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
Medway, Swale and the Kent coast
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.
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’
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