Many years ago the then owner of a Finesse 27, Bonito, contacted and asked for some advice about selling his vessel … I can’t remember what I said, but the but appeared on the east coast from its old home down near Southampton. I came across her in a yard in Woodbridge and had a…

Queenborough Harbour Trust is holding its traditional boat festival next weekend – Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th September – with many of the craft congregating on the Friday. Whimbrel is due to be there and with current weather predictions, will be. Two pictures from a past event as vessels began to arrive. Many are berthed…

Between coming home from our summer cruising and the beginning of September, I took my oldest brother (‘home’ from Canada for a few weeks) and my sister away for a flying trip up to Pin Mill and back – but that’s another story. So, after we had seen ‘big bro’ off to the airport, my…

Some time back in July we arrived home from sailing and The Mate wheeled the dinghy trolley down the hard as I drew up in the tender. We duly floated and pulled the tender onto its trolley and set off, laughing about something or other, up the slipway. We hadn’t gone far when all of…

This summer I had promised my sister and two friends a ‘Rochester to Richmond’ style trip looking at the Medway and Thames. Of course, we wouldn’t actually have been sailing to Richmond! But, my life went into a state of flux ending with a bit of a shock. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer –…

This blog is dedicated to Jon from Sidney, British Columbia, Canada, for an act of kindness … Jon sails the waters ‘over there’ but they tend to be a little rockier around the shores… We spent a few days in Faversham at the Iron Wharf yard enjoying the town and its surrounds. We certainly didn’t…

A boating acquaintance of mine has decided to hang up his sailing boots and walk a landward path now… The chaps boat, Frith, a rather tasty Finesse 24 has bee kept at Burnham Marina for a number of years. She is remarkably well kept, although she has been in regular use, she hasn’t been sailed…

It has been a topsy-turvy year to date. It began full of hopes and dreams of a long and fruitful continuing enjoyment of all the good things in life, far into the future. We began with a sparkling early morning sail in January, together. A happy-go-lucky me taken by The Mate … whilst cooking up…

Nearly two years ago I found I needed a replacement loo seat for the RM69 toilet fitted to Whimbrel. I was offered a wood seat which I purchased. This was fitted in the spring of 2017. The RM range of marine toilets were originally manufactured by a Dutch company, however, this folded a little while…

I have had a couple of Francis B. Cooke’s books for some while, but found his writing somewhat dry and belittling, condescending even, especially in the way he ‘treated’ women… Perchance, for part of her Ruby Wedding Anniversary present to me, my good mate and dear wife presented me with: Small Yacht Cruising, Weekend Yachting…

The annual Finesse Rally which was started by a local group of like-minded souls with me as their ‘appointed’ head has, I am pleased to say, continued to thrive. Last year’s event at Brightlingsea was somewhat marred by inclement weather preceding and during the Saturday of the event. It being, in the main, rather blowy!…

The 2018 Essex Book festival seems a long time ago now, but I’m sure many of you may like to peruse some of the comments from the attendees. The list was quite staggering actually. Generally you get a, ‘Good…’ or, ‘I liked it…’ etc, but these returns were very touching indeed. There was around 65 people at…

From a modern perspective, the momentous voyages by Captain James Cook and his crews detailed in a new exhibition is probably long overdue. The British Library – no not the Maritime Museum as one would expect – has currently an exhibition detailing in an interesting way the famous three voyages of (European) exploration essentially around the Pacific basin.…

Finesse 24, No. 35, Andantino. She was built c.1978/9 and has come onto the market due, sadly, to the unexpected death of her late owner, a long-standing member of the Benfleet YC. I agreed to visit the boat with one of his daughters and give my views on her and advertise her for sale on my site.…

Swans outside my Porthole – a film by Simon North. Simon began this film some years ago now. Whilst other projects have come and gone in the mean time, this film has made it off the cutting table. It is: a wonderful picture of the life of some of the spritsail barges that came out…

Some months ago I ‘accidentally’ sailed across the stern of Dick Durham’s newest vessel, Betty II when she ‘arrived’ home at Leigh-on-Sea. Unknowingly, Dick’s arrival in a faint breeze was being filmed by Bob Aylott who makes classic boat films. His work covers the ‘not so classic’, those ignored by other classicists. Anyway, finally after…

Boat for Sale: I have been sent a few details and a couple of pictures of a Finesse 21 that is reluctantly being placed on the market. She has been owned by an ‘old salt’, Peter Silsbey, since 1988. Serenity is sail number 74. Her build date is said to be 1984. She is gaff cutter rigged,…

One of my favourite authors is Joseph Conrad and being over in Kent with a car rather than by water aboard Whimbrel, I looked up where he was buried after his death in August 1924. I had been given a biography of Conrad’s life written in the context of the age he lived in –…

In September 2016 the Grain power station chimney tumbled in a huge ball of dust and 2018 was the final year for the chimney upriver at Kingsnorth to come down. The ‘tumbling’ was delayed due to a bout of heavy snow some two weeks ago, but even after another lesser dumping, all was ready… So,…

The talk I am giving about my book, Rochester to Richmond: A Thames Estuary Sailor’s View, at Canvey Island Library is fast approaching. Tickets have been selling well this last few weeks but seats are still available… Library display… I visited the venue this afternoon and the organiser is extremely happy with numbers so far…