Well yes, I knew this: I have been helping Janet Harber keep up to date details of the waters in which my dinghy trails astern of Whimbrel on her travels around this coast for a great number of years. This help has been provided by many people around the rivers and creeks, including Judy, Janet’s sister, and Judy’s husband before he sadly died. I met the family up at Snape some years ago now, the pleasure was all mine.

East Coast Rivers is a fantastic pilot book to have aboard, it is my only pilot book, apart from annotated charts and what is stored in the grey matter I have aloft…

This new edition comes out on the 60th anniversary of Jack Coote’s first pilot book, which followed in the footsteps of  Irving’s Rivers and Creeks of the Thames Estuary published in 1927 and the earlier East Coast Rivers by Messum published in 1903. Jack’s baby was taken on board by Janet following his sad, yet natural, death. It is a volume I have been familiar with all my life: it was my father’s sailing bible too…

The book will obviously be in stores, chandlers and on web based book sites, however, you can go along and meet the author at Fox’s marina chandlery (Marine & Country) at the marina on the edge of Ipswich overlooking the Orwell.

This is to take place on Tuesday 1st November from 6 pm.

I’m looking forward to my copy and my battered (last) copy can be rested awhile on a shelf. Awhile only, surely, for Like many of my coastal books they’re on and off the shelves often!

I hope you all feel likewise…