Sailing into the anchorage at the South Deep a week or so back, I noticed something didn’t look ‘right’ on a boat that has been moored up on the mud flats below Butterfly Wharf for a number of years.

Later, after the mate had had a row in the tender, I pottered off after supper for an evening sail to look at the run of the Conyer Creek ‘overland’ passage and get a look at the withies marking the deeper gutway.

Passing the little yacht I could see a problem – there seemed to be wires hanging over her guard rails with something in the mud.

Sailing over to the mud edge to get a closer look, the problem became apparent. The boat’s mast has gone overboard and the rigging is entangled with the mooring.

I hadn’t noticed anything amiss when sailing in the ‘back’ a couple of weeks earlier, however, the gear looks to have been down a little while.

Does the owner know?

Has anyone reported it?

The likely answer, I hope, is yes and a ‘rescue’ is planned…

Or, is this yet another abandonment around the Medway and Swale waters? Boat abandonment is becoming a a pretty common feature…

Postscript:

Following my post, Swale Marina have told me that they are aware of the boat which is thought to have been abandoned.

Wanting to take two sets of friends on trips to Conyer, a Finesse group from the island YC and my sister and friends’ trip, postponed from last year, we contacted Swale marina for a berth.

Swale Marina was closed to visitors for the Covid-19 Summer of 2020 and had remained closed since. I had booked a Finesse run for July, expecting all to be well, but alas, it was put on ice for the marina had not changed its operating policy.

So, I contacted Conyer Creek Marina – yes they were content with visitors. A berth was booked.

This was a place we had often dropped into in years past, but not for a very long time. Visitors are generally berthed on an outside pontoon and one largely sits in the creek bed.

We had sailed round from Chatham on an indifferent day of cloud and some drizzly bits, but it was a cracking sail, with a good breeze all the way. The night was spent in the South Deep, a tranquil and undemanding anchorage provided winds are not strongly from the east of west, when it becomes uncomfortable.

Note: currently: June/July 2021, the Swale Marina waiting buoys are missing. Can one assume the ground tackle has been lifted: these buoys took up much of the best anchoring room.

The tides were early and late, so we departed around 0530 for the short trip up Conyer Creek.

The bed/channel of the buoyed swatch across the mud flats fronting the north of the old brickworks wharf had bee looked at from the dinghy a couple of weeks earlier – it was clear that traffic was light for only a few ‘mud scuffles’ could be seen. I could not see if all the withies were in place marking the main channel.

There was plenty od water.

One of the odd things about the creek’s buoyage is the lack of a ‘start’ buoy. The big red can does not fit into this criteria. I either line up the reds or green and head in, a slightly miscued start is soon corrected as the echo sounder finds the ‘middle’ though. There was plenty of depth for our less than a metre draft.

It has been a little while since we have been up into Conyer, for obvious reasons!

There was no wind to speak of and certainly nothing of a northerly on the forecast, otherwise I would have sailed.

The creek is, as always, very well buoyed.

For those who have not been up, do so it is simplicity in itself. Go on a rising tide…

There is a shower and toilet facility at Conyer Creek Marina. Access is via a coded gate down the lane beyond the fine waterside village inn.

Now: the Ship Inn is currently NOT serving evening food. The owners are also finishing off a revamp of the galley.

Catering staff of all sorts are seemingly in short supply – I heard an economist trying to figure this out in answer to a question on BBC Radio 4’s business news some days ago. Essentially, the belief is that staff laid off or initially furloughed have found jobs elsewhere and are contented with their new roles. But that isn’t the full story … largely over the top of my head!

Swale Marina, is, I understand from a contact in the Medway Swale Boating Association, now open for visitors and they have asked it to be publicised.

I would be very interested to know what the criteria was for remaining shut, especially in the climate of ‘stay local’ which was the order of last summer. If I get up there, I will ask.

I know of a number of groups who have tried to book and others who have not carried out plans to go this way this season.

Some semblance of normality would be a boon for all…

During a recent week away pottering around the lower Medway and around the Swale we enjoyed a couple of days up Faversham Creek savouring the delights of the historic town sitting at the creek’s head.

We berthed at iron Wharf, having pre-booked our visit.

We were placed alongside the spritsail barge Ironsides upon which Toby (yard manager) and his partner live with their son – a very friendly family.

As is the norm when in Faversham, I was soon wandering the yard. The huge mainsail off the Ironsides was laid out being given a coat of tanning. Toby and his partner were being helped by Peter Dodds the owner of the Mirosa and yard partner.

I offered to help if not finished by time Christobel and I had done some essential shopping … it was all done and going aboard as we got back!

Of course, the waterside and yard around the Iron Wharf simply reeks ‘history’ for it is all around you.

The old brickworks dock is now used to berth a myriad of houseboats.

Yes, all seen is history, but it was something else that I was talking about. I found under a cover a boat that struck the ‘familiar’ within my soul. She was clearly a Yachting World Peoples Boat. She was obviously almost ready for the water with hull and topsides painted.

The first boat Christobel and I owned was a YWPB No. 4, built c1952 in Leigh-on-Sea. Her name, Blue Tail. We have never come across her since. I have seen a deeper keeled version, at Bradwell marina, I believe.

We sailed Bluetail for around three years before selling her and putting our deposit down on Whimbrel, our Finesse 24 owned since the signature from around August 1983. A short history of the class became chapter 1 in my book, Jottings of a Thames Estuary Ditch-crawler.

On our day of departure, I spotted activity round the boat and wandered over. Sitting on an old box was the owner busy painting a coat of metal paint on the removed pulpit.

We got nattering whilst he continued with his work…

He was ‘gobsmacked’ that someone had wandered past and actually recognised his boats pedigree. ‘We had one…’ I said, adding, ‘She was number four…’

The Venture is believed to have been built in 1956, and has faired well.

What was more startling was that the owner in response to a remark I made said he’d recently retired from his post as head of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust and had worked for years around Dover. Bells began to ring.

I don’t know what made me say or think about what I said, but I blurted out, ‘The Dover Boat…’ adding, ‘we went to see her in Dover’s Museum last autumn…’

he looked at me and said, ‘Yes. I found her…’

WOW! I was talking to the famous Dr Paul Bennett.

Well it was with his No. 2. He explained that when the A20 was being rebuilt through Dover, the contractors had to big a sump inside a coffer dam which was being used for archaeological work around an old wharf front eventually found to date to Roman times.

The digging stopped for tea and the pair got down in the hole to have a poke about.

Bingo, the end of a boat was found, cut through. Its level dictated it was older than Roman (late Iron Age), but how old. Clues soon said Bronze Age…

A section was retrieved.

The museum, situated in the middle of Dover, has the part rescued from beneath the road workings as well as a scaled down replica.

We were both mesmerised by her, me, the more so and I took photographs from various angles to try and capture her.

We briefly talked about Must Farm near Peterborough – a place we are planning to visit in the autumn when on a return to ‘our’ mill in Boston for a cottage holiday.

I said that one of the things that struck me was the ‘similarity’ to so many vessels that followed – the Loire barges and the spritsail barge. Yes, the constructional details have changed, but the shape is familiar. The sritsail barge developed from the Chapman Chalk barge of the 1750s onwards an essentially open vessel with the traditional lighter sloping ends.

Well, we ended up nattering for around half an hour and the tide was coming in!

I had to excuse myself…

So, it just goes to show how things pan out when a little bit of networking is carried out, whilst poking about…

Dr Paul Bennett later headed a project to build a half size replica. It was eventually achieved with Belgian and French funding/university assistance due to a gross lack of UK interest!

The boat is kept in Dover Harbour and is taken out for regular paddles…

For interest, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover_Bronze_Age_Boat

https://www.canterburytrust.co.uk/dover-bronze-age-boat

The encounter was one of the highlights of our trip, apart from the sailing of course!

My yen to read more of E. Arnot Robertson’s work came about after reading the delightful Thames Portrait, about a trip down river from the source to the sea. It was written by Eileen and illustrated by her husband Henry E. Turner.

Eileen had written many novels by this time. Her husband, Henry, was the General Secretary of a large print union – both were passionate sailors and based themselves at Pin Mill for some years, amongst other places.

Sadly, Eileen committed suicide five months after the accidental drowning of Henry in a boating accident during 1961 … a sad end to both of their lives, surely.

As the year has progressed my list of books on my ‘want’ list grew. At some point I noticed the list had ‘disappeared’ – purloined by Christobel!

We sailed away for a week of pottering encompassing my 66th birthday period – Christobel having secreted away ‘stuff’ for my day.

Our journeyings, in small casual steps took us eventually into Faversham. I had taken the precaution of booking a berth at the Iron Wharf (they like notice in any case) for we found that Swale Marina up Conyer Creek was still closed to visitors.

The weather had been glorious since before the end of May (Boy didn’t we have a God-awful May…) and I awoke on my 66th year to Christobel singing birthday ditties…

Early in the following proceedings two books came out of a rather full gift bag.

A ‘puzzle’ book from my sister alongside a half dozen ales from Wadworths! The book is all about the shipping forecast and I shall enjoy reading through and sorting out the puzzle…

The other, The Boat They Laughed At, is a recent book written by Max Liberson, coastal and ocean sailor, who currently owns Dick Durham’s old yacht, Wendy May.

Wendy May is a 25ft gaff cutter designed by Maurice Griffiths. She was built in 1936 by Williams & Parkinson, Deganwy, North Wales for Lt. Comdr. R G Wynne-Edwards R N of Aberdovey. Dick purchased her some ten years ago and sold her to Max when he had the opportunity to purchase Betty II.

Max sailed Wendy May away to Wales after a move north to the Birmingham area.

Max has led an interesting life and I am dying to find out more. This book is mainly about one particular boat. Its finding and Max’s assistance in renovating and preparing for an ocean voyage…

Both have been left aboard Whimbrel for my summer reading.

Pile two contained a book penned by the inimitable Dick Durham – Turnip Road. This tells of his ‘dropping out’ and making a pilgrimage in the footsteps of many, hippie types mainly, to the east.

It is a period of Dick’s life I know little about, having known him since he was around fourteen and myself a tad younger!

Dick was mate aboard the engineless spritsail barge Cambria when in ownership of Bob Roberts from August 1969 having just left school until October 1970 when the Cambria carried her last cargo and went into the hands of the National Historic Ship Collection (which was all but the death of her).

Dick tells me that Turnip Road covers the period of his life from April to November 1973. A period towards the end of the hippie trail life experience…

Then, one after another, I pulled out three books by E. Arnot Robertson.

One, Ordinary Families, is about growing up in and around Pin Mill in Suffolk. It was place well known by the two sailors…

The other two, Cullum and Four Frightened People, well, I fancied a challenge!

For more info on E. Arnot Robertson see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Arnot_Robertson

During the Covid-19 crisis, there has been a persistent ‘bleating’ on the media by people who have not been able to see their elderly loved ones in care homes. This has been an experience many of us have had to put up with for a very long time.

The furore is understandable to some extent, however, the protection of people in care homes has been, surely, paramount to ones own desperation to visit a loved one.

I last physically saw my mother at the beginning of September 2020 when I was duty bod while my sister was holidaying in Greece – sailing. It was my job to settle our mother into a care home…

Due to circumstances beyond control, a pre-Christmas visit was impossible.

It was Covid Syndrome and a a number of falls that ‘did for her’ and it was something I kept quiet about last year when being threatened so abhorrently by a local Benfleet sailor and maligned by others online.

I though, like hundreds of thousands of similarly affected people, did not resort to making a call to the BBC to ‘sob’ into a Radio 4 microphone. No, we have just got on with it and made the most of what technology offered.

Although facetime calls have been enjoyed, it is certainly not the same as an in person visit. So, with changes to the Covid-19 rules around visiting and the ability to stay with family overnight, a little while ago, we booked a visit to both!

It was just so great to see my ol’ mum!

I hadn’t even been inside her care home either, so it was a first for this too – accessing her ‘flat’ via her own door, was quite something…

After the visit, which strangely was ‘allowed’ to last one hour forty-five minutes, we drove on to my sister’s abode. I hadn’t seen her, either, for the same period either!

My sister’s ‘first’ action was to show me a stack of stuff. ‘That’s all yours…’ she said!

One of the items that appeared was a big tool box. It was something I had never had the pleasure of poking around in: when ‘summoned’ to help, I always took my own tools…

Home after the weekend, it was time to begin investigations…

Opening the box up I was hit by an all pervading aroma of tarred hemp. My eyes alighted om a ball of sail twine. I picked it up and sniffed. Yes, but no. It wasn’t that…

I lifted the top drawer out and beneath the Stockholm tar-like aroma was stronger…

Ancient pallet scrapers, a old wood level, chisel and a knife stone met my eyes. Moving some modern boxes of wall hangers and such, my eyes alighted on other familiar objects. A stitching palm…

Sitting next to the little box of goodies was the source of the heady aroma. A ball of tarred seizing twine!

Lifting the box of sewing gear out I began to investigate and spread them on our conservatory table.

A roll of flax sail cloth when opened was found to contain sewing needles and roping needles – a little rusted perhaps!

There were two well ‘run through’ pieces of bees wax. Each length of stitching twin was run through the wax to act as a preservative/lubricant. Now this is something few will now be using or will have ever used.

These were once the tools I was taught to use by my mother fifty years and more ago.

I wondered if the rather ancient palm with its many needle head holes dated back to the time my mother sewed up a mainsail for the May Flower.

Clearly my mother had had all these items since saying goodbye to the barge in 1981/2. I know she always regretted leaving certain items aboard, things that were never used by the new owners then.

This was a WOW.

A BLAST from the past which was something I least expected!

From Australia, yes. And too, from closer to home, less than 100 miles across the North Sea!

An ‘old’ Leigh man contacted me recently from far off Australia. The chap, Derek Ellard now lives down under having settled in He was endeavouring to make contact with an old friend who had once owned the barge-yacht Nancy Grey.

I knew of the past owner having met a few times over in Faversham, Kent. Ironically, his old barge-yacht is owned in that fabulous old barging port and I was able to put two old friends into contact with one another…

‘Another friend’s father commissioned the smack yacht “Secret” from Paglesham in the thirties. I named our production gaffer “Secret” for him because he was so upset to sell her. Better late than never. Classic Boat did a feature on the Secret 20 https://scruffie.com/pdf/classic-boat-secret-20.pdf

Gleefully following the Blue Mermaid’s progress – wonderful.

Our new boat, we call the Secret Trader, has Barge/Bawley features and is designed to comply with the US Jones Act regulations. She’ll take a container but only 15 tonnes or less. Also we’re getting close to sales with our Clipper 100, so it’s very exciting.’

Interesting stuff.

The boat is designed to carry a mere 15 tonnes, but that was a pretty normal cargo carried by large smacks in coastal work.

It set me to looking at the links sent to me. The ‘group’ are also fully aware of the progress with the Sea Change Trust’s Blue Mermaid.

Derek is personally responsible for a range of small craft designs under the ‘Scruffie’ badge – read the stuff.

Nice! Make a fantastic cruising vessel…

See: https://www.scruffie.com/index.html

Go Sail – this site has a range of coastal craft which bring to mind the coastal spritsail barge, boomie barge (similar to the west country trading ketches, but retaining the traditional spritsail barge’s flat bottom and leeboards) or west country schooner and trading ketch types.

Again, very interesting.

See: www.gosailcargo.com

Moving on from the smaller coastal traders an international group which work under the name ‘Ecoclipper’ have a range of vessels which are well on their way to fruition.

www.ecoclipper.org

Many ‘east coasters’ will have heard about the sail trader Gallant which berthed in Queenborough during last year’s Covid-19 summer.

Cargo was transferred to the spritsail barge Dawn and taken, first up Milton Creek and secondly up to Faversham – on separate tides.

Cargo was small, but a point was made. The Gallant operates a regular run across the Atlantic. See her web site.

See: https://sailtraininginternational.org/vessel/de-gallant

As will have been seen from Derek’s comments, the group are nearing reality in what has been called the Ecoclipper100.

The concept is heavily influenced by the Dutch who have been very pro-active in the running of sail training and similar type vessels for many years.

The design basis harks back to a Dutch clipper the Noach, built in 1857.

I found reading these web sites quite fascinating and very satisfying.

Sail cargo will probably not oust modern commercial ships but some cargo could be carried by sailing vessels. The Sea Change Sailing Trust plan to start cargo carrying during 2021.

Surely, something cleaner and less polluting must evolve…

For many years May Flower’s cabin lamp has hung in the last two of my mother’s homes, decorously, but never lit. My sister found a new shade/reflector glass for it some years ago too…

A couple of years ago, I asked my mother (after talking to my other three siblings) if she minded ‘me having’ the lamp in time: I knew a good home for it. She also thought the idea suitable too: it really belongs aboard a Thames spritsail barge.

How old the lamp is no one really knows, however, it was aboard the May Flower in 1951.

It hung for many years in the saloon aboard my sailing barge childhood home and was the first lamp to be lit when returning after dark. That done, the tilley lamps were lit in relays of two to three at a time…

Suffering from Covid Syndrome and having suffered a series of falls resulting in hospital stays, we all decided that it would be best for our dear mother to be looked after in a care home. Needs must and for her own safety and well being. It was something she always wanted to avoid and none of us were happy about it.

I and my wife Christobel were on hand for her move from hospital to her new home. Clearance of her flat commenced … the bulk of this fell to our sister who lives in Devizes!

The lamp journeyed back to Essex cocooned in a box wrapped in towels and stuff! I took it apart and cleaned the lamp/burner unit, however, there was a break in the hood support ring, which a chap at my yacht club repaired for me. The ring is of cast bronze/brass and took some ‘fixing’!

A jewellers in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, Hatton Jewellery of Elm Road, was visited and a inscribed presentation plaque was ordered. This, ultimately, they provided free of charge, knowing it was for a charity presentation.

At the end of the winter lockdown phase and we were allowed to go a little further afield, I contacted Hilary Hilajko the chair of trustees of the Sea Change Sailing Trust to say that the lamp was awaiting delivery…

A date was agreed and a Covid ‘distanced’ hand-over was made with Richard Titchener, the trusts Executive Officer and Primary skipper, in the road outside their house!

See: https://www.seachangesailingtrust.org.uk

The inscription reads: ‘Presented to Blue Mermaid and the Sea-Change Sailing Trust by Mrs Gwendoline D Ardley.’

It will be grand to see it hanging in whatever cabin it graces aboard the Blue Mermaid.

As a historical ending to this happy event, the May Flower witnessed the demise of the original Blue Mermaid near the West Hook Middle on 8 July 1941. Both barges were tacking ‘northward’ and the steel built Blue Mermaid detonated a magnetic mine … the May Flower being of wood escaped, but her crew turned back … sadly nothing of the barge or her crew were seen.

The lamp used to be the one my sister took through to her cabin, aft, for many years. She too feels the lamp has ‘gone home’…

As a postscript to this piece of news, I received a communication from the Sea Change Sailing Trust – the Blue Mermaid was making her passage to London to represent heritage Afloat in the old Royal Docks. The barge will be on show by the EXCEL Building for the bank holiday weekend.

They sailed up the Thames and got as far as Erith yesterday (Sunday 23rd May). Richard, the skipper, sent a photograph of the ‘May Flower‘ lamp lit and in use above the supper table.

Lovely. Just as it should be…

News from ‘docklockandriver’ post – the Blue Mermaid arrives in London’s old Royal Docks with her token cargo…

See: https://docklockandriver.wordpress.com/2021/05/29/blue-mermaid-delivers/

The Saturday Times, 8 May 2021, has a piece about licensing to drive a boat, by Matt Dathan, Home Affairs Correspondent.

This is expanded to state ‘…anyone seeking an engine-driven boat of any size would need to present a license.’

What does this mean?

The powers currently do not exist and would require legislation, and may well be included in a new borders bill in the upcoming Queen’s Speech.

The article talks of it being, ‘… mandatory…’

Currently no one needs a license unless one keeps a boat on one of the inland waterways where they are required. Some harbour authorities also license ‘permanent’ river users (not visitors) – Rivers Crouch and Medway to name two.

There has been talk of boat licences in the past which has come to nothing. The Royal Yachting Association, as far as I know has a stance of ‘education’ as a means of control. But in the context of the article, it is in the ‘fight’ to prevent illegal migration across the channel.

The Times also had a recent article about ‘licensing’ of Personal Water Craft in respect to their inclusion as motorised craft under the Merchant Shipping Act, which would bring such craft into line with most boating folk.

Most sailors, motor boaters and other water users would probably accept the PWC proposals … but this new idea?

Not sure, but clearly the people smugglers are gaining access to the craft they need with an ease.

Recently, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency put out a press release to the Marine Industry about the increased demand for small motorised craft – from the criminal fraternity for smuggling.

Thefts account for a very small percentage of smuggling needs. So, they have been ‘openly’ buying…

Now, most yachting and boating folk will have picked up what I clearly did too. The discussion is around what are called Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs) and other inflatable craft capable of carrying an outboard engine.

A larger example of boats the people smugglers are after is shown below, operated by Kent Police.

And on Amazon, there is currently a plethora of craft that fit the smuggling needs. There are a huge number of sellers out there, I just picked on one.

See: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inflatable-Marine-Boats/b?node=671702011

We had recent ‘brush’ with the Kent Marine Police, when sailing back from Queenborough a couple of weeks ago.

They came out of The Camber, whizzed off to the dastardly old submarine boom anchorage block (time it was removed) then came round our stern at speed, creating a bloody great wash which caused the main boom to smash back and forth violently until I got all the slack in (we were running out…) The wash was so bad, Christobel and I had to both sit down until the water quietened … all we got was a cheeky ‘sorry’ – I glared at them!

They wanted to know where we’d come from, where we were going and when were going to get there…

All very good. No problem with any of that – but where was the organisation last year? Clearly very conspicuous by their absence on the River Medway…

Against the current Covid-19 regulations, several people have said to me: Bit late for checking on people now … we’re allowed to go away …

Yes, quite.

Would have been great in May and June last year when people were blatantly breaking Covid-19 Laws. Many will know the sorry story of the threats made to us during that period. As a sufferer for my perfectly acceptable views, I will NOT be lashed into an aggrieved silence.

For far too long, the abused, threatened and harassed people in this country and across the world have been expected to remain silent. We will NOT do so any more. Many loud campaigns have been making this fact clear.

However, returning to where I started, I believe our police ‘interview’ had more to do with people smuggling. The numbers of migrants making the whole distance has exploded. Note: I have absolutely no problem with Political Asylum, as laid down by the United Nations. So, back to licensing.

I have looked on the Royal Yachting Association web site and there is nothing (yet) about this subject. I’m sure they will catch up on it…

If you can withstand the Queen’s Speech in full, listen: there just may be something that could, ultimately, soon, have ‘The State’ on our case for ‘unintended’ reasons…

We’d enjoyed an overnight trip to the River Medway with a stopover in Queenborough. It was our first of the year and we enjoyed sublime weather for it.

A few days later, we were out walking around our local woods partaking of ‘morning exercise’ when I casually said to Christobel, ‘You know the main cabin deck head has some bad areas…’

‘Yes…, she said with a long silence waiting to be filled.

‘Well, I think we should bite the bullet and do it,’ I added. It was left there for a few days. In the meantime and having done the repair area preparation work, we sanded and varnished (my job this bit) the cabin sides as the weather was bang on for it.

So, returning to that woodland discussion, the upshot was that we rearranged our schedule to get the hard part of the job done.

I’d tested my heat gun with a little generator we’ve had for years. All seemed well. but in reality, when it was made to work for more than a test, the generator didn’t like it. A larger unit was fortunately quickly borrowed and some 15% of the deck head paint was eventually ‘burnt’ off. Then it was down to the hard sanding and going through the grades.

Christobel cleaned up the mess and left me to deal with priming and painting the white between those varnished hatch top beams.

And there rests more to the tale: I also said, at some point, ‘we ought to do the cabin varnish work too…’ Christobel looked at me in horror!

The work was cracked on with over a few days until all the ‘dirty’ work was done. Christobel then carried out a rudimentary clean to remove the greater part of our mess. A final spring clean is to come!

At that point, assistance wasn’t going to be a lot of use for it would have been silly to get two people painting in a confined space – so it was over to me.

The weather during some of the days spent working was absolutely sublime – a sail though was out of the question with the main cabin’s ‘stuff’ piled on the forward bunks and floor boards!

I have always found the matt of the various proprietory internal varnishes too ‘dull’ for my liking. When built the boat has a sheen finish which was a yard mix of gloss and ‘whatever’ which has generally been matched by a Ronseal ‘yacht’ silk finish.

But, for this complete makeover I used a mix trialled on the underside of the forehatch which I did at home early in the winter ’21 lockdown.

The mix I came up with was essentially an easy 50/50 matt and gloss (Hempel). I kept it well mixed as I went along…

It has worked.

As I completed the last coat of paint on the deck head ‘bays’ between the varnished deck beams, the masking tape was stripped away revealing a pretty good job!

Next job – fit all the paraphernalia back!

The worst part of the job was clearing away ‘stuff’ (removals) and cleaning up debris and sanding dust, nothing new then. But it has been most worthwhile!

As the finishing touches were completed, we had plans to go away for a few days, the weather Gods are building up another windy week to kick us with, not looking likely…

Grrrrrrrrr………………

On cue, on Monday 29th March, we, in England, were released from hard lockdown to go afloat on a ‘cabined’ craft, maintaining household bubbles.

The weather was predictably windy but glorious drying sunshine poured down too – so some varnish repairs were stuck into. Lots more to do – a late start too!

The fore hatch still awaits fitting, you may well notice in a picture or two.

On the Tuesday the wind had died to a light breeze which came up more during the afternoon. It was absolutely glorious. The last time we sailed out, two days before the third lockdown, the Christmas tree was up. That was on New Year’s Day. It seemed a long time ago.

We sailed over towards the Crowstone, on a comfortable reach, enjoying the buzz we both felt. It was quite warm, but when in the sail shadow, the wind had a bitterness about it, reminding us that spring was only just begun for the equinox was two days earlier…

A buzz of another sort soon impinged on our ears from the quiet around, apart from a low chuckling from the waterline. A group of Personal Watercraft came from behind the saltings on Canvey’s eastern point and zipped past.

One peeled away and came back across our stern and then across the bow – fortunately some distance off, but it met the previous wash waves to bounce over them. Exhilarating it may be…

As they all disappeared into the distance, Christobel said, ‘thank goodness…’ Yes!

The sails showed signs of their long sojourn. The main with creases from being lashed up along the boom, and the genoa from its ‘jail-term’ in its bag!

A bit of use will sort them out!

From a little before the Crowstone area a call came through from my mother’s care home, on cue, as planned. Christobel helmed so that I could tour the decks and show mother the sights: this shore was the haunt of her young adult years. My mother thoroughly enjoyed her ‘sail’ with us…

The white sails of dinghies were seen being launched from the Essex Yacht Club. A safety boat was pootling around, so, presumably, youngsters were out…

I was given back the helm as we passed Victoria Wharf, which like the beach and its sister wharf, Bell Wharf, were fairly sprinkled with ‘family’ groups.

It was pleasing to see swimmers, canoeists and paddleboarders out enjoying the water too. In the distance, I spotted ‘an old friend’ in his sailing canoe. A sweet little affair with an outrigger, usually sailed by two chaps.

‘Where we going…’ the mate asked as we passed the Billet where we would drive to on a Friday after my prostate cancer radiotherapy sessions on a Friday evening…

‘Past the Belton,’ I said, receiving one of those looks!

As we approached the entrance to the Lower Thame Marina, we came round and needed a spot of power to clear a short double string of fore and aft moored craft. No way of tacking through!

Once clear, engine was silenced and we tacked east.

It was at that point, the blessed roars of PWC’s was heard again.

‘Look,’ Christobel said, ‘what are they playing at…’ They were roaring snake-like in a kind of figure of eight way hard into the shore where people were being sprayed with salt water!

A small group of canoeists were back paddling to stay clear!

Our sailing canoe friends made a change of course and sailed clear of the area as fast as we were, at first, until the cleaner flow of air from the hills took us away from them. We managed a cheery wave though.

Once out towards the Ray channel again, the mainsail was stowed while Christobel ran, gently, over the ebb towards our creek.

The water had sparkled and glistened all afternoon. Twinkles of diamond-like light, glorifying the day.

At a non stated moment, Chrsitobel moved forward ready at the mast to drop the headsail as we slipped towards our mooring.

We slipped in nicely. A helping hand held onto a shroud as I brought Whimbrel to a halt with her stern line. The chap was working on his own Finesse 24, moored two berths away. Thanks mate!

It was just glorious. Pent up frustrations ebbed away during those two and a half hours, refreshing heart and soul…

P.S. Apparently, the local constabulary were activated by a member(s) of the public regarding the PWC’s. The actions of these louts came days after a piece in the national press about greater regulation being considered, with a leader in the Saturday Times (27th March 2021). There actions were dangerous…

A further point: PWC’s currently do not fall into a ‘boat’ category and are therefore not covered by regulations that cover the rest of the yachting and shipping world. How strange!

Harbour regulations differ around the coast too. Locally, the Port of London Authority and Medway Ports have successfully prosecuted owners…