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…

One of the never ceasing amazements that we, as sailors, have the honour to feast upon is our diverse wildlife.

In winter as I sail off the eastern end of Canvey Island a seal will often as not pop up to say, ‘Hello … ‘ and follow lazily in Whimbrel’s wake, until, I believe, I’ve left his patch! Then there are the swooping, dancing, knot and dunlin. Even oyster catchers join in too, until they peel away from their smaller cousins. Amongst the saltings, feeding and ‘barking’ at one another, are those little Russian Arctic Geese, the Brent. Along the mud edges, feeding quickly as the tide rushes over, I see countless waders, visitors and local. Sometimes I am lucky and see Greenshank picking over the mud astern of my boat on its mooring … waiting for the tide or doing a job.

Brent geese … they’ll soon all be away for their breeding grounds…

But when spring starts its headlong rush, as it has done this year after our wet, windy and warm winter, another dimension opens. The Brents begin to reduce in number … the flocks of swooping birds disappear … various small ducks which inhabit the creeks locally go. Then, as if by magic, the first tern is spotted. Joy of joys, summer is just round the corner. For me, however, I don’t wish spring along: it is a season full of such richness – the very foundation of all the animal kingdom, including us…

Enjoy.

We kept chasing this pair from buoy to buoy … until they sailed astern. Poor things had probably just flown half way round the globe!

Whilst on this subject, the Essex Wildlife Trust are in the process of purchasing with the Environment Agency a chunk of land bordering Fingrinhoe Wick, up on the banks of the River Colne. The plan is for the land to be returned to the sea, thus creating a new patch of mud and saltings for wildlife to feed, nest and live.

What they need is your help: they need to pay the landowner (farmer) for his bit of fertile arable land … now I know this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the Essex saltings is a diminishing asset, and we need it!

I have copied the from cover of an EWLT brochure … I’m sure they won’t mind! You can look yourself at: http://www.essexwt.org.uk/reserves/fingringhoe-wick

Copy of brochure I found at the EWLT centre in Belfairs Park…

There is a whole myriad of ways of enjoying boating and with it comes a responsibility of some sort or other.

Seen out recently was a sweet little clinker motor boat based at my own yacht club at the eastern end of Canvey Island. She is a John Leather design and as comely as she is, the eye would delight at a simple gaff cutter rig aboard… I mentioned this to the owner once and he wasn’t completely against it!

The John Leather designed Motor Boat… The boat had a board a young child … suitably clad in a child jacket. The men didn’t though. Are they invincible? I doubt it!

Another form of ‘boating’ which is, it is said, the fastest growing form in the country at present. That is stand-up paddle boarding. It has great advantages for the creeks and river edges around the east coast, especially, and surely in other parts too.

Now when I read a little about this the first thing I spotted was that the paddler was wearing a buoyancy aid. None of the paddlers I’ve seen locally along the Leigh-on-Sea shore and pottering around the edges of Benfleet Creek, and even off Canvey Point heading outwards, has been seen wearing such equipment. During the colder periods most seem to wear a wet/dry suit: getting in the water is probably a consequence or necessity.

Each to their own … but a sad event is all the more likely as numbers grow. Let’s hope common sense prevails.

Now dinghy sailing is a pleasure for many, whether it be day sailing, racing or just pottering. Recently I passed a group of cadets sailing off Leigh-on-Sea … they were hard at it doing capsize practice. Great.

This next boat fits into the above category but, sadly, she is no longer loved. I believe she is a Estuary One Design – an amalgamation of the Essex OD and the Thames Estuary OD. I’m sure I’ll be corrected if wrong – please do! This poor thing lives in the saltings close by Sutton Boat Yard. She looks generally sound … her gear must be somewhere!

Now boating also entails doing maintenance, even on an engine that has little use during the year, well… It has clocked nearly 200 hours since new – two seasons and a winter… But things still need to be done to ensure the beast is ready for when it is needed! So, today, me and my good mate had a pleasant run out to Brightlingsea to obtain new oil and fuel filters, and sufficient coolant fluid for a complete change… Then it was onto Fox’s to buy new oil skins, to keep us dry when the spray begins to fly. Ouch!

At Brightlingsea we fell into a pleasant little cafe for coffee – excellent, being fresh and hot. Good cakes too including huge scones! A good range of lunches are freshly prepared too … all of this is at the Coach House Coffee Shop. It is across the road from the harbour office, behind the old pub which was converted into flats some years ago. It is worth a visit, if in town by boat or car! Go to:

https://www.facebook.com/coachhousecoffee

The Coach House Coffee Shop Brightlingsea… Yummy!

A good friend of mine called me up to asked if I’d read the Telegraph … that was a couple of days ago. Anyway, it was to tell me that Jack Holmes’ obituary had appeared. Sorry to say, I hadn’t known that he had died. He and I were both Leigh – on – Sea Sailing Club members many years ago.

The mate and me bought our first boat, Blue Tail, from Jack in 1980. She was, as some will know, a Yachting World Peoples Boat, which Jack had had for many years. The boat was kept off the Chalkwell shore and we maintained that mooring for our first summer after which we took the boat up to a new mooring up Tewkes Creek, Canvey Island, where we had joined a little boat club.

Jack’s Blue Tail in ‘our’ care after she ws sold to us … seen sailing on the River Medway.

We always remember Jack with a certain level of fondness: he didn’t want to let ‘his’ boat go. He gave us a good hand-over, taking us for a long sail on the tide. It was my mate’s first on such a small vessel, having sailed on our good friend’s Peter Duck ketch the previous summer. She loved it … so that was that, Blue Tail became ours!

I knew Jack had been in the air force, but as to his position, I was blissfully unaware. The club affectionately nic-named him, ‘Flying Officer Kite’ … many of the ‘war time’ members had such names: many of them went through together or met on snatched leave periods. Jack was a new man on the block after WW2 – he’d been brought up in the Norwich area and after leaving the RAF moved to Leigh whilst working at Marconi in Chelmsford.

It turns out that Jack reached the rank of Air Commodore and for daring deeds performed with his, I know, usual quiet aplomb, he rescued ditched air crew flying Catalina flying boats. He was awarded a bar to a DFC for one of these exploits.

Approaching Jack’s old berth off Chalkwell … the barge yacht Heron Lee used to be close by.

Jack, your boat did us proud before we had Whimbrel built and Blue Tail was sailed away to the Crouch… The mate hoped you knew of our ramblings up and down your beloved east coast … I hope so too. Today, I sailed over the spot, more or less, where Blue Tail was moored and murmured a few words in memory of you… Rest in peace Jack, rest in peace…

The Finesse Class which my Whimbrel belongs has enjoyed fifty odd years of sailing. My book, The Jottings of a Thames Estuary Ditch-crawler tells the tale of Finesse Yachts and builder Alan Platt, in chapter 2.

I’ve enjoyed my little sloop for 31 years now and aim to continue along that path for many more yet, God willing and I look after myself! Sadly some of the class have not always enjoyed a continued good life and I have two local to my own home area that need new owners. Another, in better condition, sits awaiting a keen couple with the desire to bring a boat back up to scratch. They are all do-able…

Meet Gladys, she is a cutter rigged Finesse 28. She needs you…

She is for sale and is berthed at Melton Boat Yard. The broker is Howard Ford Marine Sales. Telephone: 01394 385577.

She has a few deck problems, due to sanding away the glass fibre sheathing along the deck edge … overzealous sanding of rubbing strake. If damaged it must be sealed… The varnish on the cabin sides is ‘going’ due to a lack of coat after a strip back – common fault … get plenty back on after doing all that work, please!

The cockpit has suffered too: the cover has long been ripped apart by wind. What she is like inside, I do not know. But it is likely that all will be well. This will be iroko planked.

Now let us meet Selena. She’s a Finesse 24 looking a bit sorry for herself. No bother, you can do it and she’ll give you a superb return for your efforts in estuary sailing.

She sits alongside the bridge approach road on Canvey Island at Benfleet Bridge. Details from the Bridge Boat Yard. She was for sale for around £4500 – I told the proprietor that it was very unlikely to be sold at that price. She needs a new engine. Again she was refurbished some years back and not enough varnish was applied … sadly she hasn’t been covered either, particularly the cockpit. She appears to be a relatively early example and probably dates to around c1975. I couldn’t find a number where mine has been carved…

Her hull is probably iroko planked. She is a worthwhile project for a couple who would like a well built wooden craft. Spars are aboard. What the inside is like I can’t say. Work is likely… Give the yard a call or pop down to Benfleet and take a look.

Ah, let us not forget the little one now…

Here is a Finesse 21 in need of much love and attention. She sits in the yard of the Leigh Motor Boat Club and has sat here for a number of years. She is likely to be a boat from the mid late 1960s. Her hull will be mahogany. Decks need drastic attention. There appears to be quite a lot of work needed, however, these little 21s are a delight and you will be well rewarded…

There must be someone out there that would relish a challenge… Go for it. I love mine and you’ll love yours too, when the work is done.