This is number 5 in a series by Hunters Yard about sailing their boats – but there’s lots of good stuff here for the rest of us!

To see the full set, click here and start at the bottom of the page.

How to sail by the folks at Hunter’s Yard on the Norfolk Broads originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 23, 2013.

I very much like IBTC student Philip Lane’s weblog – it shows a real pride in what he’s learning to do and what the college does, and boy does he adore the boats he works on.

And so he should. They have included a pretty little rowing boat planked in larch, an 1882 Camper & Nicholson yawl, and 1882 Camper and Nicholson pilot cutter, an Aldeburgh One-Design dinghy, a Herreshoff Columbia dinghy, a River Cam dinghy, and a 1912 William Fife III Six Metre, and the Albert Strange-designed Cloud.

Gosh… How will he ever be able to go back to normal life after an experience like that? Perhaps his weblog will cover that part too…

A great IBTC student boat builder’s weblog originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 21, 2013.

Thanks to Hans Rieck for this one!

Hamburg Harbour, 1935 – a time of beautiful steamships originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 21, 2013.

Out sailing on my own this weekend, I came across the Medway barge match. I’d completely forgotten it was happening, but soon got the idea when I saw them all trooping out past the SS Montgomery.

Anyway I got the little Samsung pocket camera out, and took these snaps – I hope you like them.

PS – Fowey boatbuilder Marcus Lewis has been in touch to say that there’s an old negative of the sailing barge Cabby up for auction on eBay. It doesn’t look like it’s in strong demand and I suspect the seller will have a few more up his sleeve. Thanks Marcus!

The Medway barge match, 2013 – an accidental photo gallery originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 20, 2013.

I love the atmospheric shots of Leigh Creek and Maldon. And talking of atmospheric, look at those ships at Tilbury – they were coal fired in those days and don’t you know it!

The young female figure is my Mum, but I guess you will have worked that out.

Ships and the Essex Coast – photos my father took in 1955-7 originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 20, 2013.

Old Gaffers in action. I hope they won’t mind me saying that…

The latest bulletin from the Old Gaffers Round Britain Challenge 10 UK and seven Dutch boats under way are now scattered along the south coast with the largest boat, pilot cutter Annabel J, the furthest west.

Annabel J has an AIS transponder so she can be tracked via live ships tracking sites such as www.marinetraffic.com - the other boats can be followed via the various blogs via links on the OGA’s special website www.oga50.org, where a new link combines data on the position of the boats from all available sources.

Earlier the boats attended a party and a parade of sail in Southampton, and had to delay for gales at Plymouth.

The OGA’s new historical travelogue website is following the progress of the fleet and illustrating its progress with fascinating stories from old accounts and images of the areas they pass.

Also check out the OGA remarkable website telling stories of the sea and our coasts: www.sailing-by.org.uk. For example, here’s Daniel Defoe writing pretty scathingly about Kent’s biggest South Coast port: Dover: freight, mail and mackerel

An update on the OGA’s 50th anniversary round Britain trip originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 17, 2013.

Shopping for salt in the next town along the coast? Why not, especially if the weather’s like this?

Over at The Invisible Workshop Ben Crawshaw indulges three of his pleasures, sailing his Light Trow, enjoying a beer with friends and delicious cooking…

Don’t forget his equally delicious-looking book on the Lodestar imprint is now out – click on the advert in the top right hand column of this weblog!

Ben Crawshaw finds an excuse to go for a sail in Onawind Blue – a little light food shopping originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 16, 2013.

Photos by Ian Duffill

A rowing club set up under the aegis of Blakeney Sailing Club is well on the way to completing the UK’s most southerly St Ayles rowing skiff for racing under oars. Read about the smart-looking build here.

The Scottish Coastal Rowing movement imagined and then realised by kit manufacturer and boat builder Alec Jordan and Iain Oughtred, who designed the seaworthy four-oared plus cox, fixed-seat boat St Ayles skiff, continues to amaze with its success. For one thing, it has been remarkably popular – the number of kits sold for these good-sized community-built racing skiffs this month topped 100.

We’ve seen these boats built in other countries – there are now St Ayles skiff kit suppliers in the Netherlands, the Antipodes, and North America – but there’s something a bit special and unexpected about the movement extending itself to Norfolk.

The story of how it happened begins in 2012, when Dr Victoria Holliday, an avid and competitive sculler persuaded Blakeney Sailing Club to run an early morning race for a collection of sculling boats kept in the club’s boat park. It was evidently a success – more races were held, and, encouraged by the club led by Commodore Joe Carr,  CraBlakeney (Coastal Rowing Association Blakeney) has been formed under the sailing club’s umbrella.

The question of what the local coastal rowing history and traditions of  North Norfolk, but few answers were forthcoming, and the idea of building a St Ayles skiff and taking part in the Scottish Coastal Rowing movement came to the fore.

Dinghy sailor and would-be rower Ian Duffill joined forces with Victoria Holliday to sponsor a kit from Alec Jordan, and this has taken shape over the past five months in Ian’s workshop, where an enthusiastic group of 20 or so volunteers, mainly drawn from the sailing club are aiming to launch the boat on the 25th May, to exhibit her at the Beale Park Boat Show near Reading in June, and to take part in the Skiff World Championships at Ullapool in July.

The skiff has been named Hoi Larntan, a Norfolk dialect phrase used by seafarers to indicate a boat or skipper of superior quality. It’s also an example of the local taste for punning names – it also means ‘high lantern’ or ‘high learned one’.

After the skiffies’ world championship at Ullapool she will back at at Blakeney to be used for exercise and recreation.

Photos by Ian Ruston

Blakeney folks build the UK’s southern-most St Ayles skiff originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 16, 2013.

A turning point perhaps, but today we learned that despite the unanimous vote against the proposal for a restaurant on Standard Quay, there is to be an appeal so the arguments have to be gone through all over again… It’ll be tiresome but it’s got to be done.

A turning point for Faversham? Historian Arthur Percival speaks about the Standard Quay decision originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 16, 2013.

Shipshape East Anglia members network at the International Boatbuilding Training College, Lowestoft

Over 40 boatbuilders, historic vessel owners, suppliers and trainees met as a group earlier this month for the first time at a meeting organised by the Shipshape Network in East Anglia.

The forum took place at the International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC) at Lowestoft, where they were addressed by National Historic Ships UK policy and project manager Hannah Cunliffe.

The event marked the launch of a series of new Shipshape East Anglia pages for the region – these list and detail 85 historic vessels in the area, and over 50 boat building companies and specialist suppliers. The IBTC is to act as local hub for network and is to provide local support and advice to members, a regional base and access to facilities.

Regional projects presented at the event include:

• services and facilities at Excelsior Yard, Lowestoft
• the regeneration of the Whisstocks boatyard at Woodbridge, Suffolk
• Stem to Stern Heritage Training and work experience
• Rescue Wooden Boats, the charity set up to restore, maintain and use examples of heritage maritime wooden working craft in North Norfolk

The Shipshape Network is managed by National Historic Ships UK, the independent government funded organisation representing the interests of historic vessels in the UK. The Network provides a framework for all those with an interest in ship conservation and is home to the National Directory of Skills & Services, promoting the regeneration of traditional maritime skills and techniques.

National Historic Ships network Shipshape East Anglia meets for the first time at Lowestoft originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 15, 2013.

Fowey boat builder Marcus Lewis put me on to this one – the story goes that Marion Mayhew’s husband of 45 years died from cancer earlier this year, leaving a boat he had been working on for 10 years – and it’s now for sale before the yard where it’s lying (near Ely) takes it for scrap.

Marion, though, would love it to go to someone who would complete it and use it.

It might just be what someone wants – a not-quite-finished motor boat project that looks suitable for rivers and broads etc, including toilet and shower, galley and sleeping area, engine, batteries and trailer – and a trailer. I’m told the paintwork is particularly good as Mr Mayhew was a painter and decorator.

I can’t vouch for any of this as I don’t know Mrs Mayhew and haven’t seen the boat – but I think it might well be worth investigating. If you’re interested, write to me at gmatkin@gmail.com, and I’ll forward your message to Mrs Mayhew.

Near completed motor boat project for quick sale originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 14, 2013.

Photos by Dave and Leslie Everatt (there are more at the bottom of this post)

Mal Nicholson is running training days for folks interested in learning how to sail the Humber sloop Spider T.

Sailing working craft of her type and size requires somewhat different skills compared with a small yacht or dinghy, and Mal’s making plans to ensure folks have what’s needed to sail Spider T into the future.

Judging by the comments and photos I’ve seen, the training group’s enthusiasm is pretty well boundless, even in the rain.

If you’re interested in joining Mal’s training group, I would strongly suggest you contact him via the Spider T website – I would myself if it didn’t take half a day to drive to North Lincolnshire from Kent!

Here’s a report from the second training day, written by group member Kathryn Merrick:

Training Day Two

The aim of the day was to enter the lock and use the bridge, taking the lock down to river level and back up to canal level again. Using forward springs we were to allow the Spider to exit in astern back to her moorings. We were getting the boat ready as if it were going onto the North Sea.

Today’s session began by collecting life jackets from the fo’c'sle. Then the sails were hoisted up to release the shackles. The sails were stowed away in the fo’c'sle, with Andrew and Tony receiving the sails which were released down in a spiral shape into the forecastle. The bow sprit was also raised up.

Next the light-boards were taken in by Tom and Jess so that they would not get caught in the lock. Flags were hoisted and Mal gave the shout to remove the forward spring so that the Spider was to be taken out into the canal. The first attempt did not take her out far enough as the wind was blowing her back on, but a second attempt brought her out to a better position.

We then tested the boat’s ability to remain still in the water no matter how much wind there was. This was proved by using the drop kedge anchor which held her in position. This could be useful if a rope was stuck round a propeller, or a man had fallen overboard, as keeping the boat still would enable the crew to attend to what was happening elsewhere.

Fenders were collected from under the hatches to put at appropriate places alongside the boat and boat hooks were used to push the boat away from the side as necessary. We then set off towards the grade 2 listed lock, which was described by Mal as one of the most dangerous locks in the UK.

The boat was brought through the bridge and into the lock successfully. On the way back out of the lock Mal said that the Spider may hit a sand bank but there was nothing the crew could do about that. In the event the boat manoeuvred slow and steady through the lock and the wind was to our advantage on the return journey back to her moorings where we made her fast.

The EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) was explained to the crew. This safety equipment maintained the last known position of the boat in case of an accident and information is stored on this on the likely number of people aboard, the boat’s specifics and the contact details of Mal.

Mal then did a debrief on the successes of the day. He praised everyone for working together effectively. Bev asked if we could do some knot-work and Mal explained that there were many areas he wishes to cover, including knot-work, chart, compass, true/magnetic north, wind/tidal speeds and their effects. There would also be time to paint the Spider and create some more fenders, as many had been lost in Immingham Dock.

Andrew suggested that a tick list may be useful of the skills we needed to acquire to sail the Spider. Mal said he liked the crew to gain practical experience first and then he would certainly go back over the skills.

The Spider T summer sailing trip leaving on Sunday 23 June from Hull was mentioned and invitations were given to the crew if they would like to join all or part of the journey up to Scarborough, Whitby and beyond, possibly to Staithes.

The next meeting dates were proposed in relation to good tides so that the Spider could be taken out on the river for training purposes. Suggestions for dates would be put on the Training Crew Facebook page.

Spider T training days originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 14, 2013.

Previous winners hard at work

National Historic Ships is calling for nominations for a volunteer or group of volunteers for the Marsh Volunteer Awards, which recognise and thank those who have made a significant contribution to the conservation or operation of historic vessels in the UK.

There is an overall prize of £1,000 to be won for the Marsh Volunteer Award and £500 for the Young Volunteer of the Year Award, which is available to nominees who are aged 25 or under. Both prizes are donated by the Marsh Christian Trust, and will be presented at the  National Historic Ships UK awards ceremony held in October on HMS Belfast.

Nominations can now be made on line using the application form by the 31st August.

For full details, including judging criteria, visit the website.

Does anyone you know deserve an award for their contribution to conserving and operating historic vessels? originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 13, 2013.

These images come from the wonderful Retronaut. In the upper shot, a group of submarine crew in 1908 try on their escape equipment – I’m reminded of the Dr Who-style  diving suit I posted about some years ago.

And the lower image – well, I think it’s pretty well indescribable, at least with a straight face.

Click on the images see a bigger image, and to find out a little more!

Retronaut serves up some splendid sea wierdness originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 13, 2013.

Norfolk film maker Jonno of Big Sky Productions has written up the process of installing on new keel to the underside of the magnificent White Moth, a Norfolk wherry built for pleasure purposes in 1915. It all started with propping the boat up and sawing off most of the old keel – read all about it here!

The story of how White Moth got her new steel keel – in pictures originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 10, 2013.

An exhibition of Exeter-based photographer Jenny Steer’s work featuring Lyme’s Boat Building Academy and its boats and people is to be held in the town at The Malthouse in Lyme Regis from the 25th to the 30th May, from 10 to 5 o’clock each day.

Jenny’s title for the show is ‘Shot Across the Bows’.

Here’s my slightly edited version of the press release:

BBA principal Yvonne Green said ‘Launches are a very important part of the Academy’s calendar, celebrating the end of our ‘long’ 38-week courses and the beginning of students’ new careers as boat builders. Students’ families and friends, well wishers and the town come down to the Cobb to cheer as each boat, testament to the students’ new skills, goes into the water for the first time.

‘Launches are very happy occasions, but we are all very conscious that after them people who have worked closely together for nine months go their separate ways. Jenny originally came to a launch as the friend of one of our instructors, but when we saw how her photographs captured the beauty of the boats and the spirit of the occasion we asked her to be our ‘official’ launch photographer.’

The launches are now attended by hundreds of people, and Jenny’s photographs have illustrated articles on the launches in Yachting World, Classic Boat and Water Craft in addition to other magazines.

‘I absolutely love photographing the boat launches at the Boat Building Academy,’ said Jenny. ‘There are so many interesting and diverse boat designs from quirky to more conventional. The atmosphere is extraordinary and I feel privileged to be involved in such an important and special day.’

To complement the photographs two of the traditional clinker boats Jenny has photographed will be on loan from their owners for the exhibition. Witch of Weymouth is a replica of a 1902 Dorset crab and lobster boat, Witch of Worbarrow and was exhibited at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall following the December 2010 launch. Rubee is a very pretty little pram dinghy planked in sweet chestnut on oak, an was launched in December 2012.

Jenny Steer photo exhibition features Boat Building Academy launch photos originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 10, 2013.

It’s a great step, but only one of many that need to be made – for Faversham’s sake, a future has to be forged in which the barges and maritime businesses have to be brought back, and the buildings on the site are cared for. Now, how can that be achieved?

Restaurant planning application rejected by Swale councillors originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 10, 2013.

I took these photos of smacks and bawleys in the wonderful Aldous Heritage Smack Dock at Brightlingsea during a trip this weekend. Read all about it at the Colne Smack Preservation Society website.

I’m still nursing a rib I bruised during a brief F7 we met crossing Colne Bar on Saturday afternoon, but I always enjoy visiting the town, not least for its fish and chips and pubs, and the convenient facilities offered by the sailing club.

The final photo is of Brightlingsea’s Cinque Ports Wreck House, built to store goods from craft wrecked on the nearby coast.

PS – I was amused to be sent a couple of quotes from Archie White, who wrote about this coast.

‘From the white Colne Fishery buoy and the inner Bench Head lighted buoy, the channel is clearly marked and should present no difficulty. Not so Brightlingsea where the narrow channel causes the tide to run much harder than in the  river’.

Apparently, going too far in to the harbour is like ‘Thrusting one’s head into a bag of ferrets on a dark night… ‘ and it’s ‘… best to anchor at the first opportunity and have done with it, rowing in in the dinghy later to sample the delights of the town.’

Yup… I can confirm that with a long wait for the busy harbour master on this occasion, Brightlingsea does have a narrow and tricky channel if your job is to remain ‘on station’… I’m reminded that a picnic anchor or a mud weight might be a quite useful addition to our collection of gubbins…

Photos of Brightlingsea’s smack dock originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 7, 2013.

This photograph on Ben Crawshaw’s weblog The Invisible Workshop gives me another opportunity to plug his book, Catalan Castaway, published by Lodestar Books.

Here’s something of what Ben has to say about it:

The… ‘writings focus on the seaborne adventures of Onawind Blue rather than her construction and include material that hasn’t appeared here at The Invisible Workshop. The trip to Ibiza and OB’s close shave with a fishing boat appear in full, illustrated with hand-drawn maps…

‘Not only have I had a lot of fun building and sailing OB but also writing about her. And to some extent when I became ill with cancer my solo experiences on the water helped me through. At least my memories of sparkling Mediterranean waters and a lively little hull were a place I could escape to during the gruelling days in hospital. I’m proud and pleased that my writing has been considered printable, and to see this part of my life neatly bound in book form gives me a good solid point to move on from.’

A reminder: Ben’s book is out now! originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 1, 2013.

I see from Bill’s Log that small boat cruiser and gentleman of the waves Bill Serjeant is spending a little time at Oare Creek and visiting Faversham, where he seems to be enjoying himself. Here’s his description of Oare Creek:

‘I alighted at the head of Oare Creek and ambled along the footpath where late Spring blossoms scented the air. I deeply breathed in and savoured the beauty of the countryside…

‘I was saddened to see so many forsaken yachts no longer cherished by their owners… but in between, snuggled into the mud awaiting the return of the tide there were the most glorious of sailing vessels, Thames barges and classic yachts of all kinds.’

He’s sailing a West Wight Potter these days – for many years he has taken a particular pleasure in changing boats regularly, often building the smaller ones himself. He has travelled over from Burnham and Leigh, hopes to make Ramsgate tomorrow before the wind rises later in the day. Great good luck Bill!

Bill Serjeant visits Oare Creek and Faversham originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 1, 2013.

A short film by Kat Gardiner about Canadian boatbuilder Andy Stewart.

My thanks to Sam Robinson for letting me know about this!

Shaped on All Six Sides – a film about boatbuilder Andy Stewart originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on May 1, 2013.

Sad, isn’t it, that they could even consider turning this into a restaurant. I hope they make the right decision, but the hostility shown to the chap with the camera may not be a good sign…

By the way, banning filming of meetings like this seems to be in contravention of Government guidance on the issue - which I guess the people involved in this case did not know.

Swale Borough Council meets at the Black Building, Standard Quay originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on April 30, 2013.

Lady Cable shortly after WWII

A Devon-based group, the Lady Cable Trust, is applying for Lottery funding to restore Lady Cable, the Dunkirk Little Ship believed to have been the last to rescue troops from the beaches.

Built as a 40ft passenger motor boat at Teignmouth in 1924 by Morgan Giles, Lady Cable worked as a beach boat at Teignmouth and Torquay until in May 1940, when the British Expeditionary Force found itself cornered on the beaches around Dunkirk and in dire need of rescue by as many small privately owned boats as could be made available.

The Lady Cable’s skipper Frank ‘Sophie’ Gooding answered the call and took her to Dunkirk, where she made seven journeys from the beach to rescue ships offshore before returning to Dover.

At Dover, she was refuelled and then again set out for Dunkirk under the command of a 19-year cadet named Price.

The story goes that the young cadet made four journeys from the beach on the last day of the rescue and then returned to collect an officer who had been directing operations but could not find him, and so picked up more French soldiers and returned to England – they believed they were the last Little Ship to leave Dunkirk.

In the chaos of battle, it might not be surprising that several other craft have been said to have been last to leave, and a search on Google reveals this is so – but that in no way reduces the achievements of Gooding and Price and their small crews, who are said to have rescued 630 men. And, of course, she might easily have been the last boat off the beaches as Price, his crew and the troops on board believed.

Price was recommended for accelerated promotion.

The Lady Cable Trust’s aim is to use the restored boat and the examples of skipper Sophie Gooding and Cadet Rating Price as part of a programme of citizenship and heritage for young people. See the Lady Cable Trust website for much more about the Lady Cable herself and the Trust’s plans, and a collection of old photographs.

‘Last Little Ship to leave Dunkirk’ Lady Cable originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on April 30, 2013.

While this is Faversham in January this year, after most of the barges left:

If you think Maldon has things right while Faversham has it wrong, there’s still time – just – to let Swale Borough’s councillors know what you think about the restaurant proposal by the way - see this earlier post. For more information, also see The Quay website, the Faversham Creek Trust website and the Visions of a Creek website.

I’ve just written to Swale’s councillors in the following terms:

‘Dear councillors:

‘The planning committee is about to make a crucially important decision in relation to Faversham’s Standard Quay: the decision of whether to allow the Black Building to be turned into a restaurant.

‘I am writing today to make the point that the Essex town of Maldon has taken care to welcome sailing barges, including the maintenance and repair work that goes with it – and that as a result its quay, known as The Hythe, is bustling with traditional craft, and with visitors.

‘As a boat user in the Faversham area and the owner of property in this wonderful, historic town, I care a great deal about Faversham’s future.

‘I feel strongly that Maldon has got the right approach to attracting both traditional craft and tourists, and that it is a tragedy that boat owners and boat repairing businesses and other maritime industries report that they have been driven away from Standard Quay. I further believe that converting the Black Building into a restaurant will ensure that the barges and maritime industries will never return.

‘I have written a post about this issue on my popular weblog this morning: http://intheboatshed.net/2013/04/24/compare-and-contrast-standard-quay-without-its-barges-and-maldon-where-barges-are-many-and-tourists-flock/

‘It will be seen by thousands of people over the next few days.

‘You will I am sure have received earlier emails refuting the Swale planning department’s argument that Standard Quay does not have a long history as a centre for boatbuilding and boat repair – even taken alone the fact that the famous Goldfinch family of boatbuilders built one of Faversham’s most famous vessels, Goldfinch, shows this argument is not true.

‘Gavin Atkin’

Compare and contrast: Standard Quay without its barges and Maldon, where barges are many and tourists flock originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on April 24, 2013.

Mobile boat restorer, repairman and sailing instructor Simon Papendick’s weblog shows him restoring a Fox & Son of Ipswich motor launch originally built around the 1960s. See the photos here. To see earlier posts relating to Simon’s projects, go here and click through the ‘earlier posts’ links.

Simon Papendick fixes up a Fox and Son motor launch originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on April 24, 2013.

David Lewin’s photo shows the first three boats – Witch, Bonify and Mary Ritchie - in the Old Gaffers Association Round Britain Challenge setting off on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning (21st April) from Heybridge Basin.

Heybridge is in Essex and on the River Blackwater, just downstream from Maldon where the Association was founded 50 years ago – the Round Britain Challenge celebrates the golden anniversary of the OGA’s founding. The three boats will be joined by many other OGA boats as they travel clockwise round the UK this summer.

I gather Witch, Bonify and Mary Ritchie had to motor most of their first day, though the wind picked up in the afternoon and Bonify did manage to sail a few miles without the engine to get round the North Foreland and down as far as Ramsgate, where she arrived at 7pm.

All three boats made Ramsgate the same evening and in the early hours they were joined by the Dutch boat Vlieter, which had sailed from Den Helder. Readers can track the IGA boats’ progress via a tracking link at the OGAs website, www.oga50.org

The next gathering of en route is at Hamble over the weekend of the 4th/5th May.

PS I should mention that I will be keeping a watch on the weblog of  favourite local boat Bonita, built in 1888, as she makes her way round

OGA boats begin their 50th anniversary Round Britain Challenge originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on April 24, 2013.

My brother Matt Atkin outs with his Fuji Finepix x100 camera to photograph the fishing boats of Panang, in Malaysia. I’d guess these boats were for trailing nets – but would they be floating nets, or trawls? And what about the elegant double-ender that looks so much like one of the boats Howard Irving Chappelle recorded?

Photographer Matthew Atkin visits Penang, Malaysia originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on April 23, 2013.

I’d like to introduce you to AdnamsGirl’s Flickr photo stream of historic photos of The Broads, if you don’t already know it.

AdnamsGirl also has a smashing Twitter account to follow at twitter.com/norfolkmemories - it makes me smile most mornings, and runs the wonderful Broadland Memories archive.

Historic photos of The Broads on Flickr originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on April 22, 2013.

I’ve just learned about the poet Cicely Fox Smith. Not too much is known about her, but there’s a short biography at The Little Red Tree website.

As a woman, Ms Fox Smith  (1882-1954), must have been pretty well excluded from working as a sailor herself, but  she writes very convincingly about ships and men – so convincingly, in fact, that quite a few of her poems have been set to tunes and are being sung by the kind of people you would normally expect to sing traditional shanties, ballads about cruel ships’ mates and ribald ditties about landlords’ daughters, as I discovered recently when listening to Tyne and Tide, a new CD made by group of Tyneside singing group The Keelers.

She wrote hundreds of poems on a variety of themes, and they can be found here.

I’ve pasted two particularly powerful examples below.

Merchantmen

These were the ships that kept on going
When the seas were thick with the War’s black sowing -
Great ocean liners in white paint and gold,
Shabby little colliers, all grime and green mould,
Up-to-date cargo boats ugly as sin,
Old seven-knotters with their plates rusted thin,
Has-been clipper-ships, laid up for ages,
Fitted out and rigged new and sent to earn their wages,
Coal-ships and cotton–ships,
Sound ships and rotten ships
From Thames and Clyde and Merseyside that fetched their ports no more -
Tyne ships and Humber ships,
Grain-ships and lumber-ships -
Ships that went down in the War!

These were the men that knew no shirking
The hungry waters where death lay lurking -
Grizzled old skippers that had grown grey in ships,
Young brassbounders with the down on their lips,
White-faced black squad and tanned A.B.’s
In oil-stained boiler-suits and torn dungarees,
That dropped beside the wheel on the deck all bloodied,
That drowned in the darkness when the stokehold flooded,
That froze on the rafts in the bitter Atlantic,
That drifted in boats till the thirst drove them frantic,
Some with wives and youngsters to cry their eyes red,
Some with neither chick nor child to care that they were dead.

Not reckoned greatly daring men,
But every-day seafaring men,
Who stood their trick and earned their whack and took their fun ashore,
Until on every tide for us
They took their chance and died for us -
Men that went down in the War!

Copper Ore

The
Jane Price
of Swansea
Thirty days out,
With Copper ore from Carrizal
And sinking . . .

Drifting,
With her cargo shifting
And her steering gear gone:
And the pumps clanking on
The whole day through
And the whole night too,
And the water gaining
Spite of all we can do,
And no use complaining
And no use thinking . . .

In the
Jane Price
of Swansea
Thirty days out,
With Copper ore from Carrizal
And sinking . . .

Drifting,
Like a log, and lifting
To the big green seas
That crash aboard like thunder,
With her lee rail under
And the water to our knees
And all the while mounting,
And we’ve got past caring,
And we’ve got past counting,
And the mate’s quit swearing,
And the Old Man’s drinking . . .

In the
Jane Price
of Swansea
Thirty days out
With Copper ore from Carrizal
And sinking…

The sea poems of Cicely Fox Smith originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on April 20, 2013.

Sailing barge historian and author Richard Hugh Perks recently retold the story of Standard Quay in an interview. It’s a story he will know well, as among his many publications is a 30-page history of Faversham’s sailing barges published by the Society for Sailing Barge Research.

Here’s what he had to say:

‘We know that ships have been built at Standard Quay for at least 300 years. Since about 1700, somewhere in the region of 120 sailing vessels have been built here at Standard Quay. The vessels that were built here in the early days were basically the oyster smacks. The fishing and oyster industries were the major industries. The type of craft that carried cargo up to London tended to be small coasting hoys. These were vessels of around 55-60 feet in length.

‘At least one packet boat was built here, the Prince Oscar, in about 1818. We know the names of the various builders who built here in the mid-18th century back to about 1818. The builders were the Bennett family and after that the Redmans came and built large fishing smacks, sailing barges and various other craft.

‘The most famous shipbuilder here was John Matthew Goldfinch who came to Faversham and built his first barge in 1853 and Faversham is probably best known for the Goldfinch barges including his famous schooner, The Goldfinch, which in 1930 was sailed out to British Guiana.

‘So the history of Standard Quay has always, as far as recorded history is concerned, has always been concerned with the loading and unloading of goods, the storage of goods, the building of boats and in particular, the repairing of boats. That was the most important part.

‘A ship, built out of wood, basically had a life of about 30 years. But of course they were always in collision, they were always in trouble or strandings. So maintaining and repairing these vessels was almost the most important work of the shipyard. If you look at the accounts of shipbuilders, most of them lost money building ships. Somebody like Goldfinch was an artist, his barges were beautifully built, they were soundly built. Out of something like 70 sailing barges that he built, their average life was just over 60 years. Now if a wooden vessel was designed to last for only 30 years, it meant there was a lot of repair work going on, a lot of refurbishment.

‘We’ve got records out of the newspapers of colliery brigs and timber ships coming alongside Standard Quay to be worked on and repaired. Local ships got into the papers when they were built or when there was some form of accident or tragedy. In fact while a brigantine was being repaired here in the 1870s, the staging around it collapsed and one of the shipwrights was killed.’

Against this background, it is surprising and unfortunate that a Swale Borough assessment in support of a controversial planning application to open a restaurant in a listed building on the quay recently suggested that boatbuilding began on the site just over ten years ago. I’d say that looking at the site itself, what Mr Hugh Perks has to say has a strong ring of truth about it.

There’s still time to let Swale Borough’s councillors know what you think about the restaurant proposal by the way – see this earlier post. For more information, also see The Quay website, the Faversham Creek Trust website and the Visions of a Creek website.

Standard Quay’s history, and a great photo of sailing barge Goldfinch originally appeared on intheboatshed.net on April 18, 2013.