For all boating people and ‘landlubbers’ alike, this past year will have been a testing time for most.

The year started with a perpetual round of high winds especially during the weeks when the tides were during daylight hours. The result was, for me and Christobel, was that Whimbrel only had a modicum of use up until lockdown.

Whimbrel had been hauled out and chocked up a week or so before lockdown and her bottom had been water slurry cleaned off back to wood. After a couple days drying, work commenced!

See: http://nickardley.com/ditch-crawler-mate-give-whimbrels-bottom-a-clean-up/

Fortunately our club remained open and allowed members to quietly deal with maintenance, following distancing rules. Whilst doing job, we saw less people than when walking and certainly didn’t have any distancing problems with people walking straight at us and not moving aside … which has remained a problem throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

‘What is it they don’t understand’!

As Christmas approached, my friend up in Daws Heath, a chap who used to grow trees for the festive period, dropped off a tree for Whimbrel’s mast. The chap has been doing this for nearly two decades now!

At that time, although most of Essex was in a level three lockdown (England) a UK wide relaxation for family visits was agreed over a five day window. Then, a new strain of Covid-19 was proved to be the reason behind a Southeast England rapid increase in infections … Wales and Scotland were seeing rises too.

There was a huge wailing and gnashing of teeth: Christmas was looking to be ‘cancelled’ and it was with Essex following other eastern and south eastern areas into a new Level 4.

Christmas though, cancelled? How can anyone cancel Christmas – eradicate Man, perhaps. People have forgotten what Christmas really is…

For Whimbrel’s crew, life will remain much as planned … although we’re unsure if our church will be open!

The tree was big enough to trim back the trunk for the hoisting stick. Trunk was a handy size too… This year, just for the hell of it, I purchased a set of battery operated lights to decorate the tree. These have a timed operating time of 6 hours in 24. So they were switched on around 1600, as dusk settled!

Hoisting day was again forecasted to be fairly windy, but like on previous days the winds didn’t rise locally and certainly dropped off as the afternoon crept towards dusk. So, both unanimously elected for a sail…

We jogged out of the creek under jib, coming up to wind when clear to hoist the main. It was glorious. An almost clear blue sky sat above, with some clouds far away to the west probably beyond Gravesend.

Swirls of knot and dunlin swooped round the boat off Canvey Point. This is something always a joy to see. Whimbrel’s mate sat, entranced, a smile of pleasure radiating…

Away along the shallows, Brent geese were paddling around the dead stalks of cord grass ferreting for food, in between honking at one another in a language that can only be guessed at.

We sailed east on a broad reach down the run of the ray Channel, the boat revelling in the thrust of the wind’s pressure and a wash wave curled away from the bow. It was comfortable, full sail breeze, and we were soon down to level with Chalkwell Beach.

Along the shore, a parade of people taking the air and exercise were seen. Out on the water a clutch of dinghies were skittering about, helms clad in dry suits to ward off the chill. One, a laser, came up off our starboard quarter and then lost the wind under our shadow. The helm, a lad, called, ‘I love your tree…’ I grinned.

Along the channel of the Thames, ships were on the move, some were large container vessels. We turned inshore, heading in towards Leigh-on-Sea.

Close into the shore, swimmers were seen ‘enjoying’ the water… Off Victoria Wharf, Whimbrel was tacked round for a fetch out to the Ray Channel again.

We were sailing towards the setting sun and I thought perhaps it was going to one of those cracking sunsets sometimes experienced, but, a low bank of cloud swallowed the sun and we saw barely a touch of colour.

A couple of tacks took us in towards the entrance buoys marking Smallgains Creek.

Away to the south, marking the shallow swatch across east of the point marshes, a series of buoys laid by the Island Yacht Club were clear to see. A point buoy laid by Dauntless Yard a couple of years ago has been moved west to the position I myself placed the previous Point Buoy which went astray some years ago. The ground chain was still out there!

Also marked for the first time in many years is the remains of a steel vessel of unknown origin which sits on the flats a little to the south-southeast of the out creek markers. An isolated danger mark has been used here.

Along the outer reach of Smallgains, the jib was stowed and then the main in a faltering evening breeze, far removed from the 4-5 on most forecasts.

Once berthed and sorted, I dropped the tree down towards deck to activate a set of lights strung around the tree’s branches!

As we walked away and looked back to survey our handiwork, I chuckled: up the creek another lit tree could be seen … ‘on a motor boat…’ my mate quipped, adding,’… not the same’!

It was a superb near two hour sail, which if it were to be the last of the year, it’ll surely be more greatly savoured for that…