

During August, we’d popped up into St Osyth for a night after booking a berth with the yard at the head of the creek – home port of the spritsail barge EDME. Upon leaving we had a night in Brightlingsea to use the shower facilities and get a ‘shed load’ of laundry done!

There are a couple of smacks up at St Osyth, but it was at Brightlingsea I am ‘sailing’ to… The mate stood by during the laundry exercise more than I did, happy with her book! I was ‘sent off’ to have a poke round the waterfront…

At the heritage dock I met a couple of chaps who were just about to leave the site after a spell aboard the 1885 built smack Victory. One of the chaps had purchased her, he said, grinning. She has a ‘Thames’ number, LO111, but was built by Howard of Maldon.

I was told that it was thought she was used as a trading vessel in earlier days working for a miller on the River Blackwater up at Maldon. I wondered if this was Greens?

The old thing had lain for years up at Wivenhoe in a mud hole along the front. I remember seeing her looking rather dilapidated. Her gear eventually ‘fell down’ due to a rotten mast.

She was moved down to Brigtlingsea after being given to the smack society with the intention of making her available to a ‘fitted person’ who could undertake her rebuild. The new owner had had thoughts of motoring her round down the Swin, but the decision was made not to. Rather wise, I thought!

Her new owner said she was due to be lifted out and transported to a workshop in Erith – they being Erith YC members. The Victory is to be completely rebuilt under cover…

Another vessel in a seriously bad way was still floating. Her hull looked ripe with rot and her decks certainly were. I didn’t find out her name.

Leaving the heritage dock, I briefly looked over to the spritsail barge Dawn which was under cover having deck maintenance – re-caulking – having chosen to continue her Covid-19 sojourn…

I wandered into Morgans Yard to look at vessels in the lay up area. A few old friends were found including the bare empty and rather forlorn hull of the Colchester smack Shamrock.

At the time I thought her days were numbered, however, the very next day he old thing was loaded onto a lorry and taken to the St Osyths boat Yard for a complete rebuild.

The vessel was largely held together with strong webbing straps in an effort to maintain shape, and, I believe, just to hold her constituent parts together.

All in all, these are happy tales…

Another such tale has taken the Maldon bawley MN2, Dorana, to Eyemouth, Berwickshire, for a rebuild at a yard in the old fishing village in the Scottish Borders.

I am endeavouring to find out a little more, but no response from the local heritage centre has been forthcoming currently…

Dorana is 34′ and actually quite young: being constructed by Drake’s of Tollesbury in 1939. She has an upright transom, bawley-like, rather than the traditional highly raked Colchester type.

The vessel is similar to the Joseph T, another Maldon vessel which lay ashore at Maylandsea for many years. She was broken up last year…

Smacks and Bawley’s are always a delight to see, as are all traditional craft and owners should be applauded for their loving care and tenacity in keeping their little ships in such fine order.

I’ll certainly be looking out for the Shamrock and the Victory over the next couple of seasons…

More on the Dorana: She is indeed in Eyemouth. I contacted the town’s museum who put me onto the local boat yard. I had a response from the Marine Manager of the yard, Graham Perrins.

Graham tells me that the smack was purchased by a ‘local business man and is working on the boat at his own leisure…’

I am sure the smack world will keep in touch.

New flowers in early January when we were deeply in the second full scale Covid-19 lockdown were apt for what I was getting up to when not walking and varnishing dinghy bits and other stuff…

Current projects:

I do have more up my sleeve but when this will come to fruition, I cannot at the moment say.

I’ve been for some while working on a series of articles being published by Yachting Monthly Magazine and these can be found at intervals…

Update:

The articles mentioned have been trundling out. Currently one more is due to be published at some point in the magazine’s future programme.

I have also been involved with a series of short articles dealing with the ‘Ten best…’ places, anchorages, walks, city visits, etc…

On the ‘future book’ front, I spent the lockdown during the first three months of 2021 rewriting some work and putting into words a ‘breezy buzz’ that was travelling around my mind.

As the days progressed, between walking, the mate wielded her ‘red’ pen as she felt it should be, in the main it was often quite lightly. At times she dropped work back into my lap in tears…. Saying, ‘you made me cry…’

I am now in the process of finding a publisher!  

The process is often long and drawn out. It is very much like when looking for a publisher for ‘May Flower’ for I am exploring new fields…

Hey Ho!

Autumn is properly with us now in my little corner of England and sailing out on a tide has resumed.

First the Brent arrived and then the terns disappeared. Flocks of overwintering waders have arrived too. The Brent geese were a little early, I thought, signalling perhaps harsher conditions on their home territory. Home: I use loosely for they spend more time in their overwintering grounds.

September was a fine month for us and most of October, although a little windy for parts of last two weeks – gaps allowed time afloat, so I’ve no real complaints!

A gentle potter up along the Leigh-on-Sea shore and into Leigh Creek looking at the range of traditional craft ‘hiding’ away was enjoyed.

On one of the sails I passed two friends – both Finesse owners. One has a Seaking too. The chap’s Finesse is a ’21’ which he has put a new cabin on and renewed the decks.

One of the joys of autumn is the quiet upon the water and sight of the wintering bird life. I love too the colour changes taking place within the saltings as the last of the summer green fades. Along the Hadleigh downs, the autumn shades can often be slow to show, then, on a sail the hillside glows as a late afternoon sun bathes the panorama.

Sailing up past Bird Island for the first time since the spring I spotted a huge clump of cord grass growing. The island just covers at 5.0 metres (Southend). I wrote to the Port of London Authority in the spring of 2014 and drew their attention to this growing island. A tide gauge reading from VTS as I sailed by showed that the island just covered at 4.7 metres then.

I was told it didn’t exist!

Well, plenty of boats run into it!

Looks like an island of mud to me. Next year the saltings growth will increase, that’s for sure.

A survey report of 2001 showed the height in this area to be 4.5 metres above chart datum…

The silting progression is stark.

We had planned a two day heist across to the Medway together. The weather though looked a bit threatening for two nights but one was looking good. In the event the mate chose to let me go alone…

For a change, I enjoyed a glorious sail over the Thames, crossing the tide, and made it into the entrance of the Medway without recourse to the engine. I fetched across the harbour in a series of tacks before laying along the south side of Saltpan on a close reach. Marvellous!

After pottering upriver to Stangate Spit, I sailed back and made my entry into the West Swale, favouring Queenborough for my overnight stop. The Admiral’s Arm always provides a nice pint too…

Before going ashore I cooked off my supper – a Bolognese sauce – ready to reheat later.

The sunset was sublime. Queenborough – well the Medway basin as well – is a grand place to capture the sight.

After my scrummy supper and a call back to base, I sat watching a couple of hot air balloons crossing the early night sky. The moon was in full bloom, a silvery-yellow and through binoculars the surface craters were clearly visible.

With an early start in the morning a little before sunrise, I did not hang about and was soon wrapped up in my bunk, toasty, missing the mate…

The alarm shook me rigid as it warbled out of reach. Swinging my legs out, it was silenced. Pulling some clothes on I looked outside – barely a breath!

As soon as the kettle sang, first water in my tea mug then a porridge pot. These are quite good for early starts and the mate has made sure a few have been stowed aboard this last season.

The tide had been making around an hour and a half by the time I dropped off the mooring. With the genoa the boat fetched across the tide towards the Queenborough Harbour Trust’s pontoon while I hoisted the main.

The sky soon turned a salmon pink as the minutes ticked by. The wind built a little and I moved from a knot to a couple.

For a while I had the genoa poled out, but by mid Sheerness Harbour the wind became more south-easterly and I dispensed with the contraption. By then the boat was rustling along over the flood.

It was an easy sail across with the wind on the starboard quarter. A gybe near Southend Pier put Whimbrel on a run into the Ray. (Later, The City of, in honour of the murdered Southend West MP Sir David Amess who was tragically killed that lunch time. His constituency lay under the boom, across the water…)

Sailing up the Ray I did not spot any terns. I had the previous week. All gone. Autumn as far as I was concerned was bedded in.

The sands were covered as I sailed up the stretch abreast of Chalkwell Beach but a few seals were spotted in the shallows chasing fish as they were ‘swept’ over the top by the flooding tide. People that don’t know are aghast when told about the numbers that bask. The mate sometimes sends pictures to her coffee friends!

Yes, it has been a lovely autumn so far and in this little corner of the Thames estuary that I call ‘home’, I feel incredibly thankful for the bountiful beauty that those out on the water are able to witness. It is awesome in so many respects.

And too, I am lucky to have such an understanding mate. One who isn’t unhappy at being left alone on the odd occasion…

Abandoned vessels have almost become the norm around the Thames estuary shores. A news item recently in the maritime press – Leisure Marine – has highlighted the problem of the end of life for boats.

See: https://marineindustrynews.co.uk/about/

Some interesting ‘stuff’ is discussed in this industry media outlet…

It used to be common for old wooden boats to be hulked in a rill, creek or lonely piece of salting to gently rot away. The hull as it died often became the home for numerous creatures as well as a convenient perch for bird life.

I wrote an article about this in a magazine now long out of print back in 2010. It was published in Anglia Afloat in May/June 2011 issue.

I have for decades followed the fate of vessels during their end of life years. A spritsail barge hulked nigh on thirty years ago has progressed from a fire damaged hull to a broken and time ravaged ruin.

A Maldon oyster smack the Joseph T which was taken ashore at Maylandsea where a full restoration was begun, oh, some twenty years ago, possibly longer, has in the last year after many years of stagnation and abandonment, been sawn up for firewood.

Perhaps she would have better served the environment by acting as a wave break against a marsh edge to allow silts to build up, as was often the way…

Wherever one walks the banks of creeks, vessels which were once someone’s pride and joy sit neglected until taken ashore or they sink, creating a headache for other mooring holders.

Some while ago, during the first lockdown periods of 2020 there was an article in the media about a vessel that had sunk on moorings in Brixham Harbour. She became the responsibility of the harbour authority to remove. This apparently is the case and clearly the fact is known by unscrupulous owners seeking to abandon a vessel.

The means employed is often to sell a boat worthy of restoration. That owner disappears leaving the new starry eyed owner very quickly scratching ‘his’ head wondering what to do. A headache with too many jobs to make her seaworthy to move…

She sits abandoned until eventually she sinks. The harbour authority cannot trace the new owner…

It is happening – as seen on the River Medway recently where a large motor vessel clearly used as a floating caravan sank alongside Rochester Pier. Peel Ports had to have her removed.

See: https://msba.org.uk/?p=6463

Marinas hold a fair number of craft that when looked at closely are in the throes of abandonment. If the bills are being paid, the marina won’t do anything unless the boat sinks or becomes a hazard.

The biggest problem is with GRP: steel can be cut up and recycled. Wood can be sawn up and taken to landfill or burnt once noxious parts are removed.

The humble little GRP dinghy can be found sunk, half filled with mud and with saltings happily growing within anywhere you look. What do you do with them?

Apparently the EU Commission is looking at this problem. I bet too it was a British initiative from before our divorce. The directive is to come up with an industry solution by the end of 2022. Britain, will, I’m sure follow the industry guidance that falls out.

A database of ownership of privately owned vessels is being separately proposed by British Marine. Ross Wombwell, BM’s head of technical services wrote in Leisure marine News, 16 September 2021: the challenges are ‘to manage a long-term strategy to stop vessel abandonment…’ It is planned that this will go a long way (as for cars) to provide a ‘financially viable and environmentally friendly end of life disassembly and disposal.’

Food for thought for we will all, whatever type of boat we own, have to become registered owners. How this would work and how would vessels be marked are ponderable…

So, in the future, boats littering our waterfronts and abandoned in boatyards will be a thing of the past.

Hmmmmmm……. I wonder!

Sailing towards Harty ferry during the first week of September we passed by the disused Turkey Cement Works Dock on Elmley Island between Ridham Dock and Grovehurst Jetty on the ‘north/south’ section of the West Swale.

Earlier this year I had spotted a trailer-able yacht of around 26 to 28 ft out of the water at the top of an old hard once used by a short-stay yacht club. The boat, it turned out, belonged to a member of the community on Elmley island.

I spoke to the Manager of the Iron Wharf, but no light on what was going on was known.

Then I remembered, I’d had communication with the owner of the yacht, Gareth Fulton. The chap works for the nature reserve. I sent off an email…

A few days later news came that there had been a long reach excavator in use on the site and with a free day it was put to use in clearing mud and debris from the old dock bottom.

They have plans for the dock and Gareth has ‘invited’ us in on Whimbrel. It won’t be this season, but next year, a high probability.

Having been part of a family (See: The May Flower A Barging Childhood) which helped to reinstate the use of Twinney Dock in Upchurch, then two years later Callows Wharf, Upchurch, up at the head of Milfordhope Creek. I just love it when any disused facility finds a modern use.

The Turkey Cement Works have been written about in ‘The Jottings of a Thames Estuary Ditch-crawler‘ and mentioned elsewhere. The cement works on the island lasted for no more than seventy years. It supported a population of around 250 people. There was a school and church. Parts of the school can be seen in a cluster of tress towards the farm house.

I visited the dock some years ago and took a raft of photographs – thought then as others had in earlier times when a club used a slipway beside the decayed jetty, that the dock could still be useful.

Gareth promised more info, I must work on that and winkle out a little more…

Elmley Nature Reserve: www.elmleynaturereserve.co.uk

Have a staycation, the Government, media and travel industry said. great, we always have a staycation in the summer…

It was all a very good idea for the many people who normally chuck bucket loads of money into a foreign holiday. That money has been fuelling a boom in house renovations, camping, caravanning and boating in all its forms.

Apparently, tent sellers virtually ran out of gear by August. Caravans and motor homes were greatly sought after and the boat market has been, quote, ‘extremely buoyant…’

All of the above led to a greater demand for bottled gas – even for home BBQ’s. The result was almost catastrophic for an industry long set in its ‘sedentary’ ways with a relatively well known summer need.

The Covid-19 pandemic stuck a spanner in those works though: the use of BBQs went up, increasing the demand for bottled gas. Companies like Calor apparently laid off staff or furloughed them. Then as the country opened up they couldn’t keep up with demand. They didn’t have enough fillers in their depots or drivers to collect bottles.

The greatest shortage seemed to be with the 4.5 kg butane bottles and the 3.9 kg propane bottles. For us, at one point, it was dire.

We began to obtain stores for cold meals…

We had already been eating ashore far more than we ever had before. It is relatively expensive and more often than not, the quality is decidedly under par. Whimbrel’s evening food is renowned!

Moored off Methersgate Quay, I was phoning stockists with telephone numbers fed from Christobel at our laptop. That was in the first days of August, having just changed to our spare bottle.

The Woodbridge Tidemill Marina had none. In fact they hadn’t at the time had a delivery since September 2020!

One marina told Christobel that they offered to take their empties to Calor. Calor so no: it’s illegal!

I found three 4.5 kg butanes available from Calor … in Orsett. The lady on phone didn’t know where Woodbridge was and just about knew Suffolk! They weren’t going to deliver…

We had the promise of a bottle from a gardening centre on the outskirts of Ipswich … a later call said they had three bottles delivered from a large order, but no 4.5s… They even offered to let me exchange an empty with one of theirs that I was told felt ‘half full’… Kind of them!

Leaving the Deben we stopped at Harwich before going to Pin Mill and onward to Fox’s Marina in Ostrich Creek. We like it there.

The big Morrison Store in Harwich had none, so, I called Fox’s Chandlery. Yes, they had some propane. Yes they would under the circumstances exchange a butane for a propane. Thank you…

The cooker we fitted to Whimbrel a few years ago could run on either gas without nozzle changes. A correct regulator was obviously needed! We decided to make the change complete for we both had memories of a winter sail when it was too cold for our butane bottle to feed the cooker – no hot drink!

As we neared the end of August, we popped into Tollesbury Marina. Bingo. They’d had a delivery of gas the previous day and had butane and propane in the smaller sizes. They too exchanged a butane for a propane…

The rest is now history.

We arrived home at the end of September’s second week with our first propane 3.9 kg bottle in use and a spare comfortably snuggled close to it…

The Royal Yachting Association did not mention any gas shortage during the summer at all: there were no news updates down the ‘wires’…

All they seem to have been interested in was the Olympic jamborees out in Japan. As laudable it was to celebrate Team GB & NI success, the ‘common’ sailor either day-sailed between food stops or didn’t go sailing: the waters were exceedingly quiet.

We met countless boat owners in search of gas. One friend didn’t have this problem – the boat is fitted with a modern diesel cooker.

I would have thought the RYA were just the organisation who should have been making remonstrations to the gas industry on our collect behalf. I

wonder sometime why I continue to be a member…

I have written to them…

Happy autumn sailing.

Some while ago I wrote about a few of the barge-yachts I knew about and of the lovely Tiny Mite which I’d learnt had then come onto the market.

The little ship has been extensively rebuilt, sadly, however, the owner no longer has the health to enjoy his years of work.

Walking past the Leigh-on-Sea Motor Boat Club, I saw that their gate was open and several ‘old boys’ were having tea just inside the gate. I amble in for a chat, as one does…

See my post from last autumn:

Ditch-crawler looks at several barge yachts seen in recent travels…

The Tiny Mite has now sat out of the water for nearly a year, which is far too long. Talking to the members of the club I heard that several people had been to look at the little ship recently, but that no offers had been made. So, she has not yet found a new owner…

I had a walk round the outside of the hull. Cosmetic work obviously needs to be carried out. The hull looks to be sound – although there has been an opening up of some seams. She needs to be afloat!

Sadly, if a new owner does not materialise then a degradation of current condition will surely take place.

Currently, she must be a good proposition for an owner with some carpentry skills and the time to bring her back to cosmetic brilliance. As far as I know the little ship is sound and not in need of difficult work: it having largely been completed by the current owner…

There must be someone who would love to potter the estuary in her…

Since writing this the other day, Fred Cozens, the owner, has contacted for a chat. He is okay, but has a health problem which disallows strenuous activities and is the reason for selling.

Fred says that he is looking for sensible offers. He has a wealth of knowledge of the little ship and will appraise a new owner of known works that he himself would have done.

Unfortunately, the barge lost its mainsail in a blow. There isn’t a spare, but the other sails are with the barge-yacht.

The little ship has been in Fred’s care for forty years now and would suit a like-minded soul both young enough to do what’s necessary and old enough to understand. She isn’t for any starry eyed sailor…

Price: Sensible offers only! Work requirements can be priced in to an extent.

Contacts: Fred’s cousin – Steve Shelders, telephone – 01702 558976

or, The Leigh-on-Sea Motor Boat Club: www.leighmotorboatclub.com

Wow, what a success this year’s Queenborough’s Traditional Festival was.

The weather was kind and puff-ball clouds slowly crossed sunny blue skies after early morning high grey cloud cleared away. A late summer carnival atmosphere soon enveloped us all, with people wanting to visit the assembled fleet…

I’m told that nearly 2000 people visited the vessels on the pontoons. It was a great pity more owners didn’t sign up to bring their traditional boats, it was generally said… More on this later!

Whimbrel arrived before noon on the Friday. We had spent the previous night in the quiet of The Lillies under Elmley Island.

We had sailed there from Faversham, as too had the steam tug Barking which passed us some while after we were anchored up had also steamed down Faversham Creek: we had seen her up at the Town Quay.

We awoke promptly on the Friday and the mate busied herself with our tea and coffee while I ran the riding light down and shortened the anchor cable.

After a ‘scratch’ breakfast, we were away, sailing off our anchor, bound first for the bridge (to disrupt rush hour local traffic) and then to one of our favourite harbours…

In the harbour, we swung to a buoy until called alongside in time for a trundle ashore for a beer (or two) at the Admiral’s Arm.

During the afternoon, various vessels began to arrive. I knew from the mooring plan that there were not going to be huge numbers of us, however, quality was in attendance…

A couple of craft failed to pitch up…

Saturday dawned a little overcast with a high greyness through which, though, the sun could be felt. Boats not already flying bunting soon had it run up.

Before the gates were opened, we pottered ashore for a newspaper and visited the harbour market, which, for the weekend was going to be open on both days.

The market is arranged along the quay bordering the creek and was started earlier this year as Covid-19 restrictions allowed. On the way we bumped into the owners of the Edith May.

There was an eclectic array of stalls selling home baked cakes and savouries, arty stuff and other celebratory paraphernalia.

Two little starlets were given the full tour below by Whimbrel’s mate and ended up having a peak into the ship’s store locker. Wide eyes spotted goodies galore!

The two young ladies took the helm whilst daddy photographed them. I think the older one really wanted to stay…

At some point a lady from the Queenborough Yacht Club came aboard with her sister. Both were amazed at the space below and the vastness of her storage capacity.

An ‘old stager’ dating back to the end of barging, mostly on motorised craft popped over for a chat. We’d passed him with a QYC group while on our way up to Pin Mill in early August.

Nice chap and was the ‘Old man in a boat’ we followed around the edges of Stangate Creek which featured in one of my yarns – A Mystery – in Salt, Marsh & Mud.

Both of us made time to escape independently from time to time, sometimes not getting far: punters would ask questions ad want to visit.

Over on Doris, the venerable old Leigh Bawley, The owner’s partner and sister were essentially holding the fort for her owner was on duty for the day – being a harbour operative. Bless!

I just had to climb aboard the Edith May and have a chat to her owners – trouble was I ended up bringing people back to Whimbrel – old Upchurchonians!

I even managed to get out for a sail in the tender…

Early in the afternoon of Sunday, Tiny Mite needed to break way to enable her to return to Faversham. We moved off and back in onto the pontoon.

The crowds thinned, the sun waned and as I hauled our flags down, I felt a certain level of sadness for it was all over. It was a sadness tinged with the elation of a job well one. It was a success…

Early on Monday morning we set the Genoa, slipped our moorings and crept away, hoisting main when clear.

We crept out of the West Swale, past the Queenborough Spit buoy, homebound. It was around forty-six days since I sailed in with a cousin and a brother for a trip up to Pin Mill. It was the weekend of the Swale Smack & Barge Match and the weather deteriorated on Friday blowing almost a gale, but we had a cracking double reefed main sail round to Harty and to Pin Mill on the Saturday…

It all seemed a long time ago!

On the way out, Christobel grilled bacon and we had a tasty breakfast…

It was a fast passage and we went the ‘long’ way via the Nore, West Shoebury and then to the Pier, before stemming the last of the ebb into the Ray Channel.

Yes, I had a dip, much to the horror of my good mate. The boat’s bottom hadn’t had time to get dirty after our scrubbing on Mundon Point and Osea Is. beach some two weeks previously.

We were nearly home…

So, what else did we see and what were my thoughts: there were several old work boats (excluding the barge and bawley). The tugs, Barking and Kent looked resplendent and the workaday X-Pilot, a busy little ship normally.

What was apparent, from the berthing list, and the cancelation of a couple of little ships, was the dearth of traditional yachts. The harbour authority have expended a good deal of effort and the community, businesses and they themselves seem to have created a ‘highball’ cocktail that works.

More is needed closer to the water venue, to lead people on. I mentioned this…

Whimbrel has never experienced so many keen, starry eyed visitors, that is for sure. But, without more craft, or to the point, more owners coming forward and supporting the event it cannot move on.

Talking to the river’s heritage ‘king pin’ he too agreed, but was delighted with the progress made ashore especially.

Work in progress, must be the footnote.

So, please, traditional craft owners, try and make a date in your calendars for next year and show eager members of the public the love, enthusiasm and pleasure you have for your mistresses…

While visiting Brightlngsea I had a walk around the hard standing within Morgan’s boat yard.

Over the years I have followed with my camera the progress, or not, of long term projects. It has been at least three years since my last walk around and changes have happened.

The yard has undergone a few changes. Many of the old house boat type ‘wrecks’ along the shore have been removed. The hard stand has bee improved. There is a planning application for an extension out over the mud flats and increased marina space into the river – I will comment in this in a separate post…

The barge-yacht is not unique but she is unusual in having a carvel planked construction. The little ship has been in the yard for a number of years and if my memory serves, not a lot has changed since last here in the summer of 2019.

Although she looks essentially sound from the outside, sadly, the ship may have sailed her last passage.

The Colchester smack Shamrock looks as if it is about ready for the bonfire. Fear not… The day after we sailed away from St Osyth, the Shamrock was lifted onto a lorry and taken up to the St Osyth Boatyard where she is to be reconstructed…

Good news indeed!

The Hillyard I came across is also destined for St Osyth. I was talking to a chap up that way who has a large yacht alongside the quay – he acquired the vessel with a view for local cruising.

Another good news story in the making.

Time has moved on and we have passed through Maylandsea where at the Blackwater Marina there has for years been a number of projects. One was the Maldon smack Joseph T, sadly, the yard manager told me that last year she was chopped up and taken away.

The Joseph T was almost unique for there are not many of the Maldon oyster dredgers left. I am not an aficionado, so am treading on quicksand her!

At the back of the Blackwater Marina yard is a large group of vessels, perhaps once a family’s pride and joy, moldering away.

At Burnham Marina I learnt that the second hand boat market has continued to be buoyant, however, the good ship has to be in a fit state to attract a buyer…

Happy sailing!