Well what a weekend … I’ve walked above the Fleet and traversed the Crouch, some way inland. The mate wanted to visit a Sherlock Holmes exhibition at the Museum of London and look up St Pancras Old Church where a little something of interest stood. We’d tickets for the Royal Society of Marine Artists annual…

I love sailing with my mate but today she had a full day visiting a couple of ‘girl’ friends as well as prepare some bits ready to entertain a friend to supper (I’ve just done my bit of that too…). So I went all alone… I wasn’t completely alone: the water was coated in places…

The Port of London Authority (PLA) is the organisation that controls the London River from a line drawn across the estuary bordering areas controlled by Dover, Harwich and Sunk etc. They are also the operators for many of the wharves and docks along the tidal Thames. It is their sway over us, the humble yachtsman (man…

In actual fact, I suppose autumn has been with us for nearly a month, however, it doesn’t feel like it: the fine summer continued to run on and blend blissfully with fine weather as the equinox passed us by. Then, of course, the season really let us know where we are… A week went by when the…

Some hot news from Geoff Gransden … the Edith May’s ‘winter’ season is about to commence. A group sailing out for an afternoon afloat with one of the barge’s famed teas to enjoy whilst gliding through the sedge… There is a Jazz Night aboard the barge at her moorings in Lower Halstow Dock – details…

Out on the water a few weeks ago I came across a strange new vessel sitting at a familiar mooring position … the two did not appear to be as per the norm of many forays across the sands as the tide lifted. I have become used to seeing the lovely little barge yacht Nancy…

It came about by accident in many respects. I’d arranged to take a friend for a sail some time ago, however he dropped out for personal reasons so the mate was back in her rostered place… The trip planned was for a visit to Conyer to enjoy the wonderful wares on offer at the Ship…

Underway again… Grand! After leaving the comfortable confines of Limehouse Basin we pottered up river to turn below Tower Bridge – a kind of rite of passage. Sail was set as we approached Limehouse Reach sail was set and we were off, homeward bound with a planned stop at Greenhithe for our penultimate evening away.…

What a fantastic place Limehouse Basin is. I haven’t berthed here before and we have been very pleased. It is friendly. Staff are supremely helpful and all ones needs are met in the locale. I can remember the basin with a few old ‘manky’ craft within many years ago. It has been transformed, as has the…

The other day we pottered down with the last of the ebb and anchored off Higham Flats … I promptly abandoned the mate, to an anchor watch, while I went ‘ashore’ for an amble across the mud flats – hard clay mostly – to look at two old spritties that have lurked here for a…

A little earlier than planned and it was the mate who said. “Let’s go today…” before the bacon had had a chance to begin sizzling under the grill… So, that was that, we up anchored from our overnight berth in Stangate a little after low water and high tailed it out of the Thames’s largest…

Well, yes, we did in a way: we berthed well before breakfast, at least the time we’ve become accustomed to having the first repast of the day… The mate called the marina at the top of the creek as we chugged up, fortunately catching an early bird. I’d spied a berth by then: there’s nearly…

The second part of our summer cruising has got underway… After a quiet crossing from Smallgains Creek we had an equally quiet evening in the delightful and historic port of Queenborough, enjoying our supper at the town’s yacht club. On the hammerhead, going ashore, we were met by Max, one of the harbour trust’s staff, and…

The other day at Queenborough, upon our arrival from the Blackwater, I found that the much vaunted new pontoon was still not in place … however the first section has arrived with the other two pieces awaiting a tow from Dover. Once these are positioned, the harbour office will be placed upon the deck. With…

Ah yes, a couple of days ago we took advantage of tide times and a reasonable wind direction to head back down to ‘home’ waters. The boat has been away for six weeks cruising around North Essex and the Suffolk rivers – time for a change. Beautiful as those northern rivers are they all, apart…

Wandering around the yard surrounding the Tide Mill Yacht Harbour I stumbled upon a little treasure. Behind a tent I discerned the friendly thwack of a mallet on a good sized chisel. Rounding a corner I found a chap hard at work… After a short chat: I had no wish to stop the work flow I was…

The entrance to the Deben, as stated in East Coast Pilot navigation news, has had an additional buoy added. This is a round mooring buoy with a red bucket ‘lashed’ to its upper body – it is relatively small but very effective. Speaking to an owner who moors in the river, he said its been…

A season or so back I visited and wrote about the work being carried out at Harwich’s old Town Station goods yard. At the time the project were engaged in converting a building into a useable space creating work experience and training programmes in sundry trades in the process.: many of these are directly transferable…

Whether or not it is complacency with one’s surroundings or just a little bit of bad luck, nothing can excuse the person in charge for going aground: it is the skipper’s fault… Here I have to take full responsibility for a little happening that overtook us upon tacking back down from Manningtree today: I sit,…

Last week I was bumbling around the Deben with a crew other than my mate … visiting Robertson’s, because it is a traditional yard catering for traditional vessels, I was able to look round two Finesse yachts sitting awaiting new owners. These are, firstly, the Finesse 27 Tugela, sail number 101, built it is thought in…