Well, it had to be done … the night before I’d been at the Oval cricket ground watching Essex dismantle Surrey, though reading the report in The Times, I was clearly at a different match, however… In the Medway barge match and the others that take place during the season, reporting tends to of a more accurate nature … Surrey’s team of allstars including ‘KP’ struggled to 151 … the great man thumped a sure six straight down the ground … only for it to be snatched from the air. The Surrey fans were up on their feet waving ‘6’ banners … the catch was met with a huge chorus of jublation around the ground – was this a home game, I thought as I stood chanting for Essex! Essex looked on course to knock these off in around 15 overs, but still strolled to a grand victory.  Hey Ho!

KP in full flow – second ball – before lofting a catch!

Early on Saturday, a little bleary eyed, we arrived at the boat and were away from our mooring in Smallgains Creek a little before high water. We made a fast passage across to the Medway and made comfortably over the ebb inwards. I had to tack near Cockleshell Beach: I wasn’t going to clear the Gas Jetties sticking out into the slackish water here … Going across to Blackstakes the sky, a uniform grey with a sun peaking out earlier had turned a deep blue/black … I called to my mate, below, that we needed to reef. It was a good call for we were soon bucking short sharp seas that threw up showers of stinging salt – the mate muttered (a little) about what we were doing. My mind was on the barges approaching from the murk ahead of us…

The fleet approaches off Burntwick Island – note the rain bouncing off cabin top! Fleet then led by Niagara, followed by Cambria with Edith May chasing (she caught up quickly…) then there was the EDME…

Edith May sweeps past the Cambria in the squall…

We were soon amongst the barge fleet broad reaching towards us at some speed led by the ‘Medway Queen’ the Niagara, closely followed by the lovely Edith May… Cambria and Edme were hot on their heels with Adieu, and then Repertor, strangely, lagging behind. Her anchor seemed to be below her forefoot: surely a hand brake of sorts … I saw four men eventually heave it up… By then the rain shower and squall had gone a brightness quickly followed. It lit the Repertor wonderfully…

EDME powering past as the rain went as suddenly as it had come…

The Mirosa…

The Adieu…

The ‘hand brake’ was now off…

We were following by then, and I slid over towards the ‘no go area’ off the gas jetties to give the Repertor more room. I hope her skipper noticed! A Finesse sloop hasn’t a hope of keeping up with a barge in the conditions and with a reef in we pottered on behind with the Centaur slowly overhauling us … we caught her up for a short while, then she went away and all were gone. I shook our reef out…

The fleet heads out past Sheerness (Garrison Point)…

We then followed out to No.4 buoy. By then the sun was beaming down on us from a blue sky filled with fluffy white clouds. Beautiful…

I watched as all the barges rounded, some clearly doing better than others. The EDME then powered up and began to out run her sisters with Mirosa gamely hanging on. I was pleased to see Edith May make up on the Niagara (I’m not biased…) and, it has been reported, win her class.

Perfect sailing weather…

A big well done to all participants should be recorded … I was a little saddened to see a similar sized fleet sitting quietly in St Katharine Dock on Friday afternoon … clearly they weren’t going to take part. Why? Wouldn’t it have been grand to have seen fourteen … sixteen barges out there. Oh well!

Oh yes … I left my new panama hat at the cricket ground … the mate is going to buy me a new one, saying, “as long as you enjoyed yourself…” It was a great two days!

I’ve mentioned the Finesse Rally at Chatham Marina over the recent Bank Holiday weekend, but that was just the first part of our mini cruise covering six days. The mate was in raptures: in the past ‘school reports’ have hung like the sword of Damocles over her head taking up the largest portion of a schools nine day break, with the weekends. For me it is bliss too. When I worked as an engineer officer deep sea I missed most of those traumas!

During our stay in the marina I took the opportunity to take a good look at the fleet of Dunkirk Little Ships that were also meeting over the weekend. Whilst many of the boats are relatively robust and clearly intended for sea/coastal passages, what is so surprising is that so many of the craft are so small. It did mean of course that these little motor boats were able to reach into the shallows to pluck so many weary soldiers off the beaches, but even so. The operators were clearly brave people indeed. It was treat to view them from close hand…

Looking over the fleet of Dunkirk Little Ships…

Anyway, upon leaving Chatham’s safe enclosure we cast ourselves to the ways of the tidal world again, making a passage to the South Deep. It always surprises me to note that, when one has to go down to the Fowley Spit buoy, it is 19 nautical miles… The last part of our journey was somewhat drizzly and making fast to one of the marina buoys and getting the cockpit boom tent over was a blessing!

On the way down river off St Mary’s Island we spied our old friends aboard their barge, the Edith May, with a group of day trippers enjoying the waterway. Leaving them astern we cut straight through the back of Hoo Island – before that I’d failed to see the secretary of the Medway & Swale Boating Association waving wildly at me from his ketch … I’ve humbly apologised after it was mentioned in rally correspondence!

Working sail on the river…

After a quiet night in the company of a rather dapper Dunkirk Little Ship we sailed under jib up to Conyer, for a rest day at the Swale Marina. I’d promised the mate a dinner at the refurbished Ship Inn: rally organising is just a little stressful and ‘she’ deserved a treat… Getting into our berth we had a minor hiccup, an unusual event on our part I must say, but we’ll come to that later.

Sailing, under jib, up Conyer in a light drizzle … the sun was trying too!

After a very pleasant evening at the Ship and another quiet night we departed for Queenborough after saying goodbye to the always helpful staff at the marina. Wind in our favour the sails were hoisted by the time we were passing the house barge at the old Conyer Marine site. With the sun doing its best to break through the cloud layer we turned across the Swale in a series of long tacks, shore to shore, keeping ahead of the sailing barge Greta, short tacking by Elmley to let them through… It was grand.

After a protracted wait for the bridge – maintenance – we still made Queenborough in good time. No sooner was the dear little ship tethered and we were rowing ashore for some fresh stores … for a delicious coq-au-vin. The club wasn’t open it seemed that evening so we stayed aboard enjoying a tranquil evening … the tender had a run out, of course.

Meeting an old friend round the Swale – Windsong of Leigh

Our last day dawned resplendently bathed in sunshine. The mooring was cast off around seven with the engine silent and we crept away quietly to beat the fresh flood out of the Medway’s entrance, before bearing away for our home shores. It was a grand sail. Nearing Southend Pier the mate was sitting on the foredeck, legs dangle overboard, watching for Porpoises or any other sea creature. She was in raptures! We did see a group of seals though, in their usual place, on the side of the Ray Sands. We brought up, nudging the bow onto the shallows, just above them. I went over the side, water felt surprisingly warm for time of year – as we found out the week before when scrubbing and antifouling the boat’s bottom… I wanted to scrub the marina grime from the sides.

Searching the sea…

Later, after coffee and cake we sailed away from the anchorage and went directly into Smallgains Creek, shooting the sail down short of our mooring … we nosed in … within ten minutes we were tied up. Both were exhilarated…

Earlier, when over the side, I was able to get a ‘proper’ look at ‘our little hiccup’ of a few days earlier. Going into our berth I got caught by a cross current and the wash from a big motor yacht on the approach. Seeing it was going to go ‘wrong’ I went full astern and scuffed my rubbing strake on the thick hard edge of a GRP yacht’s transom. No damage to the other boat, thank goodness: I feel bad enough anyway… Our damage was skin deep. A bruise… It’s been cut out and small graving piece let in, glued and screwed … with several coats of varnish already.

The ‘patch’ will act as a reminder that although ‘we’ have sailed Whimbrel for thirty-one years, the thirty-second still shows that one’s awareness needs to be constant!

www.edithmaybargecharter.co.uk

www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/mdl-chatham-maritime-marina

www.swalemarina.co.uk

Wow, did we ever have a fantastic rally again with weather that was, for a Bank Holiday weekend, reasonable. The weather controls so much of our lives and we had a good share of the sunshine around.

Mariette joins Whimbrel in Stangate Creek…

We had three boats collecting in Stangate Creek – Whimbrel, Mariette, both F24s, and Ivy May, a F21 – and enjoyed a pre-dinner drink with nibbles together. There were six squeezed into Whimbrel’s main cabin…  Two F21s, Alwen O Wynt and Seamew made it to Queenborough. Moon Song, a F24 went straight up to Chatham. I had a rather lovely after supper sail in Whimbrel’s tender as the evening closed in…

The three ‘Pickles’ from Mariette and Ivy May aboard Whimbrel…

On Saturday, the Stangate crowd set of a little later than ‘planned’ with the two other boats going on ahead. The three of us sailed up in a line to the Lock at Chatham’s MDL marina and locked in with Seamew… I was a colourful and exciting sigh with many sightseers loitering around the locks railings… We soon berthed with the two other craft. Penny of Leigh, a F21, joined a little later along with Martha IV.

Whimbrel arriving… Mark Milsom.

The assembled fleet before Martha IV arrived. By Mark Milsom F24 Pippit, based at Pin Mill.

A convivial BBQ was enjoyed with some seven other boat crews who had travelled by road. The ‘rally cake’ was cut by Terry Cotgrove, Penny, and daughter Zara. Terry has owned Penny since her build 46 years ago … a fitting tribute, we all felt.

On Sunday there was a relaxed day with plenty to interest punters: a dragon boat race event was taking place in the middle basin of the old dockyard. Some took the opportunity to visit the historic yard museum, others nattered and snoozed… Alan Fuller, yard manager up at Robertsons of Woodbridge also visited and was delighted to see so many well maintained craft  he loves wood!

The Rally Fleet early on Sunday morning…

A Chinese buffet meal was enjoyed that evening, as before…

As the evening moved on people drifted to their bunks … most were off early. We left around 1100…

It was a great event, as said. I’d loved to have seen more of the class present. We have yet to entice a F28 out to join in. Do please come along…

Thoughts were aired about next time. All want one. With my mate we have given ourselves the task to organise the next … then it’ll be a job open to another.

See also:

http://www.eastcoasteventsguide.co.uk/events/event-report-catch-up-on-what-has-happened

http://msba.org.uk/?p=1611

The all tide landing is up and running again … this will be good news for many people.

On my last visit we resorted to using the concrete hard … a return to life as it used to be. Exciting…! See earlier post of 6th May 2014.

Well done to all concerned.

See: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Queenborough-Harbour-Trust/113577585430643

The Clipper Yachts in Queenborough last September with the GB entry alongside the All Tide Landing.

See also, http://msba.org.uk/?p=1591 which has ‘just’ gone up…

One of the joys of sailing is the chance of meeting living history out on the water.

Last Friday I had the absolute pleasure of meeting the little Cygnet, a farm barge originally built in 1881 by Curel of Strood. She’s a 16 nrt vessel of around 41 feet. I love her… Des, her skipper, was on a ‘jolly’ prior to sailing into Leigh to attend the AGM of the Society for Sailing Barge Research which was held on Saturday at the Leigh-on-Sea Sailing Club.

Meeting the girl…

Looking back at the Cygnet as she passes General Booths Wharf, Benfleet Creek.

However, these joys come at a price: at some point in our year the boat has to go onto the hard for a srub, scrape and antifoul… My mate loves it … it is written into our marriage constitution, amongst other things!

So, here she is, good mate that she is, getting down to it…

Ah yes, on Sunday afternoon, it ws a good time to do some scraping… Then that side was painted, of course.

On Monday morning, around 0530 we arrived back down our creek to heel the boat over the other side and start again – the mate right in it!

And soon the job was nearly done … last bit, the boot top … always my task, but that’s for Tuesday; the mate gets a rest, bless her…  People tell meI’m a lucky man: how many boating wives do this?

All boaters know this story, or one similar – we all love it, don’t we!

The Sea-change trust made it into the Braintree Times a few days ago, see:

http://www.braintreeandwithamtimes.co.uk/news/north_essex_news/11152153.Mayland_charity_plans_to_build_first_new_Thames_sailing_barge_in_84_years/

This is exciting because at last the ‘daily’ press are beginning to get intereated, perhaps, next it will be The Times…

Also on the trust web site is a sprinkling of other exciting news, one especially is the moving on of one of their clients to the International boat building college in Lowestoft.

https://www.facebook.com/SeaChangeSailingTrust/photos/a.109161749122994.5306.109159015789934/708357669203396/?type=1&theater

Two pictures of the trust sailing the Reminder up towards the Hythe at Maldon in 2012. The foresail ws dropped as soon as the barge had gone through the tack to prevent her head falling away … it was a delight to watch each tack … what work for the crew, but this is how it used to be done before the humble engine appeared on the scene. I remember the euphoria of one of the young crew…

The news I’m longing to hear is the signing of a contract for the new barge hull… On this front there was some spurious news about this in the current issue of the SSBR Mainsheet magazine, which has been ‘scotched’ – it being that the barge was to be built in Poland! Nothing wrong with that, but after-build transportation is too expensive I’m told.

For once the early May bank holiday weekend came with the finest weather for many years. We had the boat ready for Friday, but went instead on the Saturday afternoon, when the conditions were idyllic, with a wish for a little more breeze: diesel had to be consumed on our trip across the Thames, however, the breeze took us into the entrance to the Swale … dropping sail as we neared the old steamer jetty ruins.

The place did not look very busy for a holiday weekend. The reason, we soon saw, was that the floating pontoon was not yet back in service. Later ashore I talked to the Queenborough YC commodore. He assured me that work was ongoing and would be completed in around 2-3 weeks. So, possibly it will be there by the time he ‘Whitsun’ holiday comes round. When the duty harbour master came round for the mooring fee on Sunday morning he too assured me that work was planned for completion by end of month. Additionally h said that the heavy duty pontoon which is to be anchored to the north of the current hammer-head had yet to be towed up from Gosport. This, I was told, would be linked to the original and served by electricity points and water…

The hammer head still disconnected…

A couple of boats came past us a little after we picked up a mooring, loudly complaining about the lack of a trot boat … one chap had a dog to walk! Always out with our dinghy we had no problems getting ashore at the old concrete hard … it was good enough until recent times! Tides were sweet for us too, being a 2200 low water… Why don’t more tow a dinghy knowing of the situation here… Queenborough is a grand place to drop into, but it does need that floating shore access…

The plan had been to wend our way upriver to Upnor: it is a place often visited at this time of the year; however, we’ve not made it for two season starts. We didn’t again because the wind, what there was, was fickle and light. It didn’t take long to decide upon working our way up into lower Halstow, drop ashore for a glass, and find a spot for the night in Stangate… We largely motor sailed to the entrance to Stangate where we met Windsong of Leigh, a ‘fellow’ Finesse 24 just recently sold to a man from the Leicester way who plans on keeping the boat at Blakeney Point, Norfolk.

Leaving our new found friend behind the engine was silenced and we proceeded to drift and sail up with the tide. It was mostly sailing: a gentle breeze kept coming from all sorts of directions, making a close reach fun! On the way we passed our ‘old’ friend Doris with her skipper dancing round her decks, half naked, in the fine weather … we exchanged pleasantries and slowly parted. The pace was slow, but time was with us on this dawdle towards Lower Halstow.

Doris and Denis…

Passing the wasted remnants of the once large island of saltings that ran parallel with Twinney and Lower Halstow creeks I spotted what looked like a bit of barge bottom below the clay cliff. On reflection I wondered if it was the base of an old hut used by clay diggers … can anyone tell me. The mate had gone below to get out of the sun, for a while … looking below I spied her fast asleep. It really was a lazy sail!

The remains of a clay diggers hut?

After another hour, yes, an hour, and after passing the spritsail barge Westmoreland in her floating dock tethered to the Edith May’s mooring buoy, I was working Whimbrel through the Lower Halstow moorings, tacking from around 1m to 1m crossing the gut each time – so I knew where it was. Just short of a mooring outside the dock we slid to a halt. By the time the sails were dropped and the mate’s slumbers terminated we were able to putter up to the buoy…

Sailing close past the Westmoreland.

After a glass at a pub of my merry youth, the Three Tuns, we ran gently away. That was until a good breeze popped up from the sea and we enjoyed our first real sail of the weekend! Our anchor was dropped a little north of Chetney Island – a lovely spot, but the bottom is hard here and the wary makes sure the anchor has bitten firmly!

Monday, we enjoyed our breakfast underway while sailing sedately down Saltpan Reach into Sheerness Reach. Near the North Kent, the mate suddenly shouted, “Dolphin…!” and sure enough there was, in fact we’re certain we saw two individuals – these will have been harbour porpoises, surely!

Not the easiest of things to catch… Harbour porpoise in the Medway.

Apart from clonking our centre plate on something sailing over the Grain Flats (I’d strayed inside the 2m line a little…) we enjoyed a lovely sail back to the Ray Channel … dropping anchor to the west of where the seal colony collects off Westcliff.

After I’d gone round the boats underwater parts, down from the water line with a broom, we, the mate and I, had a wander, hand in hand over the sands to the ‘Thames’ edge… It’s just something we do … yes we had a good time!

Last year in the early part of January (2013) I was approached by the Island Yacht Club commodore, Valerie Dean, with a request for a PhD student from Kingston University, Surrey, regarding the availability of a platform for a film. The student, Mitch Panayis, had two projects on the go – one to be completed for last summer’s East End (of London) film festival and the one I got wrapped up in…

Mitch came down to the ‘Island’ and I took him for a sail off the point and up Benfleet Creek: he wanted the mystic marshland views which dominate below Hadleigh downs. With that out of the way we settled on a week when the tides were ‘right’ and all we needed was a good window…

Mitch Panayis directs…

The film is set around the 2012 Olympics … man is forced out of home … decamps to Canvey after falling out with his dad … falls out with himself … finds a boat and finds himself… ‘Reg Hollis’ was the ‘odd man’ … this is of course, in real life, Jeff Stewart. There was a ‘Moll’ from Brazil, but I didn’t meet her!

Whimbrel in control of an actor…

On the day of the filming a host of bodies appeared… The mate stayed ashore to look after a film party filming the boat leaving the creek (With me below, out of sight, issuing guidance…) motor-sailing in a chilly south-easterly. We went here there and everywhere, doing this and that and wanting more… Eventually we got up as far as the Benfleet YC. The final part was two characters telling jokes and bantering as the boat jogged homewards into Smallgains under jib … by then the helm was ‘competent’ to be left alone: I sat up on the cabin top giving the odd instruction – easy sailing… Jeff said that he’d had a fantastic day on the water – never sailed before!

The two main characters sailing Whimbrel back into Smallgains Creek … with ‘Reg Hollis’ at the helm!

I asked for no financial benefit other than a donation to a charity of my choice and this was promised… The cheque was a long time in coming for Mitch is still a student! But come it did… It was more than I expected and I have donated it to the Sea-change Sailing Trust, with a little extra to help those good people on their way… So cheers, Don, ‘Stretch’, Hilary, Richard and many more besides… Thank you Mitch.

For me and my mate, both essentially retired, it was great to be able to give something back to some students. These aspiring film makers, the whole team, worked hard and coped within the confines of a 7.32 metre vessel … bobbing a little in the popple of an ‘easterly’ running up over the Ray Sands. The film is still being worked on…

Some of Mitch’s work can be seen at: http://madeinshoreditch.co.uk/2013/06/25/east-end-film-festival/

And: http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Stratford_London/film/East_End_Film_Fest_We_Aint_Stupid/

His company, Hot Wings films, could be the one to watch!

I will let you all know when the film comes out…

Ah yes… Even in deepest ‘land locked’ Paris boats are a feature of city life as they are in London. There are odd collections of live-aboards right in the middle of the city, most have an aura of ‘in use’ and I doubt if the city ‘fathers’ would want it to be any different.

I spotted a vessel that had a familiar look. I’m sure I’ve seen her before, out on the water, during a Swale Barge & Smack event a few seasons ago… Maybe I’m wrong. She is the Marie-Jeanne. I’ve tried ‘googling’ her, to no avail!

The barge is similar to the two masted Dutch barge that sat alongside Iron Wharf, in Faversham, for a great number of years. Another is based at Wells-next-the-Sea and used as a B&B. She is the Albatross. I believe she still sails… See: http://www.albatros.eu.com/

The owner, I presumed, of the Marie-Jeanne was busy washing down his paintwork, which looked fresh. Her spars were bereft of sails but clearly freshly varnished. I imagined her shortly departing for a dry docking and bottom spruce up, then away for the coast … for the new sailing season.

My mate had wandered off over the Henry IV (???) of France bridge towards the Ile de le cite mumbling about there being plenty of ‘boats’ back home to look at… I grinned, kissed her cheek, and conformed!

Old ships are always a delight though, where ever they’re spotted…

My home is surrounded by much woodland to the north, east and west. To the south we have the expanse of Hadleigh and Benfleet downs with Hadleigh marsh (arable and grazing) below. Within the woodland are numerous patches of the old bluebell. The woods are largely owned and maintained by the Essex Wildlife Trust and rotational coppicing is practised.

I went for an early morning stroll, with the mate of course, earlier this week around Pound Wood in Daws Heath because the early morning light catches one good bluebell patch nicely. The EWLT has an open day in these woods and you can see the details here: http://www.essexwt.org.uk/news/2014/04/15/bluebells

Bluebells in Pound Wood, Daws Heath…

While in the wood munching a croissant and sipping hot coffee I mused at the mate on the shapes of some of the trees around ‘our’ bench. The thoughts were awoken while passing some fallen trees from the October 1987 storm. There is an area that was left to sort itself out. Some of the trees which were flattened still had roots in the ground … they must have been small then, but now they’re quite a bulk with branches rising at right-angles to the ‘main’ trunk. Perfect for knees or a breast hook…

Anyway, in the main the woodland is maintained for firewood, charcoal and fencing. It was never really an oak wood, but there are a number of good sized trees which often stand alone lording it over the rough stuff below. These will be useful one day…

Reminder & Thistle operated by Top Sail Charters of Maldon… Seen here fighting for the line!

Some years ago I was talking to Top Sail Charters about their barges while booking a barge for a group event being organised by my local church – it transpired that the EWLT group from Hadleigh and Daws Heath had done a trip down the Blackwater and offered some trees to Top sail… The trees were duly felled, left to season and transported to Maldon. I believe that wood eventually went into the steel barge Thistle: inside she has a lot of timber…

Top Sail Charters can be found at: http://www.top-sail.co.uk/

Well, I can hardly go without mentioning sailing, can I… So, after our early morning walk, here is my good mate concentrating hard as she runs across from Two Tree Island shortly after I’d dropped and stowed the mainsail.

Mrs Mate at the helm…

We saw our first terns too, hopping from mooring to mooring, as we close reached up past Two Tree Island. Spring has truly arrived … the Brent geese have thinned out but there are still many munching away in the saltings, readying themselves for their northwards flight…

It was a little fresh on the water and the boat had her sides well wetted, but the sun shone. The downs have all but gone green now: the blackthorn blossom has wilted and leaf growth is in full swing. Fresh shoots of green could be seen along the salt marsh edges too – cord grass and glasswort. The water’s are no longer quiet either: we met a good ten other craft on the move – winter has definitely gone…