Thankfully, the time expended upon my next book has petered away to virtually nothing of late. The final edit has taken place and it has been in the publisher’s hands for a little while. See: A few days ago I received an communication telling me that they will be in position to send the edited…

All of a sudden April drew nigh and I knew time for maintenance to Whimbrel would be calling loudly. It is not often that the month of April swings by with so little rain: we can’t actually remember the last time we experienced rain, even the ‘famous’ April showers have been absent. During March I…

Knowing we were going to be in South Devon over our Forty-fourth wedding anniversary on a ‘no boats’ holiday, I kept a little something up my sleeve… Although we did travel across the pretty harbour on a ferry – for a trip on the Dart Valley Steam Railway, I saved it until last. On the…

Last week, a milestone was reached a couple of days after getting away for a magical night afloat with my youngest sibling. The mate and I were out walking – a bit of a hike actually – on an urban yomp to Westcliff and back to home. Sitting over a coffee along the route I…

The Island Yacht Club was blessed indeed with the long and fruitful membership of Jack Fenwick. Sadly, last summer, Jack died after a short illness. I only found out because I said to another member, ‘I haven’t seen Old Jack lately…’ Jack was around the water all his life. In later years he spent many…

February, like January and the last two months of 2021 were particularly windy. I had a splendid over-night run with my eldest brother, Graham, while he was in England for our mother’s funeral, but nothing since, for this last month produced four names storms, with three, one after the other, a week or so ago.…

During last summer we spent over a week bumbling around the River Deben with several nights in the Tidemill Marina. We were conserving gas by reducing usage aboard to the minimum – the marina had not had a delivery of gas for 11 months the harbour master explained! I eventually solved this problem by changing…

On BBC Radio 4 this week, prostate cancer was the ‘talk of the day’ with discussions with Bill Turnbull who has a serious case – currently living with it and its treatment – and a chap from NHS England. I have chopped a piece out of the media (Yahoo News) to help concentrate the minds…

The exhibition is open until Sunday 13th February. It has a wonderful array of talented works with views up and down the River Thames and its furthermost estuarial environs. The slogan the group is operating under currently is: ‘A Changing View’ which is something right up my street with what I have been writing about…

On Monday, last, the 31st January 2022, the family laid our mother to rest. As reported in an earlier post, she died on Boxing Day 2021 with our sister holding her hand. Our mother was born on 14th December 1931 into a world far removed from the world we now live in. She met our…

During this last week, I received a note through the post with unknown handwriting. It was from the sister of Pat O’Driscoll. The sister had opened the post of Pat’s on the run up to Christmas and probably is still doing so: Pat, bless her, died on 28th November. It would have been about the…

A little while ago, before the end of last year (2021) there was much in the media about safety around the coasts and within harbours and rivers. It was the irresponsible behaviour of watercraft owners in particular which was homed in on. The hiatus caused by irresponsible ‘new’ owners of Personal Watercraft during the Covid-19…

I was walking across the yard of the Island Yacht Club some time last year when a hail arrested my steps towards the jetties and Whimbrel. I toddled over and was met by a grinning chap who proceeded to furnish me with a flourish of praise and thanks. What for you might ask. Well, he…

It has been a bit of a month down on the Thames estuary with just a few available days fit for sailing when the tide was in. I grabbed two of those… My eldest brother was over from Canada a little while back and he hit a period of excellent weather in the east, enjoying…

I first met Max when he pitched up at my yacht club to begin working on the regular Saturday routine. He had been at it a little while without my knowledge while I was away summer sailing aboard Whimbrel. I immediately found Max to be one of those honest down to earth guys that often…

I knew Dick in a childhood sort of way one does when the person appears in one’s life to crew (and work) aboard your Thames spritsail barge home. Dick disappeared from my life and he next turned up as a ‘yotty’ working for Yachting Monthly. Dick later graduated to News Editor and had his own…

Apparently, the reporting of near miss incidents has fallen by a staggering near 50% over the last few years. The Port of London Authority are clearly concerned for they know that safety has NOT improved to that extent. It is the reporting that has dropped. The PLA want river users to be proactive in reporting…

For all Finesse owners this is your opportunity to meet with many more owners and see other craft within the Finesse fleet. It is a worthwhile enterprise and great fun with like-minded souls. The 2022 Rally is planned for Queenborough over the mid-June weekend when tides are of a friendly height. I gather a number…

Recently I updated my ‘Books’ page on the web site. See: Well, moving on from there, I have fantastic news: A new book is due. Today, I signed a contract with a publisher after negotiating a book deal. I can’t say much more at the moment but in the coming months there will be a…

During the summer we sailed into West Mersea a few times. One was over a weekend when there was a bit of a fair taking place on the carpark in front of the West Mersea Yacht Club – regatta end day, I think. Apart from Christobel asking how she could become a fairy … the…