The Thames Traditional Boat Festival is back for 2015

River Thames News Thames Trad Boat Festival

The Thames Traditional Boat Festival will be back for 2015, following the disappointment of having to cancel last year due to flooding, The River Thames News is reporting this morning.

It will be held at Henley on the 18th and 19th July.

A new management team seems to be trying to widen the event’s appeal, with what they say will be many new attractions and exhibits including vintage and classic cars, as well as traditional boats, and improved catering.

See the Thames Trad Boat Festival website for information – and if you haven’t seen them before, don’t miss photo gallery 1 and photo gallery 2, and, if you’re a photographer, this link.

 

Eye of the Wind film and 1970s reminiscence event at Faversham

EoWAtFaversham EoWNameplate

The Faversham Creek Trust folks are organising an evening of reminiscences about the Creek based around the restoration of the famous world-circling tall ship Eye of the Wind at Faversham in the 1970s.

The event is to take place at the Fleur de Lys hall in the town on the 21st February at 7pm (doors open at 6.30). Tickets are rather restricted as the organisers want to find room for people with memories and stories to share, but entrance is free. If you’d like to attend, contact the trust.

(Read about the Eye here and here.)

The trust folks will show film provided by Tiger Timbs, who was involved in the restoration and later became her master.

The film shows a lot of the work that was done in the Creek and also the history of the ship herself, and this will hopefully trigger lots of memories of that time from locals and others who were involved – not only about what was happening on the Eye herself, but also around the Creek generally.

There will also be a short talk from the skipper of the Leila – a spectacular Victorian gentleman’s racing yacht based in Suffolk, which is run to benefit the same kind of community that the Creek Trust is hoping to involve in the maritime revival of Faversham Creek.

The Leila Trust has already offered a subsidised berth to an unemployed young (or not so young) person from Faversham, and we are hoping that we will be able to have some youngsters in the audience too let them see a bit of the history and maybe inspire them to get involved.

PS… I’m planning to be at the event and have been honoured to be asked to play some tunes and maybe chip in with a song if there’s time. No doubt I’ll think of a few appropriate items…

National Historic Ships UK flagship of the year competition opens for 2015

National Historic Ships UK is once again calling for entries for its annual ‘Flagship of the Year’ competition for an award, and the job of representing NHSUK for the year.

Last year’s winner was the Humber keel Daybreak, pictured above, as are her owners and the broad pennant.

Entry is open to vessels on the National Register of Historic Ships that are in operational condition, and which raise their profile by attending public events and festivals. The successful applicant will be given a broad pennant to fly, marking their flagship status and the year of the award.

The vessel will also receive a grant of up to £1,000 to assist with the costs of running the vessel and appearing at major national or international events.

Owners should apply via the NHSUK website, outlining their planned cruising programme for the season, including:

  • key places to be visited
  • details of events or festivals to be attended
  • significance of the vessel and any links to cruising destinations
  • public benefit from vessel attendance at any events
  • ways in which the vessel would support National Historic Ships UK during the year

Applications should also state how the grant would be used, and are encouraged to include photographs to demonstrate the aesthetic or promotional impact the vessel will make.

The competition closing date is the 31st March 2015.