Bradwell Marina is a place oft used by many up and down the coast. It is especially useful as a jumping off point for passages northwards or southwards, as in my own case if one peruses our log books.

One of the other reasons it has, over the years, proved useful is the fact that it always had a working laundry facility. Years ago cruising with a young child the ability to dump a load of washing in a machine is quite frankly a boon, especially when on extended cruising which we now do during the summer. One can only carry so much and duvet covers are difficult to wash by hand … although at Bradwell two years ago my mate ‘had’ to do just that – it’s been mentioned in a story to come out soon!

A couple of years ago the marina refurbished their ablution block updating the showers etc. One ‘fatality’ of that refurb was the demise of the laundry facility … My mate and I both lodged complaints … according to the management in the tower it was something that wasn’t needed. My wife was quite forthright and said, ‘Okay, we’ll not come in if washing needs doing…’ which we stuck to over last two seasons: Tollesbury got our custom instead…

The Finesse Rally was planned for Bradwell this year (a week ago now) and surprise, surprise, the marina has reinstated the facilities … it is located in a building over by the lift dock. The key is available from the tower. Hooray!

Whimbrel at recent Finesse rally with a load of washing – duvet covers and towels – acting as big bits of bunting…

Time was creeping on and after loitering with intent … in Maldon, we broke free and sailed off down river to Lawling Creek, a fine place for a shoal draft vessel to rest at anchor.

Rest wasn’t our reason for being there: Whimbrel’s  bottom needed a scrub. This was done on Mundon Stone, settling some 2 hours or so before low water.

Bottom scrubbed, transom and rudder sanded and varnished on Mundon Stone.

Upon leaving Lawling we pottered across to Osea and sat under the island’s lee in a northerly and a continuously wet day, only the second we had experienced all summer, well since Monday 29th June. The following morning dawned sunny with a little cloud…

 Dawn after a wet day … the sun streams down the Blackwater … a good omen for the coming Rally of Finesse class yachts.

We toddled down to Mersea for a couple of days on a rising tide with a ditch-crawl up to Mersea Strood for good measure.

Two views of Whimbrel approaching the Strood. We turned a little beyond the arm of mud under the jib … with my mate saying, ‘…you finished being silly yet…’

Then it was time to set off to meet boats collecting for the weekend’s rally of Finesse yachts at Bradwell. My laptop wifi ability had fallen over during the week: I’d opened up a box with a new dongle only to find it hadn’t a sim card inside. I’d not checked upon receipt! I will next time… People were trying to make contact and I couldn’t send a proper list to Bradwell, Hey Ho!

Two of the craft had arrived by Thursday, taking the opportunity to enjoy a longer break. These were Seaden, a F24 Bermudan sloop and Drifter, a F21 gaff cutter and the only 21 footer to come along.

Early to arrive were Seaden and her intrepid crew. The boat’s mate had only ever done 2 hours sailing prior to their departure from Gillingham – she loved it…

Some hours after our own arrival on Friday morning in came several boats from the north and south.

Mariette coming in to berth alongside pontoon with Whimbrel under the marina bar…

By the end of Friday we had a collection of eight craft: Pippit, Calluna,  Akaroa, and Snowgoose not already named. Akaroa was the second of the 24’s to be built back in 1971. There were many happy faces drifting from boat to boat by the evening. Many admirers stopped to look too as they passed by on transit to their own, mainly modern plastic craft.

Pippit shortly after her arrival…

Snowgoose came from Harwich.

During the evening I’d had a message that one would arrive by noon on Saturday and the other was doubtful, however she called on Saturday morning to say they had cleared the Naze and were due to arrive around one o-clock … giving us ten craft… These were Martha IV, based at West Mersea and Driftwood based on the Stour at Shotley Marina.

Akoroa F24 No. 2 from 1971.

During the day on Saturday people wandered between boats, including to and fro to the two craft berthed by marina on ‘A’ pontoon (miles away), with copious quantities of tea and coffee being consumed – I felt almost hyper! Christobel almost boiled a tank of water…

The owners of Lady Christina based on the R. Soar near Leicester being entertained by my good mate… This intrepid couple have now sailed (motoring a little!) their boat out into the Wash through Boston Sluice twice now. I’m working on them to do an article…

Looking along past Mariette towards Whimbrel, where Arjen, our ‘tame’ Dutchman, is enjoying some coffee after his arrival from Poole in Dorset where he sails Tig – once of Tollesbury.

Part of the fleet from the marina bar… The other two could have happily been berthed inside…

Too much enjoyment going on aboard Calluna…!

The evening came round all too quickly and we all met around Whimbrel for drinks and nibbles before departing for the marina bar where a buffet had been arranged.

Pontoon party…

The buffet before it was ‘attacked by the hungry hoards…

I gave a little talk about the reasons why we need to maintain an annual rally, welcoming new owners and finished with a ‘plea’ for a relief… Many chuckles and such!

Christobel had made a rally cake in the spring, it was fed weekly by me and ‘we’ dressed it just prior to leaving home in June. It was delivered by our ‘boy’ who had stayed for a chunk of the afternoon and evening, finding several faces he knew from around the Island YC which had three boats at the rally.

Toya and Shane Hoadley cutting the cake: they had sailed the greatest distance, and had only owned their boat for around four weeks…

It was a great event. This could only happen with owners and their boats turning up, and too, the support of owners living great distances away. Bristol was the farthest. Local owners came too: some had reasons why they couldn’t sail over… The marina were helpful too … even though their shower heating system had broken down, so many cold showers were enjoyed! The marina bar, and owner Mick Leahy and his partner did us proud: the buffet was superb.

I can only add a public thank you to all who made it a great weekend, including the visitors who came just to look…

Our own leaving…

During a visit to Maldon I had opportunity to get closer to a little gem of a barge yacht. I’d seen her on the water some years ago but not had a real look…

How the vessel works as a sailing vessel I have no idea: down sizing, as has been done here, reducing everything in proportion is not usually conducive to creating something that works. It looked as if the little ship is made of ‘tin’ so must be the smallest of the iron pots as steel/iron barges were referred to when they first appeared back in the latter decades of the 19th century.  Of course, some of you will know that down in Cornwall, yes Cornwall, a new iron pot is under construction at a yard up the River Fowey.

Anyway, here is Maldon’s smallest ‘member’ of the spritsail barge fleet … the little Hope.

The barge yacht Hope at Maldon.

A closer look at Hopes’ hull.

The aft end, everything is as it should be…

A look forward – note her scale barge boat. It is 1m in length.

A bow view.

One wonders what is below: no allowance has been made to give cabin space. I have assumed that she is used purely as a ‘dinghy’ insomuch as she isn’t or can’t be used as a cruiser … I’d like to be corrected if any reader knows!

One thing is certain, she’s probably cheaper to run than the real thing.

Also in Maldon is probably the first barge yacht to be built, the 1887 Dinah, seen at The Downs Road Boatyard, a little further upstream.

Here is a ‘proper’ little barge, proportioned such as she is actually a useful entity. Note the relatively high sides – these were raised by ‘a plank’ to give greater headroom below. Perhaps Victorian gentlemen and their ladies ere a tad shorter 130 years ago!headroom below. Perhaps Victorian gentlemen and their ladies ere a tad shorter 130 years ago!

Here too is the full sized real thing, that is the aft end of the Dawn on the lower berth at Cook’s yard.

Two views of the real thing as seen on the Dawn…

Back to the little Hope, I loved her…

I’ve been adrift now for a little while and during that time some fellow clinker boats have caught my eye, so I have a clinker fest for you all… The craft types are wide and varied and by no means anywhere near a ‘collection’ – they form a small number of the type of construction that dates back to earliest boats.

A section of the Sutton Hoo ship, constructed as historians believe her to have been built from the dig evidence…

Sailing up towards Woodbridge we passed Tilley, a rather attractive Finesse 21. This boat was ‘retrieved’ from the south coast down at Poole in Dorset. She’d been stripped out and refurbished after being ‘wrecked’ by a previous owner. Her new owner, a sailor living in Bury St Edmunds, came alongside while we were waiting fir water to get into the Tide Mill Marina, then came aboard when we berthed. Nice chap, keen as mustard and looking forward to this year’s rally in Bradwell…

This one is Bonito, a Finesse 27 that came back ‘home’ from the Southampton area around 18 months ago … she’s back in the water after a little work, but still hasn’t been fitted with a mast. I’d heard last year that her new owner was planning to use the vessel as a motor boat – shame, but she’s still going! This vessel is the only Finesse 27/28 that was built with a centre plate…

Whilst on the subject of Finesses,  Seaden owned by Shane Boadley and photographed by him recently returned to the Thames estuary areas with a new home on the River Medway at Gillingham. Shane is ably supported by partner Toya in there new endeavour: Toya isn’t from a sailing background. Shane has been afloat most of his life though, mainly in motor craft. Astern of Seaden is another Finesse, a 21.

There now follows two sadder stories, one rather more so than the other, although the signs are not good. Firstly, Bramble, a Finesse 24 which has been given a rather unhandy wheelhouse. She’s also been rigged a ketch… I’m not sure I like the cabin windows either, but that’s a personal view.

Bramble at Titchmarsh…

The vessel has been owned locally in the Walton backwaters area for some years now. Last year I heard that she was likely to go onto the market: her owner, getting on a little, had lost the services of a long standing crewman, due to that beast called age… I was told she needed a little attention, that is clearly the case, but for all of that she’s in pretty good nick!

Now I move onto a vessel raised before … the Finesse 24 Halda, a gaff rigged version and one of the early boats in the class. Halda has lain in a forlorn state bordering on the terminal for many seasons now. I thought there was a little bit of hope when a cover was put over her, but alas, the cover lays about her whilst fresh water continues to do its worse internally and about her in general.

Halda’s hull and a peak into her forlorn looking cabin…

While strolling the yard at Titchmarsh I also stumbled upon this rather lovely looking thing … I’m not sure what class she comes from, but a bucket load of love and attention has been lavished upon her. She looked coseted and ready for the water. Wonderful!

A lovely little thing … is she a local class?

During our wanderings we were walking back to Fox’s marina from Ipswich when I spotted two Stella class clinker sloops in an open sided shed on the lower side of the cut. The owner of the site was working on a fine open fishing boat from the Rye area. He told me that the Stellas were undergoing refurbishment by a boat builder/restorer who until recently worked the site. he’s now at another larger location down the Shotley peninsula … the two boats are awaiting transport. In Fox’ s itself I had a good look at a Stella which had clearly had a recent refurb. She looked good, so a renaissance of the class appears to be in progress…

 Astern of the two Stellas was an open clinker dinghy, which looked as if it too were likely to see the water again…

Life in this old girl yet…?

While on the subject of open boats. Whilst in Aldeburgh I wandered along a beach (There’s lots there!) and photographed a number of ‘abandoned’ open beach fishing boats. Some were clearly in a poorer state than others, but it looked unlikely that other than a tourist attraction, their purposes had been spent. Sad, but a modern lighter weight more versatile (possibly) GRP type with powerful engines saves time and money for the operator, dealing mainly in line caught fish and lobster/crabs.

The end…?

For this one below though, it wasn’t the end: she was rescued by Robert Simper some years ago, refurbished, (by others, I believe) and now in regular use on the River Deben, where she can often be seen at her moorings off Robert’s home by the Shottisham sluice. I’ve seen her out and about as far afield as the River Orwell, but here she is off the Rocks…

Robert a Pearl Simper’s little beauty…

A little gem of a vessel seen down near Felixstowe Ferry – she harps back to a simpler age … looks like a gentleman’s pocket cruiser…

Below are two views of a little weekender clinker gaff cutter seen at Andy Seedhouse’s yard in Woodbridge. Think she’s have suited our ‘boy’…

Ah well, so that is it…

Ah yes, during this last week, my crew and I had a splendid tack down the Alde and Ore from above Aldeburgh before taking a long reach seawards directly out of the entrance several miles offshore. Another 24 footer puttered out after us, right on our tail, having passed us and then come back round in the shingle spit reach inside – why? Who knows! More on this fellow…

Our landwards tack took us on a course towards Felixstowe Church. Tide lifted us the necessary distance south and we were fetched the cross over nicely … then along came our puttering friend – seen earlier behind clouds of power-driven spray well inshore – aiming for our starboard side, he’s going aft, I thought, briefly, I luffed up. No, he came on … we were travelling at 6 knots, he, cross tide and slower … at the point when I was about to make an evasive tack he put on power, closed the gate, and crossed our bow, much to the amazement of my sister – an RYA qualified skipper, as I luffed to slow our advance. Not a wave he made as he passed, engine exhaust roaring. Hey Ho! Hope you read this mate … boat’s name – Millie, so watch out for her…

Whimbrel alongside Halfpenny Pier.

Harwich was our destination: this crowd missed out last year. We arrived for a late lunch after a 6 hour passage. Next a tour of the town, which the troops found to be fascinating. There is a convenience store in the old town now, however its stocks of fresh meat in particular, is sparing. For general stores it looked satisfactory.

Before getting onto the Mayflower, a big thank you is needed. Boiling a kettle for a spot of tea, scones, jam and clotted cream we found we’d run out of gas … the new bottle purchased a few weeks earlier had been ‘plugged’ in for no more than 2 1/2 days. It felt light when doing so. Valve was closed and cap tight… A kindly lady at the visitor centre up on the entrance to Halfpenny Pier gave me a lift (with kid sis) to Morrison’s where gas can be purchased at the petrol station … we replaced both bottles carried: both empty! Don’t know her name, but a big public thank you…

Right: the Mayflower Project. I wrote about this last season and some while ago too…

The plans…

A friendly chap hailing originally from ‘up north’ gave us a safety spiel before dishing out high-vis jackets – required by H&S – and then we went on tour… Since my last visit last year the trust’s new visitor reception centre is now open and from this we went round the outside o f the workshops, viewing within various craftsmen at work.

A model of the ship under construction in workshops…

Next was the lofting floor where parts of the ship are laid out for patterns to be made. A frame was on the floor at the time… Leaving that behind we went to see the ship. Last year the keel and stern post were in position. Now a frame has been erected amidships. The stern knee is in place too.

A frame on the lofting floor…

The guide explained that the fastening medium of stainless steel bolts was non compliant with MCA requirements – they require bronze fastenings – but this is a temporary means anyway … I explained that stainless in oak, long term, wasn’t a good idea for reasons regarding pitting/crevice corrosion. Something he’d never heard of, and as a volunteer ‘off the streets’ knowledge of that sort wouldn’t be expected in any case.

An amidships frame set up.

Around the yard there is a huge pile of timber from various sources within England, around a third of what will eventually be used. The ship is due for completion by 2020 ready to re-enact the original voyage from Harwich carrying the ‘Pilgrim fathers’ to New England.

The log pile…

As part of the project’s community work trainees refurbished vandalised seats outside the old goods yard within which the Mayflower sits. The seats have been re-wooded and painted. Community art groups have painted murals within panels set in the perimeter wall of the ‘ship yard’ depicting aspects of the original voyage.

Refurbished benches and those murals by local artists…

I met the ‘boss’ and he explained that the fight for funding goes on … and that at long last higher up people and media types are at long last beginning to show an interest: one of the fundamental aims of the project is to up-skill the local youngsters, work and careers are a problem in the Harwich area.

I suggested that once the ship takes shape then public interest will grow with it.

Shipwrights who have recently finished working on various other projects are due to join and an accelerated building rate will follow…

This project, like the Sea-change Trust and Pioneer Trust, will continue to keep Essex high on the maritime radar. It will elevate Essex internationally – let’s hope Essex’s business leaders see this too, never mind the County authority…

Having made a coastal passage up to the Walton Backwaters, my second port choice. Pin Mill was the original destination but when the wind tracked round from south-west to north by the time I’d reached The Naze, it was a no brainer… So here I am!

Last evening I enjoyed a pleasant pottery sail from a mooring a little above Stone Point in Twitch, my game little tender. A crowd aboard a barge, the Pudge, owned by the Thames Barge Trust, and being a ‘sleeping’ member, I suppose she belongs in some small part to me too … those aboard wouldn’t have known that though! There they all were, sitting in a neat line on the main hold hatch top (probably awaiting their call to dinner…), with a nice sailing dinghy still upside down on the hatch, unused… Shame on them all… Hey Ho.

I had a shufty up into The Dardanelles,  creek known to Ransome’s fictitious sailing children. Various waders sifted the edges, some lifting off to alight further on, only to do the same again… Funny: a human would go behind. I was aware though that I could have been disturbing their feeding time. Then it was back to my own supper…

Ah, didn’t sleep well … mate is away at home. After doing an hour or so of some typing for an article for a yachting mag I slipped a reef into my mainsail: I was planning a ‘gentle’ potter around the creeks, ditch-crawling. The wind though, by now and easterly, had puffed up a bit.

Oakley Creek’s seals…

It was around two hours before high water.  So, slipping my mooring with all sail set, I cut across Island Point with around 2m beneath me – plenty. here to first … ah yes, Oakley Creek of course, to check out the seals and preserve the right to navigate the channel up to the chemical/explosives jetty.

The Dock.

The tide was just below the height of the saltings and knowing that there is as much as a metre drop to the mud edge, at least, along most runs I judged I had plenty of water. The saltings was flooded with colour from a profusion of sea lavender – it’s a good time of the year to see and appreciate this wonder. There were several groups of seals along the way up. Reaching the top, there’s nothing else to do but turn round … there then ensued a frenetic bout of tacking. The iron tops’l was needed to clear away from an edge where I had dug the plate in. All part of the fun…!

Tacking out…

Reaching Hamford Water again I made for Landermere on a direct run. ‘Tacks back…’ I muttered, grinning and wishing my mate was beside me. Sweeping round into the creek’s entrance a chap called out, ‘…you look lovely…’ then quickly adding, ‘…the boat I mean…’ We laughed!

Two toppers came whooshing past with skimpily clad females aboard – colleges are out for the summer and it’s that age group one sees first at this time of the year – schools have another week to go! It was great to see the two young ladies enjoying the exciting conditions. There were many little cruisers and day sailers out, revelling in it … larger boats seemed to rely on that iron beast below their cockpit soles.

Purple sea lavender in the saltings.

I was in the top section of the creek, noting an underwater shallow patch, like a point, reaching out waiting to trap the unwary, on the turn in towards Landermere Quay. On the way I passed a nice looking motor cruiser, dating probably back to the 50s or 60s. Aboard was a swim suited lady who called out, ‘Lovely boat … what name?’

‘Whimbrel,’ I shouted back.

‘So’s mine,’ came her call as I swept by.

Reaching the area off the quay I felt it prudent to turn. I have gone beyond, but I wasn’t going to today… Up the little creek that runs alongside the sea wall above the quay’s group of buildings sat a barge yacht with her mast down. I thought she looked like the Landrail – known to have been recently moored in Kirby Creek.

Landrail, a concrete built vessel, up at Landermere Quay.

The work then really started … I ended up tacking all the way out and down Hamford Water. Reaching the little motor cruiser again the lady was dancing around on her cabin top taking pictures – clearly a lady who was at home on her boat. She’s going to send me some shots – I’d been able to communicate my web address: it has a contact form!

My dancing girl…

I’d thought, perhaps, after a slight wind shift I’d get a reach back down to the Walton Channel … alas, it was only a local ‘inland’ shift. In the distance I could see craft coming in under reduced sail – the easterly clearly picking up its

Romping out of Landermere…

It was easier on me once the tide turned and I felt its action on the boat as soon as I re-entered the Hamford channel. Its length soon disappeared in the boat’s wake. From Oakley Creek, the easterly swell and tide rip over the wind had set up short seas. The edges were boiling brown and I kept well clear … no point in risking a touch ‘n’ go. The tide was higher than when I’d departed so I swept across the point again, immediately the water went smooth. The buoyed channel not s far away was boiling cauldron. Boats were swerving and shearing about. A motor fishing day boat made a hasty turn, rolling her sides into the slop, while I carried along in a world of my own.

I know the channel is buoyed for good reason, but why do shallow draft craft stick to it when logic dictates there is plenty of water over the ‘shallows’ … the decks of those barges are 2m above the flats … so if tide is at that level then that is the minimum depth. There you go …

Cutting the corner with more than 2m under me…

It was a grand sail, 12 nautical miles of ditch-crawling. I felt good, but, boy, it was hard work!

I was left wondering though at just how many of craft’s owners REALLY get to see these backwaters. I’m going to be bold and say, not many: the Walton Channel and the marina grabs them…

Transoms vary an awful lot, but do they really?

Some transoms are handsome for sure, especially amongst the ‘classic’ fraternity, others less so.

What they all collectively share is that the shape has a great deal to do with the overall look of a vessel, its hull lines and runs aft. Some rise up above the waterline whilst others squat , by design, into the sea.

Squatting causes drag – the tumbling back of the water flow instead of running clear. My own Finesse 24 suffers from ‘prop squat’ under power causing a drag from the transom – under sail the transom sits clear and pretty…

Modern yachts, in general, have been given by their designers a retroussé stern in the fashion of a sugar scoop. This has several fundamental uses, ease of swimming from, alighting from dinghy and stern mooring access…

A modern ‘sugar scoop’ hind quarters…

Some aft ends are flat others a wine glass shape – especially with deep keelers – whilst others mimic the ‘barge’ shape. Many others often bare a resemblance to the bawley  behind, akin to a babycham glass -remember those?

I wandered recently around a yard on the River Crouch and looked at a few transoms noting a few more in passing on the water…

A Stella’s stern – a typical wine glass…

A southerly’s transom next to a steel built semi deep draft vessel – remove the angularities from the steel boats behind and the shape is profoundly similar to the modern GRP boat’s…

Above and below are two similar types. Top a Memory class day sailer and below a small traditionally built cruiser from 50 or so years ago…

Note too how there appears to be a similar level of immersion down to the tuck.

These two, above and below, represent two motor cruiser types. Maverick is a classy planning vessel designed for speed, whilst the other represents a more traditional displacement type and very common amongst ‘gentleman’s yachts’ of the inter war (1914-18 & 1939-46) era.

I have added: the shape is mimicked by yachts, a typical barge transom.

The 1900 registered Ironsides, now largely a steel vessel, at her mooring below N. Fambridge. She’s owned by the yacht station manager Toby Lester and his wife … living aboard with their young son … brings back memories for me!

The Elizabeth Anne at Tollesbury – she is currently for sale. The vessel is a good example of a barge-yacht from the 1930s – then the type was popular with cruising yachtsmen (and women too, surely…).

The Angela & Peter owned by ‘JP’ Lodge at her mooring at Tollesbury … currently being fitted out. 

So there we are … just a few of the types that can be seen and appreciated around the N. Kent, Essex and Suffolk coastal rivers…

Around the east coast areas from Suffolk down to N. Kent it isn’t unusual to come across abandoned vessels tucked into the salting or out on some mud flat. While in Scotland recently, around the Western Isles, I came across a group of abandoned fishing vessels ‘laid up’ alongside a shallow stone built wharf.

Laid up Scottish fishing craft on Mull.

It is likely that the boats were laid up under some scheme to reduce the number of boats fishing for reduced fish stock. However, I’m only surmising. One of the craft seemed to have been in a particularly good condition when abandoned. A photograph seen, for sale a vast expense, showed the vessels as they were at an earlier date: much superstructure has been removed – probably steel scrap. Who wants a tired old wooden hull…

Three Scots lasses…

These boat types can be seen being used as house boats and even yachts around the coasts, especially in the Thames estuary areas. The Scottish Isles isn’t really the place for that sort of life, gorgeous it can be on a good day … but whilst we were there enjoying a period of the finest of weathers over nearly two weeks the local population moaned constantly about the weather!

This one hadn’t long been sat here…

A happy clump of thrift! growing where once caulking an bitumen kept out the sea…

Here I am, sitting in my cockpit, bobbing to the ebb tide swell off Harty Ferry, thinking and remembering these things. Why? Well, just upstream of us sits one of these fishing boat types. Apparently a conversion project. This one though rests beneath the murky silt laden waters of the East Swale … the likelihood of it being lifted is small: a ‘quality’ north cardinal has been placed just to the north of the wreck … only the vessels whip aerial shows above the waves…

Earlier this year whilst coming home from Faversham in February a bit of the wheelhouse was visible at low water…

Another little ship I saw was this one …

The Sea Nymth of Dervaig, Isle of Mull.

Tired of keeping the uneasy seas found around the Isle of Mull out of her bilges she has been hauled ashore, quite high up actually, to act as an advertising board for an art gallery … which we stopped at to admire much very expensive works. In comparison, artists around Leigh and other east coast ‘hot spots’ are selling for a pittance!

Poor old thing … but I liked her.

Tomorrow, on our way up Faversham Creek, we will pass many an old ship. A grand mix including a wooden Thames lighter (Bombay), fishing craft, a long abandoned smack that until recent years still had a cabin lamp hanging from a beam, an old ‘fifer’ and more besides…

The motley collection in the first reach of Faversham’s creek…

It seems that there remains a place for old ships to die gracefully, gradually diminishing year by year. For me they provide moments of wonder and awe of the life they once had, the men, and women perhaps, that manned them. The joy they gave or just the plain daily graft…

Ah well!

Ah yes, we’re going to make it here this season: strangely, but for reasons rather unusual, we (I) have yet to depart northwards. A little something about a person’s 60th and a jaunt around the waters bounding the western isles’ of Scotland came first… We’ve been unfaithful!

Whimbrel sailing out of Faversham on a fine winter’s evening by Tim Mulcahy.

Whilst the boat was out of the water at Alan Staley’s yard this last winter a personable lady came along and asked if we (Whimbie, me and my good mate) would care to join in with the Faversham Nautical Festival taking place at the beginning of July. The lady was Lena Reekie, herself the owner of a lovely little Dauntless cutter. Lena is someone we’ve oft passed on the water over many years … but we’d not met formally until our face to face as Whimbrel was being set up on the launching slip after her work.

A Festival view from Lena Reekie…

So yes, we’re off to the festival. I’m told it is a fun packed weekend!

The event runs over the weekend of  Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th July 2015 with many of the craft arriving on Friday’s tide.

See: http://www.faversham.org/visit_faversham/nautical-festival.aspx

For interested souls I have been asked to bring along a selection of my books, which I shall be doing.

The boat will be berthed over on the Brents moorings along with a fine little 21′ cutter, the Ivy May, seen below, where accompanied access may be permitted. A concise history of the class will be on display – chapter 2 in my ‘Jottings‘ carry’s the builder’s story…

The Ivy May on the River Medway on way to Finesse Rally at Chatham Marina in May 2014.

My mate and I will be very happy to see you aboard…

If can’t contact, call on 07747 712505 during the event.

Up Lawling Creek there has for many years been one of the friendliest little marinas we’ve had the pleasure to drop into – The Blackwater Marina. http://www.blackwater-marina.co.uk/

My mate and I recently went over to those parts, by road, for a visit to the Sea-change Sailing Trust to deposit a collection box … while there we noticed that the bar & bistro had been givena make-over. When last at the marina by water the bar and new bistro were being run as separate entities, however, a new team has come aboard and all looks even better, especially for discerning boaters who love a good meal ashore from time to time…

The Bistro’s calling card with contact information…

Alongside the changes in operators and decor, the owners have purchased a section of the unused field across the marina access lane from the sailing club which has been fitted out as a ‘beer’ garden.

Now for some details:

Breakfast is served from 0900- 1200 on Saturday & Sunday.

Luncheon is served 1200-1800 from Monday to Saturday. (& Sunday)

Bistro evenings, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 1800-2100.

Booking is advised for evenings and on Sunday for luncheons.

If berthed in the marina, do say and there is a ‘customer’ reduction…

Enjoy: we are certainly heading that we in the near future…