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

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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…

Admiral Michiel de Ruyter gets the movie treatment

Michiel de Ruyter (ADMIRAL) – Trailer from Rebel Film on Vimeo.

Just to explain… This is the Admiral de Ruyter who famously led the Dutch Navy’s Raid on the Medway in June 1667 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.

He should be better known to us Brits – and I gather the new film will be available with subtitles. Check the starry cast by the way…

De Ruyter bombarded and then captured the town of Sheerness, then sailed up up the River Medway to Chatham, where the Dutch burned three capital ships and ten smaller naval vessels, and towed away the Unity and the Royal Charles, then the pride of the English fleet.

It was one of the worst defeats in the Royal Navy’s history, and led to a quick and favourable peace for the Dutch.

Read about De Ruyter here, and for a more English view of the Raid on the Medway, click here.

A Short History of the Thames Estuary, part IV

Here are the rest: part iii, part ii, part i.