Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
Events such as historical events, races, exhibitions, processions, regattas and so on.
Barge enthusiast Laura Tomkins has kindly sent me some fine, smile-inducing photos of the Thames Sailing Barge Parade, which was held yesterday.
The event seems to have had the same dramatic skies and occasional showers my pal and I encountered out on the Estuary as we sailed to and fro through the Copperas channel, but don’t the barges look great! Thanks Laura!
It was a jolly do, if not terribly big after a number of boats called off or left due to the inclement Friday and the windy forecast for Sunday. Nevertheless, the Saturday of the event was blessed with fine weather as you’ll see…
For Nick Ardley’s write up of the event, click here.
We raised the keel, sat on the mud of Hoo Flats, and drank a little orange-flavoured Dutch gin. Well you might too, if one of you was half-Dutch and the other also had some of his own Dutch history…
