Category: Events

Events such as historical events, races, exhibitions, processions, regattas and so on.

Little Ships to return to Dunkirk for the 75th anniversary

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Over 50 Dunkirk little ships are to return to Dunkirk next year for the 75th anniversary of the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force in 1940. My thanks to the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships for the above photos.

During the famous evacuation, some 338,000 British and French troops were saved from German forces.

Many are over 85 years old, and they will make a remarkable spectacle as they voyage down the Thames into the Thames Estuary to Ramsgate, and then to Dunkirk and back.

Just before and just after the Dunkirk date will be good days to be on the water around North Kent, and to take some photographs.

The ADLS‘s officers have published the following timetable of events:

  • 16-17th May – little ships will be gathered at Royal Docks, London
  • 19-20th May – little ships gather at Ramsgate
  • 21th May – little ships depart for Dunkirk
  • 22th May – back up departure day in case of poor weather
  • 23th May – beach memorial service at Dunkirk
  • 24th May – ADLS commemorative service, 1100 local time on quayside
  • 25th May – little ships return to Ramsgate
  • 26th May – back up return day in case of poor weather

Here are some photos I managed to take on and around the Medway last year:

Christmas elves in the workshop

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Tiernan Roe has written with an important message:

‘Like many other boat builders, every so often I’ve misplaced a tool, and spent ages looking for it only to find it in the first place I looked.

‘If you’re tired or in a rush this can quickly progress from merely being mildly perplexing to Rumplestilskin-style apoplexy.

‘But when it re-appears, it’s as if someone put it there, quietly, and deliberately.

‘Well, I think I have discovered the cause.

‘I walked up the path to visit my neighbour earlier for a Christmas drink. While strolling home comfortably full of the spirit of Christmas I noticed the lights on in my workshop. I thought perhaps I – or my wife – had left the lights on.

‘But, more, I could hear hammering! Peeking in the window I managed to shoot the photo above. I don’t know what it is, or what is was making, but it looked like one of Santa’s elves and it was using my hammer.

‘Being superstitious and full of understandable fear I decided I would not disturb the creature. I’m just hoping it’s workmanship was worthy and that it put my hammer back on the shelf. Boat builders everywhere will surely understand!’

Find out what’s really happening in Tiernan’s Roeboats workshop.

In the meantime, all of us at Intheboatshed.net Towers wish all of you a peaceful, comfortable and relaxing winter break. And my thanks to Tiernan for explaining something very profound…

Jennie of Paglesham starts her new life with Giacomo de Stefano

This is Classic Boat person of the year Giacomo de Stefano taking delivery of Jennie of Paglesham, which he intends to restore to cruising condition at Faversham during the later part of next summer after he has completed his Man on the Snow project.

The fun ‘yacht in a bottle’ was made by previous owner Rhodri Williams during his time in the Navy, in fact during the first Iraq War.

Giacomo tells me that Jennie is soft in only a few areas, and I hope it’s true because he tells me that it’s all my fault that he bought her following a post I published on this website a while back.

Jennie of Paglesham was built by Frank Shuttlewood in 1946/7 from the bones of his grandfather’s 1885 clinker-built boat Jennie. An article about Jennie by the late Maurice Griffiths appeared in YMApril 1948. See the link above for more information.

Man on the Snow is an expedition to travel from Oslo in Sweden to Nordkapp at the far North of Norway by sustainable means, and follows the earlier Man on the River in which Giacomo, with the help of friends, built an Iain Oughtred-designed sailing dinghy and rowed and sailed all the way from London to Istanbul, again using sustainable means so far as possible, which of course meant he had no engine. I think we should all wish him luck with both endeavours!