I have been ‘quiet’ for a little while, and apologise to readers. A little sailing has been enjoyed, testing Whimbrel’s new canvass, but on the whole, I’ve been wrapped up in a major task. Editing… It has been a long ‘stressful’ job this: I’ve had to reduce wordage which has meant a ‘line by line’…

A year or so back I realised that I was wearing the boat’s sails out. She had a new set from W-Sails of Leigh-on-Sea when she was 21. That was 12-13 year ago. So, I cast about and mused on where to get these done. W-Sails was closing down and not into ‘big’ stuff. Our…

My Mate, Christobel, has had a bad week ‘man’ flue has caused some distress and she’d been looking forward to getting out for an autumn sail up Benfleet Creek to appreciate the colours and bird-life. ‘Off you go…’ she said. So what was I to do… It started off somewhat misty with grey cloud above.…

Some while ago I entered Whimbrel onto a list of craft wishing to take part in a first for the Queenborough Harbour Trust. These good people decided  to hold a festival for such craft. This was done purely on speculation in recognition of the number of traditional boats that berth within the harbour during the…

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…

Yes, autumn has arrived. Two things tell me this, other than the shortening of the days, and these are the arrival of Brent geese on the Leigh and Canvey Island saltings, and the sudden disappearance of terns. Autumn offers something else too, but we’ll come to this. Not that you need to feel the nip…

Many years ago during a passage up the Thames I detoured into Dartford Creek but only as far as the barrier. At the time I hadn’t any information as to what lay beyond (The Mate was surprised at the time when we turned about and sailed away…), but I’ve long harboured a wish to go…

During my wandering around the Thames below the Pool of London and beyond along its edges, a few derelicts have been seen. There are more than would imagine. The reason is perplexing: I understood the authorities normally ‘ordered’ the removal of a sunken vessel. I suppose if a ship is just abandoned and the owner…

On the radio the other day someone who tars all with the same brush, blithely announced that the rich could spend their money on their yachts in a discussion about those that ‘have’ and those that have not. Now, yes, there are ‘rich’ yachting folk. But, in the main, we yachting folks are normal hard…

While in Chatham maritime Marina I took the opportunity to seek out the Snark. I could hear that blasting was taking place – a reminder harking back to my ship life, once known, never forgotten. So as my Mate and I were also wanting to visit the new exhibition of the Nemur, or at least,…

Away on my travels again, as if oft the case in the summer period, I’ve ben coming across a few clinker strakes around and about. Some have been in pretty good shape, others not so, and even ‘stroked’ a plastic variety seen up atop Iron Wharf… At Iron Wharf is a Finesse 21, Harmony, a…

Some while ago I had a little rant about plastic and rubbish ‘thrown’ overboard by fellow yachting folk. I was so incensed that I dropped the editor of Yachting Monthly a letter. They responded, which is more that the commodore of my own yacht club, as far as I am aware… See:  http://nickardley.com/rubbish-ditch-crawler-can-only-agree/ Currently I’m sailing…

Whilst sailing aboard the Eda Frandsen around the Scottish western isles recently I spotted in Plockton harbour a pretty clinker craft which I gauged to be around 15′ when discussing them with another of our group. The craft appeared to have a ‘fifer’ type stem with a tight kicked up wine-glass raked transom. The boats…

Ah well, yes, I have been unfaithful to Whimbrel again! After my trip with my good Mate sailing in the Western Isles of Scotland last summer, my sister, who followed me into this world as close behind as is almost possible, decided to get a ‘family’ group together to celebrate her 60th year too. So,…

My latest book, Swinging the Lamp – Thames estuary Tidal Tales, has now been released by the publisher, Fonthill Media. It is better late than never, why the delay, I cannot fathom! Display board for Swinging the Lamp… The Book Inn, The Broadway, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. Tel: 01702 716614, is hosting a launch event for the book…

Some while ago I took my old safety rail wires into Boatacs in Chalkwell for renewal. I had a surveyor coming and knowing that latest wisdom was for non-plastic covering, got ahead of myself. Boatacs had the wires made up for the next morning and were fitted same day. This meant I could ‘safely’ continuing…

Some while ago I had a walk through Old Leigh nosing about boatyards and associated areas where boat bits ‘congregate’. A reader, a fellow Finesse fan, has sent me a fulsome email expanding on a few things adding colour and detail. I have appended this to the original. See:  http://nickardley.com/ditch-crawler-takes-a-palm-sunday-wander-through-old-leigh/ Many thanks Norman. Norman owns the SK23…

I take a friend sailing twice a year for a long weekend – this began over a decade ago – long before the much trumpeted RYA take a friend scheme. But this year’s spring cruise coincided with a visit from my ‘Canadian’ brother. So, I ended up with two Graham’s… And yes, they played up…

Yes, it has happened. The new spritsail barge ordered by the Sea-change Sailing Trust from C. Toms of Polruan, Fowey, slipped into the water yesterday afternoon (Sunday 29 May 2016) and boy does she look handsome! The barge is a direct copy, with all welded construction as her namesake launched by Horlocks of Mistley in…

In the June edition of Yachting Monthly there is a superb article about rubbish. The rubbish in question is the type which finds its way into the sea. Most comes off the land now, however, seafarers are responsible for a proportion of it all, which is very unfortunate indeed. I have been banging the drum…