My next book is getting closer to fruition … I now have the ISBN and over cover details.
Title: Swinging the Lamp – Thames Estuary Tidal Tales
ISBN: 978-1-78155-478-2
Price: £18.99
Size: 248 x 172
Pages: 224
Plates: Aproximately 110 with a colour section of 75 plates.
More details on my ‘books’ page…
Some while ago I received a communication from the Medway Barge Match Committee asking if I would like to compile and deliver the post barge match report at the prize giving event … the mate was also asked to present the various cups and platters. We were both honoured to be asked and to accept.
Historical preamble: This year’s event is the 50th since the matches were restarted following the ending of the trading barge events on the Thames and Medway in 1963. My father was part of the initial committee that organised the 1965 and following years’ events… of the barges that sailed in the 1965 match, five are still sailing. These are Centaur, Edith May, Marjorie, (My) Kitty and Mirosa. The last two were not taking part in this year’s event, although Peter Dodds, Mirosa’s owner, had hoped to. In those days auxiliary barges would often take their propellers off…
I took part in that event aboard the May Flower as a 10 year old with my three siblings. Graham, the eldest, took part as crew. It was to be the last barge match that we sailed aboard the barge – for reasons I explain in my book, The May Flower: A Barging Childhood.
Waiting for the tide…
Before we set off, by water, we had the antifouling of Whimbrel’s bottom to complete … it was done over two tides, completing on the morning of Thursday … sailing off as the boat floated for a night in Queenborough. On Friday we sailed up to the Medway YC, hosts for the evening event, where I had booked a berth.
We attended the pre-match briefing at the Medway YC and met the day’s race officer, Roy Potter, wife Linda, time keeper, Committee men Ray Rush and Dave Brooks, and two MYC men, rules man Ian Pearson and an artist, Christopher Burdett. Christopher was collecting three of us for the drive to Chatham Marina in the morning at 0600. We were being collected by Ian in a trot boat at 0530 first though… Our Committee boat was a Rodman 48, Song & Dance. See Chris Burdett: www.minigalleryworld.com
The Song & Dance awaited us.
My job, observe, take notes and compile a ‘witty’ post match report to deliver at the evenings prize giving!
So what happened…
The day dawned with a light and fickle westerly, but the forecasters spoke of it becoming northerly before strengthening from the NE! Barges that strayed down towards the line found it difficult to turn and stem the ebb – those that kept upriver found conditions easier, however river room is lees off St Mary’s Island… The Edith May strayed below and the committee started muttering about a penalty: the coasters were jostling above her. Eventually she sailed clear.
Lady of the Lea and Lady Daphne jostle slowly on the line.
The coasting class was led away by the Lady of the Lea, early, opting for a 15 minute penalty and clearly wanting to give her bulkier sisters a chance! She was followed by the Lady Daphne, making her way over in a stern first slide. Cambria then came down sensibly, cleanly sailing over, 40 seconds before a charging Centaur.
The Edith May then did her best to hang on the line, but each time the wind lightened, she made majestically sternwards yet heading for Upnor! Eventually she started her engine and cleared the line … and the engine was seen to ‘die’ before the 5 minute gun. She was first over, followed by Repertor, Niagara and Marjorie (sailing with the stays’ls after breaking her bowsprit on the Thames the previous week…). It wasn’t long before the Niagara had passed into second class spot to chase the Edith May. Marjorie passed the Repertor too … this order was to remain stable until near the finish.
Edith May and other starters awaiting their gun…
It was now the turn of the bowsprit class, of two, Edme and Adieu. Edme crossed barely 60 seconds after the gun!
All barges were then sailing with quartering breeze sedately down river. Closing, in the committee boat, with barges rounding Darnet Ness it was clear that the wind had gone north-westerly here … far ahead it was clear that those in Kethole Reach were hardened up. “Going north…” was the general comment aboard the boat. Those still in Long Reach were romping along.
The Edme rounding Darnet Ness.
“Be NE afore too long…” Roy chipped in with a big grin.
Down in Blackstakes the Cambria had at long last overhauled the Lady of the Lea, then ’15 minutes behind’ due to her penalty… Roy was right! Cambria put the first tack in under the wharves at Sheerness. All barges followed suit as they arrived at a similar spot. Close in by the cranes, Edith May and then Niagara slipped serenely past the Lady Daphne as if she wasn’t there.
Down in the harbour, Edith May, Lady Daphne and Niagara.
A ‘melee’ of barges tacking…
The harbour was soon a melee of tacking spritsail barges, a glorious and satisfying sight. What the men from many Nations on several ships berthed, wondered, we will never know…
It was strange to witness the Repertor sailing vanguard in her class. Through the body of the fleet the Edme frolicked, a cat playing with prey, carving her own race passing barge after barge. The Adieu seemed a long way behind at this point.
Edith May shoulders aside the river’s waters…
The Niagara begins to lift her skirts and fly…
Outside the freshening north-easterly was throwing up a good wind over tide chop. Chines were dipping in and out as crews settled in for a long slog out to the turning mark, then still the Medway Buoy. On the committee boat thoughts turned to just keeping warm up on the wind swept flying bridge.
“Too much human ballast” said one aboard the committee boat!
Coffee came at regular intervals. We’d been fed bacon rolls earlier, a little after getting underway – wonderful! I must say here that the crew, husband and wife team of Robert and Jane, were brilliant and looked after us all very well indeed.
The committee made a snap decision to turn the fleet at No.1 Buoy with the Cambria, fleet leader, approaching fast on a port tack. She went smartly and faultlessly round in a fine display of seamanship. She was sailing a blinder… Edith May was next. Ah yes, but as she came off the Cant and met the deeper water the wind seemed to change … as she got closer, non committee members were saying, “luff, luff…” she didn’t and had to put a tack in. Ultimately this tack was to prove her undoing… Niagara swept down and rounded a little after the Edith May. This was going to be a race!
Edme rounds the mark.
Three more rounded…
Edme too came ‘motoring’ in from the Cant. We saw the same thing happen. She luffed up a little and made it cleanly past. What a girl… The Lady of the Lea made a classy yacht like turn round the pin inside the Marjorie in what I thought was one of the highlights of the day. Marjorie had earlier passed the Repertor. Out over the Nore the Lady Daphne was completing a pirouette as if practising her rounding … she came out of that and cleanly sailed round!
After a short period the Adieu thundered down on the committee boat, now on the wrong side of the buoy (!), to round with the Repertor hotly in her wake. I thought we were about be converted back to a mass of chopped fibre glass matting… The good old Centaur after a long reach out into the Thames came down on the pin perfectly to turn for home and chase her sisters home. I wish she’d fully hoisted her topsail though … I could hear the echo of my father’s voice,”…get it up…” from years beforehand.
Inside the river the Edith May caught up with and overtook the Cambria. Niagara was by then snapping at the Cambria’s transom. The order astern had largely settled and hardly seemed to change from the vantage point aboard the committee boat.
Niagara accelerating past the Cambria.
On the committee boat it was decided to ‘watch’ the three leaders. We had to be on station too for the finish timings too… Looking back the Edme could be seen crowding on sail, not her biggest suit, but she had eight bits of cloth up on her slender spars… She was catching up, “Be in Pinup when the first finishes…” I told my mate when asked what I thought.
Got it … and I’m not letting go, she sighed…
Approaching Sharpness the Niagara seemed to find wind and she literally accelerated past the Cambria closing the gap on Edith May. All the way down Kethole a mere few barge lengths separated them. Clearing Oakham Ness both barges surged along the edge of the deep water channel, the, strangely, held close to Kingsnorths old coal jetty … both lost wind. However, the Niagara closed to within tea passing distance and as they cleared the lee of the giant building the Niagara was seemingly trying to climb aboard the Edith May (A lift perhaps!). It was exciting stuff, but surely tense on the two vessels fighting for that little extra.
The die was set as the two swept round into Gillingham Reach. Niagara took a line along the edge of the yacht moorings on the Hoo Island shore and held her slender lead to the finish, beating Edith May by just on a minute. Followed by Cambria and Edme…
It was then a case of settling down and timing each finisher over…
Adieu, one of the most strikingly pretty barges afloat, crosses the line…
Coasters: 1st, Cambria; 2nd, Lady Daphne, 3rd Lady of the Lea, 4th, Centaur.
Staysails: 1st, Niagara; 2nd, Edith May; 3rd, Marjorie; 4th, Repertor.
Bowsprits: 1st, Edme; 2nd, Adieu.
Seamanship: For a ‘model’ sail, Cambria.
A good match between these grand old ladies. Nine starters, nine finished. No accidents and nothing broken or anyone hurt … a good day. Well done to all…
One of the Edme crew receiving one of their trophies from Christobel Ardley…
A sailing friend who we (That’s the mate and me) have a lot of time for, and his mate too of course, contacted this week with news that they have sadly put their lovely Finesse 24, Josie, up for sale.
The boat is sail/hull number 63 and was built at the same time, more or less, as our Whimbrel. I was away at sea so Alan Platt wasn’t going to be launching our new boat until the spring of 1984, but Josie went away as soon as completed. Until she pitched up in the Ray channel of Chalkwell a couple of summers back I hadn’t seen her for 30 years.
Josie at her mooring in Oare Creek, near Faversham, Kent.
Josie’s previous owner did a huge amount of work on the hull of the boat and she has fabulous topsides. That owner sold the boat on to the current owner who sold his Finesse 21 at the same time … unfortunately they miss the F21, although loving the additional volume and the standing headroom… Funny old world.
It is clearly obvious that the owner has done a huge amount of work to cabin side varnish work…
The owner can be contacted on: grahamhadaway@lineone.net and full details can be obtained.
The boat is also listed on a boat sales company site.
Both pictures courtesy of Graham Hadaway, who is currently exploring possibilities…
I recently added to my collection of ‘east coast’ literature in the form of Frances B. Cooke’s, London to Lowestoft published in 1906 by Imray, Laurie, Norie & Wilson, Ltd. It was a book I had little knowledge of until spotted in a book sellers listing and although I have yet to read it, it seems a little gem.
My copy of Frances B. Cooke’s London to Lowestoft…
Although it is subtitled ‘A cruising guide to the East Coast’ it has only two chartlets within. Both have sparse information. This seems strange for such a book, but it was published in a different age. The preface mentions that the ‘articles’ were originally written for the ‘marine-motorist’ for they were originally written for the magazine, Motor Boat. Messum’s East Coast Rivers was the coastal pilot of the time and it’ll be interesting to see if it was referenced, it being published in 1903.
The narrative reads as an informative story detailing things to watch for and what Cooke himself had seen… There are some fascinating old pictures and sketches of the types of navigation buoys then around our coasts. Until read, I can’t say more, other than I’m looking forward to it (after I’ve finished Hardy’s, The Trumpet Major!) and it will probably travel to Scotland’s western Isles’ where I’m going sailing with my good mate soon…
My mate has added it to her list of books to read too, so I’d better hide it!
Ah yes, further thoughts…
My sailing club, the Island Yacht Club, is building up quite a band of wooden craft. The berthing is suitable and has been for an age, but I believe it is the facilities available within the confines of the club’s grounds which enhance this – this essentially applies to all type of craft however.
There are now three active Finesse 24s, Calluna (until recently, of Poole), Gypsy and my Whimbrel. The latest to come in on the tide is Calluna, owned by a local couple who bought her last autumn and had her brought up by road from Poole Harbour. She has been in the Dauntless yard for the winter: the chap’s membership was awaiting processing when his boat appeared!
Sailing back towards our creek on Friday, my mate and I spotted Calluna entering the creek. Sailing under jib towards our mooring I saw that the boat had berthed next to Gypsy, my mooring neighbour. My mate grinned broadly at me, confiding later that she wondered if the mooring officer had deliberately berthed ‘us three’ together … apparently not. Another boat was sitting in Calluna’s berth. Perhaps I should have a friendly word with that club officer!
I didn’t have my camera with me … but later, whilst doing a spot of varnish jobs, I did.
The Island YC’s three Finesse 24s…
A look back at the sweet lines of three ladies…
The other two new arrivals are Dick Durham’s Wendy May, a gaff cutter, and a Seaking (a 28′ version, I believe) who’s name I currently do not know – but will soon, surely. The Seaking is owned by a dapper gentleman of considerable age of around 89, who has been an able member of the club’s work party for sometime, and his grandson – a little younger!
It is clear that the boat is in need of a good refit and work on that started as soon as she was settled onto her chocks.
I’m not an expert on these craft by any means. They have their fans, but for me they lack the sweetness of line that the Finesse range have. They are much flatter in the bilge too with a ‘big’ boxy transom with barely any tuck to the stern frame. A fine cruising craft she clearly is and after her sojourn ashore she’ll soon be in splendid shape too!
Work in hand… Note the flatness of her bottom.
Ah, so back to Cooke…
I have often wondered what Frances B. Cooke thought about some of these ‘modern’ wooden craft – craft that were around in his lifetime, albeit towards the end of his 102 years on earth… Cooke was quite uncomplimentary about shoal draft craft in his Practical Yachting Hints – something I have mentioned in one particular chapter in my book being published this year. He was a man of huge knowledge and common sense, but in his views on this matter, I profoundly disagreed!
I’d have loved to have had a chat…
Two things came up together this year, however one, the symposium, was booked months ago so that was that really. The other was the AGM of the Society for Sailing Barge Research (SSBR) which was being held in Gravesend on Saturday…
I went alone to the last event two years ago. My good mate had booked but had fallen ill … spending the day under the sheets! Yesterday we travelled up together (on a date!). She thoroughly enjoyed the event for it covered much social history as well as yards, the men and some ships. It was a good day…
There were papers on:
1. John Dudman and the Grove Street Dockyard, Deptford. It was based immediately upstream of the old naval yard currently ‘buried’ under Convoys Wharf and subject to a planning application for des-res flats etc.
This was facinating stuff by a man, Chris Elmers, who has been heavily involved with the river and its history for many years becoming a key element of the Museum of Docklands…
2. Royal Shipbuilding on the Thames 1509-47 by Dr. Ian Friel. This was one of the drier ones but fascinating all the same: it covered the period immediately prior to the establishment of proper naval shipyards or dockyards as they were to become known as … a word not in general use until the late 17th century…
3. Charles II and Shipbuilding at Deptford. This is the yard sitting beneath the ‘Convoys’ wharf site a little upstream of Deptford Creek.
Old dockyard buildings on the Convoys wharf site – grade 2 listed. Note similarity to those at Chatham.
The Talk covered a little about the yard and how it was laid out then moved onto an amazing project that has been quietly getting underway, but still very much in the gestation stage. The plan is to get the developer involved in the project to connect the community with its old yard and waterfront. Deptford has suffered from being the close neighbour of Greenwich, yet it is itself a place of great historic importance too and much overlooked. It suffers from the ‘inner city’ problem too. A french project in a similar type of place has transformed the town, bringing in investment and tourists.
So, the plan is to build a replica of the first ship constructed in the Stuart building programme iniated in 1677 by Charles II. This was HMS Lenox – see below…
The two sides to an information card…
Preliminary discussions with the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) have been fruitful. Interesting!
4. There then followed a paper by Professor Andrew Lambert on the fascination of Turner with the sea and what he was actually depicting during the troublesome Napoleonic period. Apparently, the canny artist’s pictures were essentially aimed at boosting Britain and pasting France!
Some of Turner’s output were Medway and Thames paintings – of waters he knew well. The famous Temeraire and tug picture was explained in that it was the tug, a steam driven vessel, which was the key feature, not the rotting old ship. It displayed British technology on a river producing the new generation of warships… Art eh! Wonderful!
5. This was followed by a fascinating insight by three Parsee Indians (high birth) from families who ran yards in Bombay. These were Jehangeer Nowrogee, Hirjebhoy Merwanjee and Ardaseer Cursetjee. The three gentlemen spent a couple of years studying aspects of naval architecture, shipbuilding and methods. This knowledge was taken back to the yards in the then East India ‘run’ India.
Indian yards built many ships of the line, one of which the Trincomalee is still afloat and rigged up in Hartlepool Docks Museum.
Loved this – brilliant.
6. Des Pawson, a man known of by many east coasters and those beyond for his knowledge and books on knots and rope work, then talked about the London men and women who made the tools needed by sailmakers…
It was stated that Des was a sail maker by the announcer, but this was news to me. The need le manufacturing trade was driven from Londo and went to Bromwich in the midlands in the 14th C. However, it appears that some London makers survived: it was largely a cottage industry. ‘London’ needles were highly regarded!
Enjoyable.
The Docklands History Group leader summing up at the end…
7. A paper by Stuart Rankin & Dr. Roger Bowen, on the King & Queen Foundry near where the Surrey Canal entrance sits today followed. This firm amongst other things experimented with superheated steam in the 1830s – revolutionary stuff. Their forgings were essential in the growth of steam engines, rods and shafts being their speciality. Forged links became important in railway bridge building too … the paper was delivered by a secondary, who’d worked on it because the originator was ill… It lacked some essential excitement, but was educational.
8. Now this next one was a gem. A doctor (GP) came across a 50 page manuscript owned by a friend. It was written by the friend’s grandfather who had been a Cubitt Town shipbuilder. This was Dudgeons, a prolific shipbuilder virtually second only to Thames Iron Works by Bow Creek for a number of years.
The company built the first twin engined twin screw steam ships – these were fast and manoeuvrable vessels. Many went across to the Confederate States during their conflict (which still seems to be going on…) with the Northern States… The firm also built a ship with water jet propulsion – it worked, but didn’t catch on. Now of course for small shallow draft specialist craft it is almost standard.
9. There was a last paper on the steam coaster Robin… That is the ship which had a pipe load of dosh from Crossrail and the National LF to be dressed up and stuck up on a lighter. As far as I am concerned she is nothing more than a ‘gimmick’ however … the trustees are in need of funds to finish the job to be able to attract visitors … now here lies the problem.
I read’Cutty Sark’ … it will not be a ship.
I remember a barge, the little Seagull II stuck up on a plynth above the Thames until an enlightened man came along and had her taken to Gillingham … she could well be sailing again this year … is there a lesson here?
A Thames skiff – working boat, restored and exhibited outside the lecture theatre…
We had a great day…
Calluna is Nick Hann’s ‘new’ barge yacht… See: http://nickardley.com/barges-in-ditch-crawlers-patch/
Well, Nick has been hard at work over the autumn and winter.
Whilst catching a sail on the best of the bank holiday days yesterday I came across Nick testing his autopilot. Passing, we chatted for a bit … he’s not tested the shower yet, but his mate soon will be! The topmast is still to be fitted and mainsail bent on.
This steel sensation has had her chunky wheelhouse removed and replaced with a conventional spray hood arrangement. Nick still has some work to do on hull paintwork, but there is time enough for that!
She looked a treat.
Calluna puttering past Whimbrel…
Having got a jib up on its roller gear, I watched as Nick slackened the hoist to enable a lashing to be reached, hoist up again and then heave on the out haul to tension the sail’s luff … his barge was away, her first sail for a very long time: her gear was stored by previous owners…
The Calluna under sail off the end of Two Tree Island.
The Calluna is going to be a credit to her type and, probably, be around the Lower Thames area for a long time – I hope!
My publisher, well one of them, has recently brought out The Jottings of a Thames Estuary Ditch-crawler as an ebook.
See: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nick-Ardley/e/B0034NL7IY
Also see: https://www.amberley-books.com/community-nick-ardley
That means all three titles with Amberley Publishing are now available as electronic books.
My ‘books’ page will be amended!
Yes, wishing one was actually out on the water and not merely sitting upon it are two different things. Both can be pleasurable for two reasons … sailing – puttering along if a motty boat – or sitting back with a pot of tea… neither of those were ours today: it was time to get down to more work!
So, instead of our usual Sunday afternoon long walk in the countryside of Essex, we headed down to our creek and settled down to an honest bit of sanding aboard our Whimbrel. First I set the good mate too below, sanding the white work in our hanging and clothing locker. She just loves those tight spaces! Then she joned me out on deck to sand dopwn the varnished cabin sides…
The mate comes outside to join me…
Many boats passed us by as we worked away, ranging from a Dutch barge, motorised, a varied selection of motor boats, ribs and a dinghy with a dad and young child reaching out in light conditions… The job was done though. Now it is all ready for coating later in the week.
The mate has moved forward … nearly done!
Going ashore we bumped into a chap working on his Finesse 24 too. We found David Parsons running masking tape around his deck paint edges ready for recoating … he’s been out for several weeks and is due back in shortly. His boat, Gypsy, looks very fine indeed!
It was so different last weekend: we had a day up in town (London for us…). There were a couple of items that we’d spotted in the press worth going and looking at.
The first was a display at the British Library about the North West Passage: it was excellent. From there we did a ‘London walk’ from the St Pancras area down through to St James’ area, then down to the Thames and along to the Embankment Gardens and the last surviving watergate… Finally we made our way up to the National Gallery (of England??) for an exhibition about the Impressionists – brilliant!
A beer or two was needed after all of that … then a light supper before heading for home. A great day out.
During our wanderings we happened to pass in Shaftesbury Avenue the open door of Arthur Beale, yacht chandler, established over 400 years ago as a ship chandlers.
Front page of Spring Watch 2015 – Arthur Beale…
I was able to make a purchase too: I needed some whipping twine! This emporium, stocked with all a boater needs has the unmistakable scent of stockholm tar about it… This is from ‘tarred’ twine carried for those that need it. I have some in my locker: it has its uses – not least for making grommets to go under the heads of keel bolts!
If passing through, this place is well worth looking into.
Oh yes, we both have sore fingers…
For a little while I have been hard at work on a long running project, tidying up in readiness and in expectation of great progress … so, some excellent news: at the end of last week a contract for this next book was signed with Fonthill Media.
The book is due to be published in time for Christmas.
There will be more on this soon…
The Mate is over the moon … so am I!
Before our little clinker sloop even went over to Faversham for keel bolt renewals her cockpit floor boards were in need of some attention, by the time she sailed into her mooring at the Island Yacht Club they could be ignored no longer … but first I did the cabin floor boards – the easier of the tasks. However, even with those, some filling a fairing was needed.
Whimbrel’s floor boards are the same ones fitted when boat was built in 1983/4. Time has been catching up on the edges: the boards are marine ply. Some softening on the undersides where they sit on the bearers has occurred. They’ve also suffered minor top face damage to upper laminate along the edges. “Nothing that can’t be fixed” I said to my Mate.
The last time they came home for ‘a going over’ the Mate was still a school teacher so she missed all the efforts needed of removal from boat to car … she’s up to speed now!
Once home boards were scraped, sanded and cleaned to reveal areas needing filling or edge dressing with an epoxy and filler ball paste… All of this work was completed during a week of neap tides, 6 and 6s I call them. Okay in the summer, but not at the back end of winter.
Floor boards after bottoms were painted…
After a final sand all were primed/undercoated. Finally, top and bottom were given deck and grey respectively…
The finished boards…
One bit I’ve failed to mention is an accident with my paint pot … it got in the way of a foot. Pot lost the debate and the resulting mess stain can b seen. I’ve still to wire brush the paint away!
A few days later I was out on the water again…
The Island YC boat pound with its forest of spars as viewed from the water.
Around my club’s yard owners are (at last) getting down to the work needed to get their boats back into the water. Time before programmed lift in weekends is getting shorter. The normal complaint is, “It’s been raining” or “It’s been too cold” None of that is, of course, pertinent this year: the weather has been generally kind.
I also popped into the Dauntless yard to pick up a couple of stainless bolts to fit an item of equipment. There in the yard sits the areas latest returning Finesse 24. She’s due to join the little fleet down at my club. The owner was busy on the under side of his boat’s bottom… The Mate was with me and we went aboard for a look – nice chap the owner – seems to be a Finesse trait, on the whole . Something he’s said to me gave me a kick: he blames ‘me’ for his purchase of the boat! Erm… a couple of other owners have said the same thing.
Here sits a class of three thirds … one not started, one ready and the other for sale…
Back down my end of Canvey Island, I’ve spotted work taking place around the ‘buttocks’ of a lovely little gaff cutter, Wendy May owned by a recently retired member of the Yachting Monthly team … “Going in soon”…. the owner told me, adding, “…trying for a mid week launch…” Now, I’d briefed him about slipping in for this … now he has the time. This owner got on with his work ages ago … he’s an ‘old timer’ of sorts being brought up when boats were boats!
Wendy May, a fine gaff cutter, with her owner about to board. She’s a recent arrival at the Island YC, boosting the number of traditional craft here…
Gypsy, a fine Finesse 24, recently came out of the water for antifouling, varnish repairs and a bit of work on a deck edge where his ‘caring’ mooring neighbour clouted the boat…
I’ve ben busy on the inside of Whimbrel too. Time is approaching when it will be safe to start touching up my varnish work … the cabin sides, sheerstrake and transom are to be full coated this season. Lots of sanding for my Mate!
