Well, yes, we did in a way: we berthed well before breakfast, at least the time we’ve become accustomed to having the first repast of the day… The mate called the marina at the top of the creek as we chugged up, fortunately catching an early bird. I’d spied a berth by then: there’s nearly always a berth or two on ‘A’ pontoon right in the approach.
No kingfishers were seen on this occasion … but there were plenty of waders. Seemingly dozens of those graceful little egrets. In amongst one bunch were several skulking giants – herons – which squawked indignantly as they lifted off…
Creeping into Conyer in the morning…
During the morning, after first varnishing both of Whimbrel’s hatches, I had a bumble around the marina’s boat park, as one does… I left the mate doing some chores – washing a few things and cleaning through… During my meanderings I found a Finesse 24 propped up and covered over: she’s an old friend and I take a look at her every summer … she’s been out of the water a couple of seasons by my reckoning.
The Quo Vadis on the Conyer hard standing…
During the afternoon period I took a bit of time out, leaving my mate with a book and wandered down to the entrance to the creek, looking at the three historic remains of spritsail barges on the way. The path passes through the grounds of the old brick workings – years ago I remember some buildings here and the furnace chimney was still standing – all long gone now our boy used to run around the site.
On the way back I poked into the car parking area of the Blagden moorings wanting to get a little closer to an old barge mast that has been erected as a flag pole … did it come from the creek’s last barge the Gold Belt, I wondered… Close by in use as an edge barrier for a car park is the larger part of a keelson – from the Persevere, I thought…
Barge main mast in use as a flag pole…
A spritsail barge’s keelson…
Then I spied an unusual chunk of timber … you’d need to know ‘boats’ to recognise it for what it clearly was. It is a chunk of stern frame … it is standing on its aft face and the face that took the planks as they swept out from the flat bottom can be seen… It’ll serve its current master for many more years for sure.
A stern knee…