Calor’s crazy decision of a couple years back now caused more than a stir in the boating circles, but it was in the caravan and motorhome world that the storm of dissent was loudest, and, earliest onto the block.

I tried my luck with the traditional boating press to no avail before getting the South Coast sailing news to do a piece.

As for the Royal Yachting Association, they were initially non starters with seemingly little care, ignorant in their response to myself, until finally a ‘Calor’ statement was published by them last April – I had disposed of my forty plus year membership by then!

So, as someone who had only one choice to make when supplies of the ‘small’ calor cylinders ceased, that was to change to the smaller and more expensive Campingaz, I have kept my ear to the ground.

Fortunately, we built up a bottle reserve and found a supplier who ‘never ran out’ of the 3.9/4.5 cylinder sizes.

Then from my friend in Aukland, New Zealand came a tip off…

A snippet of news on the East Coast Pilot site – not a place I visit often. So I went trawling towards the caravan brigade for they have been very proactive.

I found and interesting item. From Admin of the Caravan and Motorhome chat pages:

‘Seems Calor have u-turned on this one which is good news for many I am certain,  from Calor:

In February we announced plans to streamline our cylinder range to phase out the 3.9kg propane and 4.5kg butane sizes. 

Customers using these cylinder sizes, particularly in the boating and caravanning communities, told us they were frustrated by the limited availability of alternatives to these sizes of cylinder. We listened to their concerns and reviewed options for returning these cylinders back into circulation. 

We’re now pleased to announce that we’ll continue to supply the 3.9kg propane and 4.5kg butane sizes.

What’s changed?

Since the announcement, we have continued to fill a small number of these cylinders. And, following recent modernisation to our filling centres, we can now increase the supply of these cylinders. 

We’ll also start to refurbish and return cylinders back into the network to improve availability. This will take a little time as we are investing in a significant capacity increase in reconditioning facilities, but we’re working hard to return supply to normal as soon as possible.‘

See: https://www.caravantalk.co.uk/community/topic/167387-return-of-calor-39-45/

It would appear that Calor are about to announce something: there is nothing other than the statements of early 2023 on pages currently.

Also: I know that many marinas have changed their supply lines and stock a greater amount of Campingaz, so, whether or not marinas will go back to Calor, if the pull out is rescinded, remains to be seen.

Stay alert!

Note: from fellow sailor, Brian, the Westerly Owners Association carries the same worded message.

A little while ago there was a warning in the ‘yachting press’ about boat safety and in particular safety on inland waterways craft.

This is nothing new: Marine Industry Federation and MAIB (Maritime accident investigation branch) of the MCA have raised concerns earlier this year.

While down in deepest ‘land locked’ Wiltshire recently visiting family in Devizes, we saw a blaze taking place whilst passing over the Kennet & Avon Canal. It turned out that a most serious fire had taken place aboard a canal boat moored near the road bridge.

It is not known what caused the blaze, however, many of the occupants of these ‘live-aboards’ use wood for heating and gas for cooking. Stacks of wood are often seen atop the vessels as well as a miasma of other ‘junk’…

I was told that an intact gas bottle was seen floating by the wrecked vessel, indicating, perhaps, that it wasn’t a gas based conflagration.

It is pretty obvious that the inferno within caused partial destruction of the vessel as well as its sinkage – that, however, was most likely due to fire service flooding when combatting the blaze.

Food for thought eh!

As soon as the book hit the streets, people began asking for signed copies, which is nice. Interestingly the hard copy was as much in demand as the soft cover …

I’ve had two glitches: a few weeks ago, I sent all my stock to Salty Dogs Christmas season shop in Maldon – fronted by Photographer Den Philips – keeping back copies to cover the orders I still had to fulfill.

I need to go back a ‘bag’ another couple of copies to keep punters happy!

I had one email saying:

‘I have bought several of your books as  Christmas gifts and he (Dad) also enjoyed a recommendation I saw on your website for another boat book.
Anyway, if you could sign a copy for him ‘Mike’ that would be much appreciated…’

Then this fairly fulsome piece from a lady on the the first half of her read…

‘I thought your first chapter was very thoughtful and encouraging to get men to get checked. It can’t have been easy writing about your feelings. I’ve told friends your story (a brief version) to encourage them too. I think of the time  when you were going through it all and I can’t imagine what it must have been like for both of you in different ways. I’m just so glad you are so well now.’

Then, continuing:

‘I’ve read more and remember putting a bucket up the mast to go through the bridge in the Swale. Your time on the barge was so much nicer than a weekend I spent on Xylonite…

You provoke so many memories that I read the books twice to really enjoy the books properly usually with east coast rivers open too so I can see your route or a map for the walking.

Thank you for writing another one.’

Thank you!!

I had a card from a sailor in The Netherlands, thanking me for the safe arrival of a book, he said: ‘I have received your book in good condition! Now I am looking forward to a lot of reading pleasure…’

Another chap and his wife contacted asking for a signed copy, wrote:

‘I hope that you will keep sailing and writing those great books of yours because we’ll keep reading them!! ‘

Yes, kind reader, I will keep sailing for as long as good grace and health coexist, I promise… As for further writing, hmm, I don’t know – too early yet.

And, thank you to all those who have so far bought a copy of this book, it is greatly appreciated.

Whilst away down in West Sussex a little while back during the early autumn, I alighted on a book that looked interesting in a historical way. Great Years in Yachting by John Nicholson. It was published by Nautical Publishing Ltd, of Lymington in 1970. It is therefore still under copyright and I acknowledge with thanks all photographs of book pages.

This, of course, is the Nicholson of that famous Gosport (and Southampton) yacht designing and building fame. John is the son of Charles E. Nicholson, the doyen of yachting – designing, building and racing, as well as family cruising. The Nicholson’s owned and ran the firm of Camper and Nicholsons based adjacent to the Gosport/Portsmouth ferry.

The book is ostensibly about Charles Nicholson and the life of the firm during his period of chairmanship (There were three brothers) – John assumed control in the fulness of time, retiring c 1970, but covers a little of the companies pre-history too.

The family yachts get a reasonable and interesting coverage. John and his sister Mary were clearly the sailors amongst the Nicholson siblings: they were regularly crewing…

Charles made the mistake of many a (gung-ho) sailor and frightened the wits out of his young wife and she rarely stepped foot aboard a yacht following a very bad passage…

How many people have done this, I wonder!

The shear size and volume of the Nicholson production at Gosport and Southampton was phenomenal. The Southampton yard was opened as yachts grew in size and, more importantly, draft. Gosport’s slip could manage up to 15′, just.

There is a chapter on ‘Captains and Skippers’… Up until after the cessation of hostilities of the second world war, crews were professional, although amateurs were creeping in. The early interlopers were generally termed ‘Hired Assassins’ or later, ‘pier-head jumpers’ to be kinder and less derogatory. The day of the professional was certainly cropped after a strike of the crew of a mid 1930s Americas Cup Challenger. She was essentially the better yacht, but still lost!

I was amazed at the attitude of ‘build at no expense’ and the huge alterations carried out after a year on the racing circuit, but, it must be remembered that the worth of such men as Tommy Sopwith and his industrial contemporaries was immense. Akin to the Oligarchs washing around today.

Charles Nicholson was involved with all of the Endeavour Americas Cup projects and the last, Endeavour II, was faster and technically better than the American vessel, however, the aluminium mast of Ranger gave her an advantage in less heel in the generally light wind sailing in which the cup was sailed…

Camper & Nicholsons not only built the big classes and steam/motor yachts, but 12, 8 and 6 metre vessels, as well as cruising vessels for the less wealthy, however, these were still on the large size if you compare to say a yacht from an east coast yard.

The book ends with a short chapter on the ;Sound in the shipyard’ where John reminiscences on the lost cacophony produced by riveting, plate bending, hammering of the caulkers and the huge circular saws…

The firm moved with the times and a marina had filled the water off their Gosport Yard and they had slipped smoothly into the use of GRP.

The latter is not surprising for the firm had always been innovative using laminated timbers and diagonal planking etc throughout the early 1900s.

I was left with one huge overriding feeling of this lost world. The definite demarcation of the haves and have-nots – the ‘stench’ – not in a nasty way – of privilege…

Is it worth reading if you can find a copy, well, yes!

On the book’s launch day, a box packed full of the finished article arrived. Even though this is my seventh book, it was still an exciting moment to carefully open the box and lift out and hold a copy for the first time.

It was a book that was very nearly ‘binned’ due huge angst I felt about the way a number of yachting folk treated me (us both actually) after I wrote a blog asking people not to go away sailing overnight when not allowed during the first Covid 19 period. This was termed the ‘Cummings Effect’ after that man’s lockdown failings – something which has already been raised at the public enquiry currently taking place under Baroness Hallett.

Interestingly, the enquiry will be covering, ‘…the effects transgressors had on the law abiding population…’

A local man publicly threatened to burn Whimbrel and admitted the fact to a yachting journalist, who, sadly, did not specifically talk to me about the incident. He later admitted that he should have listened to my truthful facts…

The ‘gentleman’ who made the threat was somebody who I once looked up to as a fellow spirit of the waters. He claimed I had informed the authorities about his transgression … an absolute and utter lie, as he well knows.

This came about after the Marine Section of Essex Police visited his yacht club wanting to speak to a number of boat crews about sailing away overnight for a weekend over Whitsun Bank Holiday, 2020. I strongly suspect that the informer, if there was one, was a member of that club: I was informed much later that club officers were scurrying around trying to stop boats going out!

At the time there were various yotty blog and Facebook ‘boasts’ doing the rounds with pictures of anchorages with boats and their AIS (automatic identification system) plots. Kent police ‘raided’ Queenborough, asking for help. Thames VTS had them too, surely. Stupid buggers!

There was some vitriol on the ‘air waves’ too, by people who hadn’t even bothered to read my blog – they just wanted to wade in and vent their spleens.

There followed a vociferous and frightening verbal attack out on the water, the chap’s wife screamed at him to ‘stop it…’ Then, Essex Police treated the incidents as harassment…

All these people, to quote a news report I read, are no better than scum, essentially the cesspit of humanity. A damned good description.

I was still receiving my cancer treatment, so, ‘Thanks guys’, for they were all ‘men!’ You made our lives hell…

Following all of this, I completed magazine work that I had agreed to, but I have not written anything new for a magazine since, and current I remain in an indifferent mind to that world…

The book essentially covers my ‘battle’ with prostate cancer and is written as a severe warning to men: for me it was a close call…

There are various tales, some of which took place before my cancer and the over-lapping Covid period, others are tales and reminiscences during these episodes: both impinged in their own specific ways.

We enjoyed a ‘mid-covid-breather’ day aboard the Sea Change Sailing Trust’s barge Blue Mermaid. It was a scintillating day with just another two ‘passengers’ crewing alongside the normal three. There were still certain ‘distancing’ rules in place where appropriate.

It’s during the last few chapters that I get into the nuts of what it was like, as a sailor and walker, during the pandemic, and I discuss the ‘attacks’ made on us and the disgraceful attitude of Essex Police.

The ending is optimistic for the future, full of thankfulness for our escape from Covid harm.

Now, coming up to five years on from my diagnosis and initial treatment, My PSA is essentially zero and I am continuing to head confidently towards the future with many more blissful years with my mate beside me…

For the book:

See: Nick: Ardley | Author | Austin Macauley Publishers

The book can be obtained from other sites and, of course, direct from me, signed and messaged for free (!) but I have to include postage.

YouTube film clip to savour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-IDI9p3o28

Some many years ago we fitted a carpet into the main cabin aboard Whimbrel – it was something we did after I read in one of Francis B. Cooke’s books about ‘comfort afloat of an evening…’ In any case, it is almost a common sense action. Cooke believed in carpet slippers too!

A carpet makes such a difference below and we would not do without one now. We tend to wear ‘below’ shoes after the day’s passage has been made and movement is largely between cabin and cockpit.

The first carpet was cut out of an offcut from a piece we had ‘loafing’ about. It was the wrong type, but sufficed for a few seasons. It and another length are used by the mate when working under the boat, antifouling…

The current covering is made from floor runner rubber backed carpet – in two pieces for when main run done, I couldn’t find a longer piece. The join has been lifting and caused a number of tripping moments this last season – indicating time for action.

Next season’s comfort could not be jeopardised!

After carrying out a prolonged search, I found a company that sold ‘cut to length’ pieces. The only catch was a piece with a greater width than needed. Hey, but what the heck, it would do the job.

On a visit to Whimbrel this last weekend to do a couple of jobs, the old carpet was rolled up and brought home. (The bilge was vacuumed out too…)

I began the cutting to shape process by removing the rubber edge from the carpet. Then carefully laying the old as a pattern on the new, trimming was carried out…

On my next boat visit, the new will be checked for fit and trimmed if needed, then returned home for winter storage.

The old carpet is likely to go back aboard for it helps to keep the cabin floor clean, needing a vacuum from time to time.

At the end of a season, we have always washed the carpet – it being actually machine washable – however, hand scrubbing and rinsing is best, I have found, it being my job!

So there we go. One job off the list…

Last year when on a road passage between Arundel and Devizes, we passed through Midhurst, a delightful little town situated in the West Sussex National Park.

Investigating later, it was discovered to be not so far from Jane Austen’s childhood home. Bingo: a place both myself and the mate have wanted to visit…

So, a year on.

The family was uprooted and moved to Bath by their father after he retired, however in a short time he died leaving all his females at the mercy of his sons. One especially: Edward having been adopted by the Knight’s of Chawton house (relatives by marriage) was extremely rich – as rich as Darcy in Pride & Prejudice…

It was at this house where Jane was able to settle into her writing. She recomposed her earlier works before getting them published.

In the house Jane had her own corner in the front parlour where she could write whilst watching the outside world move around her…

Her writing table is so small, a mere ‘Sherry glass’ affair. It was a good job, apparently, that Jane was a tidy and efficient worker.

I wondered what she would have made of a laptop…

We also took in Chawton House, where Jane and her sister Casandra often visited. Both were active aunts to their brother’s brood, especially after his wife died.

Chawton is on long lease from the Knight family to a charity foundation digging into the history of women writers. Fascinating stuff…

It was quite moving to stand close to her desk and look out of windows she herself had, long ago, developing her ideas as life went on around her…

It put me aboard Whimbrel, sailing along a salting edge, gazing at some all but non existent time rotted stumps of a vessel or wharf, wondering…

Autumn marks the end of the sailing season for most boaters. Others stay active. For many years now since my enforced early retirement from sea, Whimbrel and her crew fall into the latter category.

After my return from taking my youngest brother and a cousin away for a great late summer early autumn weekend on the River Blackwater, I have been giving the tender, Twitch, a bit of a going over. The poor girl has had a bit of a bashing this last season. Extraordinarily, the little tender will be thirty years old next year!

It takes me a bit of time to move through the season of summer and get autumn inside my head. It has been especially difficult this year due to the ‘second summer’ we’ve enjoyed in Essex’s corner of Britain.

But, the autumnal jobs have to be progressed … the summer’s damage to the tender’s gunnels has been sanded back and coats topped up. The thwarts too. Then all was overcoated.

In between times the mate and I enjoyed a sail out on the tide, followed by a recent weekend away during a very unseasonable warm period. Before leaving though, we took Whimbrel’s mainsail off and fitted her old one: all three sails are due a make-over and wash at Wilkinsons Sails in Faversham.

Tide’s were later afternoon, so we dropped out to the area of Lawling Creek where one can comfortably sit at anchor protected from virtually all directions.

There was little breeze left towards the end of the day, a bit of a blowy one at that, but as forecasted it died! Barely a lap against the lands of the boat’s clinker planks was heard overnight…

The morning was quite like it should be in summer. Blazing sunshine, temperatures towards the middle 20’s and NO wind! We managed to more or less sail (drift) out of Lawling then puttered down towards the sea.

A little after passing the Tollesbury Pier cardinal, a breeze filled in from the South-east. Great, we were sailing properly and tacked out to clear of Sales Point.

There were quite a lot of water-borne activity with several barges seen too.

After a sublime evening in Lawling again, we made our way back to our berth on the Monday morning, breakfasting on bacon rolls after berthing…

So, home came the newer sail cover for a wash and coat of waterproofing.

The tender’s floor boards, rudder, dagger board and oars came home too: they were in foe a treat…

The dagger board was easy. Scuffing’s were sanded and touch up coats applied before a final overcoat of varnish/paint.

The rudder needed a little more attention…

The floor boards were hard sanded with an orbital sander and a thinned coat applied. Meanwhile, with a couple of broken board battens, these were made up ready to replace.

Temporary screws were used to secure until proper copper nails could be obtained…

In between times, the oars were stripped back to bare and sanded, before coat after coat was applied…

Currently, all parts a refinished except for a final coat to the oars. Last week was perfect for the sun shone every day with temperatures around 22-24 deg C, meaning a thinned coat was overcoated later in the day.

Popping aboard Whimbrel after walking near to her mooring, all the cushions, oilies and coats were transported home for their winter washing. Cushions for storage, but we always put the oilies back aboard for the boat is regularly used during the colder months…

I have been looking quite hard at the varnish work carried out to Whimbrel during her refurbishment – May/June this year – and have found no signs of any breakdown. Early days, but good news. The coating seems to be pretty tough too (Le Tonkinois No. 1 varnish). This will all get a hard sand in the spring and given two coats.

So, here we are in mid-October. Supposedly the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. The hedgerows are full of berries – blackberries long past their best, sloes, not so good in our parts for it has been too dry, but lots of them. It is said if the hawthorn and rosehip fruits are good then we are in for a hard winter – hope not!

Tomorrow, I am planning on a lone sail from the mooring for a few hours on the tide. It’ll be my first alone from our new mooring…

At long last, I can ‘release’ the title to you: it is out there in the wider world of book sales.

The publisher said in their letter when accepting the book and offering a contract:

‘…your submission was found to be a powerful, poignant memoir, an admirable chronicle of overcoming extraordinary odds…’

‘…keen to comment on your masterful way with words and your remarkable ability to pull the audience into the text, to the point that it often felt like the reader was right there reliving he memories alongside you.’

‘comment(ed) on your engaging writing style and applaud the time and passion you’ve taken … we believe it to be a worthwhile addition to the genre…’

The book’s title is: Sailing through life…

Austin Macauley, my current publisher, has just released their sales pitch for the book and, I believe, it is on Amazon now too. Other sites will appear. But your local bookshop would surely love you to pop in…

https://www.austinmacauley.com/author/ardley-nick

As said in an earlier post, the release date is Friday 10th November 2023.

There are 80 colour plates and a front piece map.

The book comes in three formats:

Hard Back: ISBN: 9781398481343 @ £25.99

Soft Back: ISBN: 9781398481336 @ £18.99

EPub: ISBN: 9781398481350 @ £3.50

Blurb:

When Nick Ardley asked for a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, the aftershocks of a prostate cancer diagnosis were momentous. Frightened, he said he was too young to die. Petrified, he understandably broke down. But all was not lost: his family and the boat shared with his wife were soon at work repairing his life.

A life-long sailor, the salt marsh fringed waters of the greater Thames estuary had always enthralled, and it was to them he went for healing. It’s a place where in the free flow of a saline breeze his mind cleared, and he began treating it all as just another little illness. Like a cold, he said, knowing full well it wasn’t! Sailing up the River Thames, he announced to his wife his choice of the medical directions offered. Later, after mooring off Gravesend, both cried together.

Ardley’s treatment overlapped the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, the serious stuff was done and dusted. The pandemic brought new trials. The couple were frighteningly threatened by a fellow yachtsman who disliked an Ardley web blog … the horror of that summer has remained fresh.

Throughout the telling of Ardley’s tales, his story, sailing with family and friends, country walking and living life, he has maintained a normality. Perhaps a familiar story, but it comes with a warning: Men, get yourselves tested before it’s too late!

So, onwards he goes, sailing through life…

This project has seemingly just meandered atrociously from one edit to the next at a pace that can only be described as snail-like.

I have reached ‘final edit’ so many times, I’ve almost approached despair. The edit was returned some while ago, corrected, I was told, but absolutely nothing had actually been done. There were only a half dozen or so items … I had a major rant at editorial.

Recently, I received the document for checking with all cover work done. It had to be signed off that day to reach a publishing date in September. I sent a letter back apologising, but I could not deal with at a moments notice, late on an afternoon.

I sent everything off in just three days … that was a month and half ago!

I have been informed that the errors have been dealt with but QA found some anomalies (I had spotted one or two and told them, and they’re the experts and should not have been present…).

When, a complete check has been made, I will be sent all for reviewing and signing off. Publishing happens within two months of that point.

The end result though will be a well honed book, with much interest for a varied cross section of people…

It will also carry a very important message to men.

Update:

Well, I never, the files finally arrive back in my email box, however, only one out of six deficiencies had been done.

I ‘exploded’ verbally, to the editorial contact. Amazingly it came back within a day, corrected, with a qualifier that the editorial coordinator had personally checked – what blazes are they for…

I have now signed it off. A publishing date will soon be known, plus advertising details.

About time too…

News…

Publishing date: Friday 10th November 2023.