On the radio the other day someone who tars all with the same brush, blithely announced that the rich could spend their money on their yachts in a discussion about those that ‘have’ and those that have not.

Now, yes, there are ‘rich’ yachting folk. But, in the main, we yachting folks are normal hard working people (or have worked in the case of the retired amongst us) who have scrimped and saved to buy that boat that we have fallen in love with. Whilst others, these could be football supporters, spend huge sums chasing their favourite teams around the country hollering and bawling for their ‘boys’ (or girls too for that matter) to ‘kick ass’! These people aren’t stereotyped as being rich…

From a tidy looking unpretentious motorboat a lady readies her little lug-sail dinghy…

So, being down on the Swale with intentions to follow the Kent Sail Associations, barge, smack, traditional yacht, modern and dinghy matches, my thoughts fell on these vessels – all lovingly maintained and cared for by ordinary working people – a man and wife, a chap with a caring girlfriend, a single lady who loves the joys of boat owner ship and the companionship of the sea…

The craft in the foreground is the lovely Nancy Grey, a little barge yacht built back in the 1930s, lovingly maintained.

Instead of spending a pot of money on football match tickets, this owner spends it on paint, hopefully helping the UK paints industry.

Leaving aside my ‘gripe’ at the BBC and its flunkies who flock to chatter, I’ll give a taste of what the ‘man in the street’ does for the reservation of our maritime traditions…

The Twee Gerzusters, a ‘Dutchman’ now registered in London is home to a family.

They  vessel is kept in very good order and often comes to the Swale to enjoy the event. They came home late, sailing the course, long after all others. Grand!

This is a grand little boat originally from N. America – lovingly restored by an owner to grace our waters…

Small can be beautiful – this little run-about was for the scrap heap, but her owner, always brimming with enthusiasm, fixed a few things and now youngsters are enjoying it too…

The Edwardian yacht Bonito has been carefully maintained by a family over many years.

Two little craft giving owners a salty taste as they harness wind and water to garner that little extra…

Yes, these are a little bigger, but, no less, both were restored by the owners and their families, saving two historic cargo carriers from an age before thundering lorries…

Ah yes, the Twee Gerzusters again, finishing that sailing match.

I don’t suppose any of the boats seen here have what could be termed rich’ owners – they’re lovers of the sea, believe in maintaining something fit to hand on to the next generation, doing something for this little corner of our country…

I can’t remember who you were on ‘that’ BBC Radio 4 programme but you slandered the ordinary working person who just loves a boat.

I take my hat off to all these ordinary people, and they exist all over our country. Bless them!

While in Chatham maritime Marina I took the opportunity to seek out the Snark.

I could hear that blasting was taking place – a reminder harking back to my ship life, once known, never forgotten. So as my Mate and I were also wanting to visit the new exhibition of the Nemur, or at least, the 10% found under the floor of the Wheelwrights Shed some years ago. At long last after some protracted investigations and preparation for display, it is now housed where found…

Anyway, after that I went to the Turks Boatyard doorway again and went in calling out, ‘Hello’ loudly for it had all gone quiet… A man, grinning and friendly, came towards me from the far distance. He turned out t be the owner of the Snark, Paul Jenkins.

The Snark began life as the barge used for filming of Atonement. A film largely about Dunkirk. The beach scenes were filmed on Redcar beach on the NE Coast. She was built by past owners of the British King… This vessel spent many years in a the yard of an industrial estate at Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex. It was a strange sight when sailing up the Walton Channel for sure…

The bow of the Snark… Note the ‘snout’, this is for the anchor required for yacht classification. 

The owner chatted keenly about the vessel. His enthusiasm is infectious! I was invited aboard.

View looking down deck towards aft. The hatches are closed to comply with yacht regs…

A view looking forward…

The steering gear and associated parts are original from the British King … so clearly this is a rebuild!

The transom.

The rudder has been designed to be lifting in that it swivels down for sea work. In the raised position it is the same shape as a traditional barge rudder…

The rudder blade sitting upon one of the part completed leeboards.

View showing the barge’s fine runs.

The Snark is actually a Fay design from 1898(?) I believe Fay barges were built in Southampton. Incidentally the destination and base for the barge.

I’m told that the barge will be used as a cruising home as well as possible film work. The vessel will be fully coded. Launch date is close. She will have had her first coats of paint today. Once afloat after being lifted into the River Medway by a huge crane she’ll go back into the Turks yard’s dock…

The spars are all ready for fitting – these are all wooden. The sprit is a length of Scots Pine sourced from Finland…

Paul, Snark’s owner, welcomed me to return for her launching, in around two weeks…

I shall do my utmost to be there, probably out on the river, or I’ll pop by again from the marina…

Away on my travels again, as if oft the case in the summer period, I’ve ben coming across a few clinker strakes around and about. Some have been in pretty good shape, others not so, and even ‘stroked’ a plastic variety seen up atop Iron Wharf…

At Iron Wharf is a Finesse 21, Harmony, a boat on the East Coast Finesse Group boat list. The boat is up for sale. Her owner had intimated as much some while ago, but the yard manager, Toby (owner of the Ironsides) said she’s up for any offers.

This lovely Finesse 21 is open to offers. She needs a fair amount of work, but has a newish engine in her.

A stepped coach roof was put on some years ago during a refit. The boat has the very narrow edge decks, unlike later sisters of the class.

Deck edges have gone and will need renewing…

For someone who likes a challenge, a good vessel could be yours and she’ll be sailing after a little TLCA.

While around the Iron Wharf yard I ‘fell over’ a fine looking GRP day sailer which is for sale. She’s a Lune Whammel and is marked up at £1600…

A sweet sleek looking thing…

Just along from Iron Wharf one ‘trips’ over he rails and slipway car of Alan Staley’s yard. On the wharf was, I believe Alan’s own, day sailer ready for the water. Alan usually brings her out into the Swale during the Swale Barge, Smack & Traditional Regatta which takes place this year on Sat 6th August (Check date…).Now this is undoubtedly a workman’s boat and she shows this off in her own graceful way.

A workman-like clinker boat. Alan recently scarphed  in a new piece into stem…

Along the Swale, in Conyer, I came across a little tender. Oh she’s a sweet little thing and I’ve fallen in love…

Three views of such a delight…

She’s named Puffin and has a ‘puffin’ flag … I’ll show my good Mate later…

Lastly I saw a lovely little pocket cruiser on a close reach going west along the Swale channel yesterday … what a little cracker.

She’s clinker in a way: she’s of the stitch’n’glue class with wide strakes…

Ah, surely I’ll spot more as the summer goes on… I hope so!

Some while ago I had a little rant about plastic and rubbish ‘thrown’ overboard by fellow yachting folk. I was so incensed that I dropped the editor of Yachting Monthly a letter. They responded, which is more that the commodore of my own yacht club, as far as I am aware…

See:  http://nickardley.com/rubbish-ditch-crawler-can-only-agree/

Currently I’m sailing with a sibling and two friends and all have been astounded by the amount of ‘plastic’ littering the Thames estuary seen on our passage yesterday to Harty Ferry. I begs belief, but there we are. Bottles, balloons, bags, packages galore.

It’s sad…

Photograph of the YM letter…

Whilst sailing aboard the Eda Frandsen around the Scottish western isles recently I spotted in Plockton harbour a pretty clinker craft which I gauged to be around 15′ when discussing them with another of our group.

The craft appeared to have a ‘fifer’ type stem with a tight kicked up wine-glass raked transom. The boats are traditionally clinker built. They looked sweet yet purposeful. The slender and raked mast mirroring the transom seemed incongruous within the robustness of the boat and sail area looked to be fairly impressive.

Some of the craft I saw in Plockton harbour – Plockton was a ‘manufactured’ village in that it was built to better the living conditions of fisher folk. It is now a gentrified place that appears more English than English. It is a beautiful spot to sail into, that’s for sure.

I talked to the she skipper/owner of ‘Eda’ and he told me that most were built on Skye at Portree by ‘Mackenzie’. I vowed to investigate further.

A recently painted one sitting over on the fore shore.

During a search for Mackenzie boats I found two interesting pieces of information, see:

http://www.am-bata.org/upld/files/PlocktonSmallBoat.pdf

and,

http://www.plockton-sailing.com/index.asp?pageid=462739

The craft are strict one-designs. 15 feet in length with a 16.5m sail area. The oldest sailing is over a 100 years old. Many were indeed built by John MacKenzie of Portree on the Isle of Skye.

A view showing her underwater shape and sections.

The boats are long keeled and do not have a centre board. Within the Plockton small boat pdf are a number of miscellaneous minutes and in a motion of 1937 the question of allowing centre plates is dismissed as irrelevant!

Here we are nigh on 80 years later and they’re still gracing the water’s of Plockton, and other places.

Long live such craft…

Ah well, yes, I have been unfaithful to Whimbrel again!

After my trip with my good Mate sailing in the Western Isles of Scotland last summer, my sister, who followed me into this world as close behind as is almost possible, decided to get a ‘family’ group together to celebrate her 60th year too. So, there we were, just a year and a week after our first jaunt back in Mallaig ready to jon the 48′ gaff cutter Eda Frandsen.

We all met in Mallaig after coming from several directions ‘in the south’ on a glorious afternoon. It looked tropical, the water close by clear beneath a sky ‘littered’ only by the vapour streams of high flying jets. It was perfect. And there was our ship, resplendent upon a sea of such blueness.

The Eda Frandsen.

After the Skipper’s briefing we went below to chuck our gear upon bunks and collect life jackets. We were soon under way, bound for an anchorage close by Arisaig.

My Mate amongst a hauling team … 2 – 6 … and the staysail is set!

On that first afternoon we even had the topsail aloft helping ‘Eda’ along.

The winds for the week were generally from the southerly direction with them supposedly due to be more from the west later. The Skipper had suggested Canna then up the Sound of Sleat to explore the mainland coast inside Skye – who were we to greatly argue. So, on day 2 off we set bound for Canna. It began a little grey… Spirits were not dampened!

Whimbrel’s skipper running between Eigg and Rum.

I was on the wheel a very long time as the crew began to shelter from a fine scotch mist, persistent and annoying to those previously lounging with books! Then there was an exultant shout, ‘Look!’ And yes, the elusive dolphins seen last year from only a distance were all around us, diving, cavorting, rolling their tummies and from off our side, ‘standing’ on their tails swivelling their heads back and forth in an almost human way, all awhile ‘chattering’… Around the ship were ten bodies photographing and exclaiming, leaving me to the solitude of helming this fine vessel…

Eventually I was relieved by a ‘bored’ crew member – my sister, I believe, allowing me a chance to see the wonderful creatures!

A dolphin under Eda’s bowsprit.

Going across the top of Rum I had summoned help to get the main in and head sails for we fell onto a reach. Later, with my sister caressing the ship’s spokes, the ship healed to some strong gusts as we crossed open water towards Canna. Boy didn’t our ship love it! Last year we tacked lazily into this harbour, but on this occasion we reached in hard on the wind dropping the head sails as we went. The drizzle had continued off and on, but the dramatic colours weren’t tarnished and my Mate was in heaven!

A few of us went for a short walk ashore and enjoyed tea or a glass in the wonderful bistro favoured so much by sailing visitors . And yes the honesty shop ‘raided’ by an unscrupulous visitor during summer last year – it hit national news – was still open to trusting purchases. Well done people of Canna…

The next day we were bound for Ornsay on Skye. But before this we all went off for a yomp across Sanday – a little island connected to Canna by a causeway – to go in search of puffins… We found none, although they were spotted far away on Puffin Stack, well out of reach.

Puffin Stack…

During the walk a sickening level of plastic waste was seen along the edges of beaches, up above on storm lines and far ‘inland’ blown by fercious gales. It was a sobering sight and made me quite angry. It has to be said, the majority were plastic drink bottles and paraphenalia of the fishing industry. The Skipper showed us a float he found (His Mate collects them and dots them around their Cornish garden…) which hailed from from Portugal…

Rubbish in a cove on Canna. The sea cannot be seen in the view, however, its cargo can…

We left Canna under broken cloud with sunny spells, bound for the Point of Sleat, sailing serenely beneath the heights of the Cullin ‘hills’ on Skye, thence up the Sound of Sleat to Ornsay. This is a little island which produces a gorgeous natural harbour along the Skye shore. I was helming coming up the sound and James, the skipper, left me to it as he directed the crew to tacking the sails… I sailed the good ship up to her anchorage. Wonderful. My Mate beamed at me as I beamed back!

My view of the Point of Sleat from the helm, not given up until we anchored… My sister had been ‘hovering’ so I gave up my camera to give her a job!

The Eda Frandsen in Ornsay Harbour. We were off to the pub!

There was more wind on the morning of day four but sail wasn’t set until past what are termed as the ‘narrows’ between the Sound of Sleat and the Kyle of Loch Alsh. Clearing, this fast flowing point at slack ‘tide’ a reef was put in the mainsail. We were bound for Sheildaig in Loch Torridon, up under the Bridge to Skye, past the islands of Rasay and Rona. Rona looks like a chunk of space rock floating upon the sea… It looks desolate, yet once had a sizeable population.

With scuppers awash we tramped across Loch Alsh and under the bridge…

Eda in Sheildaig harbour.

Day five dawned with a little sadness for we were nearing our week’s end … but with two days of sailing before us, spirits regained heights…

Crab pots had been set by our crew and before leaving Sheildaig we motored Eda over to them and did a bit of fishing … hooking the float and bringing aboard our catch. Several crabs were thrown back to live on for another day! A cluster of good sized ones later made a gorgeous fresh starter to dinner – the food cooked by the ship’s able cook was superb throughout!

We sailed until close into the bottom of  Rona and then dropped head sails to motor sail down Rona until a slant could be obtained for a reach into Loch Carron past the Crowlin Islands. It was a glorious day, eventually.

Knot training on the way… And crab picking too!

My view from the helm (again) sailing into Plocton Harbour, just before rounding up to anchor.

Stowing the mainsail.

The delightful harbour in all its glory…

Sunset…

Day six, our last full day and last sailing day! We set the mainsail and motor sailed into Loch Alsh under the bridge again. The skipper was catching the southwards flow through the narrows where we hit 11.2 knots!

Approaching the bridge…

Clearing the narrows all sail was set in a lovely breeze. This ws the first time we had the main, topsail, staysail, jib and jib topsail set – wonderful! Various of us had turns at the helm. We were tacking too and James our skipper talked at first about the order: with the jib topsail up, this was the important sail!

All up…

A view from the water…

We tacked south, tack after tack, out lasting all the sprightly plastic craft around us, showing what  well sailed old timer could do! James pointed out the yard where the Eda Frandsen was rebuilt after a disastrous fire at the yard, burning out the inside of the ship.

The yard run by the Robertson family, rescuers of our ship.

It was with a touch of sadness the sails came down as we approached Inverie, in Loch Nevis, under power for the wind had evaporated out in the sound. The sails were bagged up for the last time. The mainsail was dressed with her cover and lovingly patted… Below, bags were tidied and sorted… Then the skipper called, ‘all ashore…’ Dinner was in the oven, slowly cooking, gorgeous juices mingling and marinading…

The whole crew ashore enjoying a sun basked ale… The pub is the remotest pub in mainland Britain.

Champagne on deck before supper – to celebrate my kid sister’s 60th!

The last day dawned. The Skipper and the mate, a lovely young man who had recently completed a training course aboard the Reminder with the Sea-change Trust. training, got us under-way, whilst we got on with breakfast and completed final sorting … by 0930 we were alongside and it was time to depart…

Leaving Inverie and Loch Nevis behind…

It was a wonderful sailing holiday. My Mate and I were off to Northumberland for four days of pampering and pottering… All the ‘crew’ were doing something on the way home, extending a taste of Scotland.

Map taken from Western Isles info sheet with our route pecked in…

We covered 182 miles, largely under sail. James, said, ‘It was a privilege to have had us aboard. He’d never had so little to do and never been able to leave his crew alone for so long or sailed so much. I enjoyed it…’

I felt humbled…

My latest book, Swinging the Lamp – Thames estuary Tidal Tales, has now been released by the publisher, Fonthill Media. It is better late than never, why the delay, I cannot fathom!

Display board for Swinging the Lamp…

The Book Inn, The Broadway, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. Tel: 01702 716614, is hosting a launch event for the book on Saturday 2nd July. This will take place during the afternoon, 1200 to 1400. Note time correction…

If you would like to attend to obtain a book it might be advisable to call Paula on the above number to allow the shop to gauge supplies. I would of course be delighted to see any reader for a chat and to sign books…

This has been a long time in the gestation, but, boy am I happy it is now done!

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible.

Some while ago I took my old safety rail wires into Boatacs in Chalkwell for renewal. I had a surveyor coming and knowing that latest wisdom was for non-plastic covering, got ahead of myself.

Boatacs had the wires made up for the next morning and were fitted same day. This meant I could ‘safely’ continuing to use Whimbrel until she was due to be lifted out for her survey.

Of course this was some time ago now, but thank you Philip Green…

Contact Boatacs at: phil.boatacs@virgin.net for your needs.

Later on while sailing over the early May Bank Holiday our Blakes heater burner pricker assembly fell to bits inside… It had done its job warming the mate’s toes so we weren’t troubled on our weekend cruise.

Upon investigation I was pleasantly surprised to find that the parts for all Blakes heaters, and cookers incidentally, are still available. I alighted on a firm, family run, who were past Blakes employees. This is Taylors Central, based in the depths of the New Forest in Hampshire.

A new burner assembly was purchased … also a new (second hand) stainless steel cover to replace our stupidly chosen brass one which is impossible to keep clean. The Mate has spent many an hour wasting her time and efforts upon it. Now all is sparkling and shiny…

See: www.taylorscentral.net

email: mail@taylorscentral.net

Thank you guys…

Finally, I fitted a new Whale Flipper fresh water pump in the galley area not so long ago and it’s ‘failed’. These pumps usually last years, a decade at least, and failure for ones I’ve had to renew is due to bushing/handle wear and tap assembly sealing when put together renewal becomes an attractive and sensible option!

Some time after first fitting it I found wetness around the base – it wasn’t the usual culprit, the operating lever o-seal. Upon removing the pump assembly, I found that the base seal had been incorrectly fitted. I turned it over for it looked okay. This last weekend water was again found to be running out of the base. A problem clearly exists – a crack perhaps.

I went into Marine Store in Maldon and explained about my need for a new pump, which wasn’t in stock, but was elsewhere. Amazingly, the salesman at the desk offered to exchange my duff one for a new one as an exchange. This is even though I’ve not got the receipt!

See: http://boatchandlersguide.com/Maldon/MarineStore-Chandlery-1173.asp

Its not much for them: they’ll not be out f pocket, its just a little effort and here is one happy sailor… My sincere thanks  Marine Store. My belief in the general goodness of mankind is fully restored…

Aha, there is more to this: when I got home from a weekend sail there was a message telling me that a rigging screw was in and that the pump wasn’t available but could be ordered. Now I thought I’d ordered one! So I called back leaving a message saying I needed a pump. 

I drove to Maldon and was told pump not ordered and that ‘manager’ wasn’t going to do an exchange – now he clearly offered this, which I accepted. He was conspicuous by his absence with staff telling me he hadn’t stated anything about an exchange (I have a witness). I should have walked out. However, knowing it was needed I reordered a pump.

The receipt and label are stowed in my boat file and when, as it will, the pump starts to leak round pump lever, I will take it back: it has a 5 year guarantee…

Moral – always keep receipts even for cheapish items and NEVER trust a marine store operative. I’ll be doing my best to shop elsewhere from now on.

Some while ago I had a walk through Old Leigh nosing about boatyards and associated areas where boat bits ‘congregate’. A reader, a fellow Finesse fan, has sent me a fulsome email expanding on a few things adding colour and detail. I have appended this to the original.

See:  http://nickardley.com/ditch-crawler-takes-a-palm-sunday-wander-through-old-leigh/

Many thanks Norman.

Norman owns the SK23 included in the blog.

A fascinating story … and it is grand that an old yacht will live on, rejuvenated and loved.

I take a friend sailing twice a year for a long weekend – this began over a decade ago – long before the much trumpeted RYA take a friend scheme. But this year’s spring cruise coincided with a visit from my ‘Canadian’ brother. So, I ended up with two Graham’s… And yes, they played up a little, at times, having ‘committee’ discussions about who was being asked to do what. But, boy they were a good crew!

We departed on a dull Friday with an expectation of a little sunshine late in the afternoon. It tried. Sun block was forgotten. Passing a mirror later we all noticed that the sun had done its deed. We were red! Anyway, we took the outside passage to the East Swale enjoying a romp touching 6 1/2 knots at times in a bit of a sloppy sea on the Cant.

The two Graham’s…

Sailing into the Swale we passed dozens of seals upon the Horse Sand. We also met with the Mirosa undertaking a spot of day chartering. Sailing wise it was a cracking day. Later, a good friend – owner of Finesse 24 Mariette, a sweet gaffer – came sailing in aboard his other little toy, a super pallet, named Ocean Magic. We later enjoyed a beer and natter aboard on our way ashore to the Ferry Inn.

Seals galore…

Now, if you’ve not experienced the Ferry Inn recently, boy has it changed. Definitely a ‘gastro-pub’ making use of own grown veg and meat from the family farm. Cider comes from a Sheppey producer with Kent wines. The beers are similarly local. I had a sirloin to die for – it cut like butter and oozed flavour. The crew had a delicious looking chicken dish… One major problem – the hard is rather tired and in need of much loving care and attention… A bonus for us was the skipper of the Mirosa, Peter, hauling our dinghy anchor up the hard saving one of my crew a long trek – thanks Peter!

Starting around mid morning we were on a shorter passage to Queenborough on Saturday. We tacked with the flood to Grovehurst Jetty where a ship was leaving. I quickly decided to chase her to the bridge, saving ourselves waiting time! Down genoa and on diesel… On the way we had spied seals and crested grebe.

Crew preparing bacon sandwiches soon after departure…

For my brother this trip was a bit of a return to childhood: he’d not seen the East Swale since probably around 1965 on a trip round the outside on the May Flower. He warbled more than me, at times, in a Newfie lilt…

Queenborough was sort of busy. The sun came out during the morning which I thought would have enticed more craft out, alas no. The Medway, normally a sea of sail, was a blank canvas.

Showers were enjoyed at the Queenborough YC which always has a friendly welcome for all (£2.00 each – they need the money). The club has stopped doing food, unfortunately. We were told the two pubs had improved … I’d used the Flying D last summer – yes it’s changed hands, but I’ve yet to fully appreciate huge change. Its okay … a run out to the Ferry Inn would be a good learning experience. We were fed and watered in a satisfactory manner. What was noticeable was that although a good number of visitors were present afloat, the numbers ashore was strikingly low…

Sunday dawned glorious. I planned a treat for my crew – a sail amongst the Medway’s islands.

Departing from Queenborough under sail…

After tacking out of the West Swale and cutting across the nose of Swale Ness, pointing out where skeletal remains exist, we made for Stangate. An excursion into Pyefleet was made to show my brother the creek (and waste time) was made before returning to sail down Stangate to Slaughterhouse Point where my brother was amazed at the serious shoreline wastage that’s occurred since sailing past aboard the Edith May some years ago.

We slipped into Milfordhope Creek, old childhood romping grounds, and headed towards the entrance to Shoregate Dock. On the way memories of stray way walks out to Milfordhope Island and dinghy sailing were run through – and our last sail on May Flower in 1974 – but the narrow channel which is the Shoregate Cut was upon us. We went through around 2 1/2 hours before high water without touching, much to my crews amazement.

Approaching Shoregate Dock.

Rounding Bayford Point at the confluence of Half Acre, Bartlett and Otterham creeks we headed with a continuing friendly air from ‘up our chuff’ towards Horrid Hill – a place of cement, once!On the way a series of hovercraft whizzed across the water spouting water spray and issuing extreme noise – I’m sure, hopefully, the drivers enjoyed themselves!

Medway hovercraft.

Now, Horrid Hill is an isthmus of tangled scrub with ‘courting benches’ where often a couple can be caught ‘canoodling’ in what they believe to be a level of privacy… It always brings a smile to my Mate’s face and romance in her look-.

Horrid Hill.

Passing between Horrid Hill and Nor Marsh Island we chatted about the plethora of ‘concrete’ bases and rubble piles scattered across the flooded land. I know there used to be a farm. But some works seem to be more recent – WW2 anti-aircraft or search light bases perhaps.

Crossing the Medway’s channel in Pinup Reach we sailed on into Hoo Middle Creek and worked through. A chap on a craft I didn’t catch the name of hailed me … thank you for your kind words sir … Perhaps we’ll meet some time!

In Hoo Middle Creek…

Hoo’s pretty barge fleet… A champion amongst them too.

Hoo Marina’s latest building plot… A room with a view!

Clearing Hoo Creek we found ourselves in the midst of a mass of dinghies taking part in a short course racing session – there was nothing for it but to carry on, avoiding the path of the flying fleet! On the Hoo shore the remains of the Rhoda Mary still remain glued to the mud – what the vessel’s trust are doing, I know not, but they ‘borrowed’ some of my families 1951 pictures, so I hope something. There are plans to rebuild her in Cornwall…

Next, Rochester, ‘cos neither of the crew had sailed that way.

The ‘Pool’ of Rochester.

The picturesque old naval yard at Chatham.

A mooring was found at the Medway YC – the boatman waved my protestations to pay aside and said, ‘You’re all right here…’

We had a shock ashore – after supping a jar at the clearly closing club – we found no place to feed us! Back aboard I rustled up a pasta dish washed down with some fine red… The crew said, ‘…its the finest supper we’ve had on the trip…’ Good boys!

And so it was time on Monday to head home. Departure was fixed for 0600. We left at 0608! A steady motor-sail took us down into Saltpan and having breakfasted on bacon rolls we set the ‘genny’ and away we went.

Romping out of the Medway, home bound…

Yes, it was a grand little cruise. Many enjoyable miles were sailed. many a joke shred and just a few jars quaffed…