While aboard the Gransden’s Edith May last weekend the mate and I sat at a table which already had several people, a lady and two gentlemen, seated enjoying their luncheon. Jane Gransden, when taking our order, asked if we’d been introduced … we soon were. http://www.edithmaybargecharter.co.uk/

Ed at work…

The lady, Linda Moffat, had a connection back to my childhood time spent in Maldon during 1964: her cousin is John Prime who then owned the Gipping. My father borrowed John’s electric drill to drill pin holes in several short lengths of scaffold tube to fit in the rudder gudgeons when withdrawing the May Flower’s pin … for refurbishment.

Viewed from the May Flower on Cooks Yard Blocks, 1964, My Alice CK348 then owned by Barry Pearce and beyond her the Gipping is alongside the Hythe…

I discovered that John is well and still living in Maldon in a house that overlooks the Hythe Quay.

The other gentlemen were Linda’s husband (a church warden of St Peter & St Paul, Shorne, a river side village to the east of Gravesend – and a place I have wanted to visit for a while too) and Robin Moffat, of West Mersea Marine … his connection is the enjoyment of a copy of ‘May Flower’ recently given to him as a present… Robin has asked me to make contact when next in West Mersea… I must do this!

Wow, what a small world we live in.

It is always amazing to me: I’m of the generation that wasn’t brought up with the marvels of our modern communications age.  Our ability to say, ‘let us go out for lunch’ … must be added to this too. Shorne to Lower Halstow by public transport would have taken half a day…

We can link with people on FaceBook (plus others) and such networks as Linkedin. We communicate by email more often than we ever wrote letters, or probably telephoned … then there is the blessed mobile phone, which has now encapsulated all means of electronic communications…

Graham Bell and Marconi would be amazed, surely, or maybe not!

The last ‘Brick’ Barge… I was in Kent to do a talk for the Queenborough Yacht Club … on my barging childhood and sailing life. It was silly not to pay a visit to old friends Geoff and Jane Gransden – we saw Ed too, which was nice, scraping and priming Edith May’s decks – and had a light lunch aboard their fine vessel.

Westmoreland in her dry dock as seen from Lower Halstow’s old brickworks dock last Saturday.

The spritsail barge Westmoreland recently moved to Edith May’s mooring buoy east of Lower Halstow Dock. She had been berthed for nearly two years round in Otterham Creek at an old cement works wharf.

‘A full campaign committee is now in place…’ Geoff Gransden told me when I was talking this last weekend. ‘We are not on the committee ourselves…’ he added, referring to himself and Jane. This is for a number of reasons, not least the time needed for their own barge Edith May.

It is expected that the barge will come into the dock towards the end of the year and be berthed aft of the Edith May when she will be back on her winter lay up blocks. A National Lottery application has been, or is being, prepared now that the cooperation of the Village’s Parish Council and parishioners has been given. The Parish actually held a referendum to ensure all had a say. You can search out the Parish web site for history of this and conversations.

What the team need is public support and, more importantly, perhaps some support from a brick manufacturer or two: it was barges like the Westmoreland that built up the brick empires, many of which were ultimately sucked into larger concerns of an international flavour too.

The Westmoreland leading the staysail class away on the Medway in 1961 – my sailing home is the barge to the fore to left hand side. Barge closest to camera was the Ardeer, then to right the Arrow. Picture: Ardley family collection.

Progress can be followed and support given, see: https://www.facebook.com/ThamesSailingBargeWestmoreland

I had a thoroughly enjoyable trip to London with the good mate on Sunday. We had been invited to the official opening of the annual exhibition of the Wapping Group of Artists… It was grand.

The exhibition at the Mall Galleries is open from 1000 to 1700 until Saturday 1st March (last day closes at 1600).

If you have the time and inclination it is well worth the effort. There are a range of fantastic scenes from the banks of the Thames ranging from around Windsor down to the sea. And, as many will know, the group’s works are spread around the estuary’s rivers and creeks too: all are within its bounds.

The Mate caught on camera, in conversation, as I tried to get a general view after being given permission by a Wapping Member: ‘…all publicity is good…’ he said, laughing with a twinkle in his eye. I could visualise the dapper and slight built gentleman, at ease, over his paints translating an evocative esturial scene onto his canvas or paper, with a light breeze stirring the inter-tidal grasses around his feet and cooling his neck…

Pictures by John Powley, which I much admired…

Pictures painted by Anthony Flemming … which we both liked. Me, especially, the one to bottom lhs … a scene I have placed looking across from around Stone Point on East Mersea towards Brightlingsea, called Sea and Sky. The detail is minimal, but the mind’s eye knows of the tower … the ghost of a spritsail barge … the smudge of a smack … the dash of white of a yacht or two against the faint low faintly painted grey/green shore. I admired it greatly…

There were so many good works by artists such as Roy Hammond, Sidney Cardew and Alan Runagall (who’s hero is Vic Ellis) to name just a few more. Most were well beyond my reach – but it is exhibitions such as this that allows a fleeting glimpse of the skills displayed by artists such as these. It was a pleasure and a privilege to be there…

Go along and give yourselves a treat, if you can!

During a walk this week round ‘the Wakerings’ in Essex, a secluded and out of the way place even though Southend looms close, I came across a wharf I’d been looking for. During the walk we found something else I found a little disturbing too. It is something the authorities must, surely, be aware of…

The wharf first. Up Mill Creek (name on modern maps) leading into the back of Gt Wakering are a collection of houseboats. They sit close by Sutton Boat Yard. The collection has grown over the last decade – some are not a pretty sight! One of the vessels has recently been moved a little, but enough to see that she’d been sat alongside the remnants of an old wharf. The wharf is shown on old maps of the late 1890s … when a brick works was operating to the north of Gt Wakering. The wharf has received some basic work – to raise a portion of it where a gang plank comes ashore… The creek has been truncated for well over 120 years too, even an 1805 map shows it to have been walled off!

The remains of the original wharf can be seen to the stern of this rusty houseboat…

Further into our walk when entering the area around Fleet Head Creek (a saltings infested place) which leads off Barling/Little Wakering Creeks there was a stretch of sea wall where the sea nearly topped it during the high tides of last December… The picture below shows this clearly … water must have been running over the top. Just a few centimetres more and the wall would have been breached! Sobering indeed for the people in that low lying area…

A little more and…

It seems a long while ago now when I was in the Cotswolds with the mate on a tour of west Wessex… It was about the time of the first of the long line of lows that have struck Britain this winter. I seem to remember it came ashore in Devon and Dorset… It was a few days before I had a symbolic paddle in the River Windrush, knowing that perhaps by the time I got out sailing next I’d be in those same waters…

Paddling in the Windrush, photographed by my horrified and bemused mate last October…

Since then we’ve had storm after storm, tidal surges down the east coast and along parts of the south coast, and rain and more rain… I doubt if I’d be paddling in that tranquil spot now.

The Somerset levels have flooded, again this winter too – now here I can’t quite understand why the river at times was down, but the land flooded, and huge pumps were to be seen trying to do the impossible … what of rivulets, drains and sluices. Has the land been allowed to dry out, fen land fashion, leaving the rivers perched above. Something needs to be sorted or the land let go, but protect the inhabited ‘islands’ … many coastal and salt water river areas used to be like that…

In the mean time, amongst many other things, recently we (Me, the mate and two friends) had a wonderful day in London (Greenwich actually) viewing the current Turner Exhibition, Turner & the Sea. It runs until 21st April 2014 at the National Maritime Museum. This was brilliant … absolutely brilliant. The exhibition is split into periods and types of his works with the useful addition of works by other artists, often alongside Turner’s works.

A reproduction of a part page from brochure is below. It relates to a section of the exhibition dealing with storm works. In many ways it is rather apt (even tomorrow there are 60-70 mph winds expected all around). Against this picture I made some notes: with seas as big as Turner depicted and a ship about to be completely destroyed, no one in the curators department seemed to notice that the sprit rigged vessel – going to the rescue? – hadn’t been reefed … and has been shown under full sail. I don’t think so. Turner must have thought about it: there are a row of reef points clearly painted onto the sail, hanging ready…

Anyway, what Turner was doing was depicting, with oodles of licence, a storm and weather…

Turner’s painting – Wreck of a Transport Ship – it normally sits in the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon.

Of course, now, the news is filled with graphic pictures of the results of weather. Housing along the Thames flood plain corridor in the counties to the west of London have been inundated with water. It is a sad and thought provoking sight.

The Prime Minister has promised to throw money at the problem … I hope it doesn’t come back and bite him: much of it is not preventable unless housing can be lifted a metre or so, the land too. And if flood dams are built, where will the next floods go…? Surely, they will come again…

Boats along the ‘lost’ river banks seemed to be largely riding out the problems though… But, our thoughts have to be with all those people affected, up and down our fair land.

I ordered some books from one of my publishers recently … delivery was arranged as per normal – with specific leaving instructions to leave in a specified dry place, if out.

Upon the mate and I returning home from a weekend away, we found amongst the mail on the door mat a delivery note – out I went to check that dry place. No box of books. Instead the box had been left beside our other car, on the ground…

It rained while we were away, so the water hungry cardboard box sucked up the wet from our brick paved front. The top received a dose of water running off the car. The books were wrecked, damp and out of shape!

The worst of it was to come: apparently an unnamed man had signed for them, an hour after the time on ‘my’ note according to the supplier! The name was of no one living in our vicinity (and anyway if you sign, surely you’d take in for safe keeping…!). The delivery instructions were very clearly marked though…

After discussing with the supplier I had to remove the front piece from each book and a page from anywhere else in each book … I got the mate to do it (even she ended up in tears) … then send off to the supplier for them to know that the books had been destroyed. It was heart breaking.

I now await additional copies while they ‘sue’ the delivery firm. I thought about naming them – they deserve it.

Here are two views of the partially dried out box with a damp patch showing on top … the inside was wetish. Dampened books don’t look very nice after this treatment! Mindless!

It was with much sadness, I’m sure, that many sailors will have learnt of the death of the Reverend Christopher Coutauld, one of Britain’s finest public spirited philanthropists. Christopher died at his home in Gosfield, Essex, on the 11th January 2014. My thoughts and that of the mate are with his family.

Christopher, after initially starting training as a barrister, moved to theology and became a churchman. Christopher had a long love of the sea and the rivers and creeks that fed it, spending much time sailing on the family’s yacht, this was not hampered even by being struck down with polio, like so many others of the period, as a youngster.

When Christopher’s father died the family yacht, Duet, was left to him. Christopher, with a friend, Chris Ellis, then went on to found the Ocean Youth Club. The ‘club’ has since helped many of Britain’s youth get afloat and experience the joys and tribulations that the sea can give.

The Duet, from Classic Boat files.

Christopher and other family members, who have all been partners in his family’s philanthropy, supported many charitable trusts and bodies. Amongst these is the Courtauld Institute at Somerset House, a place that regularly has excellent exhibitions of art – a place oft visited.

In our own world of sailing and apart from the Ocean  Youth Club, the Oak Trust (a foundation Christopher set up) has supported; the Cirdan Trust, who work with disadvantaged youngsters; the Nancy Blackett Trust, in their aim to keep Arthur Ransome’s old yacht, Nancy Blackett (Goblin in, We Didn’t Mean to go to Sea, and Secret Water), sailing and available for use; and one which is close to my own heart, The Sea-change Sailing Trust, the brain child of a long friend (skipper on Cirdan Trust vessels, especially the Xylonite) Richard Titchenor and others.

The Blue Mermaid – a replica will soon be ordered by the Sea-change Trust. Currently the trust charters either the Cambria or the Reminder. The new vessel will enable the trust to work a longer season and give their clients the opportunity to work a vessel under sail, alone, and achieve something together… They’ve trialed this with barges on charter … it works!

The Reminder being woked up towards Maldon under sail alone … after the trip one of the young men aboard said to me, ‘We only used the engine once all week …’ It was the last bit in along the promenade. His grin was grand indeed.

We could all help here…

For my part, I would have loved to have met Christopher and given him my own thanks for the work he has done in assisting the Sea-change Trust: I believe that their ethos is right.

The trust can be found at: www.seachangesailingtrust.org.uk

Rest, Christopher, rest…

During a ‘passage’ depositing family in Cambridge, doing the Anglia Afloat mini boat show in Suffolk and going on to Norwich to see an exhibition of East Anglian art at the Sainsbury Centre, the mate and I visited all our sister counties…

The display of works at the Sainsbury Centre, buried deep in the conglomeration of the University of East Anglia, was excellent, and thought provoking: our ancestors had an amazing gift for beautiful things – some finds were on view. Art is ‘bigger’ than paint on paper or some form of canvas.

What was clear from a very early stage was that the collection excluded anything to do with Essex: the Essex word was not mentioned once. Now, I accept the historic view that Essex was not part of the Anglian Kingdom – it had its own, but the borders were blurred with Essex and Suffolk swapping ground as time went by. I’m not a historian on these matters so rely on what I have read. This happened throughout history until the Normans stamped their mark upon Britain.

There was, however, a couple of things and another the mate pointed out, that left me cold: it is just snobbery to maintain that Essex is now outside the region.

Boudica’s (Queen of the Icceni) and the Trinovantes – an old Essex clan – sacked a few towns including London … bits at the exhibition are claimed to have been lost enroute back home (to what is now Norfolk, north Suffolk and east Cambridgeshire) … they came from Colchester – not mentioned as being in Essex – and clearly from the event curators view, not part of East Anglia … so what were they doing in the exhibition?

There was also a glorious set of paintings by the artist/writer James Dodds, b. 1957, titled, Cromer Crabber Salthouse Triptych – painted for an alter hanging for Salthouse Church and in the fashion of traditional medieval altarpieces. It was beautiful to look at, not just for the subject matter of an old traditional crabbing boat… No where was it mentioned that James Dodds was a Brightlingsea boy from Essex.

I am sure James will not ‘hit’ me for putting this here… It is grand.

Then there was one of the worst exhibitions of snobbery. Hanging towards the end of the trail was a painting by Edward Bawden, 1903 – 1989 who lived in Gt Bardfield, in south Essex, and Saffron Walden, and as we all know, is well within Essex too. I discussed the painting, titled, Ex Kruschen 1943 with a couple of other viewers: there were no details of why it was there. I assumed (rightly or wrongly) that it was an exercise for the expected battle scenario upon landing on the D-Day beaches in June 1944, the hinterland being similar, hence it is a piece of east anglian art … by another Essex Man.

There were a few Constables too … one tickled me for Constable was doing what he does in a lot of his paintings: gazing lovingly across the sleepy slow running Stour, over the flood plain towards the beautiful hills of Essex. Grand!

Although I left the exhibition with more than a little sourness, it is very much worth visiting and overall I enjoyed the experience, but…

The exhibition runs until 24th February 2014. Contact: www.scva.ac.uk

A little while ago I had a ‘discussion’ with a Finesse friend about boat shows … I last went to a major show, around 15 years ago, I think! Once one has what suits them what is the point in wandering, aimlessly, around looking at row upon row of very expensive craft. Now don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate craft of any sort: all have a purpose, if not beauty.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and although I appreciate GRP, it is not the be all and end all in the marine world. There are many craft out there manufactured using GRP which have sleek lines, good accommodation, go faster than most wooden or steel built craft and have a stated ‘low’ maintenance tag, but alas they’re not my type of boating… There are motor craft too, some good looking, many not so, but all were designed and built by humans for other humans to enjoy and cherish, which they do…

So, having been invited by Anglia Afloat to attend the small boat show at the Wherry Hotel, Oulton, I went along. As ‘we’ were dropping family (over from Canada) off in Cambridge that weekend I accepted. The mate had quickly chucked details of an exhibition of East Anglian art at me too … so we made a weekend of it in Norwich – more on that later…

First the show: It was small, but there were a number of good stands within the hall. Outside there were a number of motor craft, cruisers and launches on display, but no sail craft, even of the Broads variety, which was a surprise. One thing the mate commented on was the public address … it was poor!

I managed to have a chat to Anglia Afloat editor Garth Cooper soon after arriving, even though he was clearly busy! One of the things Garth is doing, is to increase the regional content of the magazine, in particular the coastal scene and ensure the southern half, outside the Broads, is fairly represented. This is something that has been growing since it grew out of Norfolk Afloat under the editorship of John Lawson. Likewise, the magazine covers the inland waterways of west Cambridge and adjacent counties. This is all good. We are a great region of boaters and have at our collective disposal a far superior mix than our south coast cousins, for instance…

Garth wants to do another show down the coast in a spot that seems suitable to me … I’ll leave the name drop out! It will be fairly central to the salt water sailors on the east coast … go for it Garth!

An English Harbour launch, above, and below, a simulated clinker launch – Corsiva – by Liberty Boats, who can be contactd at www.libertyboats.co.uk

Anyway, I enjoyed looking at a couple of launches – pictures attached. And we ended up buying a new ‘dinner’ set for the boat: when I picked up a plate it actually had weight to it … being like a set we had for 28 years until being sent ashore recently … currently our replacement flimsy picnic type set awaits a desperate future! The mate very quickly made up her mind too: she is the check and balance of the team!

Below is brochure cover for Galley Ware – see them at www.ShipShapeGalleyware.co.uk

Overall, I found the show to have been interesting, but somewhat thin on the ground … water too. it can only grow!

The 2014 Essex Book Festival is nearly upon us … a veritable feast of events are listed in the festival menu this year.

I shall be taking part in multi-author event on Wednesday 26th March 2014 at 1400. The session is around two hours long with a break.

The event has been titled: Schooldays, Heydays, Holidays Histories.

I will be giving a talk on the history of Alan Platt’s Finesse Yachts, Hadleigh & Thundersley’s boat builder. It will include unseen private photographs. The talk runs into what the boat means to me and what I do with her … that’s the ‘holiday’ part of the afternoon’s programme!

We all have a maximum of 30 minutes, to include the talk, slides and questions… Other participants are: Karen Bowman, talking about charismatic men of Essex; Bob Nichols with his historic Hadleigh postcards; and, new author, Chris Warpole with a look at the old village school in past times…

The event is at the Old Fire Station, Hadleigh. Prices are £5/£4 (concessions) and tickets can be obtained from the Mecury Theatre booking office on 01206 573948 or on line at: essexbookfestival.org.uk

Parking is available close by.

It will be nice to see a few seafaring folk amongst the gathering…